A PRISON, A PALACE AND THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD (21 OF 26)
Scripture: Acts 22:23-30, Acts 23:1-35
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A Prison, A Palace and The Sovereignty of God (21 of 26)
Series: How the Church ACTS
Jordan Easley
Acts 22:23-23:35
One thing this study has reinforced to me is the fact that: It takes a lot of COURAGE to be a Christian. It takes a lot of COURAGE to trust Christ and to follow Christ.
Which means... if you're living a ''Christian life'' that doesn't require courage, you're most likely doing it wrong... because following Jesus has never been considered 'easy.'
Since the very beginning of the church... living for Jesus, following Jesus, speaking truth that comes from Jesus-it's required a great deal of courage!
I think about Paul, and the courage he displayed-and I just shake my head and think, ''How in the world did he exhibit that much faith while facing that much persecution?'' Because ultimately, Paul was a human being, just like you and I are human beings.
We tend to think of Bible characters as if they were super-human, but the truth is, they were humans just like us... which means when Paul was making his way to Jerusalem and all of his friends... all the church leaders... all the Spirit-filled believers of that day were saying, ''Don't go to Jerusalem. It's going to be dangerous. It's going to be difficult,'' he felt just like you and I would feel in that moment.
I mean, sure, God had instructed Him to go... but even with that confirmation in his heart, Paul wasn't excited about the persecution he was facing. He wasn't looking forward to the afflictions that were to follow. No. In that moment, he was anxious. He was nervous. He was uncertain about what was to come. He was afraid.
That's why this morning, we're going to see the Lord say to Paul [Acts 23:11] Paul... ''Have courage!'' He said, ''Take courage!'' Do you get that? He was encouraging Paul. He was putting courage into Paul. Why? Because ultimately, courage is required to follow Jesus.
If you'll remember, last week, Paul was arrested once again and we saw him, with great ...
Series: How the Church ACTS
Jordan Easley
Acts 22:23-23:35
One thing this study has reinforced to me is the fact that: It takes a lot of COURAGE to be a Christian. It takes a lot of COURAGE to trust Christ and to follow Christ.
Which means... if you're living a ''Christian life'' that doesn't require courage, you're most likely doing it wrong... because following Jesus has never been considered 'easy.'
Since the very beginning of the church... living for Jesus, following Jesus, speaking truth that comes from Jesus-it's required a great deal of courage!
I think about Paul, and the courage he displayed-and I just shake my head and think, ''How in the world did he exhibit that much faith while facing that much persecution?'' Because ultimately, Paul was a human being, just like you and I are human beings.
We tend to think of Bible characters as if they were super-human, but the truth is, they were humans just like us... which means when Paul was making his way to Jerusalem and all of his friends... all the church leaders... all the Spirit-filled believers of that day were saying, ''Don't go to Jerusalem. It's going to be dangerous. It's going to be difficult,'' he felt just like you and I would feel in that moment.
I mean, sure, God had instructed Him to go... but even with that confirmation in his heart, Paul wasn't excited about the persecution he was facing. He wasn't looking forward to the afflictions that were to follow. No. In that moment, he was anxious. He was nervous. He was uncertain about what was to come. He was afraid.
That's why this morning, we're going to see the Lord say to Paul [Acts 23:11] Paul... ''Have courage!'' He said, ''Take courage!'' Do you get that? He was encouraging Paul. He was putting courage into Paul. Why? Because ultimately, courage is required to follow Jesus.
If you'll remember, last week, Paul was arrested once again and we saw him, with great ...
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