Acts 25:11 (KJV) Regardless The Consequences

Acts 25:11 (KJV)
For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar.

I think it was John R. Rice claimed that this whole mess was created by Paul’s own refusal to obey the Spirit and leave the Jews to themselves. Had he, according to what I think I remember Rice preaching, to stuck to his calling, he would not have been in this fix. 

As it was Paul was stuck between two bad choices:

• He could return to Jerusalem where he was sure to die
• He could appeal to Caesar where he did eventually die

To trust his life to a corrupt religious system or to appeal to a wicked worldly system.

What a choice.

I was reminded recently of the experienced hiker who, in order to save his own life, purposely broke his arm bone and cut his arm off. The man who related to incident used it as an example of man’s solution rather than God’s. I am not sure that is a fair representation. I think of Paul. It feels like appealing to Caesar was “man’s solution.” Even Festus and Agrippa would later opine that it was a shame he had done that. I don’t see an alternative. 

What I do see is that God used it. Paul survives many more years. Though a prisoner, he was able to: 

• Witness to countless more souls 
• Influence the world through Rome and 
• Write many of the New Testament epistles 

Who knows what might have happened had he never gone to Jerusalem in the first place? Who knows what might have happened had he agreed to return and be tried in Jerusalem? What we do know is that he remained faithful to Christ until death. 

Follow God’s leadership. Do what you, to the best of your understanding, believe to be God’s will. And then be faithful to God regardless the consequences. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4500 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

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Acts 25:11 (KJV) Regardless The Consequences

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Acts 24:1 (KJV) Set Up

Acts 24:1 (KJV)
And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul.

I’ve been “set up” before. 

Many years ago, our church sponsored a missionary with the Baptist Bible Fellowship.  He had pastored in our state and, when the church he pastored grew to just one or two elderly ladies meeting in a building the city was going to condemn for needed repairs, the little congregation left had decided to sell their property and use the money to help this pastor reach the mission field. There was another pastor in the state who had some hesitation’s, but he had no legal or biblical authority in this church. When I explained the situation, he told me he understood and was fine with this guy proceeding with the sale of the property and using it for missions work. 

On a certain day, I was asked to appear before a group of pastors of the Baptist Bible Fellowship and present this missionary. It required that I travel to Springfield, MO, my first and last trip there. When I arrived, I discovered that the pastor who had hesitations was also there and he had changed his mind. He planned to appear before this group of pastors and object to the approval of the missionary. Further, he had brought another, well known, pastor to support his objection. The other Pastor` was not from our state and had no personal knowledge of the circumstances. He was just a friend of the one opposing and who offered his support of the opposition on that basis. I could have also had a well-known pastor supporting my position if I had known I was going to be opposed. I did not. 

I was “set up.”

Acts 24 feels like a “set up” to me. Paul had been snuck out of Jerusalem under threat of his life. The Jews, upset that an angry mob had not just done away with Paul, sent a contingent to Caesarea and included in the contingent a famous and gifted speaker. Once he was done with this oratory the Bible says Paul was permitted[1]to speak for himself. 

He did an admirable job and God intervened. The governor refused to let the Jews have him and Paul, though not freed, was protected. His ministry carried on for many more years. Some would say he did his most important work after this. 

Those who “set me up” did not succeed either. I had a few unanticipated hurdles to jump but the missionary was approved and served on the field until his wife’s passing. 

God is bigger than those who try to set us up to fail.

---

[1]Forced, really.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4500 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Acts 24:1 (KJV) Set Up

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Nahum 1:1-2 (KJV) God Deals With Sin

Nahum 1:1-2 (KJV)
The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

Schofield’s Study Bible provides the following introduction to the book of Nahum,
“Nahum prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah, probably about one hundred and fifty years after Jonah. He has but one subject–the destruction of Nineveh. According to Diodorus Siculus, the city was destroyed nearly a century later, precisely as here predicted. The prophecy is one continuous strain which does not yield to analysis. The moral theme is: the holiness of Jehovah which must deal with sin in judgment.”

I read the first two chapters of Nahum in my daily visit with God today. There are very brief glimpses of mercy peppered here and there but this is undoubtedly brutal.

A thought occurred to me; could this be a prophetic description of the judgment of Christ on our behalf? Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4500 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Nahum 1:1-2 (KJV) God Deals With Sin

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Micah 7:8-9 (KJV) The Good Part

Micah 7:8-9 (KJV)
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.

I sure understand the prophet’s heart when in Micah 7:1-5 he writes,
Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.
Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

As I read this passage, I thought to myself, “I can’t wait to get to the good part. I sure hope he ends with a good part.”[1]Praise the Lord Micah does end with a good part. 

• He said he would look unto the Lord
• He said he would wait for the God of his salvation 

And then he said,
Micah 7:8
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. 

He could bear the indignation of the Lord because he knew he had sinned. But he was confident that it was his enemy who would bear the final shame. 

---

[1]After all, Jeremiah didn’t.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4500 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
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Micah 7:8-9 (KJV) The Good Part

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Acts 21:23-25 (KJV) Not Necessary

Acts 21:23-25 (KJV)
Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.

We’re looking at some mixed up Christians right here. 

On the one hand, they are glad for the work of the Lord in the world.
On the other, they are terrified of the misunderstandings of the people.

On the one hand, they wished for Paul to keep up Jewish appearances.
On the other, they realized that none of these Jewish laws had anything to do with righteousness. 

These three verses prove two things for us:

• That keeping the Law is a religious act forced upon people
• That the observation of no such things is necessary for a right standing with God. 

Of course, we ought to maintain a testimony and be moral, separate and holy. 

Beyond that, the law, whose only purpose was to lead us to see our need of Jesus Christ, has become a tool of men to dominate over other men. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4500 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Acts 21:23-25 (KJV) Not Necessary

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Acts 20:11-12 (KJV) Comfort in Fellowship

Acts 20:11-12 (KJV)
When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.
And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

Having Jews who laid wait for Paul and would, no doubt, do him terrible harm, Paul moved from the one place to the next where he did “business as usual.” Threats were an inconvenience but certainly not a reason to quit his work. Having gotten to Troas he and the disciples there:

• Gathered on the first day of the week
• Preached the word of God and
• Planned to share a meal together 

Having the threat behind him and a trip ahead of him, the believers were in no way in a hurry. When Eutychus had fallen, Paul simply restored him and continued on with the service. Imagine the conversations they must have had:

• Of the goodness of salvation 
• Of the fellowship because of Christ 
• Of the hope of eternal life
• Of the coming day when no one need ever leave
• Of the rest that is in Jesus Christ 
• Of a day when no one dies
• Of a time when no enemies exist 

Comfort implies trouble. That trouble can be comforted in fellowship is a great value. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4500 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Acts 20:11-12 (KJV) Comfort in Fellowship

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Micah 2:7 (KJV) Meddlin’

Micah 2:7 (KJV)
O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?

Last Sunday I joked with the people of the church I am blessed of the Lord to pastor that, if they weren’t in a good mood, they might want to stay home Sunday night. The message the Lord had given me to preach was not mean spirited by any means, but it would address issues that could be a bit “meddlin’”.  

I was reminded of a situation that happened with one of my boys when he was young. He had done something for which a discipline was necessary. In our house discipline was administered in this fashion: First, the boy would go to his room to await me. Then I would come in and we would talk about how loved he was. Next, I would explain the problem and why discipline was necessary. Finally, after the discipline, we would hug each other hard and tell each other we loved each other. We never left the room until complete fellowship had been restored. On this occasion, after the process was done, my son grabbed his back side and said, “It’s been awhile Dad. The callouses are gone!” There were smiles and levity even after such a serious moment.

Believers, whose hearts are right with the Lord, understand that even hard messages are meant for good. We do not run from them. We rather thank God for them.

Indeed, God’s words do good to him that walketh uprightly.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4500 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Micah 2:7 (KJV) Meddlin’

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Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.