A Properous Journey

Paul said in Romans 1:10, "Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you." Here we see that Paul has a desire to visit the believers in Rome.

Paul is writing this letter to the Romans from Corinth where Paul was completing a collection for the poor in Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:1-4). From there Paul was to go to Jerusalem and deliver the money, and then go to Rome. Paul had no idea what awaited him in Jerusalem.

Now keep in mind that Paul did pray, "by any means", a “prosperous journey” and "by the will of God." There is no doubt that Paul wanted to go to Rome and the Lord wanted him to go as well. It’s just that Paul had no idea how it was going to happen.

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he was jailed for inciting the Jews (Acts 22:22-29). He was then brought before Felix the governor (Acts 23:23-24). However, Felix could not find fault in him, but he still held Paul in prison for two years to please the Jews (Acts 24:27).

Then a governor came into office who heard Paul’s case once again and his name was Festus. Festus could not find any fault in Paul either, but still left him in prison as well (Acts 25:1-12).

Then later King Agrippa and his wife came to visit Festus and Paul requested permission to speak with the king as well (Acts 25:22). It was during this questioning by King Agrippa that Agrippa made that famous statement, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian (Acts 26:24-28).

After speaking with King Agrippa, Paul requested that his case be heard by Caesar himself. He was then placed on board a ship bound for Rome. When he boarded the ship, the Lord tells him that the ship is going to sink at sea and that's exactly what it did(Acts 27:9-11)!

They get out to sea and sure enough the storm comes and for 14 days the ship is beaten by the sea and then finally began to sink. After the ship sank, they were all safely washed up on the island of Malta without any lose of life (Acts 27:39-44). Now remember that Paul did say, "if by any means…I might have a prosperous journey, by the will of God to come unto you."

After being washed up on the island Paul got bitten by a venomous snake (Acts 28:1-6). All of the islanders expected him to drop dead. However, after he didn't, they decided that he was indeed a god. This gave Paul an opportunity to share Christ with them and the entire island got saved. Paul did say, "if by any means…I might have a prosperous journey, by the will of God to come unto you."

It was after all of this that Paul arrived in Rome (Acts 28:11-16)!

Was it a prosperous journey? You bet it was! Paul had no idea that when he prayed that prayer, God was going to bring him to Rome, just as he had requested, but three years later as a prisoner in chains! But, God did answer is prayer!

In the process, he delivered money to the poor in Jerusalem and shared his faith is Felix, Festus, King Agrippa, everyone on board the ship and the entire Island of Malta. Was God gloried? You bet!!

How About You? What are you asking God for today? Are you ready the answer? Are you ready for the way in which He might answer?

I’ve found that God rarely answers prayers on our conditions, because our conditions are usually self-centered, not God centered. We need to learn how to let go and let God. He is going to do it His way and we are just merely along for the ride. Saddle up!

Living in Defeat

Paul said in Romans 6:13-14, "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (14) For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace."

The question before us is, "Is it possible for a person to be set free and yet still live like their in jail?" The answer is, "Yes, it is." Christians do it all of the time.

There is a story of two brothers who fought for the right to rule over a dukedom in what is now Belgium. The elder brother’s name was Raynald, but he was commonly called “Crassus,” a Latin nickname meaning “fat,” for he was horribly obese. After a heated battle, Raynald’s younger brother Edward led a successful revolt against him and assumed the title of Duke over his lands. But instead of killing Raynald, Edward devised a curious imprisonment. He had a room in the castle built around “Crassus,” a room with only one door. The door was not locked, the windows were not barred, and Edward promised Raynald that he could regain his land and his title any time that he wanted to. All he would have to do is leave the room of his imprisonment. The obstacle to freedom was not in the doors or the windows, but with Raynald himself. Being grossly overweight, he could not fit through the door, even though it was of near-normal size. All Raynald needed to do was diet down to a smaller size, then walk out a free man, with all he had before his fall. However, his younger brother kept sending him an assortment of tasty foods, and Raynald’s desire to be free never won out over his desire to eat. Some would accuse Duke Edward of being cruel to his older brother, but he would simply reply, “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.”

That is an awesome illustration of what most Christian’s experience. They have indeed been set free, but because of their appetites, they live in defeat. Let that not be the case with us!

In The Land Of Mao, A Rising Tide Of Christianity Among Chinese : NPR

In The Land Of Mao, A Rising Tide Of Christianity Among Chinese : NPR

This is a story on the church in China. It's amazing that NPR would speak on the subject. Click the second link to view.

Why should I attend church?

Where have all of the feminists gone?

This is an article and video that was posted by Dr. Michael Youssef. It's very thought provoking.

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