Luke the beloved physician wrote how Paul defended himself before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, and when “Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God. And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle”, and in chapter twenty-three and verse eleven of the book of Acts Luke shared how, “the Lord stood by” Paul where we read:
And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul:
for as you have testified of me in Jerusalem, so must you bear witness also at Rome.
The verse begins, “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul:” Luke began with the words, “and the night following” which means “and the next time when work ceases from sunset to sunrise” “the Lord stood by him” or “the One to whom a person or thing belongs about which he has power of deciding; master, and the title given to God the Messiah”, “and said” which means “and uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “be of good cheer” or “exist as encouraged and of good comfort”, “Paul” whose name means “small or little”. Luke shared how the “Lord Jesus” was standing with “Paul” during the “nighttime”, and He inspired “Paul” to be of good courage even in the midst of his circumstances.
The verse goes on to say, “for as you have testified of me in Jerusalem, so must you bear witness also at Rome.” Luke continued with the words, “for as you have testified of me” which means “because, since and on account that in the way and manner you, Paul, have bore witness and report concerning me, Jesus” “in Jerusalem” or “within the city of Jerusalem whose name means set you double peace and is the capital of Palestine”, “so must you bear witness also” which means “even in the same way and manner it is necessary that you, Paul, testify and bear record of Jesus even so and indeed” “at Rome” or “within the city of Rome whose name means strength and was the famous capital of the ancient world”. Luke shared how the “Lord Jesus” told “Paul” he would “testify” about Him in the city of “Rome” in the same way he did in “Jerusalem”.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn how “Paul” was accompanied by the “Lord Jesus” while he was incarcerated in the “castle” in Jerusalem. During the night, the “Lord” appeared to him, encouraged him and told him he would bear witness of Him in the city of “Rome” like he did in “Jerusalem”. God loves people, and even when they face great adversity, He is with them and knows their future. “Paul” might have thought himself abandoned or a failure after being seized from the “Sanhedrin”, but Jesus was with him, and He had more work for him to do. Anyone who believes and trusts in Jesus as their “Savior and Lord” will be forgiven of their sins, granted everlasting life and used in His Kingdom to spread the gospel of salvation to all who will receive Him. Those who are wise yield to Jesus, rely upon His presence and function in His Kingdom in any way He desires.
Next time Luke shares how, “certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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