Breathe on me, Breathe, Oh Breath of God

“The Voice of the Lord”

(2 Timothy 3:16)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

All Scripture

The few words before us are not about our favorite verses. They say something about all the sacred writings, the Scriptures.

The Scriptures begin with the books of the Law. These are the writings of Moses. Every word in those writings form a sacred deposit for the people of Israel. But God was not finished. He also gave us an account through the work of many hands of the history of Israel, from the time of the conquest of Canaan under Joshua through to the life of the Jews in the Persian empire included in the Book of Esther. Every word in those histories together form sacred writings. Add to the Law and the history the writings of David, Solomon, and Job. These varied books of wisdom are holy oracles. The Lord also used many prophets to discipline His people and to speak words of hope to them of the coming ages. We have received all of these books, every word of the original autographs of holy men of old, as entirely authoritative books, teaching the Jews and the church what to believe and how to live.

Then came Jesus, the Word. He lived without sin. He died. He rose again.

After His coming and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, the Lord was pleased to finish the Scriptures with the gospels, Acts, and the epistles that make up the New Testament culminating in Revelation. False writings were circulating among spiritual communities in the 1^st century, but these have never been received by the church as the Scriptures.

is breathed out

The 66 books of the Old and New Testaments were different that the commentaries of rabbis or the spiritual pronouncements of deep religious thinkers. These 66 were breathed out by Someone, the great Someone alone capable of breathing out to us a message by breathing through holy men of old. This was not a mere dictation. It was an organic message giving. It was the breath of God through people prepared for that breathing out.

How do we know that? We receive what the apostle says by the Holy Spirit. These are matters that can only received by tasting in faith, by breathing in what has been breathed out through others in earlier centuries.

by God...

There is a divine breath Giver who gave us these Scriptures. God speaks. His voice is received today by the Holy Spirit working in the lives of those who hear in faith. The same Spirit that breathed out the words through the prophetic voice, is able to illuminate your heart to hear God's Word.

This good Word, from Genesis through Revelation, is about the Word that came in person, the Son of God. The themes of His death and resurrection are so central to our lives, that they are worthy of every true prophet that ever spoke or wrote and every believer who ever received the Scriptures in faith as the Word of God.

Receive this Word. Love it. Follow it. Take it into your mouth. Believe it in your heart. This is the way to grow in the divine life.

From whence the vision and the power?

 “Adventure at Caesarea”

(Acts 10:1-24, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, March 25, 2012)

[10:1] At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, [2] a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.

There was a man, a Gentile, named Cornelius. Though he was not a Jew, he had a great interest in the God of the Jews. He was not alone in this. There were many Gentiles in the 1^st century who were interested in worshiping the God of the Jews. They were unwilling to become Jews, but many of them attended synagogues.

Luke, the author of Acts, gives us some details about this man allowing us to place him as a historical individual; his location, his profession, his assignment. These matters are not Luke's chief concern. He emphasizes his spiritual life. Cornelius was a devout man, a worshiping man; a man who feared God, a man who heard God's Word proclaimed and understood that it was a word for him that he needed to obey. He followed devotional practices that were for him and for all his household. His faith was generous and compassionate. He helped the poor. Finally, Luke tells us that he prayed continually to God. The adventure that we have recorded in this chapter and the next one blossoms forth from God through this great man's devotional life.

[3] About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” [4] And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. [5] And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. [6] He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” [7] When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, [8] and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

While Cornelius was praying he saw an angel clearly in a vision. An angel of God spoke to him by name. He was terrified.

The angel mentioned the very things that Luke drew attention to. The prayers and generous giving of this devout Gentile were commendable. They had ascended to the God of the Jews as an acceptable offering. Cornelius had been chosen by God for this special moment in the history of God's saving plan. This moment would mark the true beginning of God's great work among the nations of the world. There had been very generous hints of this plan throughout the Old Testament and in the ministry of Jesus. Already in Acts we have seen the buds of a Gentile spring in the Pentecost tongues, in the salvation of an Ethiopian eunuch, in the mission to Samaria, and in the commission God gave to Saul of Tarsus. But this man, his family, and his close friends would receive a great pouring out of the Holy Spirit spontaneously from heaven, a second Pentecost, a Gentile Pentecost this time, that would be unstoppable.

God did not reveal all that right away. He just told him to send his men to get Peter and bring him to Caesarea from Joppa. God had more work to do in Joppa before the true adventure of the Gentile mission would actually begin.

[9] The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. [10] And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance [11] and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. [12] In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. [13] And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” [14] But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” [15] And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” [16] This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.Peter is the second godly man in our passage. He too has a regular habit of prayer, and this adventure further blossoms forth now from his prayer life. He too has a mysterious vision, an experience that confronts Peter and prepares him for what is to take place. When God says that something is clean enough for a Jew to eat, and when says “Eat!”... we best eat. When God has made Gentiles clean enough for Jews to visit, when He says, “Go there!” … we best go.

[17] Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate [18] and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. [19] And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. [20] Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” [21] And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” [22] And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” [23] So he invited them in to be his guests.

Peter did not immediately understand the thrice repeated vision, but when the next thing happened, he knew what it was all about. Not because Peter had such great interpretive insight... The Spirit of God made it all clear. “Three men are looking for you. Accompany them without hesitation.” God can make something plain to those who make a habit of hearing and obeying Him. Peter said, “I am the one you are looking for.”

The visitors recommended Cornelius to Peter, but they really did not need to. He was prepared to go where the Lord would have him go, and to say whatever the Lord would have Him say. So...

The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. [24] And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

So the next day, they left together, along with some of the members of the church in Joppa, the church that had just received their beloved Tabitha (Gazelle) alive again from the dead. Peter was ready, but what would it all mean? Cornelius was ready too. So ready that he called together his relatives and close friends, not even knowing what would happen next They needed to trust the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who had sent His only-begotten Son not only for the salvation of the Jews, but also for the salvation of the Gentiles.

Praise the LORD, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!

(Psalm 117)

Jesus allowed His life to spring forth from His communion with His Father, and His obedience to His Father's Word. So did Peter and Cornelius. Why should our lives be different than that?

1. What do we know about Cornelius?

2. What was Peter's struggle?

3. What was the Lord's instruction concerning the visitors from Cornelius?

4. How open was Cornelius to the message God would bring to him through Peter?

OT Passage: Psalm 117

Don't Walk Away... Come Home to Your Mama

“Acquaintance, Learning, Knowledge, Belief, Wisdom, Salvation,

... and Fullness”

(2 Timothy 3:14-15)

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed,

Paul does not consider it rude to state the obvious to his younger colleague, Timothy. Yes others will go from bad to worse, deceiving others about any number of things, and being deceived by themselves. Paul's advice: Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed. There will always be new ideas. Do not minimize the old foundation that you have received. Do not start every day as an adventure between your open mind and an intriguing world. You have been given a past. Don't discard it like an old tissue...

knowing from whom you learned it

Your spiritual heritage is not just a collection of propositions or a list of behaviors. It is a way of life that is connected with people who have nourished and cherished you. When you are tempted to consider your spiritual heritage as nothing or even as a drag upon your choices and feelings, remember the people from whom you learned it.

Think about it. Think about them. They were not all bad in their love for you. Do you really want to toss out what they held most dear and start with nothing? The idea of starting with nothing is an illusion. When you think that you are starting with nothing, you are replacing the faith of parents and grandparents with the spirit of the age. Though the spirit of the age looks like it is nothing at the time when you live in it, it later emerges as its own set of ideas and behaviors that were so commonly accepted at the time that they just seemed like nothing. Better remember your mother and your grandmother.

15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings,

Then remember the things that they read you from the Scriptures if you were blessed with that kind of upbringing. Did someone teach you how to pray back before you knew what the word “hallowed” actually meant? Did someone tell you about David and Goliath? Did you learn these words: “The Lord is my shepherd?” Were you taught the Ten Commandments? If you throw those out, what will you put in their place? There will be rules. There will be right and wrong. “Thou shalt not smoke tobacco?” “Majority rules.” Those ideas may even have some merit, but do you really want to throw out the Bible?

which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

The Scriptures must be read with faith in the Lord. The unfolding story is easily dismissed by many who come “with an open mind” that is not as open as we think, but is actually chock full of the spirit of the age. But for those who ask for the fullness of the Spirit of the Lord instead, the Scriptures are the unfolding story of the eternal purpose of God. Mom and grandma did not understand all of it. But they may have known enough to not throw it all away. They may have known enough to believe that there was life after death, and to believe in Jesus Christ.

The Scriptures are able to make you wise. They are all about Jesus, His death, and His resurrection. Don't throw it all away. Don't throw away the people who taught you that story. Don't reinvent your life. Don't throw away Jesus. He died for you. At that point of crisis in your life, go for more of the Lord, not for less. Ask for the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and let Him show you how to grow in the foundation that you have received.

So many heroes...

 “Many Believed in the Lord”

(Acts 9:36-43, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, March 18, 2012)

36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity.

“Isn't it a joy to serve the Lord!” That is what my mentor, Dr. J. Christy Wilson, said to me when I was expressing frustration about a student missions conference that we were working on. I think that might have been his stock answer to church sorrows and frustrations. He was a very sympathetic man, but he knew that it would not help him or anyone else to be overcome with frustration in doing the Lord's glorious work. He was a walking miracle in a world of cynicism.

Dr. Wilson's wife, Betty, was a wonderful Christian woman of grace. She started a school for the blind in Afghanistan. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Isn't it a joy to serve the Lord!

Each disciple of Jesus Christ is a person that we can appreciate. For some of them we don't have to search very long in order to find reasons to thank God. Tabitha (Gazelle) was full of good works and acts of charity. Thank God for men and women that are happy to serve!

37 In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.

But Gazelle became ill and died. The people who loved her were doing what they did in those days when a loved one died. They had an extended wake, spending time together.

38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.”

But some of the disciples had another idea. They had heard that Peter was in Lydda. Jesus Christ had just healed a man who had been paralyzed for 8 years. Peter addressed that man, simply declaring to him, “Jesus Christ heals you.” That man got up from his bed.

So these disciples from Joppa sent two men to Lydda, about a 4 hour walk, to get Peter, and to bring him back to Joppa – a fairly bold move, and one that you would not do unless you expected that the Lord might raise the dead. They found Peter and urged him to take the 4 hour journey back with them to Joppa.

39 So Peter rose and went with them.

Peter agreed to go. He must have thought that Jesus Christ might raise the dead. Because of that expectation, he rose and went with them.

And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.

When Peter arrived there was a weeping crowd there already. And there was spontaneous testimony by widows who had been blessed by Gazelle's gifted and generous work as a seamstress. The tears and the obvious display of appreciation went together, and came from the least of these in the community, needy widows.

40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.”

This miracle came out of a community of love, a community where more than one person had an expectation that Jesus Christ would heal His people working through that community of love. Everything that was done in sending for Peter and everything that Peter did when he arrived was done for love, and not to try to draw attention to self or to individual giftedness. They loved and appreciated Jesus Christ together, and they loved and appreciated Gazelle.

Peter put them all outside. This was reminiscent of what Jesus did on another occasion, when he brought a little girl back to life. The mourners had to leave. God was going to do something here beyond weeping. Peter prayed, and then he said, “Gazelle, arise.”

And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up.

Gazelle had once been with them in every way. After she died, her body was still there, but she was no longer with them. Her works still testified to her life of faith, but she was gone.

Then she opened her eyes. She saw Peter. She sat up. He gave the saintly woman his hand, and raised her up.

Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

Imagine what it felt like for all the people who had been told to go outside. Imagine the joy, and the wonder of this great woman being alive with them again.

Peter brought in the church and the widows that Gazelle had helped. He presented her back to this community of love. She was alive.

42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.

Jesus is the Resurrection and the life. When Gazelle rose from the dead, the people of Joppa knew that this was all about Jesus. Nobody believed in Gazelle. Nobody believed in Peter. They believed in the Lord.

Gazelle was a witness. Peter was a witness, and he stayed in Joppa for many days after this happened. There were many other witnesses, and this undeniable miracle became known throughout all Joppa. So there were many witnesses, but the glory went to the Lord.

We live in the era of resurrection. Jesus started that era by rising from the dead. The body of the great Son of David fell. But the Lord raised it up again. We believe in that fact, and we are not alone. As the Old Testaments prophets had written, it has come to pass that even Gentiles are called by the Name of the God of Israel.

The Lord is building a worldwide community of love. All over the earth people have seen signs of resurrection life and have attributed these to the Man of Resurrection, Jesus Christ. If we will expect resurrection life in the church, we will see resurrection life in the church. Not for a show, or for money, or to prove that we are great, but as a testimony to the greatness of Jesus and to the resurrection age that has now begun in Him. He makes the blind see, even in Afghanistan.

How will new life be seen? I would rather not limit the Lord on what He might do. But I expect at least this: You and I will find out that the Wilsons were right. It IS a joy to serve the Lord.

1. What do we know about Tabitha?

2. Why did the church call for Peter to come to Joppa, and why did he go?

3. How did this healing take place?

4. What does it mean for people to believe in the Lord?

OT Passage: Psalm 113

People who are born need to grow

“From Bad to Born Again... Then what?”

(2 Timothy 3:13)

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

… while evil people and impostors

Those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, people like Paul and Timothy, will be persecuted. Some may desire to have a form of godliness, but they deny the power of it, which is only in Christ Jesus. Others seek to enjoy the benefits of a spiritual life as Christians, but they denigrate the desire for holy living. These two groups will not necessarily be persecuted. But those who know that the power for true godliness comes only from Jesus, and who greatly desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus; those men and women will face spiritual opposition.

Some people are evil. We can't deny that. They may think of themselves as very good people, but they are actually impostors. They have seen enough of what Christianity looks like to do a good imitation of the real thing. And such were some of us...

will go on

But not everyone will be born again from above. Not everyone will be filled with the Holy Spirit. Some will go on in the wrong way. They will make progress, but not in the right direction.

from bad to worse,

Instead of going from bad to born again, they will go from bad to worse. They will become more evil, not less. They will become more accomplished imposters.

deceiving and being deceived.

They will deceive others, but they will also deceive themselves.

There have been many people who claimed to be Messiahs. All of them except One have been evil people and imposters. They went from bad to worse. They deceived many and they deceived themselves.

One Man was good – the God-Man. He was never bad.

You and I were not that way. We were bad, and by our own nature we would not have gotten any better. But now we have been made alive in Christ, the Head of the body. In Him we have resurrection. We have been born again from above.

What now?

People who are born need to grow, or there is something very wrong. We need Him. If we have Him, and if we desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, we will become more holy, more humble, less showy, kinder, and generally more fruitful. This is the way that God has for us. We can only achieve that humble greatness by abiding in the Vine.

Jesus Christ heals you!

 “They Turned to the Lord”

(Acts 9:32-35, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, March 11, 2012)

32 Now as Peter went here and there among them all,

When the God of peace allowed, the Apostle Peter lived a life of passing through Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, where so many vital Christian churches were now gathering and worshiping the Lord. He made a practice of going here and there among them all.

We should not ignore that. There was a concern for the regional church that was lived out in his life. There was a certain rhythm of his days that involved traveling, stopping, visiting, and seeing people. In all of this, he glorified the Name of Jesus Christ. Of course he preached and taught, but he also prayed and performed apostolic signs of the resurrection kingdom.

he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.

He lived in a world where people had a sense of place and of their calling to live somewhere, perhaps for many generations, together with their extended families. Lydda is an hour's drive from Jerusalem today, but back then it was probably a long day's walk. Undoubtedly there were many places where Peter would have stopped along the way while he was passing through.

Saints were everywhere by now. The word saints means “the holy ones.” It was one of the words that was used in the early church to describe church members. All those who were baptized were called “holy ones.” They were set apart in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. They were washed by the cleansing gift of the Holy Spirit. They drank the milk of the Word. They called upon the Name of the Lord together. Peter was passing through their towns, greeting them in the Name of the Lord. That's why he came to Lydda. It was his life.

33 There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed.

If he had chosen the life of a recluse he would not have met a man named Aeneas. Aeneas did not have the option to be passing through anywhere. He stayed in bed. Not by choice, but by necessity. Aeneas was paralyzed.

Aeneas could not have the same rhythm of life as Peter. He was not an apostle, but even as a saint he could not go around doing what Peter did in serving the Lord. He could not go around at all. But people like Peter have an impact on people like Aeneas. Even if Aeneas stayed at home, he would have heard about the places where Peter went. Aeneas had been bedridden for eight years, but he could pray for the church and hear the Word through men like Peter who came by.

If people never come by, if men and women do not come in the Name of the Lord, then we live lives in some degree of spiritual paralysis. Some people are able to move, but they are still experiencing a paralysis. They may read books about the life of faith in their own day or in another, or they may listen to the radio or some other media bringing them a word about the progress of the kingdom. But what if no one is going here and there among them all? Is anyone visiting them? Are they allowing anyone to come by?

34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you;

If they are getting news of the work of Christ only through some remote input like a movie, a book, or a radio program, there is no Peter coming to their home. No one comes in the Name of the Lord. No one sees them with his own eyes, and hears the news that they have been lying in bed for eight years. No one calls them by name and says to them, “Jesus Christ heals you.”

Peter did not say that the Apostle Peter heals you. He said, “Jesus Christ heals you.” Jesus is all about healing. He is not a paralyzed God. He comes to you and lives in you. He hears about your desperate condition. He is committed to your full healing, though His ways are not our ways.

Joni Eareckson Tada is still paralyzed today, but she has been used by Jesus Christ to make sure that thousands of people who once did not have wheelchairs are now able to move more than they used to be able to move. She looks for a coming day of complete healing, but she has surely been touched by the Lord. She brings a message of hope to millions.

Our reformed churches are at great risk of being paralyzed. We teach and learn, but sometimes we have trouble moving. Particularly in our place and time we easily live as isolated individuals, and we don't know how to change that, or how to make others want to receive us if we go out.

rise and make your bed.”

One other thing: Being healed can be costly. If we rise up, we have to make our bed. If we learn how to live the life of going here and there among one another with the love of Christ, we have to suffer for others in the Name of the One who suffered and died for us. Those who have been healed by the powerful grace of Jesus should get up, make their bed, and serve the King. Right?

And immediately he rose.

Aeneas rose up by the powerful Word of Jesus Christ. Use your suffering to cry out to the Lord. Look for His healing today through some saint who is going here and there among the saints. Let the saints in when they want to come by. Let them speak to you in the Name of Jesus.

Cry out to God in the day of trouble, and He will hear you. You may not get exactly what you thought you needed most, at least not yet. But like Joni Eareckson Tada, you may get a blessing from God that no one can ever take away from you. When you receive that blessing from God, get up and embrace the life of bringing Jesus with you wherever you go.

35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him,

There were people living in Lydda and the surrounding region. They heard local news from one another, and not from the impersonal sources that we may find more normal. Normal to them was someone knocking on the door. Normal to us may be a more paralytic and paralyzing approach. But that can change. Jesus can help us to get up again.

People in that region not only heard about what happened to Aeneas. They saw him. He did get up and make his bed. And then he eventually went out. Imagine what it would have been like to see him and greet him if you had known him as the man who had been paralyzed for eight years!

and they turned to the Lord.

It was amazing. It was something that only the God of heaven and earth could have done. Many people turned to the Lord because of an event that could not be explained by the normal cause and effect that we are all used to. People saw Jesus as the Lord and Savior that He really is through what took place in this one life. And that must have been very encouraging to Peter as he went here and there in the Name of Jesus visiting the saints. Don't miss God's gift to you.

1. What was the rhythm of Peter's ministry as an apostle?

2. Describe the event that took place at Lydda.

3. What fruit came from this healing?

4. What does it mean for people to turn to the Lord?

OT Passage: Psalm 105

Want to live a godly life? You will be persecuted.

 “An Unusual Promise of God”

(2 Timothy 3:12)

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ...

Indeed, all

Paul has been writing about his own life as an imitator of Christ's sufferings. He did that in order to point out that Timothy was an immitator of him as he imitated Jesus. But now he moves on to making a shocking point that is not just about some, but about “all.”

who desire

The “all” that the apostle refers to are not all people, but all who have a particular desire of the will. They want something, and the Lord will not deny them this want, since their desire is part of His own will. They are eagerly seeking something that they will find. They are knocking with their hearts on the door of Jesus and he will open up His own heart to them and give them what they desire.

to live a godly life

What is it that they want? They want to live a godly life. Paul says in another place, “This is the will of God, your sanctification.”

God wants you to be holy. This is your calling, and that is why you have been given the name “saint.” You are set apart from the rest of the world, but set apart together with the church for a new world.

in Christ Jesus

Christ Jesus is the center of your new existence and the center of that new world. His person, His cross, and His resurrection have changed everything. And not everyone in Adam's world can understand that.

will be persecuted

More than that, many people cannot even tolerate it. Those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, in His church, in His kingdom, will face persecution.

Two thoughts:

1. Consider your persecution a gift from God and not merely a random trial. It has been granted to you not only to believe in Jesus, but also to suffer for His Name.

2. The sufferings in this life are not worth comparing with the glory that is coming. Fear not, little children, it is your Father's good pleasure to give to you the kingdom.

Following the Suffering Servant

 “You have followed...” – Part 3

(2 Timothy 3:11)

10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.

...my persecutions and sufferings

that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—

The Apostle Paul faced great persecutions from Jesus-rejecting Jews wherever he went. Timothy knew about this, and apparently faced his own trials. See Hebrews 13:23.

But about Paul, we read in Acts 13 and 14 of his adventures noted here.

At Antioch in Pisidia:

The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. (Acts 13:44-45)

...And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:48-52)

At Iconium:

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country,... (Acts 14:1-6)

At Lystra:

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:19-22)

which persecutions I endured;

Paul did not organize a band of followers to fight for him and to put his enemies to death. He did something much more powerful and surprising. He endured these persecutions. He kept on teaching from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ, and that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, die, and be raised from the dead.

yet from them all the Lord rescued me.

He also entrusted himself to God. Jesus, who died for us, is the reigning King of the Jews and the King of the church. He is not in a place of weakness, but in a place of power.

Do not forget what He said to His followers immediately before He told them to go forth into the world to make more disciples:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18)

He wins through our cross-following endurance. He rescues us and vindicates His Name.