When Jesus came in the flesh the Israelites had for many generations been studying the Hebrew Scriptures and learning how to worship and serve God but Jesus said that they must receive the kingdom of God as little children or they would not get into the kingdom of God. “Suffer the little children to come to me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Surely I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. (Mark 10:14-15) Since each experience is new to little children, little children going into an experience have no baggage to get in their way in adapting. In becoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ each person must get rid of their baggage and accept and obey the Holy Bible. That was difficult even for Jews with a lifetime of training in the Hebrew Scriptures, so how could the complicated message of how to serve the true and living God hope to be comprehended by the idolatrous Gentiles in ungodly cultures? Because of the apostle Paul’s house arrest in Rome some Gentile idolaters who served as Roman guards were put in positions where they learned through long and detailed instructions from Paul in spite of the odds against that ever happening and regardless of their personal feelings about religious subjects. “And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was allowed to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.” (Acts 28:16) “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.” (Acts 28:30-31) Apparently some of the Praetorian guards became Christians because Paul wrote, “All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesars household.” (Philippians 4:22) Paul recognized the good accomplished by Paul’s two year tour of preaching in Rome as a prisoner in his own hired house with Roman guards as a captive audience. “But I would you should understand, brethren, that the things which happened to me have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel; 13 so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14 and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” (Philippians 1:12-14) The soul saving seed of the kingdom of God is planted in many ways.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 20:46:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015