23 And he called two centurions, and commanded to prepare for the third hour of the night two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea;
24 and to prepare horses that set Paul on, and bring him safe to Felix the governor.
25 And he wrote a letter in these terms:
26 Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix, greeting.
27 This man was seized by the Jews, and they were going to kill them, I delivered him going with the troops, having learned that he was a Roman.
28 And desiring to know the cause wherefore they accused him, I took him to their council;
29 and found that he was accused of questions of their law, but that was no crime deserving death or imprisonment.
30 But be warned that the Jews had snares laid against the man, to the point I sent to you, notifying the accusers also to try before you what they have against him. Have a good time.
31 So the soldiers took Paul as they are ordered, they brought him by night to Antipatris.
32 And the next day, leaving the horsemen to go with him, returned to the fort.
33 When those came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, presented Paul also before him.
34 And the governor had read the letter, he asked what province he was, and having understood that he was of Cilicia,
35 said, I will hear when they come your accusers. And he commanded him to custody in Herod’s palace.
Today’s Christians are not exempt from suffering the same persecution suffered by those who preceded us in the history of Christianity but, four sine non for getting it, is to fully engage in spreading the gospel because the more “involved” with our preaching are the ones who are committed to sin and so is his love of himself willing to kill to keep their South Beach Smoke solutions. However, we are not going to meet our death in this task because if that were the case, prudence tells us that we should not commit. Since there is no such concern among those who preach the Word of God, we move forward in our mission to preach the Word of God even kill us.
In principle, our motivations are Christocentric and having the love of God with us, like him, we sympathize with those who are slaves to sin because we know from lived experience, the suffering that means moving in sin. Nor, it means that we are indolent face “consequences” of our preaching but we assume with nobility, fortitude and resignation undying trust and some of a new and better dawn for us and for recipients of unconditional faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul suffered innumerable sufferings in the flesh because of the preaching of the cross of Christ and of these, as far as we know, always came out unscathed, and although we have to suffer death, as our brother Stephen, we are not frightened, it is more thought it would be glorious to die for the sake of preaching the risen Christ.
These “Jews” in the first century conspired against Paul and vowed not to eat anything until he was to kill him and they could not kill. How funny, I imagine how they would be in their faces drooping after two, three or more days and how, from first to last, had to start to eat to avoid starvation. What a laugh.
What is not funny is that there are people who see these things as distant and alien to their life plan, which is excuse again and again and again to engage and reach the point in his denial of God, but do not participate in the direct killing of the innocent, are pleased with those who are killed. No such think that God does not blurt out their responsibility, certainly yes, and condemn them for it too. Will be doomed from the injustice of a cigarette to not do anything, nothing, nothing for the 1000 million people are starving in the world.
Very different is the fate of those who feel firsthand the consequences of preaching the Word of God. Be glorified in the Day of Judgement and will live forever with God. There is no greater joy in life and in this world than being a slave of God in Christ Jesus. No matter the circumstances we touch live, if they are veiled by God, the joy will be supreme even when we have the noose around his neck and if not, my brethren testify that … ….