A further look at Samson:

Part II… A love letter

Wait… I sense that you’re unsure about what you’ve heard. It seems that the thing that gives me joy… is.. causing you some uncertainty. Listen, I know that there are not many voices out here that are saying what I’m saying. But, listen with your heart, not with your head. No! no! I’m not asking you to act on feelings, but rather to receive the Good News. Beloved, God’s heart is always full of love for you. His intentions toward you are always good. Let’s take a look back at some of the significant events surrounding the life of Samson. Let’s do something else as well. Let’s filter these events through the revelation of the New Covenant or Agreement that we have in Christ. In essence, let’s look at this story through ‘Christ filtered glasses’. Look at Judges 13:3-5… 

"The angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah's wife and said, "Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.

4 You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink or eat any forbidden food.

5 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will rescue Israel from the Philistines."

This is the covenant God offered concerning Samson. And just as Samson was not yet born when the agreement was made, We were not yet born when Jesus went to the cross. In essence, Jesus took the responsibility for bringing us into relationship with God upon himself. Samson’s mother had the responsibility of not drinking any strong drink or eating any unclean thing. In the same way Jesus became accursed for us so that we might be redeemed. Galatians 3:13-14 says…

13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

14 Through the work of Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, and we Christians receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

Now, look at Judges 14: 8-9

8 Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass.

9 He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn't tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.

Samson has just broken one of the terms of the Covenant. He has eaten honey taken from the dead unclean carcass of a lion. Then, as if that weren’t bad enough, He gave some to his parents. But, The covenant remains in tact. Does Samson take any action to get back in God’s good graces? No, he continues on, as though it were no big deal. Beloved, I’m not condoning sin, not by any means, but I am saying that sin, whether willful or not, does not nullify or cancel our new agreement with God, in Christ. That’s Good news. There are many other examples of Samson’s disobedience concerning his covenant with God. He used the jawbone of a dead animal to slay an army of his enemies. He cavorted with strange women from a pagan culture yet; none of these things separated him from his great strength. Beloved, Listen to Paul’s words of encouragement to the Church at Rome…

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?

36 (Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.")

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away.

39 Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Beloved, this is the assurance we have in Christ. Oh Bless His Name.

Ok, so what about this haircut thing, why did God put this ‘escape clause’ in? Beloved, this is the hard part. Listen, this Covenant was made before Christ. Subsequently, it was flawed in the same way that the Law was flawed. It typified the ‘Old Covenant’. And the problem with the Old Covenant was that it was weak through the flesh. Look at Romans 8:3-4…

3 The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

4 He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

Listen Beloved; righteousness was never intended to come by the law. The law was given to show us our need for a Savior. In the same way, this provision of Samson’s agreement with God doomed Samson. Sovereign God, in his foreknowledge of all that will ever be, uses Samson’s haircut to show us the insufficiency of the Old Covenant or the ‘Law’ and the superiority of the New Covenant and the sufficiency of Christ’s shed blood. Hallelujah!! 

I must close now, let me close with this thought. God is faithful. He demonstrated is faithfulness to Samson right to the very end. In the same way, he will demonstrate his faithfulness to us till the very end…2Timothy 1:12 says..

…I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return…

Also Beloved, God is love. His love for us cannot be separated from his faithfulness to us. In love, He would cause his Spirit to come upon Samson. For a moment reflect upon how secure Samson must have felt during those times, how loved, how favoured he must have felt. And now, God, who is love, indwells us with love (His Spirit). Paul prays in Ephesians 3:18-19 that …

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.

19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Look at how that love will carry you over to Ephesians 6:13 where you will be able to ‘Stand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, Stand!…

Peace and Love in Christ,

Bro. Wayne O. Bigham

Samson: A study in Grace

The secret of Samons’s strength

Beloved, the story of Samson is one from which we may draw great encouragement, but not for the reasons that are commonly held. We say hindsight is 20/20 and we apply this thinking in our assessment of Samson’s story. We covet the ‘blessing’ of his great strength, which represents the anointing, and favour of God. We marvel in awe and wonder at his great victories over the enemies of God and His people. And finally, we lament over his eventual downfall and upbraid one another over the pitfalls of sinful living. In the back of our minds, we think of ourselves as being smarter than Samson, because we’re not going to fall for Delilah’s (the Devil’s) tricks.
Beloved, there’s a greater story here than the one we’ve grown accustomed to. Samson’s great strength came from covenant relationship with God. Not from his piety, his good works, his Holy living, but from the covenant that God made with his parents before he was conceived (Judges 3:3-5). He was a Nazarite from birth, not by virtue of any thing he did.
(anybody shouting yet?)
(it’s ok to shout…)
Beloved, Samson presents a problem to the religious folk. His life was one of self-will and rebellion, yet the anointing and favour of God was evident in everything he did. Why? Because of covenant.
Now somebody out there is saying "Yeah Brother Wayne, but look where his raggedy lifestyle got him." " God won’t dwell in an unclean Temple". And you’ll show me Judges 16:20 and say " See… the Lord departed from him. " Beloved, the Lord departed from Samson because…his hair had been cut, not because of sin in his life. His hair was cut, the terms of the covenant were violated, thus God’s hands were tied because of the covenant. Whose strength did we think it was anyway?
The covenant God made in Samson foreshadowed the New Covenant in that Samson was born into it (Judges 13:5) and we must be ‘born again’ (John 3:3), but it also typified the Old Covenant (the Law) in that it was weak through the flesh (Rom. 8:3). Look at Judges 16:22…’But the hair on his head began to grow again…’ RSV. Notice in the verses immediately before or after, that several events take place within the text of a single verse. But, in verse 22 only one event is recorded. Beloved, I’m telling you that as soon as Samson’s hair came back, God was in full effect, ready to move on Samson’s behalf… because the terms of the covenant had been re-established!
Beloved, I’ll close with this…
Psst… we’re under a better covenant, … with better promises. (Heb. 8:6)
Beloved, God has done something for us in this New Covenant that he could not do for us with the Old Covenant. He made Jesus, who knew no sin, to become sin for us so that we might become right with God in him and through him (2Cor. 5:21). The beauty of our new agreement with God is that once we are in agreement with him (born again), it’s permanent, it’s everlasting, it’s eternal.
When I was little, my dad used to say to me ‘Wayne! Boy you’ll tear up an Iron Mule!!’ This referred to my ability to tear up or destroy almost anything I touched. Beloved, You can’t tear this up. No matter what you do (or don’t do), once you’ve been born again… You’re in for life. Praise God!!!
Beloved, rest in this… that you have a sure and steadfast anchor (Heb. 6:19), and that the Covenant you have with God is unbreakable (immutable) (Heb. 6:18).

Shalom,
Bro. Wayne O. Bigham

Sunday School Lesson: Lesson for Feb. 21, 2010: Witnessed by Disciples (Matthew 17:1-13)

Wayne’s two cents worth..



Wow!



Have you ever had this feeling when you walked through the Church doors on Sunday morning that you felt GOD’s presence? Do you have a place? You know.. a place? A secret closet? Inside your car alone? Maybe… the bathroom? A place.. where you meet GOD. All alone.. c’mon … a place! A place where it’s just you and Jesus. The reason I ask is because the example that I’ve taken from saints that have gone before me was that they had a place. They understood how important alone time with GOD was. I’m not talking about the saints of the bible or the saints of the early church. I’m talking about Mother Sneed (My Grandmother), Sister Mayes (her neighbor), Momma Lena (My other Grandmother), Rev. Moore (the Preacher that helped me get delivered (not saved, delivered), my uncle Milton and a good many others from my younger years. They took their example from the Master, Jesus.

Jesus made it a habit of going to a mountain to pray. This time, He took Peter, James and John (Cephas, Jacob and JochananJ) with him. Was this heavenly interlude a common occurrence with Jesus? It’s possible. The Bible says that angels ministered to him after the temptation in the desert (Matt. 4:11). They ministered to him again in Gethsemane (John 22:42, 43). After one mountaintop experience, He literally walked on water and calmed a storm (Matt. 14:23-33). Another gospel tells us that Moses and Elijah ministered to Jesus at this meeting about His pending crucifixion (Luke 9:31). So it’s conceivable that every time Jesus made time for prayer alone Heaven and Earth intersected. Wow!

Scientists say that there are as many a thirteen to fifteen different dimensions, but that we can only perceive four of them: length, width, height and time. And we can only experience time in one direction. I like to think that Heaven is right here all the time, just in a different dimension. That’s why Jesus would often say to people ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’. I think he literally meant ‘right at your fingertips’. Close enough to touch. In essence… that Heaven / Earth intersection is always imminent. In fact the Bible tells us that the veil that separated us from GOD has been torn from top to bottom and that we can boldly come before the Throne of Grace. One of my favorite passages in scripture is Hebrews 12:18-24. It tells me that I have come to the Heavenly, invisible, Mt. Zion and that I currently am in the presence of the spirits of just men made perfect, all of the hosts of Heaven and Jesus, the Mediator of this New Covenant…

Let me stop here.. I have a lot more to say. Especially about this lesson, but I’ve said enough already. The old folks used to say something like ‘Prayer is the key and Faith is the Door’. Remember that? Be Blessed Beloved. May you enjoy some quiet time with GOD this week.



.wb

Sunday School Lesson for August 24, 2014: An Appeal for Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 6:1–7:4)

Luke 11:4
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

2 Corinthians 6:1
As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

          Ok Church, what’s the point of being saved….if you are not willing to forgive? As church folk, we can be the very worst at forgiving. Somehow or another, we all deem ourselves some kind of expert on scripture, and so find all kind of reasons to justify ‘my’ opinion. I’m guilty. Yes I am. I’m guilty of having been hurt in church and then slipping into a dark place of self-righteousness and un-forgiveness. I won’t dismiss my past behavior with a flip, “Been there, done that.” I’m over it, but it has been twenty years, so I’m not so sure I can count myself as some sort of spiritual giant. What about you?

          Be honest, odds are that if you’ve belonged to more than one church in your adult life, you left one of them because of conflict and, yes…..un-forgiveness. Beloved, God means for to strive with one another for the sake of love….and peace. So then, might I dare ask, what are you doing for the sake of reconciliation? In this passage of 2 Corinthians, Paul encourages his readers to be mindful of the depth of the mercy and patience of God on their behalf to bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Savior. God’s patience is infinite, we are temporal. God lovingly waited us out, sent us marker after marker, sign after sign of His great love toward us. He made sure we heard the Gospel, then He sent us His Spirit to explain it to us in simple terms that we could understand. What a wonderful God we serve. Paul’s exhortation to us is not to receive God’s great grace and live short of it’s great power to redeem. Within grace lies the limitless power of God to heal, to deliver, to set so completely free that suddenly borders and boundaries no longer exist.

Matthew 28:2
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.

Acts 16:26
Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.

          Grace raised Jesus from the dead. Grace set Paul and Silas free from jail. Grace opened blind eyes, healed leprous limbs, loosed mute tongues, opened deaf ears, caused crippled limbs to have strength. Grace gives us the power to forgive one another. It is the very least we can do to exercise forgiveness at every opportunity afforded to us, as it is the very first component of the great grace of God exercised toward us with the gift of His Son, Jesus.       

Romans 5:17
For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Matthew 11:6
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

                The problem with conflict resolution: it will eventually be determined that someone is right and someone is wrong. Grace is required to admit one is wrong, then be reconciled to those who were right. Grace and humility is required to be found to be right and not use our ‘rightness’ as an reason to ‘lord’ our supposed spiritual superiority over others. Pauls’ example is stark. He would not take offence….period. He refused to be offended by whatever was said to him or about him. Remarkable. Paul had  a number of detractors in the church at Corinth who were vehement in their dislike for him. They spared no insult concerning him. His response: forgive and keep forgiving. If they lie on you, forgive. If the cheat you, forgive. If they spit on you, forgive. Whatever the offence, find it within yourself to ….forgive. This is the beginning of grace. A first thing of first things. Paul appealed to them and he still appeals to us to forgive to the nth degree.

1 Corinthians 11:1
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

John 13:35
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

          One more thing. The world is watching you and ….hoping. They are hoping that what you preach is genuine. You see, if we struggle with Christ, then they struggle mightily without Him. They need you to learn the first and greatest lesson of grace: forgiveness. And they need to see that you’ve learned it by the way you treat those you call ‘brother’. When unbelievers see the power of grace reflected in your love for other church folk, they will be more willing to follow you through those very church doors and hear the same Gospel of Grace that you once heard and to receive the same great Savior that you received: Jesus.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Selah (Pause. Meditate. Think on this.)

.wb

See the video at: http://youtu.be/w6YIH-YyWVk?list=UUUg4PiFZaHV3h4tK084kxgQ

Blessings!

Sunday Lesson for August 17, 2014: Treasure in Clay Jars (2 Corinthians 4:1-15)

Haggai 2:5
‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

Jeremiah 31:25
I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

2 Corinthians 4:8
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair…

          Most of us will never face the kind of opposition Paul faced on behalf of the Gospel. However, there are many Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their belief in the good news concerning Jesus Christ, our Lord. For those of us who don’t face such persecution, what is the take away? Here’s one: I’ll come away a stronger Christian. Indeed, I’ll turn my back on the paltry challenges and pithy struggles I go through daily to turn my heart and my focus toward my brothers and sisters in distant lands who are being hunted and killed because they name the Name of Christ. I’m speaking specifically of our brethren in Iraq, who are facing dire persecution. But it’s not only Christians in Iraq that are being persecuted, there are missionaries worldwide who suffer for Christ’s sake. Those of us who don’t suffer the threat of physical harm are reminded to….. pray. Pray to God on behalf of those who suffer for Christ’s sake. Really pray. Pray until something happens. Pray until something changes. Pray until God shows up. Pray. It’s sobering to think that our prayers will mean the difference between life and death for so many. Paul understood this.

          Paul understood that the Church at Corinth had to be refocused, repurposed toward the weightier things of the Kingdom of God. There’s on ongoing struggle, a war, if you will. Corinth experienced some of this in their church, but then they got the opportunity to go home and sleep in their own bed, with and near people who loved them. So do we. We struggle with besetting sin and church issues but then, we get to go home and sleep in our own beds, relatively safe compared to many Christians enduring persecution. Now is the time for us to be repurposed, refocused toward the persecuted people of God. Can you feel it? That call toward spiritual focus on the purposes of God. How… refreshing. How cleansing.  When our perspective is corrected, how clearly we suddenly see… Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Isaiah 45:3
I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

As Paul offers this tome of forgiveness and restoration, he reminds his readers that the entire purpose of our existence is to proclaim the glory of Christ Jesus. “It’s not about me.” It’s not. It’s about Jesus. It’s that message that the enemy seeks to blunt, confuse and ultimately, destroy. But it can’t be done. Jesus has pressed His precious Spirit into fragile, temporal, perishing earthen vessels. When these vessels are pressed, His Glory, His Majesty, His Power pour out. His Mercy, His Love, His Grace are made manifest. When that happens… the vessels are glorified. They take on the beauty of the Spirit within them. We glorify the broken vessels among us. The broken vessels glorify Christ. They and we reveal one of the mysteries of the Gospel, God’s Holy Spirit in Man. Glorious! And when His Spirit, the Holy Spirit is poured out of us, Christ is glorified. How beautiful are the feet of those who preach this Gospel of Peace..

Romans 10:15
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

                So then, Paul encourages the believers at Corinth through his trials and tribulations. His ‘death’, figuratively speaking would cause ‘life’ in the being of his readers. Refocused, repurposed, refreshed, the Church at Corinth could now rise out her ashes, out of her pain into the gloriousness befitting the ‘Bride of Christ’. His words still serve that same purpose: to raise us out of our individual miseries to be a part of the glorious bride that He is returning for. Beloved, with that in mind, let us remember our brothers and sisters facing persecution around the world, keeping them lifted and encompassed in prayer. One day, one glorious day sometime ahead, you may find that, in the few brief moments when they weren’t struggling for survival, they prayed….. for us.

2 Corinthians 4:15
All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Joel 2:13
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Selah…

.wb

Video at: http://youtu.be/LHBJEV1t6AQ?list=UUUg4PiFZaHV3h4tK084kxgQ

Sunday School Lesson for August 10, 2014: Forgiveness and Restoration (2 Corinthians 1:23–2:17)

Numbers 9:8
Moses answered them, “Wait until I find out what the LORD commands concerning you.”

Psalm 27:14T
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

         

          Some amount of strength is required for waiting, isn’t it? Sometimes God says, “Be still”, and it’s all we can do to be still. It takes every bit of strength we have to do nothing except …pray. Paul had been still. God was his witness. He had not wanted to return to Corinth to confront them again for their disobedience. I can relate. Confrontation is hard. The outcomes can have long lasting effects on relationships. Paul had caused enough hurt. He wanted healing for all parties. He wanted forgiveness from every quarter.

Mark 11:25
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Matthew 6:14
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

          Sometimes it takes some distance for forgiveness to bubble to the surface. After all, words hurt, even when they are the right words, even when they are inspired words. The distance that separated Paul from the believers allowed the church at Corinth the time to heal. Healing would provide the strength to forgive. Forgiveness would work toward the reconciliation and restoration of the church to Paul and, more importantly to God.

John 12:24
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Ephesians 4:11-12
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip He his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up….

          Finally, Paul closes with this thought: “I lead by example.”  Throughout this letter to Corinth, and in many of his other letters, Paul encourages his readers by sharing his feelings of empathy with them. He can empathize with whatever it is they are going through. Empathy, rather than sympathy because Paul, himself suffers mightily for the sake of Christ. Beaten, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead. A pariah to those whose religious views he formerly shared, Paul had seen his share of suffering. What he consistently communicated to his readers was that his suffering was for their benefit. Ultimately, God’s grace is made perfect in our weakness. That’s true for every believer, “♪..we are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes… ♪”. Beloved, the Bible is God’s witness to us of His love for us  That great love will carry us through any and every trial we encounter in life. While the outcomes won’t always seem to favor us, the certainty that God is with us will comfort us and undergird us in our weakest moments. And when those time come, and they will, His grace will be sufficient.

Blessings…

.wb

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

See the video at: http://youtu.be/IL-tZjnkbX8?list=UUUg4PiFZaHV3h4tK084kxgQ

                

Sunday School Lesson for August 3, 2014: Comfort in Times of Trouble (2 Cor. 1:3-11)

Psalm 27:5
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Psalm 31:7
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

          How many know that when trouble comes, God comes too? That’s what scripture tells us. He (God) comforts us in times of trouble. Not after trouble has come and gone. Not before trouble comes, as though to fill our cup before trouble gets there, so that we’ll have the anointing in excess for just such a time. He comforts in the midst of trouble. You can call on Him because God specializes in trouble. When trouble comes, God is near, literally, in your mouth and in your heart.

Isaiah 59:19
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

          You see, God is Glorious and His Name is greatly to be praised. What elicits praise from the believer more than deliverance from trouble.

2 Corinthians 1:4
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.        

          However, there is a greater takeaway for the believer. God comforts us, so that we can comfort others. Beloved, if you live long enough, trouble will come. Health trouble, money trouble, family trouble, sooner or later trouble will rear its ugly head in all of our lives. What Paul reveals to us is that whatever our trouble, we can use the experience to encourage others when trouble comes their way. Paul writes that he despaired to the point of death because of the trouble that had fallen upon him. But then he goes on to tell us that being emptied of himself, upon his reliance on his own ability put him in position to be delivered by God. The beauty of Paul’s analogy is that what he communicates to us about God is that He raises from thee dead. What Paul infer in this passage then, is that God raised him, delivered him from certain death.

Acts 14:19
Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.

          I don’t imagine stoning is something you just get up and walk away from, yet that’s what Paul did. He got up, or rather was raised up by God and sent on his way to be about God’s business. Each time Paul was stoned, shipwrecked, beaten, you name it… he came away stronger. Stronger because he grew in the knowledge that God was willing and able to deliver him time after time for no good reason other than that He (God) loved him. He loved Paul and would not abandon him. He did it for Christ’s sake. You see beloved, He gave His Son, Jesus, so that He might give us access over and over again to His resurrection power.

          So then, Paul had a testimony, or rather a TEST-a-mony didn’t he? And he used that testimony to assure the believers in Corinth that God, the same God that comforted him in times of trouble would provide the same compassion, comfort and deliverance for them that He had to him. Not only that, but in recording it by letter, thereby informing us of the same truth: that God, by Jesus, delivers to the uttermost.

Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Revelation 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

          Finally, what Paul wants you to know is that: when God delivered Him, he thanked God. When God delivered them, he was going to thank Him. And wanted the Corinthians to do was follow his example. Thus, the next time God delivered him, they would praise God, and so on and so forth. So that you had this never ending circle of praise and deliverance, deliverance and praise, prayer and deliverance and praise and prayer and deliverance and praise and… You get the picture. If this is the Church we allow ourselves to be molded into, then how glorious a bride will we become? How great a witness of the glory of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ? Truly, we’ll be that bride without spot or wrinkle, saved by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. We’ll love not our lives unto death…. Because we have placed our hope in God, who resurrects from the dead. Amen.

Selah.

.wb

See the video at: http://youtu.be/tZNgWVxsOYo?list=UUUg4PiFZaHV3h4tK084kxgQ

Blessings!