ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Sunday January 8, 2017

“In the Pressure Cooker”

23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches ( 2 Corinthians 11:23-28)

I.  Knowing is for Living

Whenever we read of the hardships endured by God’s people in history (and even today in countries hostile to Christianity) we tend to gloss over the details because of how seemingly distant they are. We understand the “words,” but the reality? Not so much.

In today’s passage, Paul gives a list of his difficulties: 1) beatings 2) imprisonments 3) near-death experiences 4) 39 lashes 5) multiple beatings with rods 6) stoning 7) shipwrecks . . . and the list goes on! What, we would ask, is possessing Paul to NOT go out of his mind with these inhumane conditions he finds himself?

What sustained all under these pressures? There is only one possible answer. He had a vital knowledge of the character of God, the work of Christ, the nature of God’s ways, and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. His life was characterized by the power which the truth released in his experience. This is why his appeals to the early churches are so poignant. “Do you not know?” He asks; “if only you knew and understood, then your lives would be so different!”

Challenge: If you encounter any difficulties today, praise God for an opportunity to learn more about His character and power as you go through it.

This Day in Christian History:

Jan 8, 1672  – death of Elizabeth Hooton of Nottingham, England. She was the 1^st  Quaker female preacher. Her beliefs landed her in prison in England and in the New World. She embodied the hardship endured by Paul in our text today. She was as “tough as nails”. She died in the mission field according to her motto: “the love I bear to the souls of men makes me willing to undergo whatsoever can be inflicted to me.”

Memory Verse: (Sun Jan 8)

Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. – 2 Timothy 1:13

Ko e anga ē ‘o e ngaahi lea mo‘ui na‘a ke fanongo ai meiate au, ‘i he tui mo e ‘ofa ‘oku ‘ia Kalaisi Sīsū. – 2 Timote 1:13

Puke ke ma‘u ‘a e sino ‘o e ngaahi lea haohaoa, ‘a ia na‘a ke fanongo ai ‘iate au, ‘io he tui mo e ‘ofa ‘a ia ‘oku ‘ia Kalaisi Sisu (Paaki ‘a Uesi)

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 2 – Genesis 16-18; Mark 6