Saturday, July 18, 2009

Fellowship


I find this passage very interesting. The Lord found His 12 apostles worthy. Worthy of what?

Acts 5:41
41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

It sounds like this was a high honor...to suffer shame for Jesus. Here's the shame they suffered.

40 ...and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.

The Sanhedrin, most likely, removed their cloths, tied them to a post, and had each of them flogged with 39 lashes with a nine-tale whip like common criminals.

They were counted worthy to experience fellowship with Jesus. The fellowship of His sufferings. After they were commanded by their government not to speak in the name of Jesus, this is what they did.

42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

What a high honor.

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