Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 23:11

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 23:11
"And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome."

There were certain Jews that vowed to neither eat or drink until they killed Paul. The chief captain had the soldiers bring him into the castle for his protection. It was that night that the Lord came to him. What must that have felt like for Paul to have confirmation from the Lord himself of how he had testified of Him? The last time the Lord visited him it was on the road to Damascus.

It reminded me of Alma the younger, and how the same angel appeared twice to him. First, when he was with the sons of Mosiah going about to destroy the church. The angel appeared and told him to stop trying to destroy the church or he would be cast off.

"Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off.
And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed."
(Mosiah 27:16-17)

The second time the angel appeared it was when Alma was preaching in the city of Ammonihah and had been cast out. Interesting that the messages for both Paul and Alma are to have cheer, and rejoice there is more work to do.

"And it came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying:
Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you."
(Alma 8:14-15)

Day 4165

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 22:7-8

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 22:7-8
"And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest."

What must it have been like for Saul to hear the name Jesus of Nazareth. What he heard and comprehended completely changed his course for the remainder of his life. I sat and pondered on it. There must have been a feeling of profound guilt, repentance and forgiveness in one great wave.

Day 4164

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 21:4, 11, 13

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 21:4, 11, 13
"And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

I pondered on why Paul still went to Jerusalem when it clearly says by the Spirit he was at least told twice not to go? Did he have a death wish? Then I reflected on how much was gained by Paul actually going to Jerusalem, eventually he testified before king Agrippa. Yes, Paul would suffer, but he was determined to do God's will at whatever cost it meant. That is a powerful witness of Jesus Christ.

Day 4163

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 20:29-30

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 20:29-30
"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them."

Paul warns of a coming apostasy. That great apostasy did take place, and Satan tactics remain the same today. The only difference is there has been a restoration of Christ's Church again upon the earth and there will not be another great apostasy. The Church will remain with prophets and apostles and be here when Christ returns. That does not mean however, that individual apostasy cannot happen. It can and is happening now. We still have to watch for ravenous wolves among us and guard ourselves against individual apostasy.

"As he bade farewell to the Church leaders in Ephesus, Paul warned them that an apostasy was coming and that it would be the result of forces working both outside the Church (“grievous wolves”) and inside the Church (“of your own selves”). The Greek word apostasia, which was translated as “falling away” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, is closer in meaning to “rebellion” or “revolution.” Thus, Church members themselves contributed to the Great Apostasy by rebelling against Church leaders and doctrine. Priestcraft was an important element of this internal rebellion. Paul’s words in Acts 20:30 provide a definition of priestcraft.
Elder James E. Talmage (1862–1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles affirmed Paul’s message: “Not only would outsiders ingratiate themselves with the saints for purposes of selfish gain—wolves entering in, and not sparing the flock,—but schisms and divisions were imminent; and these dissensions were to come through some then present—men who would aspire to leadership, and who would set up their own doctrines, thus drawing disciples away from the Church and unto themselves” (The Great Apostasy [1968], 28).
Discussing the origins of the Great Apostasy, President Joseph Fielding Smith declared that some of it was the result of evil men who moved in and displaced the authority of the Apostles: “In time all ordinances of the gospel were changed, commandments were broken, and the simple principles of the gospel were mixed with pagan philosophy by the ‘grievous wolves’ and apostate disciples who displaced the prophets and apostles who had divine communion with the heavens. Spiritual darkness set in, and unrighteous men took command and closed the heavens against themselves. Visions and contact with the heavens ceased, and the gifts of the spirit came to an end. The blessings and presence of the Twelve Apostles ceased, and the cry went forth that they were no longer needed” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols. [1957–66], 5:177)."
(New Testament Student Manual, "Chapter 33: Acts 16-20")

Day 4162