Elation

04/28/2011 Human Observations

Each time I discover something wonderfully new in the bible, I experience a special kind of elation; much like the elation that I experienced as a child, when I’d first encountered the wonders of the world.  That elation continues. 

Thanks to the hard work and devotion to their calling, my pastors and teachers have shared the fruits of their gifts with those of us who joy in biblical understanding.  While there be many who profess, and may indeed possess the same gifts, these specific Elders in Christ have been faithful conduits of God’s Holy Spirit; whose quickening caused the Word of God to nourish and enlighten my dull mind, and impoverished spirit.  I offer my thanks to God, and all of those who have availed themselves to His service. 

The Holy Spirit skillfully notes, both in Luke’s documentation of the Acts of the Apostles and in Paul’s letters to the churches at Philippi and Colosse, that three people were instrumental in introducing God and His plan of redemption to both Asia and Europe: An Asian female seller of purple, a female slave with the gift of divination, and a male jailor, charged with keeping Paul and those of his party. 

^{Acts 16: 12}And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days. ¹³And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. ¹⁴And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. ¹⁵And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
 ¹⁶And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: ¹⁷The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. ¹⁸And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
¹⁹And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers …  ²⁰And brought them to the magistrates … and commanded to beat them …  ²³And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:  ²⁶And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. ²⁷And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.  ²⁸But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.  ²⁹Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
³⁰And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  ³¹And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. ³²And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.  
As Paul and his band traveled according as the Spirit led them;  through arguments, contentions, the discovery of new friends, difficulties with the law, natural disasters, and even participating in the removal of an un-Godly spirit from the person of a slave.  All of this is utilized by God to accomplish the redemption of those that BELONG TO Him.  In this I can see how we are guided by the Holy Spirit, who will utilize whatsoever means He chooses to accomplish the teaching of obedience, patience, devotion, charity, ethical behavior, and such other traits, as to demonstrate Jesus commandment to believers: love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.