Did Paul volunteer to receive the 39 lashes at least some of the times? (2 Corinthians 11).
Why in the world would he do this?
Christian Living
Wisdom
Grace
Evangelism
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Hey faith-based friends and family, this is part two of Accommodation. You might remember at the end of 2nd Corinthians, Paul lists like this incredible list of ways he suffered for the sake of the gospel, being shipwrecked, being in danger of bandits without food, flogged. I mean, over and over it's incredible, but I want to want to point out is this there's one thing that catches me off guard. Paul's a Roman citizen. Why was he repeatedly flogged five or six times? And I studied a little more and I realized I think Paul actually voluntarily received some of those floggings. And here's what I mean. There's something called the Mishnah, which is the earliest collection of oral tradition and laws for for the Jewish community. And within that collection, it says that if a brother, an Israelite, a Jewish person, commits one of six specific sins, such as blasphemy, that brother must be removed from the family of believers, even removed from God, which is what they believe Paul had done by preaching Jesus. He committed blasphemy and he should be removed. However, if this brother receives a scourging, that's the language that's used in it, which is not language we use today, but received that flogging, that 39 lashes, then the brother would be restored. And so what I propose, and some scholars much more educated and intelligent than I am agree, that Paul voluntarily received many, if not all, of these beatings, these scourgings, that 39 minus one, just so he can keep the title of being called a brother to the Jews. Remember, Paul says to the Jew, I became as a Jew, meaning he doesn't even identify as a Jew. He's accommodating to meet them, but he doesn't want to lose the right to be heard. He wants to maintain the right of being able to call himself a Jew when it's appropriate and helpful, so that he can share the gospel of Jesus. And I received that with conviction. My challenge is, how can we accommodate those around us so that we can earn the right to be heard? The early church, specifically in the first century AD, even though it was under persecution, it grew because the Christian faith was attractive. The way the believers lived was attractive. So my challenge, and I'm sure you know better than I do, but how can we show the beauty and the commitment to the truth of God's goodness and his sovereignty in such a way that it's attractive to others, wanting them to want wanting them to experience the Lord's love and grace. So blessings to you as we process how to accommodate to reach those around us. Will the Lord give you wisdom and divine strategy? And would your light shine so brightly that people want to know the Lord? Blessings to you today.
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