Simon Peter and the Apostle Paul
are believed to have been incarcerated in a Roman jail by the Emperor Nero. They
are said to have caused an underground spring to miraculously rise from the
ground to baptize their guards and fellow prisoners.
A
Eulogy for the Apostle Paul
“My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, I could go on
and on to tell you about my love for the Apostle Paul. When you sit with a man
in a prison cell for weeks at a time as I have with him, you come to love or
hate him. I came to love him, because I saw his love for the Lord that I loved.
I saw him endure torture because he believed God had another mission for him,
another church to plant, another province to hear the Gospel. The places where
he planted the seed of the Gospel were never far from his heart. When he was in
Philippi, Troas or Macedonia his heart was never far from you; nor was it far
from you Timothy, his son in the faith. And now, we must move on. As Paul wrote
in his last days, (I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith.) I know he did these things, because I was with him. But
now I am with you my friends and I do not have many days left. I am growing old
and I am a marked man. The torch is coming to you. * From this church must come missionaries for Christ. From this city must come pastors and
teachers of the faith. From this flock
must come shepherds who will feed others and risk their lives among the wolves.
From this community of believers must
come men and women who will fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the
faith-and not only keep it, but pass it on!"
In all seriousness, we make this practical proposal; believe in your city, in Jesus Christ, that He
wants you to make your city better. Believe in yourself, that you can do the
work He would desire. How are we to begin? As Christ did; He looked at the
city, wept over it and died for it. (Celtic Daily Prayer-July 9th)
Human nature seems to need
suffering to fit it for being a blessing to the world. Wheat is crushed before
it becomes bread.
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