EAT WHAT I GIVE YOU!

Acts 18:9-11
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, "Don't be afraid! Speak out! Don't quit! 10 For I am with you and no one can harm you. Many people here in this city belong to me." 11 So Paul stayed there the next year and a half, teaching the truths of God.   TLB

Acts 18:9-11

9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, & do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city." 11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.  NKJV

IN the above passage we find, the Lord telling Paul in a vision to not be afraid. "Speak out!" "Don't Quit"!

There was no synagogue open for him to minister and preach the Word, so God saw to it that a house would be opened for the Word to be taught.

How interesting is that?

And this house was located next door to the synagogue. It was opportunity for Paul's speaking to continue and that those who went to the synagogue could come hear the gospel preached.

For what lay ahead for Paul in those coming against him, would rear its ugly head and reveal all those who were against Paul and that which he taught. In that year and a half, Paul did just what the Lord asked him to do.

Acts 18:12-26

12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. 13 "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law." 

14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law-settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." 16 So he had them ejected from the court. 17 Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever. 

18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 

23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. 

24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.  NIV

Here we see a group decidedly making accusations against Paul.(verse 14)  They brought Paul in to complain. These Jews said that Paul was teaching something contrary to what they knew and that he Paul was starting a new religion. At that time, Judaism was recognized as a religion in Roman law and anything outside of that was breaking the law.

But Gallio found no false teaching in all that Paul spoke. Gallio refused to give judgment against Paul in this matter. The Jews then were so mad at this decision that they turned on Sosthenes and beat him.

It is evident that these Jews had malice in their heart toward Paul. It is also evident that Gallio was not going to be apart of this group of haters toward Paul.

In some commentaries it says that Gallio was not interested in those things and would not elaborate or give much time for these things the Jews complained about. Other commentaries said Gallio was just a mild mannered man who would rule in peace.

Whatever the complaint, Paul was still told to not quit and keep on speaking that which the Lord gave him to do!

I love this scripture passage below!

Ezekiel 2:6-8

6 "And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you."   NKJV

And this one!

Ezekiel 3:4-15

4 And He said to me: "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, 6 not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. 8 Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house." 10 Moreover He said to me: "Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. 11 And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' whether they hear, or whether they refuse." 

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: "Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!" 13 I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise. 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. 15 Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. 

NKJV

Wherever God sends us to give the message, He always has a plan. I remember the first time He gave this to me, while ministering within the jail. God will make our faces strong, so whoever stands toe to toe against you, you can and will stand to see His Word go forth. I like that adamant stone.......harder than flint...........He has made Ezekiel's forehead and will do that for us when we must give the Word of life to a rebellious people. Now, not all people are rebellious, but some can certainly be hard of hearing that Word. Like I have written before, I saw many come to the Lord in the Jail and many of those who came, would come to the Chapel with a song on their lips and love in their hearts for God! It was grand to see what the Lord was doing in that place! I think fondly of those times and how some of those ladies loved God and surely expressed it in going to a service. I rarely see that with a regular service at church.

Do you know what happens when you strike a flint rock..........? It will produce some sparks to light a fire!

Receive into your heart all MY WORDS THAT I SPEAK TO YOU, speak to them, and tell them,............"whether they hear or whether they refuse..........blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!"

Ezekiel heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures. He heard activity going on.  Activity was begun........and those ministering spirits are there to minister to us ...........and go as we command from the Word of God........and do we send them out?

If we are commanding that which be in heaven will be here on earth for us, then will we not see the glory of the Lord from His place? Will we witness like he did in Ezekiel 1:10, the very faces of the man, the lion, the ox and of the eagle?

Ezekiel 1:10-14

10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.

NIV

This would be the leadership, the counsel of the Lord as we see in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

In  the Gospel of Matthew, we see the lineage of that which led to Jesus. In the book of Matthew we find the visit of "Wise Men"....Matthew 2:1-15, we find the exit of Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus in Matthew 2:19-22, and we find their return to Nazareth in Matthew 2:23.
Protection for the coming King was seen. (although each gospel gives an account of the role Jesus would play in king of Israel and rule the earth) only Matthew puts an emphasis of His role, the KING.

Matthew was of "the king, the lion of Judah". Matthew 16:16.............16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."     NIV

THE End of Matthew, we see the King appointing his disciples to go. All authority had been given the King...........then commanded those to go and make disciples of all nations. He is with us!
Matt 28:16-20
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.   NKJV

  .............as king.....Jeremiah 23:5-6....5 "The days are coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.    NIV

Revelation 5:5............. 5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.
NKJV

The Gospel of Mark was about "the ox, the servanthood". He was the sacrificial "lamb" and the long-suffering servant.  Mark 10:45.........45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."               NKJV

Mark 1:7-8.............7 And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."     NKJV

THE close of Mark shows Jesus ascending to heaven. Now seated at the right hand of God.
Mark 16:19-20
19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.           NKJV

as servant Zechariah 3:8........8'Hear, O Joshua, the high priest,
You and your companions who sit before you,
For they are a wondrous sign;

For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.       NKJV

In the Gospel of Luke, we see the humanity of Jesus. He carried to the cross, the sins of the world and REDEEM MANKIND.

Luke was about "the man, Son of Man".Luke 19:10....... 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." NKJV


IN the Close of Luke we find.......in Luke 24:36-53....the Jesus in His humanity point out the scars in His hands and feet. He ate before them and spoke of that which had to be fulfilled in Him. Thus it was necessary for Him to die and rise from the dead the third day. He spoke of them of "being His witnesses" (verse 48) He departed into heaven and THEY WORSHIPED HIM and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They were written as those who were in the temple praising and blessing God. (verse 53)


as man Zechariah 6:12......12 Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying:

"Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the LORD;  NKJV

The Gospel of John was about "the eagle, the Son of God". Jesus was the "Angel of the Lord." 

John 7:42
42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"   NKJV

Micah 5:2

2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 

though you are small among the clans of Judah, 

out of you will come for me 

one who will be ruler over Israel, 

whose origins are from of old, 

from ancient times."  NIV

John 12:15

5 "Fear not, daughter of Zion;

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey's colt."  NKJV

Zechariah 9:9

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your King is coming to you;

He is just and having salvation,

Lowly and riding on a donkey,

A colt, the foal of a donkey.   NKJV

John 19:36-37

 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."  37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."    NKJV

Psalm 34:20

20 He guards all his bones;

Not one of them is broken.   NKJV

Zechariah 12:10

10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.    NKJV

John 20:31.............31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.            NKJV


IN the Close of the Gospel of John, we find the relationship.........restoring Simon Peter............we find relationship in Jesus preparing them something to eat...........(John 21:15). Jesus spoke "Follow Me"!  Jesus, God in the flesh, had many miracles. And John noted that many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one...........he supposed that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written about Him. Amen. (verse 24-25)



Hosea 6:2.........2 After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,..That we may live in His sight. ...NKJV

Isaiah 40:31.......They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.    NKJV

Oh yes, we see Jesus as the Messiah,.....we had seen through His crucifixion a resurrection. In Matthew, he came as the suffering, but He is returning as the conquering..........the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords. In Mark He was the suffering servant who gave His life for ours. As in Luke, we see HIM who came to seek and to save the lost. And in JOHN we see the incarnate, the Son of God.........who was and is and is to come,.............the Light of the world.

We died to gain His life, the good news, to everyone who believes in Him to be saved. And He came to bring us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit..........to operate just as the early church operated. Trusting Him causes us to soar as eagles, to rise higher and higher and to gain the same perspective God has for our lives. It is in what we eat, that which God gives us will give to us strength to soar on high, to not be weary, but be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Amen!

Now is not the time to be afraid, to not speak, but this is the very hour, to "not quit" and to continue to speak the things the Lord gives us in our hearts. He will guide us through unhindered to see that His Word will prevail! Speak where the Lord guides you to and through, and see the miraculous power of God in your life!

IF THAT PROTECTED KING IS LORD OF OUR HEARTS, WE HAVE THE LION......THE BOLDNESS TO GO FORWARD. WITH THE OX OF SERVANT-HOOD, WE LOOK TO SACRIFICING OUR LIVES DAILY TO SERVING THE LORD WITH GLADNESS. IN LUKE, THE HUMANITY OF JESUS......WE SEEK TO GAIN A CHARACTER THAT IS WORTHY........THAT IS THE FAITHFUL, THE ONE WHO PERSEVERES, WHO IS IN PEACE, SEEKING ANOTHER'S WELL-BEING, READY TO GIVE A WORD OF THE FAITH THAT IS IN US...........

If we are the followers of what is good, even if we suffer for righteousness' sake, we are the blessed. (1 Peter 3:13-14)
We are not to be afraid of their threats or be troubled (verse 14) and sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, ready to give a defense to everyone who asks us the reason of hope that is in us. May we know those who try to defame us, or revile us of our good conduct in Christ will be the ashamed. In the will of God, it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (verses 16-17)NKJV

Then we ultimately soar..as the Eagle.....we soar into the.....higher and higher in the thoughts and plans God has for us. Jeremiah 29:11-14.

Jeremiah 29:11-14
 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.     NKJV

That is relationship and it is us being gathered out of captivity, from sin, and to the place the Lord has for us. It is the place of future and of hope. It is in the place of peace that we once again, rejoice, we smile and we dance giving glory to God for us in the land of the living.

Father, thank You for the message You have for us to deliver those who come across our path today and every day. Today we desire to receive into our hearts all that You speak to us through Your holy Word. It is that Word of truth that declares Your goodness to others. Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!
In Jesus' name, we pray to be those who will not "quit:" but will speak all that You desire for us to speak to others. We know that the beginning of this is that place of quiet to hear You speak. May we be diligent to follow You, seeking You in Your Word that sets captives free. We pray to be those who will seek more on knowing Your Kingship Jesus, knowing the sacrifice You gave for us, that we would know Your character as the man who did what His Father told HIM to do and then soar like we find in John, Because in John we find a closer relationship with the Lord of glory. In John we find the spiritual life. God is spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.(John 4:24) The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts as nothing.(John 6:63) Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit.(John 3:6) Father, we know for the one whom You have sent speaks the Words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. (John 3:34)
We embrace Your Word and those You send our way today. We deliver to others with a joy in our hearts. ( For ) A Truthful witness saves lives. (Prov.14:25) Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place. Amen and Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV