ACTS 26:2 " I THINK MYSELF HAPPY!!"

Once again we are in the book of Acts, so much was happening in the early years of the church. The church was filled with excitment, vitality, enthusiasm , and with the power of God! The bible says in Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me:" POWER= DYNAMIS= inherent power capable of reproducing itself like a dynamo. DYNAMITE that's the calling of the church, capable of reproducing it's self over and over again. Chapter after chapter the early church kept reproducing itself througth strength, power and ability. Another meaning of DYNAMIS=INFLUENCE, the church has the ability to influence the world.                                                                                                                                                    By this time the apostle Paul has completed three missionary journeys around the world preaching and establishing churches, the bible says "And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So tha t from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and diseases departed from them , and the evil spirits went out of them." (ACTS 19:11-12). The apostle Paul has seen and experienced some things by the time we get to chapter 26 , in chapter 14 : 19-20 at Lystra the apostle is stoned and drew outside of the city supposing he is dead and the disciples stand around and he rose up. In chapter 16:23-25 Paul is beaten  and put in stocks and thrown in the inner jail, but at midnight Paul and Silas sang praises to God  they praised God until an earthquake came and shook the jail. So we see the apostle Paul had already been through some things . Now he is accussed of starting trouble by the jewish leaders so they put him in prison to execute him.                                                                                                                                                     The apostle Paul probably spent 25% of his ministry in prison. The prisons of that day , the cells were dark, especially the inner cells of the prison like the one Paul and Silas inhabited in Phillipi. Unbearably cold , lack of water, cramp quarters and sickening stench from few toilets made sleeping difficult and waking hours miserable. Male and female prisoners were sometimes incarcerated together , which led to sexual immorality and abuse . Prison food when available was poor . Most prisoners had to provide for their own food from outside sources. Because of the miserable conditions, many prisoners begged for a speedy death, others simple committed suicide. From this premise I want you to see what Paul was dealing with, brought up from conditions like that to stand before king Agrippa and plead his case , and the first words out of his mouth is " I THINK MYSELF HAPPY". What an indictment against the church of today, when we complain about everything. This man could lose his life , living in deplorable conditions and thinks himself happy!!                                                 The bible says " For as he thinketh in his heart , so is he: "( Proverbs 23:7)  The apostle Paul's purpose was to please God no matter what the condition , adversity it didn't matter he was relentless in doing the will of God! Paul writes in Phil: 4:8 " Finally, brethren , whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,  whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report; if ther be any virtue ; and if there be any praise, think on these things." You can conquer every situation by " I THINK MYSELF HAPPY"!!