Pastor Deborah
THE BOAST OF A BONDSERVANT OF THE LORD
ROMANS 1:1 AMP
Paul, a BOND-SERVANT of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative), set apart for [preaching] the gospel of God [the good news of salvation],
Serving the Lord is the whole person.
Bond-servant means a slave.
Difference between servant and slave is a slave has no human rights.
ACTS 20:17-18 NKJV
From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,
ACTS 20:24 NKJV
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear
to myself, so that I may FINISH my RACE with JOY, - and the MINISTRY which I RECEIVED from the LORD JESUS, to TESTIFY to the GOSPEL of the GRACE of GOD.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:9 NKJV
For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:10 NKJV
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:9 EASY
Among all the apostles, I am the least important. I caused so much trouble for God's church that people should not really call me an apostle.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:10 TPT
But GOD’S AMAZING GRACE has made me who I am!
And HIS GRACE to ME was not fruitless.
In fact, I WORKED HARDER than all the rest,
yet not in my own strength but God’s,
for his empowering grace is poured out upon me.
Paul boasts in His sufferings for Christ -
2 CORINTHIANS 11:22-23 TPT
Are these “super-apostles” of yours Hebrews?
I am too.
Are they Israelites?
So am I.
Are they descendants of Abraham?
Me too!
Are they servants of the Anointed One?
I’m beside myself when I speak this way, but I am much more of a servant than they.
I have worked much harder for God, taken more beatings, and been dragged to more prisons than they.
I’ve been flogged excessively, multiple times, even to the point of death.
2 CORINTHIANS 11:24-25 TPT
es I’ve received thirty-nine lashes from the Jewish leaders.
Three times I experienced being beaten with rods.
Once they stoned me.
Three times I’ve been shipwrecked; for an entire night and a day I was adrift in the open sea.
2 CORINTHIANS 11:26 TPT
In my difficult travels I’ve faced many dangerous situations: perilous rivers, robbers, foreigners, and even my own people.
I’ve survived deadly peril in the city, in the wilderness, with storms at sea, and with spies posing as believers.
2 CORINTHIANS 11:27 TPT
I’ve toiled to the point of exhaustion and gone through many sleepless nights.
I’ve frequently been deprived of food and water, left hungry and shivering out in the cold, lacking proper clothing.
2 CORINTHIANS 11:28 TPT
And besides these painful circumstances, I have the daily pressure of my responsibility for all the churches, with a deep concern weighing heavily on my heart for their welfare.
2 CORINTHIANS 11:28 EASY
All these troubles have happened to me.
But also, every day I have trouble in my mind.
I worry about the believers in all the churches.
2 CORINTHIANS 11:29 EASY
When one of these believers is weak, then I feel weak too. When something causes one of them to do something wrong, then I am very upset.
2 CORINTHIANS 11:30 TPT
If boasting is necessary, I will boast about examples of my WEAKNESS.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:1 TPT
Although it may not accomplish a thing, I need to move on and boast about supernatural visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:2 TPT
Someone I’m acquainted with, who is in union with Christ, was swept away fourteen years ago in an ecstatic experience.
He was taken into the third heaven, but I’m not sure if he was in his body or out of his body—only God knows.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:3-4 EASY
I know that God took this man up to paradise.
I do not know whether this man was still in his body or not.
Only God knows.
When this man was in heaven, he heard about secret things.
Those are things that no words can describe.
God will not let any person speak about those things.
They are too special.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:5 EASY
I will say proud things about a man like that.
But I will not be proud of anything good about myself.
I will only be proud of things that show my weakness.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:6 TPT
However, if I were to boast, it wouldn’t be ridiculous at all, for I would be speaking the truth.
Yet I will refrain, lest others think higher of me than what I demonstrate with my life and teaching.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:6 EASY
If I did want to praise myself, that would not make me a fool.
No, because I would be saying true things.
But I will not say good things about myself.
I want everyone to think properly about me.
People should look at how I live.
They should think about what I say.
That is enough for them to decide about me.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:7 TPT
The extraordinary level of the revelations I’ve received is no reason for anyone to exalt me.
For this is why a thorn in my flesh was given to me, the Adversary’s messenger sent to harass me, keeping me from becoming arrogant.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:8-9 TPT
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to relieve me of this.
But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.”
So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:10 TPT
So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted!
For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when
I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger.
For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:10 EASY
That is why I am happy even when I am weak.
People may insult me.
They may bring me trouble.
They may want to hurt me.
I may have many kinds of trouble.
But I am still happy because I am serving Christ.
Yes, whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:11 TPT
I have become foolish to boast like this, but you have forced me to do it, when you should have boasted in me instead.
For there is nothing I lack compared to these “super-apostles” of yours, even though I am nothing.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:12 EASY
When I was there with you, I showed that I was a true apostle.
I worked patiently among you.
I did many miracles and great things that showed God's power.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:13 EASY
I worked among you in the same way as I did with the other churches.
You were never less important to me than they are.
The only difference is that I did not ask you to help me with money.
So perhaps I should ask you to forgive me for that!
2 CORINTHIANS 12:13 TPT
Furthermore, how were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I didn’t burden you financially—forgive me for depriving you!
2 CORINTHIANS 12:14 TPT
And now here I am, ready to come to you for the third time, and I still refuse to be a burden to you.
For what I really want is your hearts, not your money.
After all, children should not have to accumulate resources for their parents, but parents do this for their children.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:15 TPT
And as a SPIRITUAL FATHER to you,
I will gladly spend all that I have and all that I am for you!
If I love you more, will you respond by loving me less?
We are to be a spiritual father.
1 CORINTHIANS 9:15-16 TPT
And keep in mind that I’m not writing all this because I’m hinting that you should support me.
Actually, I’d rather die than to have anyone rob me of this joyous reason for boasting!
For you see, even though I proclaim the good news, I can’t take the credit for my labors, for I am compelled to fulfill my duty by completing this work.
It would be agony to me if I did not constantly preach the gospel!
1 CORINTHIANS 15:58 EASY
So you must continue to be STRONG in your SPIRITS, my Christian friends that I love.
Do not let anything move you away from your faith.
Continue to WORK hard as you SERVE the LORD.
You know that whatever you do for him will not be useless.
PHILIPPIANS 1:21 AMP
For to me, to LIVE is CHRIST [He is my source of joy,
my reason to live] and to DIE is GAIN
[for I will be with Him in eternity].
PHILLIPIANS 1:21 TPT
My true life is the Anointed One,
and dying means gaining more of him.
PHILIPPIANS 1:22-24 TPT
So here’s my dilemma:
Each day I live means bearing more fruit in my ministry; -
yet I fervently long to be liberated from this body and joined fully to Christ.
That would suit me fine, but the greatest advantage to you would be that I remain alive.
So you can see why I’m torn between the two—I don’t know which I prefer.
PHILIPPIANS 1:25 TPT
Yet deep in my heart I’m confident that I will be spared so I can add to your joy and further strengthen and mature your faith.
PHILIPPIANS 1:26-27 TPT
When I am freed to come to you, my deliverance will give you a reason to boast even more in Jesus Christ.
Whatever happens, keep living your lives based on the reality of the
gospel of Christ.
Then when I come to see you, or hear good reports of you, I’ll know that you stand united in one Spirit and one passion—celebrating together as conquerors in the faith of the gospel.
PHILIPPIANS 1:28 EASY
I want to know that you are not afraid of the people who
speak against you.
If you are brave, that will be a sign from God.
It will show your enemies that they will lose and you will win.
God will punish them, but he will save you.
PHILIPPIANS 1:29 EASY
God is helping you to serve Christ well.
That means that you believe in Christ.
But it also means that you receive trouble and pain on his behalf.
Both of those are gifts from God.
PHILIPPIANS 3:9 TPT
My passion is to be consumed with him and not cling to my own “righteousness” based in keeping the written Law.
My only “righteousness” will be his, based on the faithfulness of Jesus Christ—the very righteousness that comes from God.
PHILIPPIANS 3:10 TPT
And I continually long to know the wonders of Jesus and to experience the overflowing power of his resurrection working in me.
I will be one with him in his sufferings and become like him in his death.
PHILIPPIANS 3:11-12 TPT
Only then will I be able to experience complete oneness with him in his resurrection from the realm of death.
I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I RUN with PASSION into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me to make me his own.
PHILIPPIANS 3:13 TPT
I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this;
however I do have one compelling focus:-
I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.
PHILIPPIANS 3:14 TPT
I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.
PHILLIPIANS 3:14 AMP
I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
PHILIPPIANS 3:15 TPT
So let all who are FULLY MATURE have this same passion,
and if anyone is not yet gripped by these desires,
God will reveal it to them.
PHILIPPIANS 3:16-17 TPT
And let us all ADVANCE TOGETHER to reach this victory-prize, following one path with ONE PASSION.
My beloved friends, imitate my walk with God and follow all those who walk according to the way of life we modeled before you.