During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re exploring how hardship and revival are like peanut butter and jelly in biblical narrative – in other words, they’re often sandwiched together. And Apostle Paul’s life exemplifies the symbiotic relationship between hardship and revival, which he testified to while imprisoned at the end of Acts when he said, “It is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.” (Acts 28:20). In other words, Whatever hardship I have to endure pales next to the supernatural hope I’m preaching here, y’all – JESUS is the Messiah we’ve been longing for since the beginning of time and I’m gonna keep sharing this message until there’s no more breath in my lungs! The joy of watching other people’s eyes widen and faces light up like Christmas trees when they heard about the unconditional love of Jesus made all the unfair bumps and bruises he experienced while preaching about it worth the cost. In the spiritual milieu, difficult labors lead to miraculous births! Today’s conversation is going help some of us take bigger risks for the sake of the Gospel so fasten your seat belts, grab a super-sized cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you’re driving or getting spray-tanned for a beach trip, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us!

Learn more about Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment program at Convoy.org/LisaHarper

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Bearing Chains Because