We will conclude our consideration of the Apostle Paul and his many encounters with extreme and brutal punishment, as articulated in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27. Previously we did the math on the five times he was lashed with a Cat of Nine Tails concluding that he would have incurred up to 1,755 lacerations. The scar tissue, infection, and physical trauma from these lashings would have likely caused persistent pain and various complications throughout his life’s ministry. In the last Praiseletter...

In the last Praiseletter we discussed some of the brutality that the apostle Paul endured throughout the course of his ministry. In an attempt to defend his apostleship before those who might question his authority, he personally itemizes for us the challenging, painful, and traumatic episodes that attended his life and ministry. This list of things he suffered for the cause of Christ is found in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27. Remember, at the very beginning of Paul’s new life in Christ, his blinded...

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for...