Consorting is not a word we normally consider when comparing our Christian conversion to our previous life outside Christ.
Yet, in Acts 17:4, the King James Version of the Holy Bible specifically uses this word to describe the relationship between Paul and Silas and many of the new believers.
“And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.”
Merriam-Webster tells us the first and strongest meaning of consort means to rule in union with a companion potentate.
So, if we consort with another person, we share with them the responsibility of administering the details of daily living; but by extension, we also get access to the rights, privileges, and riches of our bonded co-ruler.
We, in essence, become one with the king.
Acts 17:4 tells us these new believers literally entangled themselves with Paul and Silas, becoming their disciples in the literal sense of the word. They became partakers of the inheritance of the Son unto his faithful. They stepped out on the power of Christ, receiving his infilling nature and, by extension, eternal life through Jesus’ death on the cross.
It’s important that this verse mentions the devout Greeks that consorted with Paul and Silas. These newly faithful followers had renounced something that made them fully Greek: the worship of idols and attendance at the pagan temples of worship. They had stepped away from their old lives and begun a new life in Christ.
This concept is essential to walking successfully with Christ. We must renounce who we were previously when we consort with Christ. He must be our associate in all areas of our life, not just on Sunday mornings and evening prayers, but in how we treat those on the subway, the cashier at the grocery store, and the officer who pulls us aside to remind us that even Christians must follow the law of the land.
When we learn the true nature of God through Bible reading and time spent in prayer, we will become a co-ruler worth our salt, and others will want to consort with us. We will draw them into Christ’s kingdom and salvation through the cross and the blood of Jesus.
When we align ourselves with Christ, we are lifted to rule with him.
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Code: FGO.D.16.16b.vp.kjv