Being a sailor myself, I take special interest in the last major journey of Paul as recorded in Acts 27 and 28. This is a fascinating account of the trip to Rome that Paul took under Roman control. We'll look a bit at the events of this trip. If you haven't read it lately, be sure to read the account in these two chapters.
Paul was being unfairly tried; so, being a legitimate Roman citizen, he chose to appeal to Caesar, letting him be the final judge. This meant making a major trip from Caesarea through the Mediterranean Sea to Rome. They were trying to somewhat follow the coastline, going North from Caesarea to Sidon, then North of the island of Cyprus: "...we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary......When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone." It is interesting to note that the Bible is full of real places and real people....the Bible is real.
Paul predicted that "..this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." Paul was letting his overseers know that they shouldn't sail out into dangerous conditions. He was overruled and we read that the trip does result in shipwreck; and it would have ended in death for all except that God intervened. they found themselves on the island of Malta amongst friendly natives. They were especially friendly to Paul when they realized that God was with him.
Paul eventually makes it to Rome where we know that he stayed for at least two years. We see God's hand with Paul over and again, through this story and really throughout his ministry. And so it is with us when we are faithful to Him.
Have a great week....a God filled week!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
The Apostle Paul
Other than Jesus Himself, there is no more noteworthy character in the New Testament than the apostle Paul. Thus it seems wise to spend a bit of time exploring this man and knowing him a little better.
Paul was originally Saul, having his name changed later as he became a Christian. He was from Tarsus of Cilicia in southeast Asia Minor, a Roman province at the time. He was born a Roman citizen which would be a help to him in later years as there were limits placed on the type of punishment given to one holding citizenship. He was thoroughly Jewish, so much so that he was persecuting Christians, thinking that this new "Way" was detrimental to the flourishment of the Jewish system.
Paul's conversion is recorded in three places in the book of Acts: chapters 9, 22, and 26. In chapter 9 is where the event actually occurs; then it is retold by Paul in chapters 22 and 26. This transformation comes about by the direct visitation to him by Jesus as Paul was traveling on the road to Damascus. Jesus spoke to him saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Jesus told him to go into the city of Damascus where it would be told to him what he should do. A devout Jew who had become a disciple of Jesus came to Saul, as recorded in Acts 22, and said, "The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." This, of course, he did.
From Acts chapter 9 on, the book of Acts follows the life of Paul and his companions as they preach Jesus to the Jews and the gentiles. Paul is the most prolific writer of the NT, having written about half of the NT books. And he is called, and calls himself, an apostle because he was actually visited by Jesus and had direct contact with him. Paul connects with us as we read his epistles, his letters; we see his love for the Lord, his love for his brethren.....and really his love for us in his teaching and admonition.
Thanks for reading again. Have a blessed week.
Paul was originally Saul, having his name changed later as he became a Christian. He was from Tarsus of Cilicia in southeast Asia Minor, a Roman province at the time. He was born a Roman citizen which would be a help to him in later years as there were limits placed on the type of punishment given to one holding citizenship. He was thoroughly Jewish, so much so that he was persecuting Christians, thinking that this new "Way" was detrimental to the flourishment of the Jewish system.
Paul's conversion is recorded in three places in the book of Acts: chapters 9, 22, and 26. In chapter 9 is where the event actually occurs; then it is retold by Paul in chapters 22 and 26. This transformation comes about by the direct visitation to him by Jesus as Paul was traveling on the road to Damascus. Jesus spoke to him saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Jesus told him to go into the city of Damascus where it would be told to him what he should do. A devout Jew who had become a disciple of Jesus came to Saul, as recorded in Acts 22, and said, "The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." This, of course, he did.
From Acts chapter 9 on, the book of Acts follows the life of Paul and his companions as they preach Jesus to the Jews and the gentiles. Paul is the most prolific writer of the NT, having written about half of the NT books. And he is called, and calls himself, an apostle because he was actually visited by Jesus and had direct contact with him. Paul connects with us as we read his epistles, his letters; we see his love for the Lord, his love for his brethren.....and really his love for us in his teaching and admonition.
Thanks for reading again. Have a blessed week.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Authority in Jesus
Authority is not always our most interesting topic. It is a subject kind of like "rules;" something we'd almost like to not deal with. But in the Bible it is a very important matter to consider. God gave us the Bible as His Word, and He wanted us to understand who is in charge. So we will look at a few passages that clearly establish the principles of authority.
In the Old Testament, He said in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." The Lord has revealed many things for us to follow.
In the New Testament we see the emphasis being placed on Jesus as the Son of God. Note 2John verse 9: "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son." And Paul wrote of the "mystery of Christ" in Ephesians 3: "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles--if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).." It was revealed to Paul, and he has written that we may understand.
It is also noteworthy on a negative note that Jesus said in Matthew 23:9, "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven." Authority is not to be given to men on earth.
Perhaps one of the clearest statements of authority came from Jesus Himself. We read in Matthew 28:18-20, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
It is important to realize that all authority is in Jesus. Thank you for reading. Have a great week!
In the Old Testament, He said in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." The Lord has revealed many things for us to follow.
In the New Testament we see the emphasis being placed on Jesus as the Son of God. Note 2John verse 9: "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son." And Paul wrote of the "mystery of Christ" in Ephesians 3: "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles--if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).." It was revealed to Paul, and he has written that we may understand.
It is also noteworthy on a negative note that Jesus said in Matthew 23:9, "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven." Authority is not to be given to men on earth.
Perhaps one of the clearest statements of authority came from Jesus Himself. We read in Matthew 28:18-20, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
It is important to realize that all authority is in Jesus. Thank you for reading. Have a great week!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Main Characters of the New Testament
This is a quick review of the main characters that we find in the New Testament. There are plenty more that are important, but we'll look at some of the ones that we read about the most.
For sure, Jesus is the main character. He is the reason for all of the New Testament and for the others being important to us.
The next main characters, after Jesus, are the 12 apostles. These men followed Jesus, spent their lives learning from Him, and after He was gone, carried on the work. Actually, it became 11 when Judas betrayed Jesus, but he was replaced to bring it back to 12 as we read in the 1st chapter of Acts.
Of the 12 apostles, Peter, James and John were His best friends. Jesus had best friends just like we do. As time went on, Peter was a very outspoken one...during the life of Jesus and after Jesus had left the earth. Peter certainly is one of the main characters of the NT. We see Peter stepping up during the life of Jesus as recorded in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. As we continue into the book of Acts and follow the apostles, we see Peter doing a lot of the speaking and carrying a lead role.
Beginning in Acts chapter 8, we see Paul becoming a major leader of the followers of Christ. The emphasis seems to switch from Peter to Paul as the leading spokesman. But regardless of who was carrying the torch of the gospel as the primary spokesman, the real main character always was Jesus. None of His followers ever promoted themselves; they promoted Jesus. The message was all important, the Gospel, the good news, the Word of God, Jesus.
To know these men was to know Jesus. To know Jesus was to know the Father.
Thank you again for reading. It is a simple little blog, but one designed to focus on our Lord.
For sure, Jesus is the main character. He is the reason for all of the New Testament and for the others being important to us.
The next main characters, after Jesus, are the 12 apostles. These men followed Jesus, spent their lives learning from Him, and after He was gone, carried on the work. Actually, it became 11 when Judas betrayed Jesus, but he was replaced to bring it back to 12 as we read in the 1st chapter of Acts.
Of the 12 apostles, Peter, James and John were His best friends. Jesus had best friends just like we do. As time went on, Peter was a very outspoken one...during the life of Jesus and after Jesus had left the earth. Peter certainly is one of the main characters of the NT. We see Peter stepping up during the life of Jesus as recorded in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. As we continue into the book of Acts and follow the apostles, we see Peter doing a lot of the speaking and carrying a lead role.
Beginning in Acts chapter 8, we see Paul becoming a major leader of the followers of Christ. The emphasis seems to switch from Peter to Paul as the leading spokesman. But regardless of who was carrying the torch of the gospel as the primary spokesman, the real main character always was Jesus. None of His followers ever promoted themselves; they promoted Jesus. The message was all important, the Gospel, the good news, the Word of God, Jesus.
To know these men was to know Jesus. To know Jesus was to know the Father.
Thank you again for reading. It is a simple little blog, but one designed to focus on our Lord.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Beginnings of the Church
As we have discussed before, when Jesus was about to leave the earth, He was with His apostles in the city of Jerusalem. He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem for power to come upon them from on high. These are the words that He spoke, as recorded in Acts1:8:
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Just looking at this quote gives the reader the progression of the Gospel, i.e., it will start in Jerusalem, then move out to close areas, then go out further into all the earth.
We then can see the fulfillment, or at least the partial fulfillment, as we read in Acts chapter 8. All of the events that occurred up through chapter 7 happened in Jerusalem. But as we begin chapter 8, we read:
"..At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." This is exactly what Jesus had said in Acts 1 that should happen. As we read further in the book of Acts, we see that the Gospel is carried everywhere, near and far.
In today's world, with all of the high-tech communications that are available, we still face that same old stated challenge that Jesus gave. He said in Mark 16:15,16: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. he who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." The message is clear; it is up to us now to see that the Gospel is carried to those who need to hear it....and seen by those who need to see it in our lives.
Have a great week! May God bless you.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Just looking at this quote gives the reader the progression of the Gospel, i.e., it will start in Jerusalem, then move out to close areas, then go out further into all the earth.
We then can see the fulfillment, or at least the partial fulfillment, as we read in Acts chapter 8. All of the events that occurred up through chapter 7 happened in Jerusalem. But as we begin chapter 8, we read:
"..At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." This is exactly what Jesus had said in Acts 1 that should happen. As we read further in the book of Acts, we see that the Gospel is carried everywhere, near and far.
In today's world, with all of the high-tech communications that are available, we still face that same old stated challenge that Jesus gave. He said in Mark 16:15,16: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. he who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." The message is clear; it is up to us now to see that the Gospel is carried to those who need to hear it....and seen by those who need to see it in our lives.
Have a great week! May God bless you.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
First Sermon....First Church
We've talked here a bit about the speech, or sermon, that Peter preached in Acts 2. It was an important time in that Jesus has just left the earth and the apostles are on their own....except that the Holy Spirit has come back to give them some special powers. Peter explains all of this in his speech. Let's examine this a little closer:
The first thing that Peter does is to quote the prophet Joel from the OT. This is a good example for us; we should go back to scripture when we want to provide an answer. Joel said, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh..." This is exactly what is happening here in this context; the Spirit has been poured out on these guys, where now they can heal, speak in tongues, etc.
Peter concludes his quoting of Joel by saying, "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Being "saved," salvation, is precisely what these people needed.
The primary focus of this speech is JESUS. Note Acts 2:22,23: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God has raised up..." And he concludes in verse 36, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, who you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
The result of this speech is shown in Acts 2:37: "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' " And in verse 40, "Be saved from this perverse generation."
Following this, they stuck together, they "were together and had all things in common;" they took care of each other. This is what we need to do. Let's do it!
Have a great week!
The first thing that Peter does is to quote the prophet Joel from the OT. This is a good example for us; we should go back to scripture when we want to provide an answer. Joel said, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh..." This is exactly what is happening here in this context; the Spirit has been poured out on these guys, where now they can heal, speak in tongues, etc.
Peter concludes his quoting of Joel by saying, "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Being "saved," salvation, is precisely what these people needed.
The primary focus of this speech is JESUS. Note Acts 2:22,23: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God has raised up..." And he concludes in verse 36, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, who you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
The result of this speech is shown in Acts 2:37: "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' " And in verse 40, "Be saved from this perverse generation."
Following this, they stuck together, they "were together and had all things in common;" they took care of each other. This is what we need to do. Let's do it!
Have a great week!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Jesus and the Kingdom
Jesus came to save sinners; plain and simple. That was His purpose. It had been talked about, predicted, prophesied all through time, all through the Old Testament, that a Messiah would be coming one day. Jesus did just that; and His purpose was to save sinners....said many times in the NT, but one place is 1 Timothy 1:15.
What Jesus talked about the most during His time on earth was the Kingdom, the Kingdom of heaven. It is by being a part of His kingdom, where He is the king, that we receive the salvation that Jesus came and died for. Here are a few things that He said about the kingdom:
Matt. 10:7 "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
13:11 To His disciples, He said, "..it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom.."
13:24 In the parable of the wheat and tares(weeds), Jesus taught that good seed planted will bring
forth crops and weeds. At the harvest, the weeds will be gathered and burned, the crop will
then be gathered and stored.
13:31 "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed...the least of all the seeds...but when it is grown
it.....becomes a tree.."
13:33 "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven.." A small amount has great effect.
13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for
joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
And this is just a sampling of all that Jesus had to say about the kingdom. But here is a key passage that Jesus said about the kingdom: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' and then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' "
Much more can be said about the kingdom of heaven. The main point is that we, as His people, need to be sure that we are a part of it. Have a good week; may God bless you!
What Jesus talked about the most during His time on earth was the Kingdom, the Kingdom of heaven. It is by being a part of His kingdom, where He is the king, that we receive the salvation that Jesus came and died for. Here are a few things that He said about the kingdom:
Matt. 10:7 "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
13:11 To His disciples, He said, "..it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom.."
13:24 In the parable of the wheat and tares(weeds), Jesus taught that good seed planted will bring
forth crops and weeds. At the harvest, the weeds will be gathered and burned, the crop will
then be gathered and stored.
13:31 "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed...the least of all the seeds...but when it is grown
it.....becomes a tree.."
13:33 "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven.." A small amount has great effect.
13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for
joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
And this is just a sampling of all that Jesus had to say about the kingdom. But here is a key passage that Jesus said about the kingdom: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' and then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' "
Much more can be said about the kingdom of heaven. The main point is that we, as His people, need to be sure that we are a part of it. Have a good week; may God bless you!
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