The Beginning of the New Era

Acts 1-1-8

We all like to know “what happened next?” when we have just finished reading an exciting story, and Luke now proceeds to tell us just that. He has written his account of the life of Jesus Christ to this man Theophilus, from what he has learned from those most closely associated with Him during the years of His ministry, and now he can write from his own experiences concerning the “what happened next?”……

We can imagine how Luke would have sat down with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and asked her how it all came about. He would have spoken with Peter and John too, and asked them many questions about what they remembered of the things that Jesus said and that He did. So he wrote it all down and as a result we have the book of Luke.

Now he proceeds to write what he found out about the beginnings of the early church, and of his own experiences as he travelled with the great apostle Paul who was chosen as “one born out of due time”  as he put it  (1 Corinthians 15:8) to be included with the twelve apostles taking the place of the traitor Judas.

Luke starts his account by stating the fact of the resurrection. This was no fabricated story, but a proven fact by the many witnesses who saw and spoke with Jesus Christ for forty days after it….as many as five hundred at one time!  (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). The disciples were still fixated on the idea that the kingdom of God was going to be set up at any time and that they would be delivered from the hated Roman regime ruling over them, but this was not to be. The kingdom of God was indeed going to be set up immediately, but it was not to be a physical kingdom, but a spiritual kingdom within the hearts of men.

We are told here that our Lord taught His disciples about this kingdom during this interim period that he remained with them….what wonderful unfolding of the Scriptures this would have been!

 Jesus Christ taught His men, Things they needed to know again,

He fitted them to do His work, They carried this out and did not shirk.

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                                 Filling the Gap

Acts 1:12-26

The disciples continued to stay together in Jerusalem as Jesus had told them to do. We read here that there were womenfolk with them as well, and that Mary and her other sons were there too…..

We aren’t told when the Lord’s brothers came to believe in Him…we know that while He was doing His teaching around the country, they didn’t believe in Him or His work (John 7:3-5). But here it is specifically mentioned that they were with those who were waiting in Jerusalem for whatever was going to happen (verse 14).

Peter was never one to just sit around doing nothing, and here we see him taking the lead and making this suggestion that they fill the gap in their ranks that was left when Judas left the group. He gives a graphic description of what happened to Judas in the end, and history tells us that Judas committed suicide by hanging himself on a tree that grew on the edge of a cliff and that the rope gave way letting him drop to the bottom with the drastic results that Peter describes. Judas had taken the money that he received from the religious leaders and thrown it down in front of them…they didn’t want it and bought this field outside of the city walls  to bury strangers in (Matthew 27:3-10).

So Peter felt that this gap should be filled, and suggested that they cast lots between these two suitable men who had also been the followers of the Lord during His earthly ministry. The lot fell to Matthias, and from then on, he was numbered as one of the twelve apostles.

We don’t read anything more of Matthias in the Bible, but then neither do we read anything more of any of the other lesser disciples, other than those who took the lead. But we DO know how the Lord appointed Saul of Tarsus as one of the apostles  (Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:1), a most unlikely candidate as he had persecuted the believers so severely  (1 Corinthians 15:9).

The disciples wanted the gap filled, That Judas left when his guts were spilled,

They all agreed and cast the  lot,  Matthias was the man they got.

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                      The Fulfillment of the Promise

Acts 2:1-41

The coming of the Holy Spirit to fill the disciples and enable them to do the work that their Master and Lord had left them to do was something that they could not imagine. Just how it was going to happen, they had no idea….all they knew was that He had told them to wait and they would know when it happened….

It was the day of Pentecost, and everyone was together, no doubt worshipping and praising God. They suddenly heard the sound of a mighty rushing wind which filled the room where they were sitting, and could see fiery tongues sitting on each of them….we can only imagine how they would have felt! They were suddenly each able to speak in other languages to the strangers around them when they left the room, and these people were amazed to hear what they had to say about the wonderful works of God. There were so many people from different parts of the Mediterranean region in Jerusalem at this time, and they all heard about Jesus Christ and the salvation He had brought for mankind.

Peter lost no time telling them how God had sent His Son to bring salvation, but the Jews had killed Him instead. The thing that proved He was no ordinary Man was the fact of His resurrection, and how so many people had seen Him….now it was time for them to do something about it.

Peter’s speech was full of power and authority from the Holy Spirit, and they were convicted of the truth of what he was saying.

“What are we to do about it?” they asked.

“Repent of your sins”, Peter said, “And be baptised to show your sincerity, and you too will receive the Holy Spirit to help you as you go back to your homes”.

Many of the people who were listening to Peter did just that, and in fact, that day saw three thousand people come to know the Lord. What a wonderful day that was! They all felt uplifted as though they already had a touch of heaven! The challenge to us is, have we had this experience? Have we repented of our sins and turned to the Lord asking His forgiveness? This is just the beginning of a new life in Christ, and it is up to us them to continue in it, reading His Word daily and learning as much as we can of His grace and power.

 Jesus Christ still works today, Calling men to come His way,

Confess their sins and live for Him, Praising God in song and hymn.

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                                The Church Grows

Acts 2:42-47; 3:1-26

The people were so uplifted that they felt they were already in heaven. But humans need to eat and live on earth…so those who had sold their possessions and put them all into a common pool for everyone’s benefit. They stayed together learning all they could from the apostles, soaking up the teaching like a sponge….

We aren’t told exactly what the “signs and wonders”  were that the apostles did, but whatever they were, it caused others to hold them in awe as they saw them and heard the message that they preached. Nor are we told how long this exalted period lasted for, but they were wonderful days for those there as they went to the temple each day. Then they would go to each others’ houses to sleep and hear more, all the while praising God. More and more people turned to the Lord during this time, and the disciples were able to do miracles to establish the Word of God.

We have the story of the lame man who was sitting begging at the gate of the temple and how Peter and John gave him healing in the name of Jesus Christ. The man was so excited that he was running around the temple court and jumping for joy…he could walk! Everyone there knew he was the man who had been lame for so many years sitting there begging, and they all came around him  (and Peter and John) wanting to know how it was that he was now able to walk.

Peter began to tell everyone that it was only God who could do this. They kept quiet, listening to what Peter saying, that it was by the power of Jesus Christ who had  risen from the dead that this miracle had happened. They (the Jews) were responsible for killing this wonderful Man, but since He had risen from the dead, now they were able to have their sins forgiven through believing in Him. The people had never heard anything like this before, and they listened intently, with the evidence of the healed lame man before their eyes.

 Jesus Christ was still alive, Now they saw His power arrive,

Peter told how they could believe, And this power receive.

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                                    The Results

Acts 4:1-22

The day was drawing on when this came to the religious leaders’ ears, and they were not at all happy with what was going on. “Who did these unlearned and ignorant men think they were, to be preaching and doing these things?” they said indignantly and had them arrested and put in prison for the night….

The next day they gathered together and brought Peter and John before them and interrogated them. But Peter (always ready to talk!) said that it was by the power of Jesus Christ, the One they had crucified, that this miracle was done. He was the fulfilment of the prophecy that talked about the headstone that they were rejecting….He was the only One who could give salvation and healing!

The Holy Spirit convicted them that this was indeed true, and as they conferred amongst themselves, they said, “What can we do with these men? Everyone knows what has been done!”

So they told them they were not to preach any more about Jesus Christ. Peter, as always,  asked which was more right, to listen to them or to listen to God? He went on to say, they could not help but tell of what God was doing! The leaders were silenced, but threatened them with prison if they continued.

We see similar things happening in the world today with those who are bold enough to preach the Word….even in the western world, it is becoming more difficult to preach publicly about sin and the judgment to come.

 Jesus Christ is alive today, He is the one and only way,

Salvation comes through Him alone, None other can for sin atone.

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                                   The Ideal Way.

Acts 4:23-37

The early believers at this time were so exalted with the gift of the Holy Spirit and all the exciting things that were happening around them, that their earthly possessions meant nothing to them any more, All they wanted to do was to be together all the time and praise the name of the Lord constantly…

When this latest miracle of the healing of this lame man was known, it brought forth a paean of praise from them all. They went out into the streets and published abroad all the wonderful things that God was doing in their midst, and felt the power of the Holy Spirit within them as they did this. Then they would gather together again in the evenings and report what had happened during the day.

They sold their possessions and brought the proceeds to the apostles who then distributed what was needed in the way of food and necessities to those who were there. It was an idyllic period of time for them all, but alas, it was not to last! One of them, Barnabas by name, sold his property  and brought the proceeds to the apostles giving it freely to them to distribute. It seems that this was known to all those there, and others were stimulated to do the same thing.

Later on, as Paul was instructing the believers what to do with distributing money, he told them to give cheerfully and wholeheartedly, but not to run themselves short in the process….they were to give to those in genuine need  (2 Corinthians 8:10-15; 9:7-8.) when the need arose.

 Jesus Christ has left us ways, On how to live for all our days,

On how to think and in our deeds, For others as we see their needs.

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                           Honesty in all Things

Acts 5:1-11

It all looked so good, to be able to lay all before the apostles’ feet, but as we read this story we see a warning to all , from that day right through to us today. God not only sees all things, but He knows all things, including the motives of our hearts. We cannot fool Him in any way at all…..

Annanias and his wife Sapphira sold some property and brought a certain sum of money to the apostles, making out that this was all the money they got for it. But God gave Peter the insight to this affair, and he was suspicious that this wasn’t the whole amount that the property had sold for. So after Annanias had given the money to the apostles, Peter tackled him about it. “Why have you done this? You sold it for more than what you have brought here! Why pretend you are giving your all to God when you’ve kept some of it for yourself? You aren’t lying just to us, you are lying to God!”

When Annanias heard this, he dropped down dead and the people with him were greatly afraid as they took him out to be buried. Three hours later, his wife arrived to the group and Peter put the same question to her. Peter told her the same thing…. “you have agreed together to tell us this, but you have really lied to God!”

The shock was too much for her, and she too, collapsed and died on the spot. All those who knew them were very afraid, and it was an example to them that the things of God are not to be taken lightly.

This is an example to us of that which is called the “law of first mention”. Others may have committed the same sin since then and not been struck dead in the same way, but God views it just as seriously as He did with Annanias and Sapphira. Sin is SIN with God, and there is no such thing as “little” sins and “big” sins. There are so many ways that we can fool ourselves in lying to God, especially today with being so PC…we can rationalise it as a good reason, or we must not “offend” others, or that “everyone is entitled to their own opinion”. God says what He means, and means what He says. He cannot stand sin, He has made the way for man to be forgiven of their sin, and if this way (Jesus Christ) is not taken, then the consequences are plain….it is eternal punishment. The Bible calls it “torment”…(Luke 16:22-24) if we could only comprehend this we would make better efforts to turn to God and live a holy life.

 Jesus Christ is the Truth and the Way, We His people must be truthful each day,

We cannot fool God in what we do, He sees it all, whether wrong or true.

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                                More Miracles

Acts 5:12-42

The beginnings of this work of God was reinforced by Him in the way the apostles were able to do many miracles. The people saw these and magnified the Lord, with many more believing and joining in with the growing church….

Needless to say, the religious leaders got to hear of these things and they were very indignant. They had the apostles arrested and put into prison, but an angel came in the night and opened the prison doors so they were able to go out and continue their preaching work in the temple. The prison officers said they didn’t know how it had happened, the prison was still locked, and none of the guards had seen or heard anything, yet these men were out in the temple still preaching!

The priests brought them before them again, and told them to stop this preaching business, but Peter stood up and asked them which was better, to obey God or to obey man? That was the end  of the story as far as Peter and the other apostles were concerned….God had told them to preach and they would continue unless they were killed! This is the same principle that holds good today and one which each one of us has to decide….are we going to follow man’s ideas or God’s?

One of the men of law in the temple almost backed up what Peter was saying, and the council listened to him  as he reminded them of various ones in the past who had tried to draw crowds after them. He said that if this work was from men, it would come to nothing, but if indeed, it was God’s work then nothing they did would stop it! So the men in the council decided to threaten and beat the apostles and then let them go.

 God’s work had grown and begun, In what was said and what was done,

It would continue to thrive and not decrease, Man could not stop  or cause  it to cease,  

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                                      Trouble!

Acts 6:1-15

Where there are people, there will be problems! And so it was with the early church…people felt that there was discrimination in the distribution of things, and there began to be complaints about different ones…..

The apostles felt that too much of their time was being taken up with sorting out these minor matters when there were more important things to be concerned with, such as teaching these people the Word of God. So they called the crowd together and said how they felt, and told them to appoint seven capable men who were fitted for this work, to be responsible for the day to day running of matters, and sorting out complaints.

Seven men of good report were chosen, and the apostles prayed with and for them, and they got on with the appointed tasks. More and more people came to know God as their Lord, including a number of the priests. This was an entirely new concept for them, to realise that God was their Heavenly Father and they needed to put their old ideas behind them and accept that Jesus Christ was Who He said He was, the Son of God.

One of the seven, Stephen, was able to do many miracles among the people, but as always there began to be opposition, and some of the priests began to publicly dispute with him. But the Lord was with Stephen and these men couldn’t put him down in their debates. They arrested him and took him before their council hiring men to say they had heard Stephen say (what they considered) were blasphemous things against the law.

Stephen was indeed filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and all who watched him felt  that he looked like an angel as he spoke in his enthusiasm of the things of God. This was a fulfilment of what our Lord had told His disciples (Matthew 10:17-20), and something that many of God’s people have felt since that time. We need not prepare any speeches but simply depend on Him, and the words will flow. The more we think about the things of the Lord, the more enthusiastic we will become, and will not be able to help but speak of them….out of the heart, the mouth speaks!  (Luke 6:46)

 Jesus Christ is with His own, He will not leave them at all alone,

When they stand before the court, They will speak words which they ought.

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                                Stephen’s Defence.

Acts 7:1-60

This chapter gives us Stephen’s speech which he gave in his defence at his trial, and he did what every well taught Jew of his day could do, gave a run down of the history of the people of Israel from Abraham’s day….

He spoke of the faith of Abraham and of God’s promises to him, how his descendants would eventually inherit this land that God had taken him to, even though he was a great age and still with no family! Then he went on through the generations and how Moses led the people out of bondage, through the wilderness and how Joshua took them into the promised land. He spoke of the days of David and how Solomon built the temple, and then pointed out that God is greater than any earthly temple, being the Creator of all things.

The people listened in silence while he recounted their history which they all knew so well, but then Stephen got more personal…”You’re a stubborn lot just like your ancestors”, he said, “ You know the law of God, but you haven’t kept it! Just as your fathers persecuted and killed God’s prophets of old, so you have taken His Just One and killed Him too!”

As they heard him say this, they were convicted of the truth of his statement and did not like it….they became furious and lunged at him. But Stephen’s face lit up as he looked up at the sky, seeing beyond the clouds into heaven itself and the glory of God.

“I see into heaven and see the Lord standing on the right hand of God”, he cried.

The crowd before him ran and grabbed him and dragged him outside the city where they stoned him to death.

We have a very pertinent statement at the end of this account…the witnesses gave their coats to a young man named Saul to look after while they stoned Stephen. Little did anyone know then, that this young man, so zealous in the law, would one day be given the mantle that Stephen was laying down, and that God would use him mightily in building up the very church that he was trying to stop! Truly, God’s ways are beyond ours!

 Stephen gave the speech of years, How the people  

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                                God’s Purposes

Acts 8:1-4

Young Saul stays in the picture at the beginning of this chapter…he was in full agreement with Stephen’s death, and continued to harass the Christians in Jerusalem…..

The persecution was so bad, that many of the believers began to move out from the city and to go back to their home towns. From their point of view, this was disastrous. It seemed as though everything was breaking down, their wonderful times of fellowship were gone and everything was falling to pieces.

But God had a wider vision than the people did, and it was His way of getting His Word out into other parts of the world. It was not His intention that the believers stay in their own community in Jerusalem, but that they move on and take His Word with them. This is exactly what happened, and is a good example of what we have seen happen so many times when Satan tries to foil  God’s plans…..it backfires on him and works for God’s glory instead.

Persecution often has the effect of stimulating believers to move on and spread the Word wherever they go. For this time, the Apostles stayed in Jerusalem and taught those who were left there. Saul continued with his work of harassment trying to break up the groups of Christians by arresting them and taking them off to prison. In later life, his actions of now, haunted him and he greatly regretted what he had done, although at this time he thought he was doing God’s will (Galatians 1:13) .

 God’s ways are not the same as ours, Far above our thoughts His towers,

Satan tries to scatter and break, But God uses these things for His own sake.

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                                Philip’s  Ministry.

Acts 8:5-25

Philip was one of the main preachers in Jerusalem, and he now went into the area of Samaria….this was an area where the Jews despised the local people who they considered were halfbreeds and not pure Jews….

It  was here that God was able to do a wonderful work through Philip…miracles were performed and people were healed. Many believed the Gospel which Philip preached and there was great joy in the place as they obeyed the Lord in baptism. One of those who did this was Simon who had been a sorcerer dabbling in the occult, and thought he had certain powers. He too believed and was baptised along with the others.

Back in Jerusalem, the apostles here heard of this great work that was going on and sent :Peter and John to go and see what was happening. They found a great number of people who had been baptised, but who had not yet received the Holy Spirit. Up until this time, the Holy Spirit hadn’t come upon people when they received Christ as their Saviour, but needed to have the Apostles lay their hands on them to do so. Peter and John did this for them, and the people received the Holy Spirit.

Simon, the ex sorcerer, was watching all this and he offered Peter money to be given the power to do this too, but Peter quickly corrected his ideas, and told him that God’s spiritual gifts could not be bought with money. He needed to repent and straighten his ideas up. We don’t read any more about Simon, but his attitudes are a warning to us today, to not take the things of God lightly.

Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching in many of the towns of Samaria as they went through. This was a lesson to the strict Jews that God’s Gospel was available to ALL men, regardless of race or skin colour.

 The Gospel now is free to all,  God’s Word is there to tell His call,

God’s gifts to men are not for sale, But freely giv’n tney do not fail.

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                                God’s Leading .

Acts 8:26-40

Philip now had the most wonderful experience of God’s leading that he had ever had. Here he was, in the midst of a great revival amongst the Samaritan people, and yet he felt the angel of the Lord telling him he must leave it all and go down the highway that led through the desert…..

Sometimes God’s leading by circumstances out of our control, don’t make sense from our perspective. Yet we can be sure that we are where God would have us be. In Philip’s case, there was nothing to see here except a lone chariot travelling south, so he went along side it and saw that the man in it was reading something out loud as he travelled. “What are you reading?” Philip called out, “Do you understand it?”. .

“Not really,” the man said, “Why don’t you come into the chariot with me and explain it to me?”

Philip found out he was reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah, in the chapter that spoke of the Lord Jesus’ suffering. What an opportunity Philip had to tell the man all about what it meant! The man understood it all perfectly when Philip explained it, and when they came to a place where there was water, the man asked if there was any reason he shouldn’t be baptised seeing he believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. So he stopped the chariot and they both went down into the water and Philip baptised him. It is quite clear how the baptism took place….they both went into the water. One didn’t stand on the edge or the outside of the water…..they both got wet!

This man held an extremely important position in the kingdom of Ethiopia, and we can be sure that he would take this message of salvation with him. People would see that he was different and in this way alone, the message would get spread around..

 Jesus Christ is alive today, Still showing us His way,

One day we too will  meet  this man, Who along side  Philip ran. 

***             ***             ***

                                Enter Saul Again.

Acts 8:1-9

Saul comes into the picture again…this man who was anti the Christian movement that was sweeping through Jerusalem. He was determined to stamp it out, not only in Jerusalem but he had heard it was starting up in Damascus as well.  So he sought permission from the High Priest to go there and arrest any he could find and bring them to Jerusalem to prison…..

Saul never dreamed when he got up that particular morning, that before night he would be a completely different person! His whole life would be completely turned around! We read how he was nearly to Damascus when this tremendously bright light shone around his group. Everyone with him saw the light and heard the sound of a voice, but only he heard the words speaking to him, telling him that this was Jesus, the One he was persecuting. (chapter 22:5-11). We have the wonderful assurance in this statement, that our Lord identifies with all His people as they go through their various sufferings  for Him. There is nothing that His people can suffer in the way of torture or pain, that He did not experience Himself on the way to the cross.

Saul had fallen to the ground when the light shone around him, and he was blinded by its intensity. The Voice identified Who was speaking….”I am Jesus, who you are persecuting”, He said. Saul was immediately convicted in his soul, and said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

It was Saul’s admission that this One was Lord, that wrought the difference in him. He had fallen to the ground with his heart full of hate, and he got up with it changed completely. The Lord spoke to him again, “Go into the city and you will be told what to do”. Saul followed his confession of Jesus as Lord with obedience to what he was told to do. Many years later he wrote, * that if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved” (Romans 10:9), and in that time hearing the Lord Jesus speak to him, this is what he did. What a turn around for him!

He went into Damascus a changed man! He was still blinded from the bright light he had seen, and needed to be led by the hand. His whole demeanour had changed….no longer did he have he hate in his heart toward the Christians, and he didn’t intend any more to have them arrested. For three days he remained without sight, staying in his room where he had been taken and no doubt doing a great deal of thinking, and really praying for the first time in his life!

Saul’s life was changed for all that day, He now lived a different way,

He loved the ones he once despised, Went with them and was then  baptised.

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                                Saul’s Ministry Begins.

Acts: 9:10-31

Everything that Saul knew of the Old Testament scriptures now began to fall into place during those three days alone  of thinking and praying. He wondered how he could have been so blind spiritually, but his spirit was now broken before the One he had once despised….

While God was dealing with Saul as he remained in darkness, He spoke to another man called Annanias in a vision and told him to go and put his hands on Saul so he could receive his sight back. Annanias knew that Saul had come to Damascus to arrest the Christians, and he was reluctant to do this. Yet he heard the Lord saying to him, “Go and do it! This man has been specially chosen by Me to take My Name to the Gentiles as well as  to the Jews, and he will suffer greatly in doing so”.

So Annanias was reassured and went to house he was told to go to, and we read how he did as he was told. Even calling Saul “Brother” would have taken courage, but with this acceptance came the joy of seeing Saul blink as he received his sight again and become filled with the Holy Spirit. He was baptised immediately and then sat down to a good meal. How wonderful Saul must have felt at that time….he was full of joy and felt strong again physically and ready to face the future whatever it might bring.

He didn’t waste any time preaching about Jesus in the synagogue there, and proved beyond doubt to the religious leaders from the Scriptures that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Sent One from God   The leaders got tired of this, and plotted to kill him….now  Saul was receiving a bit of his own persecution!. Saul heard about this plot and the other Christians let him down outside of the city wall in a basket as the gates were being watched. So Saul got away safely and made his way to Jerusalem .

Once there, he tried to join the disciples, but they were suspicious of him, thinking it was another ploy to find out their movements. Barnabas knew what had happened and introduced him to the group, telling how he had indeed had this experience of the Lord, and that there was no need to be afraid of him.

Saul continued preaching the Gospel, until the authorities once more planned to kill him, so the other Christians advised him to leave town and go back to his home town of Tarsus. This gave a comparative time of peace to the churches and they had time to become established in their faith.

Jesus Christ had plans for Saul,  Now that he had heard God’s call,

He preached about  God’s Holy One, Proving that He was God’s own Son.

***             ***             ***

                                Peter at Work.

Acts: 9:32-43

Peter meantime, was preaching around the countryside and went to a place called Lydda. He found a man there who had been paralysed for eight years, and healed him…..

As a result of this, many of the people in that area turned to the Lord. One of these, a godly woman named Dorcas Tabitha, fell sick and died. There was much sorrow in the district as she had done so much for the disadvantaged people, and they all gathered together to mourn for her. The believers sent a message to Peter to come quickly.

When he arrived and found everyone there mourning and showing the clothes that she had made in her lifetime for them, he put them all out of the room. H kneeled beside the bed with her body on it, prayed and said, “Tabitha, get up!”

There was a movement on the bed, she opened her eyes and sat up. Peter took her hand nd led her out of the room to the others there. We can imagine the unbelief at first and then the joy that all the people there had. It didn’t take long for the  news to fly around the place, and many more people turned to the Lord as a result.

So the young church became more established, and Peter stayed there quite a long time teaching them the truths of the Lord.

 Jesus Christ was real indeed,  Meeting all the peoples’ need,

The church began to grow some more, As there bcame more open doors.

***             ***             ***

                                Peter’s Great Lesson.

Acts: 10:1-23

We have here the story of Cornelius, a Roman centurion based in Caesarea. He had a great love for God and did a lot of good in his community, but had never heard the Gospel message. God didn’t allow this situation to last long….

One afternoon as he was meditating on the things of God, he had a vision of an angel who told him to send men to Joppa and find Simon Peter who would come and explain these things to him. Cornelius wasted no time in doing this, and sent his men off to find Peter. As they approached the town where Peter was, he was on the housetop where he was staying, waiting for his midday meal and praying. While he was doing this and feeling very hungry, he had a vision of a great sheet coming down from the sky tied at the four corners and full of all sorts of animals and birds. He heard a voice saying, “Get up Peter, kill something and eat it”.

“Oh no Lord” he replied, “I’ve never eaten anything like this that is unclean!”

He heard God saying, “What I have made clean is no longer unclean!”

He saw this vision with the same reaction three times , and wondered whatever it meant.

The people of the house called out to him to come down as there were some strangers at the door wanting to see him. He took them in and they stayed overnight after saying what their message was. The next day, Peter and some of the other believers from Joppa, went with the men to meet Cornelius.

We see here that Peter did not tackle this situation alone. This is a lesson to us that if there is some problem or an occasion when something needs dealing with, it is always better to have the support of some other godly person. As far as Peter was concerned at this point, he as a Jew, shouldn’t be visiting a Gentile, especially a Roman official at all. But after his vision of the day before, he knew that this was an appointment scheduled by God, and it was up to him to go and see this man.

 The Gospel message is for all to hear, This to Peter was made quite clear,

 It was not meant for Jews alone, Christ died for all, their sins atoned.

***             ***             ***

                           Cornelius Hears the Word.

Acts: 10:24-48

Cornelius was anxious to hear what Peter was going to tell him, and he had called all his friends and relations to come and meet him when he arrived. He met Peter and his group at the door, and bowed down low before him. Peter took his hand and said, “Stand up, I’m only a man like you!”…..

No doubt Peter and his friends were surprised to see so many people in the house waiting to hear what he had to say, and he asked what it was that Cornelius wanted to hear. Peter told him how it was normally unlawful for a strict Jew to be in the company of a Gentile, but how God had showed him that all were equal in His sight. “So what do you want to know?” he asked.

Cornelius recounted how he had seen a vision four days earlier of a man standing before him in bright clothing who told him to send to Joppa for Peter who would give him God’s message. “Now we are all here to hear what you have to tell us”, he said.

What an opportunity for Peter, and he wasted no time telling them the Gospel message of Jesus Christ …how He had died and was risen again, and had gone back to heaven telling them to preach telling people how they could be forgiven of their sins. While Peter was speaking the people in the room were hanging on his every word, and as they believed what he said, the Holy Spirit came upon them all and they began to speak in other languages, praising God. Peter and the other Jews with him were amazed, and in no doubt that the Holy Spirit was given freely to Gentiles who believed as well as to Jewish people. “These people can be baptised!” he exclaimed, and so it was done. Peter and his friends stayed a few more days with them, teaching and explaining all that they knew, with these Gentile people soaking it all in. What a wonderful time they all had!

 The Gospel message is for all to hear, Tell it forth, both far and near,

For those who lived in ages past, For us today, in time so vast.

***             ***             ***

                                The Gospel Spreads.

Acts: 11:1-

The Christians back in Jerusalem and Judaea heard about this and they tackled Peter about it….”You went and ate with Gentiles!” they accused him. So Peter told them all exactly what had happened and how it came about….

He finished up his account by saying how he remembered what the Lord Jesus had said how that while John baptised with water, they would all be baptised with the Holy Spirit upon believing  (Acts 1:5). “In the light of this, how could I refuse to accept them? God has accepted them the same as He accepted us!” he said.

This was enough for the others to see that the Gospel was for ALL people, no matter what their colour, race or manner of life was, and they praised God for this.

After the death of Stephen, which seemed to be a disaster for the fledgling church, the believers scattered and went everywhere, preaching as they went. But they were like Peter had been, and were preaching only to the Jews. However, some spoke to the Greeks they met in Antioch and found they were eager to accept these new teachings, and many turned to the Lord.

When the church in Jerusalem heard about this, they sent Barnabas to make sure everything was being done in order. He found a thriving church there, and taught the people with many more coming to know the Lord. While there, he thought of Saul and went to Tarsus to find him and bring him back to Antioch where they remained teaching and preaching to the people for twelve months.

There are several things to notice in this chapter….the first is that apparent disasters can often be turned into good by the Lord in the long run….it reminds us of the how Paul wrote many years later that ALL things work together for good to those who love God and who are called by Him  (Romans 8:28).The disaster of losing Stephen brought about the spread of the Gospel. We see how Saul was in obscurity in his home town, doing what he could where he was, but that God had greater work for him to do, and when the right time came, he was able to step in and do it. /sometimes we feel that we aren’t doing much but if we are where God wants us to be, then more opportunities will open up for us. We are to be ready and preparing ourselves at all times.

 Jesus Christ is always there, With His people ready to share,

God works in many different ways, As His will he will display.

***             ***             ***

                                      Giving.

Acts: 11:26c-30

We see that the people following this new Way first became known as Christians here at Antioch. People seemed to move around a lot in those times, and it wasn’t long before a group of godly men arrived there from Jerusalem….

One of them predicted that there were going to be hard times coming….whether the  Lord gave him a vision of this or whether he could see signs of this coming we don’t know, but it did come to pass. The believers at Antioch decided to give money for those affected in Judea, and they sent it to the elders there with Saul and Barnabas.

Paul later took this subject up in some of the his letters, and explained how that when there was a specific need, people were to relieve it. Not only that, but money was to be given regularly into a common pool to be used for needs that came up, rather than to have special collections when a need occurred  (1 Corinthians 16:1-3;2 Corinthians 8:1-15). He showed how people were not to be expected to give what they couldn’t afford just to make a show, but that those who were disadvantaged were to be helped by those who could afford it.  It was not to be the amount of money that was given that counted, but the spirit in which it was given…he pointed out how God loves a cheerful giver    (2 Corinthians 9-7). He also talked about the law of consequences of reaping what we sow (Galatians 6:7-9)  .

 God has given us all things, In giving to Him this glory brings,

If we would seek our Lord to please, We must others needs help  ease.

***             ***             ***

                                Peter’s Release.

Acts: 12:1-17

Not only were the Christians being persecuted by the religious leaders, but they were now being persecuted by the political leaders. Herod arrested James, John’s brother. This met with the approval of the priests, so he proceeded to arrest Peter too, and put him in prison….

Peter was held there for a few days, and all the other believers were praying for his release from this situation. We read how an angel miraculously appeared to Peter one night, woke him up and told him to get dressed and follow him outside. Peter was still groggy with sleep but did as he was told  thinking it was all a dream, and found himself outside in the street. The angel disappeared, and he realised the Lord had delivered him, so he made his way to the house where the believers were all praying for him. He knocked on the door and a girl went to see who it was, and was so excited she didn’t let him in but ran and told the others that Peter was out there. “You’re mad!” they all said, but as the knocking continued, they went to see and let :Peter in.

How like this we are sometimes! God  We are praying for a certain thing and when God gives us what we want, we can hardly believe it. This was definitely a “yes” answer to their prayers, but there are other times when God gives us a “no” answer, or maybe a “Wait” answer. We have to remember that all these are definite answers to our prayers, and that all things will work together for our good, hard as they may be (Romans   8:28).

Peter recounted to all gathered there what had happened, and then told them to go and tell James and the others what had happened. Then he left town that same night  and went to another place.

We know that the James mentioned here must have been the brother of the Lord Jesus , as James the brother of John had already been executed.

 Jesus Christ

***             ***             ***

                                Herod’s End.

Acts: 12:18-25

When the soldiers woke up that morning and found their prisoner gone, they couldn’t understand what had happened! Everything was locked up and no-one had seen or heard anything untoward during the night….

Herod sent for him to be executed, but it was not God’s time yet for Peter to die….there was still work for him to do on earth. We might wonder why James was taken so early, and Peter left when there were so many opportunities to spread the Word.  All we can think about is that God’s ways are not our ways, and His way is the perfect way. We see young people taken by disease today, and older men who can hardly walk left, and wonder why, but we cannot question God, just accept what has happened. For those of us who are left, it is up to us to make sure we are walking in the way of the God and seek to do what is at hand.

As for Herod, he didn’t believe for a minute that Peter had been miraculously wafted away, and he had all the guards executed. Shortly afterwards, he made a speech at a great gathering, and when the people all applauded and said it was the voice of a god, he accepted it with great pride. But God struck him down with a fatal disease, which he died from. We read later where people said a similar thing about Paul, but because he made it clear to them that he was only an ordinary person, he was spared. God has said that He will not share His glory with a mere human being (Isaiah 42_8), and we have seen many cases in modern times where people who have lauded it over others have been struck down…Princess Diana who called herself the “Queen of Hearts”; Elvis Presley who people called “The King” and Mohammed Ali  who said he was “the greatest”.

Then as a footnote the chapter ends by saying that Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem  to Antioch and brought young John Mark with them.

 Herod’s speech brought people’s praise, Which shortened then his earthly days,

God will not share His glory with men, He makes this clear again and again.

***             ***             ***

                             Saul Begins His Mission

Acts: 13:1-13

The church at Antioch was a thriving group with several capable teachers there including Saul and Barnabas. As they had the regular prayer and ministry meetings they became convinced that the Lord was calling Barnabas and Saul to go further afield and preach the Gospel….

There are a couple of things to notice in this account….other people had confidence in Saul and Barnabas….the idea didn’t come just from them. They didn’t go out on their own, but had the backing of the church. They were already active where they were. It was obvious that the Holy Spirit was with them. So they left with the full blessing and confidence of the group who fasted and prayed with them before they left.

They sailed to Cyprus and travelled through the island, starting in the synagogues and preaching the Gospel. At a town called Paphos, a man who practiced sorcery tried to stop people  from listening to them preaching. He worked for the deputy of the town who was very interested in what these preachers had to say, but the sorcerer tried to dissuade him  as much as he could. Saul (who was known as Paul by this time) spoke very sternly to him telling him he was doing the devil’s work and that he would be blind as a result. He immediately suffered from this and needed others to lead him around.. When the deputy saw what had happened, he believed the Gospel message.

We aren’t told how long Paul’s group stayed there, but the time came to leave, so they took a ship to Perga on the mainland. Something happened within the group there (we aren’t told what), but John Mark decided he had had enough, and left them to go back to Jerusalem.

 Mark decided he couldn’t stay, And left the group to go his way,

Let us make sure we stay the course, Keeping close to Christ our Source.

***             ***             ***

                             The Work Continues (1).

Acts: 13:14-52

The group went from Perga and came to another town called Antioch. While there, they attended the local synagogue, and during the service, they were asked if they had a word for the people. Paul stood up, and began to speak….

He began with recounting some of the history of Israel, telling how God had led the people of Israel from Egypt and mentioning ones like King Saul and David, then skipping down to his present time, and how John the Baptist had been raised up to  announce the coming Messiah. Then he told of how the religious leaders wouldn’t accept Him but had Him put to death, and how God put His seal on Him by bringing Him back to life, and this was Who Paul had come to tell them about.

When the service was finished, quite a few of the leaders as well as others wanted to hear more, and the Gentiles too asked if they could hear more. The following Sabbath Day, it seemed the whole city came together to listen to what Paul was preaching. This didn’t please the Jewish religious leaders at all and they tried to break up the meetings. We see similar things happening in many parts of the world today, and even in some cases problems are caused by Christians themselves who are jealous of the work that others are doing. Satan uses any means he can to break up the work of God, even making strife among God’s people.

So the work continued in and around the region, with both Jews and Gentiles believing and forming churches in the area. The religious leaders made things so unpleasant that Paul and Barnabas moved on to the nearby area of Iconium.

 God’s Word is not in any way bound, But moves to all those who are round,

Giving life to those who believe, Serving all who Jesus receive.

***             ***             ***

                      The Work Continues (2).

Acts: 14:1-28

The Word was received with great gladness in the next place of Iconium, and many believed, both Jews and Gentiles. But once again, the religious leaders stirred up others to get rid of these itinerant preachers, so they moved on to the next area…..

It was here that Paul performed the miracle of making a crippled man walk. The local people were so amazed that they began to say that Paul and Barnabas were gods come like men.  The priest of Jupiter was getting ready to make sacrifices to them and they were so upset that they ran among the crowds saying that they weren’t any such thing, they were just ordinary men with a message of the real Living God! Once again, many people believed the message and turned to the Lord.

But the religious Jews from Iconium turned up and began to malign Paul until the people started to stone him. They dragged him out of the city and left him for dead, but while his friends stood around, he began to revive and was able to get up and go back into the city where he was staying. He and Barnabas left the next day for Derbe where they once more began to preach and where many believed. So the Word of God began to spread throughout Asia minor.

After  a period of time, they began to work their way back to the different groups they had formed on their way. We can imagine the joy that the people greeted them with and the questions they would have been asking about running a church….we read that Paul ordained elders in each group, and prayed and fasted with them before moving on. They eventually arrived back in Antioch where they had left from, and were able to report on everything that God had done through them, and how the Gentiles were believing and turning to the Lord too.

 God works in ways we do not know, His purposes will thrive and grow,

His Word is here for all to take, For all  together His people make.

***             ***             ***

                                More Problems.

Acts: 15: 1-3

It was very hard for the Jews to take in the new ideas and put the old ones behind them, and we see here how some of them came to the believers in Antioch and started telling them they needed to be  circumcised to be truly saved….

We can be very thankful that this matter was thoroughly discussed and the whole topic brought out into the open and made clear what the correct teaching about this point was. Paul had already seen many of the Gentile people truly born again, and had no doubt in his mind that circumcision wasn’t an issue in their salvation or even in their walk with the Lord. These other Jews still had the mindset that the law had to be kept as well as having a belief in the Lord Jesus, so this is what they were teaching as they came to this gathering of both Jews and Gentiles.

It was agreed that Paul and Barnabas should go to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders there to get a clear ruling on this teaching, so there would be no further confusion on the matter. As they went on their journey, they met with different groups of believers and had great joy in telling what the Lord had been doing through them with the Gentiles coming to know Him in other places. This has laid a Biblical pattern of missionaries giving a report when they come back to their home church which sent them out, so that everyone knows and can rejoice in the work that is going on in other places.

Our Lord told us how there is great rejoicing in heaven among the angels when each sinner comes to repentance (Luke 15:10), so how much more we should rejoice as different ones come to know our Lord and be part of God’s family!

 Jesus Christ has done it all, His people now just heed His call,

Naught else is there for us to do, He did it all for me and you!

***             ***             ***

                      The Conclusion of the Matter.

Acts: 15: 4-33

When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem and had given their report on how so many Gentiles were coming to faith in Jesus Christ,  a certain group among these elders said that it was necessary for these new believers to learn and keep the law of Moses for them to be truly saved…. 

Peter then stood up and told how God had taught him a lesson about Gentiles coming to know the Lord in his dealings with Cornelius. He said there was no doubt that these Gentile believers were truly saved as he had seen for himself how God had bestowed the gift of the Holy Spirit on them without human intervention. He pointed out how no person had ever been able to fully keep Moses’ law, so why try to make people keep it now? James got up after Peter had sat down and gave his judgement on the matter….he pointed out how the Old Testament prophets said that the Gentiles would turn to the Lord in the last times, and that all that was necessary for them to do was to live holy lives, keeping from all suggestion of idolatry (which was rife and popular in those days) and immorality which went along with idolatry, from eating meat which was un-bled and from eating blood. This is because blood is symbolic of the death of the Lord Jesus which brings salvation  (John 6:51-58).

This ruling met with the approval of all in the gathering, and they wrote a letter which they gave to Paul and Barnabas to take back to Antioch telling this conclusion. Two other brothers, Judas and Silas, went with them to back up what was said. This conclusion still stands today, and those who teach that people need to DO something in order to earn their salvation, as well as believe, are not speaking according to Scripture.

 Jesus Christ is all we need, To teach us how to live in deed,

He has died for all man’s sin, To cleanse us all, without, within.

***             ***             ***

                                Paul Continues.

Acts: 15: 34-41

We see that when the other brothers who had gone with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch to deliver the conclusion of the matter, had returned to Jerusalem that Silas decided to stay in Antioch. Paul and Barnabas stayed too for a while and continued with his teaching work…. 

After a period of time, Paul told Barnabas that he felt he should go back and visit those who had come to know the Lord on their last missionary trip and see how they were getting on. Barnabas was keen to take John Mark with them, but Paul didn’t think it was a good idea as he had left the work last time. We have an interesting comment here, that the contention was so sharp between Barnabas and Paul that they decided to go their separate ways. Barnabas took Mark and went back to Cyprus where they had started from and Paul chose Silas and went into Asia Minor again.

It seems that the disagreement was quite a sharp one….Barnabas was an easy going man and willing to give Mark a second try whereas Paul felt he couldn’t be trusted to stay the distance. But we do read later on that Paul came across Mark again and found he had matured and he became a useful man in Paul’s team, and one he recommended to others   (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:24). This is an encouragement to younger ones to not be discouraged, but to get up and get going again if one has slipped up in some way. Too many have become completely discouraged and wasted much of their life before being brought back to the Lord when they are older….this is a matter of regret, and often brings consequences that can’t be corrected.

 Jesus Christ forgives us all, Mistakes we make whene’er we fall,

Get up and go ahead again, Before you find yourself more pain.

***             ***             ***

                                Finding Timothy.

Acts: 16: 1-5

Paul’s first stopover was at the two towns of Derbe and Lystra where he met with the Christians there and taught them. While there, he met a promising young man by the name of Timothy. Timothy had a godly mother and grandmother who we read about later (2 Timothy 1:5), and a Greek father who we know nothing about…..   

Timothy had a good reputation among everyone who knew him, and obviously met with the Christians where he was living. But there was one snag as far as the Jewish Christians were concerned….he was only half Jewish and had never been circumcised. Paul felt that this would be a hindrance to Timothy if he went with him, as Jewish people wouldn’t listen to him if he wasn’t circumcised. So Paul saw to it that he had this operation so he would be more acceptable to his listeners…..it was nothing to do with the question of his salvation, but to give him more opening to his preaching to the Jews. We can see from this that it is no use talking about things if we aren’t prepared to follow them through in our actions.

So as they went through the country and called on the different groups of believers, they were able to tell them the ruling of the apostles on this contentious question of circumcision….there was no need to be circumcised to be saved. If people heard the Gospel and believed it in an uncircumcised situation, it didn’t matter….there was no need to be done (1 Corinthians 7:18-19)…..it was more important to be circumcised in the heart by getting rid of everything that is unnecessary in their life and interests. We sometimes get too taken up in other interests that cut across our time that we should be spending with God’s people!  (Jeremiah 9:26; Acts 7:51)

So as Paul’s group travelled around, more people came to know the Lord, and the churches were established in their faith.

 Jesus Christ is all we need, Believe in Him in faith and deed,

Be circumcised in heart instead, Throw all else out as naught but dead.

***             ***             ***

                   Paul Continues his Journeys.

Acts: 16:6-15

Paul had ides of where he wanted to go next, but he felt that although his heart was drawn to go into the northern part of Asia Minor, he shouldn’t go at this time. So he continued westward into the area of Mysia and finally came to the town of Troas which was a seaport…..

He found believers gathering there including Dr. Luke who joined his party. While there he had this vision of a man from Macedonia saying, “Come and help us” . He took this as  direction from the Lord that that was where they should go to next so they all set sail together and got a ship going to Neapolis in Samothracia. From there they went on to Philippi and stayed there a few days.

We see from this account the different ways that the Lord leads His people. Paul had this strong feeling that he shouldn’t go where he had first thought of, then he took course in a different direction.  While doing this he had a vision from God directing him just where to go….the others with him agreed and they all continued to the main town of Philippi in Macedonia.

It was at Philippi that Paul met Lydia and her group who were meeting at the river bank for prayer, and he taught them more. As a result Lydia asked for baptism and then asked Paul and his group to come and stay at her house. We can imagine the discussions they would have had while sitting around the table as Paul told them more of the deep things he had learned from the Lord.

 Jesus Christ will guide His own, As they seek His will be known,

Paul and co met Lydia at prayer, Then their good things they did share.

***             ***             ***

                             The Philippian Slave Girl.

Acts: 16 16-24

     Paul and his party would leave Lydia’s place in the morning and go to the river bank where the others were conducting their prayer meeting. As they did this, there was a slave girl with her masters who was supposed to be able to tell peoples’ fortunes and this was how these merchants made their living……

She would follow Paul’s group and cry out, “These men are the servants of the Most High God! They show us the way of salvation!”  She did this constantly and one morning Paul turned to her and spoke to the spirit that was controlling her, “I command you in the Name of Jesus Christ to come out of her”. It left her within the hour, and she was no longer able to do divination.

We don’t read anything more of her or what happened to her, but we do know the power of the Lord’s name to do this. She was now a normal sane girl and of no more use to her masters to tell fortunes. The men grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the magistrates saying they were trouble makers. They were beaten and then thrown into the local jail, into an inner cell and had their feet put in stocks.

The slave girl was held in bondage fast, By demons who Paul was able to cast,

 She was released and now  set free, To live her life now normally.

***             ***             ***

                             The Philippian Jailer.

Acts: 16 :25-40

This particular morning when the jailer at the Philippian jail woke up, he had no idea that his whole life would be turned around before the next twenty-four hours would have passed……

This day, a couple of men were sent to prison with instructions to put their feet in the stocks. There was something different about these men….they never stopped talking about a  man called Jesus who had been crucified. He was supposed to be God they said….the jailer had never heard anything like it! Not only that, but the prisoner said that He had come back to life, and then bodily gone up to heaven! It was all so incredible.

Yet there was something about it all that rang true to the jailer. He had always felt that something was missing in his life….what was the purpose of it all anyway?  The jailer was on duty that night, and heard what Paul was talking about, and then at midnight, they all heard singing coming from the cell where Paul and Silas were. What was there to sing about they wondered?

Suddenly there was a deep rumble and then  the ground began to shake…earthquake! It was bad enough that all the doors in the jail rattled loose and many opened. The jailer ran from where he was and when he saw the open doors, he was about to fall on his sword thinking that all the prisoners would have escaped.

“Don’t kill yourself!” Paul called out loudly, “We are all still here”.

The jailer called for a light, and went in before Paul and Silas and said, “Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved?”

Paul gave that famous answer which has been such a comfort to so many people over the years, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!”

The jailer immediately took them to his house and Paul spoke to all who were there and they believed what he was telling them. They bathed Paul’s and Silas’ sore backs where they had been flogged, and then asked to be baptised. After that Mrs. Jailer gave them all a meal. It is quite clear from this passage that all in the house believed, so it cannot be assumed that infants were included.

The next morning the magistrates sent to let Paul and Silas go, but Paul insisted they come themselves to free them… “we are Roman citizens and they put us in here unlawfully….let them come and face us!” So they were freed, and went to see the other Christians again before leaving and going on their way.

Jesus Christ saves those who believe, All who come to Him and receive,

His gracious Word and wondrous grace, Who will one day see His loving face.

***             ***             ***

                                The Word Spreads.

Acts: 17: 1-15

When Paul left Ephesus, he continued on until he came to Thessalonica. He stayed there nearly a month, and went to the local synagogue where he preached that Jesus was the Messiah who God had promised would come. Some of the Jews believed his message, and a great multitude of Greeks also…. 

This was a great work of God, and it wasn’t long before Satan stirred up the “religious” Jews against  Paul’s group, and they set the whole city in an uproar saying that this new teaching was false. Paul’s lot were hidden, so the authorities arrested Jason who was known to have had them there. The only accusation they could bring was that the new movement was promoting another king against Caesar.

In the meantime, the believers who had hidden Paul, sent his party off at night, and they came to a town called Berea. Again, Paul and Silas went to the local synagogue where they preached about the Messiah who had come, Jesus of Nazareth, according to the Scriptures. These people (including the leaders) searched the Scriptures with Paul for themselves to see if what he was saying was actually true. As a result, many more believed.

What an example this is to us! When we hear some new teaching that is being promoted, let us always check it out against the Scriptures…. they are our guide rule! If we can’t find it there, forget it! There are so many teachings that are close, and then they are accepted as being right, but are not actually what the Bible teaches. Don/t let other people tell you that their interpretation is more right than yours….if you can’t find it in the Bible, don’t accept it!

But Satan, as always, was active in stirring up opposition to God’s Word, and Jews came from Thessalonica and stirred up the people at Berea, so Paul left, leaving Silas and Timothy still there.

 Jesus Chris is the only way, Follow His Word day by day,

He will guide you as you read His Word, Follow it closely as you have heard.

***             ***             ***

                                Paul at Athens.

Acts: 17:16-34

Paul arrived at Athens, and was stirred up when he saw so much idolatry obvious in the city. He told those with him to go back and tell the others to come as there was so much opportunity there to speak to people. Every day he got out among them, both in the synagogue and in the market pace telling them the Gospel story…

He told them he had never seen so may idols on display before and there was even one to the “Unkown God”…this was the One he wanted to tell them about! He was the real God, the One who had created all things! As he continued speaking to them about Jesus and His resurrection, many were interested, and he was given the opportunity to speak publicly before the whole gathering of the people. He pointed out to them how God had left them to their idolatrous worship previously, but now this was the truth and God would expect them to do something about it.

It is still the same today… God speaks to every person at some time in their life, particularly at funerals, when they see a person being put in to the grave, it brings home again man’s mortality and what will happen after death? Too many people shut their minds to such things, or put off thinking about them altogether.  Some of the people in Paul’s time believed, and others put it off….they may never have had the chance again of hearing the message. Paul left the city and continued on his way, leaving a small group behind of believers in this new message.

 Jesus Christ is still the same, We must believe in Him Who came,

God commands all to repent, For this is why our Lord was sent.

***             ***             ***

                          The Word at Corinth.

Acts: 18: 1-11

When Paul left Athens, he went to Corinth and found a man named Aquila and his wife Priscilla who were tent makers. This was Paul’s craft too, so he stayed with them and worked with them, going to the synagogue each Sabbath Day and telling the Gospel as he had the opportunity.

We don’t often think of the Apostle Paul actually working for his living, but we see here how he was a tent maker. We read too how he worked with his hands (1 Corinthians 4:12) to keep himself, sometimes working into the night hours so he could preach the Gospel free of charge  (2 Thessalonians 3:8). He did this so that he would not only not be burdensome to the people he was ministering to, but to be an example of how a Christian should live.

Silas and Timothy came to him while he was at Corinth, and together they made a real effort to reach the Jewish community with the Gospel message, but once again, only some believed while the rest tried to get rid of them. But :Paul was encouraged by hearing the Lord speak to him one night telling to not be afraid of the threats, but to continue preaching as there were many in that city who would turn to Him.

We hear today how the Lord still does speak in visions and dreams in countries that are closed to the Gospel and is still calling people to Himself in different ways. We cannot put God in a box, expecting Him to work in the same way for every person….there IS only one way and that is through our Lord Jesus Christ. On the other hand, there are many different ways to come to Him, and God uses many different means to bring people to acknowledge His Son as the  Saviour of the world.

 Jesus Christ still calls today, He is the one and only Way,

His work’s complete and free to all, Oh come today and hear His call!

***             ***             ***

                                Herod’s End.

Acts: 18: 12-25

When Paul had been in Corinth for eighteen months, teaching and preaching to all who would listen; there was now a core of believers who understood the Word. But the local religious Jews stirred up trouble again and took him to court…

Unlike other times when Paul was able to speak publicly in his defence, this time the governor broke up the gathering by saying he wasn’t interested in hearing any of it….as far as he was concerned, it was all nonsense! Instead, it backfired on the ruler of the synagogue, and the Greeks gave him a good beating in front of the judge who couldn’t have cared less!

Paul stayed there a while longer (we presume still with Aquila and Priscilla) and then left with them accompanying him to Ephesus where they stayed while Paul continued on his travels encouraging the Christians wherever he went.

While they were there, another man by the name of Apollos arrived in town and began to attend the synagogue. He was an eloquent man who knew the Scriptures well, but had only heard of John’s baptism of repentance…in other words he was teaching that a person needed to be baptised to be saved. Aquila and Priscilla heard him speak and invited him home where they explained the Gospel more fully to him. He took this to heart and then travelled across to Achaia where he took a letter of commendation from those who knew him to the churches there. He was a powerful preacher and a great help in spreading the word. This is an example of the help that Aquila and Priscilla were able to be to him, and in the same way we are to encourage and talk things out with those who are keen  but perhaps not as well taught. We don’t hear about the ones who helped the famous preachers of times past, but without them, the preachers would never have been able to be used by God in the way that they were.

 We can be a help to others, Who in turn can help our brothers,

Working together in love and grace, Each of us has our own place.

***             ***             ***

                        Paul’s Continuing Ministry.

Acts: 19: 1-10

While Paul continued on his travels, encouraging the Christians in various places, Apollos stayed in Corinth ministering to the believers there. Paul meantime came again to Ephesus and found a group of twelve men gathering together in the name of the Lord….

. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit, but they didn’t know what he was talking about….they had only heard of John’s baptism which they had all done. So Paul explained to them about being baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and they arranged to have this done. Paul laid his hands on them and they all received the Holy Spirit at that time and showed that this was so by being able to speak in other languages and speaking eloquently.

It seems as though the Christians there were still meeting at the synagogue, but when certain ones started stirring up trouble and being argumentative, Paul moved to a nearby school and the believers gathered there with him preaching and teaching the Word for the next two years. It was a marvellous time of seeing many people, both Greeks and Jews, turn to the Lord from all around the region

 Jesus Christ was working still, Using men to do His will,

Many others Him received, As on His word they all believed.

***             ***             ***

                                        Miracles Performed.

Acts: 19: 11-20

While Paul was continuing in Ephesus, God performed many miracles through him….the thing to notice here is that it is GOD who was doing the miracles, Paul was only the channel. Too many people’s attention is taken up by the MIRACLE, rather than the One who actually gives it….  God…..

People came from all around to not only receive these miracles, but just to see them performed….we all like to see miracles happening! Even the touch of one of Paul’s handkerchiefs was enough to perform a miracle, even curing people of demon possession.

One of the priests had seven sons who were exorcists, and as they saw Paul doing these things, they tried to do the same. The  man who was demon possessed attacked them, crying out “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” They had to leave the house naked and wounded….this shows us the danger of dabbling in things we know little about. Demon possession is a very real thing, even today. It is given all sorts of fancy names now such as psychiatric disorders, or schizophrenia and is treatable with drugs  but the root problem is still lurking there…..it is a spiritual problem and can only be rooted out by prayer and calling on the blood of Christ. This is not something that just anyone can do.

As a result of this happening, many of the people there believed and turned to the Lord. Many of them had been involved in the occult and they realised that they had to turn completely away from such practices, so they took all their books and other objects and made a huge public bonfire of it all. We too, must completely get rid of anything that takes our attention off the Word of God….it is not enough to put it in a cupboard, it must be completely got rid of or the thought of it there will still lurk in our minds.

Jesus Christ is all in all, When we hear His loving call,

From old things we turn away, And follow Him fully every day.

***             ***             ***

                            The Power of Right.

Acts: 19: 21-41

Paul sent Timothy and Erastus to the region of Macedonia to encourage the believers there, but he continued on in Ephesus for a bit longer. The silversmiths who made idols and trinkets to their goddess Diana, could see that many of these new converts to the Gospel, were not buying their wares and business was shrinking……

One of these silversmiths , Demetrius, called a meeting and stirred up all the craftsmen to get rid of Paul. They organised a public protest march and the whole city was in an uproar over this matter. “Diana is the greatest!” they cried as they marched to the arena. They arrested two of Paul’s fellow-workers and took them there, and when Paul wanted to go along too, the other Christians wouldn’t let him go….even the chief men of the town said it wasn’t safe for him to go.

The protestors grabbed hold of Alexander (a prominent Jew) and began to roar out “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!’ They kept this up for two hours before the town clerk could quieten them down, telling them to do things properly and take them to a court of law if they wanted to prosecute them. At last the crowd melted away and peace reigned once more.

It is great when the presence of believers can make a difference to the atmosphere of a place, whether it be a work place or some other area…this is what it means to be “salt” and a “light” as our Lord described His followers (Matthew 5:13-16)

 Jesus Christ our example is He, Showing us what we ought to be,

Salt to the food and light in the place, Until the day that we see His face.

***             ***             ***

                        Paul’s Continuing Journey.

Acts: 20:1-15

Paul felt his time in Ephesus was finished for the time being after this episode, and he prepared to move on. He had quite a large party with him as he went into Macedonia visiting the various churches as he went. He arrived at Philippi and stayed there for three months teaching and preaching the things they needed to know….

What wonderful times of fellowship these would have been! But he met with opposition again, and when the Jews were planning to arrest him, he left intending to go back through Macedonia. Seven others were going with him, so they went ahead and waited at Troas for Paul and Luke to catch up with them….

They stayed there a week, and over the weekend Paul gave a long teaching session, going until midnight. One of the young men listening was sitting on a window sill and fell asleep, then fell out of the window to the ground beneath. He was taken up dead, but Paul  brought him back to life. Paul was indefatigable and kept on talking to them until morning broke when his party boarded the ship. Paul however, went on foot, meeting up with the ship further along the coast.

To teach and preach was Christ’s command, This was the aim of Paul’s small band,

From place to place they moved along, Doing this in word and song.

***             ***             ***

                      Paul’s Farewell Message .

Acts: 20:15-38

    Paul was determined to be back in Jerusalem for the time of Pentecost, and instead of taking time to visit Ephesus, he sent a message for them to meet him at Miletus. It was there that he gave them his final message and his testimony of how he had lived with them….

This is a real challenge to us each one….an we say these things? He spoke of serving the Lord with humility and many tears, and how he had delivered the message to both the Jews and the Greeks. He knew he was likely to be arrested in Jerusalem, but he wasn’t going to allow that to put him off.

Could we say what he said, that we would not change our minds if we knew that was going to happen to us? That we will continue to preach and live the Word regardless of what it will cost? Many people in other countries have to make this decision to follow the Lord in spite of the persecution they face.

But Paul didn’t dwell on what he was going to face, instead he encouraged the believers there to continue to follow the Lord, and the teaching that he (Paul) gave while he was with them. He warned them to beware of false teachers coming in and trying to make them go back to the old Jewish laws, and he reminded them to share what they had with others, of how the Lord Jesus had said it is more blessed to give than to receive.

With that, he kissed them all and with tears on both sides, they accompanied him to the ship and he left them.

 Jesus Christ is with His own, As they sow the seed and see it grown,

Whether here or whether there, They sow the seed and see it share.

***             ***             ***

                       Paul Continues to Jerusalem 

Acts: 21:1-17

We can’t really say whether Paul was doing what he was meant to when so many people warned him against going to Jerusalem at this time, but as we shall see God used it to get him to Rome where he was hoping to go sooner or later. Not only that, if Paul hadn’t been under house arrest in Rome for all that time, we may not have had the wonderful letters that he wrote that make up a lot of the New Testament that we have today…..

What happened to Paul subsequently bears out what he wrote to the Roman Christians saying that “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (8:28). Luke was travelling with Paul’s party as they set sail back towards Israel. They passed Cyprus and landed at Tyre where the cargo was discharged. Hey went ashore and met up with the local Christians who told him that he shouldn’t be going to Jerusalem. As they were ready to leave again, they went to the shore to bid them farewell and all knelt down on the sand to pray together before Paul left.

At the next stop of Ptolemais, Paul made contact with the believers, stayed there a day and then carried on to Caesarea where they stayed with Philip and his family. They were there a while and a prophet named Agabus arrived and he too told Paul that he would be in trouble with the authorities at Jerusalem. Paul refused to be dissuaded, and they carried on their way, arriving at the house of Mnason of Cyprus.

 Paul continued on his way, Arriving at Jerusalem one day,

He was sure he was doing right, And God took him up on  this light.

***             ***             ***

                                Paul’s Report.

Acts: 21:18-40

We see how Paul wasted no time going to visit James and the other elders who were present with him, and give his report on how the work was going on. He was acting in full fellowship with the other leaders, and this is a lesson to us today on how to conduct any work we do for the Lord….

On the other hand, they told Paul of the thousands of Jews who were now believers, and who were avid keepers of the law of Moses still. It was very hard for these people to leave the ideas they had been brought up with, and to trust in Christ alone for their salvation….they thought it was alright for the Gentile believers who had come out of idolatry to follow the simple rules given for believers, but they could not leave the old ways altogether.

So the elders told Paul they felt he should make a public show of still keeping the law (which he had never left anyway) to allay any fears that he was teaching wrong things to the people. Paul agreed to this and went along with four men who were making a public show of keeping their vows in cleansing themselves and shaving their heads.

However this was not enough for some of the Judaisers from Asia who were also in Jerusalem …they stirred up the people saying that Paul was polluting the temple area by taking foreigners into its precincts. They dragged Paul out of the temple, and gave him a beating when the Roman captain intervened and had him tied up with chains and carried along into the castle where Paul asked to be allowed to speak to the people……

 Trouble seemed to follow Paul, Where’re  he went he met this wall,

The leaders put him under guard, Arrested him and beat him hard.

***             ***             ***

                                Paul’s Testimony.

Acts: 22:1-

Paul was standing in front of this crowd of people, and told them why he was involved in the work he was doing….

“I was trained under the great teacher Gamaliel and taught in the way that our fathers were  just as you have been”, he began, “I persecuted all those who believed this new way, and had them dragged off to prison. One day as I was on my way to Damascus to have Christians arrested and imprisoned, a great light shone about us in our party. The others didn’t hear a voice, but I distinctly heard the Lord asking why I was persecuting Him. I  said ‘What do You want me to do Lord?’ and He told me to go in to the city and wait for further instructions. I couldn’t see a thing due to the great light, and had to be led by the hand”.

He went on to say how Ananias met him, and how got his sight back again miraculously, and then returned to Jerusalem . Once again, he had a vision from the Lord telling him to get out of Jerusalem quickly, and go and preach the Good News to the Gentiles. At this, the crowd began to riot, and call for his death. The Roman captain had him arrested and was tying him up to give him a beating when Paul said to the soldier, “Is it lawful for you to beat a Roman (citizen) that is uncondemned?”  The soldier went immediately to the captain and told him this, so Paul was spared that beating. He was thrown into prison for the night instead and given an opportunity the next day to make his defence.

 Paul indeed suffered for his Lord, By the crowds who against him roared,

He took all  opportunities to say, What God had done along the way.

***             ***             ***

                                Paul’s Escape.

Acts: 23:1-35

Paul was brought before the council of religious leaders again the next morning and began to make his defence. Ananias the high priest commanded those nearby to whack him across the mouth when Paul said he had done no wrong, and Paul pulled him up on this matter of being contrary to the law….

He apologised when he was told that Ananias was the high priest, and continued his speech. He could tell that part of those listening were Pharisees and part were Sadducees, so he made his position quite clear. “I am a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee”, he cried. This immediately divided those in the crowd, and they began to riot again, so the Roman captain removed Paul and put him back into custody for his own safety.

That night Paul had the strong sense that the Lord was there beside him saying that he would get safely to Rome. This encouraged him greatly and shows us that in times of great stress, the Lord is indeed with His people.

The Jews were so angry that Paul had been taken out of their clutches that forty of them banded together and vowed that they wouldn’t eat or drink until they had got Paul killed. Paul’s nephew heard of this plot and told Paul who had him taken to the captain with this information. He immediately ordered a contingent of soldiers to take Paul to Caesarea, leaving that night. So Paul was delivered safely to the governor, Felix, who said he would hear the case when Paul’s accusers came.

 Jesus Christ is with His own, He never ever leaves them alone,

He says so kind, “Be not afraid, I’m always with you in spite of threats made”.

***             ***             ***

                                Paul’s Defence.

Acts: 24:1-27

Five days later, Paul’s accusers turned up, along with a well known orator to accuse him in the court hearing before the governor, Felix. They said that he had been stirring up the people and was a trouble maker wherever he went….he had been in the temple they said, but when they took him and wanted to judge him themselves, the Roman captain took him away and sent him to Caesarea…..

The other Jews who were there for the hearing agreed that this was all correct. Paul was then given permission to make his defence. “It’s less than two weeks ago that I first went to Jerusalem, and they never found me involved in a public argument, and they can’t prove the things they are saying against me”, he began. He went on to say that he did worship God in the way they said, and that he believed in the resurrection of the dead. He had gone to Jerusalem to make  an offering and give donations from others, and many other Jews had seen and heard him do this and they should have been there as well to agree with what he was saying.

Felix had heard of the resurrection to come, and felt that Paul was being accused unfairly. “We’ll wait until Lysias the chief captain comes”, he said, “ And then we’ll have another hearing”.

He kept Paul under arrest, but gave him a certain amount of liberty and allowed his friends to come and visit him. It seems that Felix had other business on hand, and when he returned he sent again for Paul and had a private conversation with him. Felix was convicted by the truth of what Paul was saying, but he put off turning to the Lord.

For two years Paul was left under arrest to please the Jews, and when Festus, the next governor, took office, he found Paul still there in the prison.

We will find that as we go through life, there are times when we have been treated unfairly, and we might wonder why God allows it. But through these testing times, God proves Himself faithful, and we are strengthened in our faith and experience of Him. We often meet others in similar circumstances who we can talk with who we may never have met otherwise.  We are to take advantage of every situation we find ourselves in and use it for God’s glory.

 Jesus Christ is with His own, He never leaves them all alone,

Every place we find we’re in,  We must seek some soul to win.

***             ***             ***

                                The Jews Still Accusing.

Acts: 25:1-27

The Jews never forgot their grievances against Paul and when the next governor came into office, they went to him and asked if he could be brought to trial in Jerusalem. They thought that if this happened, they could kill him on the way….

But their plan came to nothing as Festus said he was going to Caesarea and would hear the case there. When Festus arrived there, the Jews followed him and made further accusations against Paul which they had no proof of. Festus asked Paul if he would go to Jerusalem for he final court hearing to which he replied that he would only be heard before Caesar in Rome. So after conferring with the council, |Festus ordered him back into custody.

Shortly after this, King Agrippa and his wife came to Caesarea to visit Festus. After all the usual business and festivities were over, Festus suddenly thought of Paul. “I’ve got a prisoner here”, he said, “The Jews keep on at me to have his case heard in Jerusalem but he has asked to be heard by Caesar. I don’t know what crime to send him there for….he keeps on about a man called Jesus who was crucified at Jerusalem, but Paul says He is still alive”.

“I’d like to hear him myself”, said Agrippa.

“Good”, said Festus, “We’ll have a hearing tomorrow and perhaps you can tell me what crime he is guilty of to write to Caesar…it’s unreasonable to send a prisoner to be tried without a crime attached to him!”

 Festus was puzzled by Paul’s so called crime, For he’d been in prison  for some  time,

Agrippa wanted to hear him too, So Festus brought him out to see what to do.

***             ***             ***

                                Paul’s Defence (2).

Acts: 26:1-32

This time it seemed to be a private hearing….Agrippa was curious to hear what Paul had to say for himself, and Paul was not slow to tell him…..

King Agrippa was familiar with the Jews’ teaching and knew exactly what Paul was talking about when he started. Paul told of his background and early religious learning as a Pharisee, and then told how he thought this new teaching about Jesus Christ should be got rid of. He told how he persecuted those who followed this new teaching, and dragged many of them into prison, being mad against them.

Then he gave his testimony of how the Lord stopped him in his tracks as he was going to Damascus by this strong shining light that blinded him. He told of how he had collapsed on the ground and heard the Lord speaking to him physically, and yet none of the others with him heard what was said (ch.22:9). Paul knew then that the people he had been persecuting were on the right road and that he had been wrong; that he had indeed been persecuting the God of Heaven in doing this.

Agrippa and Festus had been listening in silence this far, but when Paul began to tell of how he completely changed from being a persecutor of this new teaching, to being a preacher of it, Festus could contain himself no longer. “You’re mad Paul!” he said loudly.

“No I’m not” Paul said and then turning to Agrippa said, “I know you know what I’m talking about…do you believe the prophets?”

“You’re almost persuading me to become a Christian!” Agrippa replied.

“I wish that everyone here today would become what I am apart from these chains”, Paul said, and with that the hearing was over.

Agrippa said to Festus as they left, “This man might have been set free if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar!”

 We might think that things went wrong, But God had plans for Paul along,

Rome was where he wanted to be, And this was where he was going, was he!

***             ***             ***

                            Paul Left for Rome.

Acts: 27:1-44

The authorities put Paul on board a ship that was sailing to Asia Minor where he would be transferred to one that was going to Italy. We see that Luke was still travelling with Paul as was Aristarchus…… 

The centurion in charge of Paul was kindly disposed towards him and when the ship called in at Sidon, he was given permission to go ashore and meet the Christians there. They carried on to Myra, a port in Asia, and were then transferred to a ship that was sailing to Italy.

From then on, everything seemed to go wrong for the trip. The weather seemed good enough to leave, but turned bad soon after leaving port. For some days they battled the weather reaching a port for shelter. But it wasn’t very suitable for a ship of their size, so they decide to move on to the next place. Paul advised them against this, but they took no notice thinking he wasn’t a seaman anyway, and that the captain knew best.

They left in good weather but once again a storm overtook them and they were at the mercy of the waves and head winds. The captain ordered that the cargo be thrown overboard to lighten the ship, but after another three days, they gave up all hope of being saved. One night the sailors could tell they were near a shore, so they tried to let the life boats down and get away, but the soldiers on board cut the ropes and foiled their plans.

However, God still had plans for Paul, and gave him a vision of an angel saying they would get there safely  even though the ship would be wrecked. Paul took charge and told this to the captain, and then suggested they should all have something to eat…..it had been two weeks since they had had a decent meal. He took bread and gave thanks for it in front of everyone and they all ate and felt much better and more cheerful. After that, they threw the rest of the cargo overboard and waited for daylight.

Paul’s faith and positive attitude helped them all, and as the ship got stuck on the sand, they abandoned it and all two hundred and sixteen people on the ship managed to get ashore safely.

There are times of disaster when God’s people have to take charge and use common sense to see to people’s safety, and this was one of them.

 God told Paul to be of good cheer, They would all be safe for He was near,

We must too in times that are bad, Look  to God and still be glad.

***             ***             ***

                                Rome at Last!

Acts: 28:1-16

The passengers and crew that eventually found themselves safe on land, were wet, cold and shivering. The storm was still on them, and the local people took them in, lighting fires to dry them out and warm them up…..

    Paul went out and got a bundle of sticks to feed the fire and a deadly viper came out of the wood and hung onto his hand. The local people expected to see him  collapse from the snake bite, but he just shook it off into the fire and stayed normal. So they changed their minds and said he must be supernatural!

We aren’t told whether Paul did much preaching while on this island of Malta, but he was still under arrest. Knowing what Paul was like, we can imagine that he did as much preaching as he was able to, but we don’t read anything about whether the people there responded to the Gospel or not. We do read that he did a certain amount of healing, the first one being the father of the chief man. Then others brought their sick to him, and they were healed too.

It was three months before they were able to leave the island and continue their journey to Rome. They made several stops on the way, and Paul was able to make contact with Christians as they went. He was met again by believers as he approached Rome and this greatly encouraged him. The centurion that was in charge of him delivered him to the captain who gave him private quarters with a soldier to guard him. We know that Luke was still travelling with him right until he got to Rome.

Jesus Christ calls all His own, And never leaves them all alone,

Stays and strengthens them each one, Proving He is God’s loved Son.

***             ***             ***

                                Rome at Last!

Acts: 28:17-31

   After three days, Paul called for the Jewish leaders who were at Rome to have a meeting. He asked them if they had heard from the Jews at Jerusalem any accusations against him. “No,” they said, “But we want to hear about this sect that you’re promoting. What is it?”

This was an opportunity that Paul wasn’t slow to take advantage of. They arranged a meeting at his house, and Paul explained about Jesus Christ from the Scriptures to them all. The meeting lasted from the morning until evening, and some believed while others didn’t.

It seems that there may have been a heated discussion afterwards, as Paul quoted to them from what Isaiah had written about the Gospel being made known to the Gentiles who would receive it. The meeting then broke up and they went away still arguing among themselves.

This is all that we read about the rest of Paul’s life…..he continued living in his own hired house, preaching the Gospel and teaching freely all those who came to him. History tells us that he could have left Rome for a while before returning, and he was eventually  put to death by being thrown to the lions by the wicked emperor, indicating that he was still under arrest at that time. We have his last testimony in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, where he wrote….For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

   We owe so much to this apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ who served Him faithfully , preaching the Word wherever he went, and writing his letters which teach us the deeper truths of God. He truly was a “chosen vessel”  for God’s work  (chapter 9:15).

    It is amazing to think how God took this man up, who was so well taught in the Old Testament Scriptures, had this dogmatic streak in his make-up, and was free to travel the world being a Roman citizen, and turned him from being a fanatical persecutor of the Christians into one of them, and how He used him mightily in building up the church !!!! Truly, truth is stranger than fiction!

 God can take the ones so weak, Those who do not seem to seek,

Turn them into useful tools, For His purposes untold.

***             ***             ***                           

 Jesus Christ calls all His own, And never leaves them all alone,

Stays and strengthens them each one, Proving He is God’s loved Son.

 

                               

***             ***             ***