Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Acts 14:1


Acts 14:1 says, And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.  Paul and Barnabas went to the synagogue of the Jews in Iconium.  The synagogue was where God's people gathered to worship Him and learn more about Him, so it was a logical place to tell people about Jesus.  Today, travelling evangelists would most likely go to a church.  Paul and Barnabas were met by a great multitude of both Jews and Greeks.  For an evangelist today, that would be like saying they were met by a great multitude of Christians and non- believers. Verse two adds, But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.  That should be what we want, but the unbelieving Jews stirred up trouble with the Gentiles and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.  An unbelieving Jew would be the same as an unbelieving Christian, someone who professes to believe in God and His will, but only if it agrees with what they want.  Verse three continues, Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.  Paul and Barnabas stayed in Iconium a long time, preaching the gospel.  God gave testimony to their good work in that many signs and wonders were done by their hands.  We need to be able to have the world see God working through us today.  Our task is not to just point out the evil of the world but is first and foremost to proclaim the gospel.  Verse four states, But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.  The preaching of Paul and Barnabas divided into city, and so should our proclaiming the gospel today.  If everyone is satisfied when we proclaim the gospel and it has no impact on those we are speaking to, then something is wrong.  Verse five adds, And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,  Those who didn't believe, both Gentiles and Jews with their leaders, wanted to stone Paul and Barnabas.  When unbelievers and those who profess to be God's people unite to stop His word from being preached, they both lose.  Verse six continues, They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:  Paul and Barnabas became aware of their plan and moved on to Lystra and Derbe, cities in Lycaonia and the region thereabout.  Verse seven states, And there they preached the gospel. There, they preached the gospel and God's word continued to spread to a larger and larger area. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Monday, May 30, 2016

Before we move forward in Acts, I think I will review a little about how this applies to being a follower of Christ in today's world.  First, we need to reclaim the power of prayer.  Praying is never the least we can do.  We have seen that in New Testament times, prayer could heal the sick, open prison doors, and even raise the dead, when prayed for the will of God to be done.  Prayer is one of the greatest powers that Christians have, when we are honestly seeking God's will and not our desires.  We must also accept the fact that God may answer no.  God has not stopped hearing and answering prayers.  Not every person is healed, not every captive is set free, and not all dead are restored to life in this world, but that doesn't mean prayer is of little use.  Adding in Jesus' name does not mean that it is God's will.  Second, those who proclaim themselves to be God's people often aren't, and when this is the case, it can really hinder the gospel.  We, as His followers, are to live by a different standard than the rest of the world.  We are to love the unloveable, feed the poor, and clothe the naked.  The world may look down on them and despise them, but followers of Christ never can.  Third, we must never divide the world into them and us.  When we begin to apply labels to others we begin to be ineffective as witnesses for Christ.  We need never say things like I saw one of them or that is just the way they are.  God loves everyone, and salvation is for everyone.  Christ loved them enough to die for them, and to be like Christ, so should we.  Last, we will encounter opposition, from the world and at times from religious leaders.  When Paul and Barnabas encountered opposition, they used it as an opportunity to proclaim the gospel.  We must do no less.  Our cross awaits us daily, but will we pick it up or look for an easy way around it?

Acts 13:46

Acts 13:46 says, Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.  Paul and Barnabas waxed bold.  That means they boldly proclaimed the gospel, telling the Jews that since they deemed themselves unworthy of everlasting life, then Paul and Barnabas were turning to the Gentiles. The gospel had first been preached to the Jews and they rejected it, and as a group have ever since Paul and Barnabas preached to them.  Verse forty-seven adds, For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.  Paul and Barnabas were told that God had set them to be a light to the Gentiles and bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.  We are part of the ends of the earth.  Paul had been called from attempting to destroy Christianity to sharing it throughout the world.  Until we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are a part of those trying to destroy Christianity. Verse forty-eight continues, And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.  Many Gentiles believed.  God’s chosen people rejected the gospel, and it came to the Gentiles.  Of course, if the Jewish people had accepted Jesus Christ, they would have known that their purpose was to share the gospel with everyone and not just their fellow Jews.  This is still our challenge today.  Verse forty-nine states, And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.  God’s word was published throughout this region in spite of the opposition Jews had to it happening.  Even if we face opposition when witnessing today, we need to continue to keep on witnessing.  Verse fifty adds, But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.  Again, the Jews, God's chosen people, stirred up trouble.  May we, as God's people, never be guilty of stirring up trouble against God.  Paul and Barnabas were expelled from their coasts by the Jews.  Verse fifty-one says, But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.  Paul and Barnabas shook off the dust of their feet against them and continued to Iconium.  If we are not welcomed somewhere while sharing the gospel, we may be better off going somewhere that people will listen.  Of course, we need to make sure that the Holy Spirit is leading us to this decision.  The Jews thought they had defeated Paul and Barnabas, but they had simply sent them on their way to do what God had called them to do.  As long as we are obedient to the will of God, the world can never defeat us.  Verse fifty-two adds, And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.  The Jews might have been opposing Paul and Barnabas, but the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost.  Of course, as Christians, we are always indwelled with the Holy Spirit, but at times we may not be filled with the Holy Spirit.  To be filled I believe means that we are allowing the Holy Spirit to actually work through us and not just to be available to do so. 







Many Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, encouraging them to continue in the grace of God.  That is all we can ever do.  We are saved by His grace and sustained by His grace.  Our independent streak or self pride often rebels at the thought of being dependant on God's mercy, but that is where we will always be as His followers.  As we saw in Acts 13: 42, the Gentiles had asked to hear the words preached to them the next Sabboth.  That Sabboth, nearly the whole city came together to hear what Paul and Barnabas had to say.  People were hungry to hear the gospel.  Except for many of the Jews, who had grown up on God's word.  They were jealous that the Word of God was going to the whole world and not just them, so they stirred up trouble.  When people start being drawn to Christ, someone is going to try and stop them.  Hopefully, it won't be those who call themselves His people.  Being accused of blasphemy, the charge the religious leaders brought against Jesus, Paul and Barnabas waxed bold.  That means they boldly proclaimed the gospel, telling the Jews in verse 46, that since they deemed themselves unworthy of everlasting life, then Paul and Barnabas were turning to the Gentiles.  The gospel had first been preached to the Jews and they rejected it, and as a group have ever since. Paul and Barnabas, in Acts 13: said, "For so hath the Lord commanded us saying, I have set thee to be a light unto the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation to the ends of the earth." (KJV)  We are part of the ends of the earth.  Many Gentiles believed and the word of the Lord was published throughout the region.  Again, the Jews, God's chosen people, stirred up trouble.  May we, as God's people, never be guilty of stirring up trouble against God.  Paul and Barnabas were expelled from their coasts by the Jews.  Paul and Barnabas shook off the dust of their feet against them and continued to Iconium.  "And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Ghost."  Acts 13: 52 (KJV)  The Jews thought they had defeated Paul and Barnabas, but they had simply sent them on their way to do what God had called them to do.  As long as we are obedient to the will of God, the world can never defeat us.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Acts 13:38

Acts 13:38 says, Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:  Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, is the only One Who can save. We must never forget the uniqueness of Jesus.  We can never be what He is, the only begotten Son of God.  The Bible tells us if we believe we will become sons and daughters of God and joint heirs with Jesus.  We become so by adoption, and Jesus by birth.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.  Also, Paul pointed out that the Law of Moses could not save, but the good news was that Jesus could and would if they believed.  Paul declared Jesus to be superior to the prophets, to David, and to the Law.  He is the only way to salvation, and He stands ready to deliver all. Verse forty continues. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;  Paul was once again referring the Jewish people to the scripture, which they should have been familiar with.  We need to always base what we are teaching on the scripture, the Bible.  Verse forty-one concludes, Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.  The scripture warned them that even if God worked a great work in their midst, which He had done, that the despisers would only wonder and perish.  If we look to the Bible and only wonder if it is true without really accepting that it the only truth, we will never believe that God worked a great wonder when He had Jesus Christ die for our sins.  Then, we will be lost forever.  Verse forty-two states, And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Though most of the Jews were rejecting the gospel, the Gentiles asked Paul and Barnabas to preach God’s word to them the next Sabbath.  Verse forty-three adds, Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.  Many Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, encouraging them to continue in the grace of God.  That is all we can ever do.  We are saved by His grace and sustained by His grace.  Our independent streak or self-pride often rebels at the thought of being dependent on God's mercy, but that is where we will always be as His followers.  Verse forty-four continues, And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.   As Paul and Barnabas were preaching, news spread about it.  The next Sabbath, when the Gentiles had asked that the gospel be shared with them, nearly the whole city came to hear the word of God.  Paul and Barnabas were not there to entertain nor even to promote themselves but were there to share the word of God.  When Christians gather together today, this should be our number one priority. Verse forty-five concludes, But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.  The Jews were jealous that the Word of God was going to the whole world and not just them, so they stirred up trouble.  When people start being drawn to Christ, someone is going to try and stop them. Hopefully, it won't be those who call themselves His people.  Paul and Barnabas were accused of blasphemy, the charge the religious leaders brought against Jesus,   




Jesus was placed in the grave after He was crucified, and the religious leaders were just as responsible for His death as were the secular leaders.  When those who are supposed to be representing God work against Him and in harmony with the world, then they need a word as Paul delivered to the synagogue leaders that day.  Paul knew what the religious leaders believed about Jesus, because he had believed the same thing until his personal encounter with God on the road to Damascus.  People will never change their belief about Christ until they encounter Him personally.  Jesus did not stay in the grave, as God raised Him form the dead, as He had promised to their forefathers.  Neither did He see corruption.  Jesus is the only One Who fulfilled that promise.  David died, and like all other people, his body corrupted. Being a descendant of David was a point of pride for the Jewish people, but it did not bring salvation.  David could not save them.  Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, is the only One Who can save. We must never forget the uniqueness of Jesus.  We can never be what He is, the only begotten Son of God.  The Bible tells us if we believe we will become sons and daughters of God and joint heirs with Jesus.  We become so by adoption, and Jesus by birth.  Also, Paul pointed out that the Law of Moses could not save, but the good news was that Jesus could and would if they believed.  Paul declared Jesus superior to the prophets, to David, and to the Law.  He is the only way to salvation, and He stands ready to deliver all.  This is found in Acts 13: 32-41.

Actsc13:26

Acts 13: 26 says, Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.  Paul made the message personal for those who were listening.  To the children of Abraham, and those that fear the Lord, salvation was sent.  We must ultimately let everyone we witness to know that Christ died to bring salvation to them.  It has to become personal and not just an abstract idea.  Verse twenty-seven adds, For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. Then, Paul told them that since they didn't even recognize what was read to them each Sabbath, they demanded the death of Jesus, even though they found no fault with Him.  Attending religious services does not bring salvation, only Christ does.  Neither does attending religious services and hearing God's word bring salvation.  A lot of sinners are hiding out in the church every week.  Only the belief in Christ as one's personal Savior can bring salvation.  Verse twenty-eight continues, And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.  Having found no guilt in Him, Jesus was crucified, and the religious leaders were just as responsible for His death as were the secular leaders. When those who are supposed to be representing God work against Him and in harmony with the world, then they need a word as Paul delivered to the synagogue leaders that day.  Paul knew what the religious leaders believed about Jesus, because he had believed the same thing until his personal encounter with God on the road to Damascus.  People will never change their belief about Christ until they encounter Him personally.  Verse twenty-nine says, And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.   Jesus was placed in a tomb.  It was a borrowed one, because Jesus was not going to need it very long.  Verse thirty adds, But God raised him from the dead:  Jesus did not stay in the grave, as God raised Him form the dead, as He had promised to their forefathers.  As Christians, it really doesn’t matter where we are buried from spiritual point of view, because we are not going to remain there forever.  Like Jesus Christ Himself, one day we will rise again.  This is the good news that we have to share with the world today.  Verse thirty-one continues, And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.  The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus was witnessed by many people.  We can either believe the truth of this or not, but by faith we should never doubt it.  Verse thirty-two states, And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,  Paul said he had good news for them about the promise made to their fathers.  Even in the period when the Jewish people were under the Law of God, the promise to them was that a Messiah was coming to save them.  This has always been God’s plan of salvation, and it always will be.  Verse thirty-three adds, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.  Paul said that as the second Psalm said, Jesus was the only begotten Son of God.  He was therefore the only One qualified to redeem mankind and He always will be.  Verse thirty-four continues, And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.  Paul said that since Jesus defeated death, never suffering the corruption of death, that God was going to give them the mercies of David, whose descendant, Jesus Christ, was the fulfillment of God’s promise to him that he would make him a great nation.  We are a part of that promise as Christians.  Verse thirty-five states, Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.  More than one Psalm pointed out that the coming Messiah would suffer no corruption, and this could not apply to David as the next verse points out.  Verse thirty-six continues, For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:  David died, and like all other people, his body was corrupted.  Being a descendant of David was a point of pride for the Jewish people, but it did not bring salvation.  David could not save them.  Verse thirty-seven concludes, But he whom God raised again saw no corruption.  Paul said the scripture said neither did He see corruption.  Jesus is the only One Who fulfilled that promise.   



The Israelites chose Saul as their king.  Saul ruled for forty years, but became more concerned with Saul than he was with God, so God chose David as the new king while Saul was still alive.  God called David a man after His own heart who would obey His will.  They needed a leader who was willing to follow God.  We need the same thing today.  From David's descendants God raised up a savior as He had promised.  Now, Paul moved from what the Jewish leaders knew to what they had not acknowledged, that the Savior wasn't just coming, He had already come.  The Savior was Jesus.  John had preached repentance to the people of Israel, and he had quite a following, but he was quick to point out that he was not Messiah they looked for.  The people might have accepted John more easily than Jesus, but John was true to his call.  Our actions should always point people to God and not to us.  As Christians, we cannot separate the world into what we do for God and what we do for self.  Any action we take must be for God's glory, not our own.  In Acts 13: 26, Paul made the message personal for those who were listening.  To the children of Abraham, and those that fear the Lord, salvation was sent.  We must ultimately let everyone we witness to know that Christ died to bring salvation to them.  It has to become personal and not just an abstract idea.  Then, Paul told them that since they didn't even recognize what was read to them each Sabbath, they demanded the death of Jesus, even though they found no fault with Him.  Attending religious services does not bring salvation, only Christ does.  Neither does attending religious services and hearing God's word bring salvation.  A lot of sinners are hiding out in the church every week.  Only the belief in Christ as ones personal Savior can bring salvation.