Philippians 3:2-11

The next passage in the assigned readings is Philippians 3:2-11. This was actually part of the bible study this past Friday. What's interesting is how and why Paul lists these highly regarded credentials. It's not as if he wants to boast, but it seems as if he's forced to or does so only to the benefit of those who he's writing to. He's driving home his point that we put not confidence in the flesh. It is so easy and natural for us to put confidence in the flesh. Paul shows his credentials showing all that they can't even compete with him. No matter how hard you try and boast in your flesh, Paul has you beat. Why do people even boast in the first place? You probably are comparing yourself to others in hopes of showing yourself better than others. You may be seeking the approval and praise of men. However, if someone else is better than you, you get less praise from men.

I am reminded of one time in math class when I was in high school. This obnoxious kid was boasting about how he got 93% on the math test, for which the results we had just received. I think he was trying to impress this one girl, so we was asking what she got and boldly proclaiming the mark he had received. At the same time, one of my friends was asked what mark he got. He loudly responded (though not intending to boast, I don't think), "I got 98%. After that, I don't remember the obnoxious guy saying much because he was probably ashamed of declaring his mark in light of the fact that my friend had a higher mark than him. In the same way, are you really going to boast in your flesh when Paul has you beat? Perhaps you would if the person you are boasting to does not know about Paul's credentials. But at the same time, Paul shows us his character by humbly showing us how much he doesn't value the kinds of things we often try to pride ourselves in. These fleshly things Paul could very well pride himself in are counted as smelly and disgusting garbage compared to knowing Christ. This shows us what Paul values. If we want to imitate him as he encourages us to do and as he imitates Christ, we would be wise to value Christ in the same way.

Acts 9

Some try to turn Paul's conversion and resulting inclusive gospel into a gospel that is so inclusive as to exclude no one. This, however, betrays Paul's conversion experience and gospel. The inclusion that Paul experiences, preaches, and practices is not an inclusion lacking teeth or limits. His gospel does not say, "All are welcome just as they are," but rather, "All are welcome just as they are to be apprehended by, and fully converted to, Jesus Christ the Lord."

-Reading Paul, Michael J. Gorman, p19

I guess the passage would be Acts 9, but it really originates from the quotes passage above. The passage above is of course based upon Paul's letters and the Acts of the Apostles, so I guess it all goes back to the bible. Regardless, I found this quite humorous as I read it. It really is quite true and it reminded me of what I heard someone say today about how God wants you just as you are. What he meant by that was probably with reference to something like the parable of the lost son. God is like the father of that story, waiting for the son to come home. As filthy sinners, God wants us to turn back to him. Though, this was not the intent of the one who said this, but it can often be misinterpreted that you can just keep on sinning and turn to God without any real change in your life. It is true that God saves sinners; God even saves the worst of sinners. However, you can't follow Jesus and remain in bondage to sin as you once were. There is and must be a change for the true follower of Jesus Christ. This is what the bible teaches. I guess this should've been focused on a different passage, but I'll just leave it that.

Galatians 1:1-2:14

Moving on to my next set of readings, we get to Galatians. The letter of course begins with greetings, as Paul is accustomed to doing. He begins to address the fact that he's been hearing that they've turning to a different gospel. He doesn't mean that there's more than one gospel, but he means that they are simply turning away from the one true gospel which was originally preached to them. He wants to stress the fact that they shouldn't be persuaded to follow something else, even if it is presented by an angel. Paul even goes as far as to say that those presenting a different gospel should be accursed. Paul also makes the point that he is not seeking the approval of man, but of God.

Paul tells them that the gospel is not man's gospel. Explaining what happened to him, Paul tells them how the gospel he received was a revelation of Jesus Christ. Receiving the gospel from God, he didn't consult anyone including the apostles, but went into Arabia then back to Damascus. Three years later he meets with Cephas and James, but none of the other apostles. Paul's continuing to explain that this gospel was from God and wasn't largely influenced or added to by men.

Fourteen years later, Paul receives a revelation and takes Barnabas and Titus with him to Jerusalem. Paul wants to make sure he's in the right, so he presents before those influential the gospel to be proclaimed to the Gentiles. This is of course the same gospel, but Paul felt called to preach to the Gentiles and the gospel was pretty much aimed only to the Jews at the beginning.

On his mission, Paul is met with adversaries. Paul exclaims that he did not back down or yield to them and their teachings that were different from the one true gospel. Continuing to show that his gospel was the original real deal straight from God, those influential didn't add anything to it. It's not as if he was missing parts or had added anything extra. This direct revelation to him about the gospel was God's gospel and not influenced or altered by man. Those influential did in fact have one thing to say, and that was for Paul to remember the poor. This wasn't in addition to the gospel since Paul had already planned to do that from the beginning.

There is also this one incident that Paul tells us about. Cephas had been eating with the Gentiles. However, when certain Jewish men came, Cephas withdrew from eating with them, afraid of what they would say if they saw him eating with Gentiles. His actions influenced others, causing them to do the same. Paul saw this and confronted Cephas, showing him that this was not in line with the gospel.

Acts 28

This is the last chapter in Acts. They arrive at the island and are met with great hospitality. Near the fire as Paul is helping with the wood, a snake bites him and all the islanders think poorly of Paul as if the snake was an act of god against something bad Paul has done. However, Paul doesn't get sick or die from the snake, so instead the islanders think Paul is a god.

The chief official of the island shows the entire crew great hospitality in his giant estate. His father is sick, and Paul prays over him and he is healed. People hear of this and bring all the sick to Paul and are cured. It is said that the islanders honored the crew in many ways and even provided them with the supplies they needed when they finally sailed from the island. When they finally get to Rome, Paul is greeted by brothers and sisters who heard Paul was coming. They traveled a great distance to meet Paul at Rome. Though a prisoner, Paul was allowed to live by himself under the supervision of a soldier as a guard.

Paul calls together the local Jewish leaders to explain why he is in Rome, but the local Jewish leaders hadn't heard from anyone about Paul and the accusations against him. The Jewish leaders are interested in hearing about what Paul has to say, so Paul explains to them about Jesus and explaining Jesus from the Old Testament scriptures. Some believed and some did not. Acts ends telling us how Paul stayed in a rented house for two years inviting those who came. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about Jesus.

Acts 27

Paul had appealed to Caesar, so he is sent there. However, he doesn't get there directly and we get to see this long journey that takes place. Paul is still a prisoner, so he is under the care of a centurion named Julius. Paul isn't the only prisoner on board, for there are a number of prisoners.

We see that kindness is shown to Paul by Julius, as he allows Paul to go to his friends when the ship they are in arrives at Sidon. As they continue to sail, they have slow progress as they meet difficult winds. I guess with fear and unhelpful winds, they decide to sail the ship along the coast.

We can tell that they are travelling at a slow pace because the Day of Atonement has already passed. I guess they expected to reach where they were before that date. Paul warns the men of the journeys ahead being disastrous and causing loss of the ship, cargo and lives. Unfortunately, they do not listen to Paul and listen to the reasoning of the ship's owner. They wish to carry on because the harbor they were at was not a good place to stay during the winter.

Moving ahead, they were met with terrible weather. Storms cause the ship to be simply drawn along with it, unable to steer in their own direction. It was so bad that they had trouble keeping the lifeboat secure. In addition, they even began tossing the cargo and the ship's tackle overboard due to the storm. The terrible weather seemed to last so long and was so bad that they hadn’t seen the sun or stars for many days. They were also losing hope, being without food for a long time. Paul addresses them, first reminding them that they didn't listen to his advice. He also encourages them that they will be saved, though the ship will be destroyed. Paul tells them that an angel of God stood beside him explaining that Paul would in fact stand trial before Caesar. The angel also told Paul that the lives of those with Paul would be saved.

On the fourteenth night, they sensed that they were approaching land. They take measurements and find the water to be 120 feet deep, then later they find it to be 90 feet deep. It is still dark, so they hope for light so they can find land and head there for safety. Some are so desperate to leave that they pretend to let down anchors but attempt to instead let down the lifeboat. Paul warns the centurion and the soldiers that they need to stay with the ship, otherwise they cannot be saved. As a result, the lifeboat is cut down and let drift away.

Paul encourages them to eat, so he breaks bread and they all eat. Here we read that there were 276 people on the ship. After eating, they throw the grain into the sea. Daylight comes and they do not recognize the land that they see. They decide to run the ship into the land and they hit a sandbar. Now that they were almost there, the soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to keep them from escaping. However, the centurion wanted to save Paul, so he kept the soldiers from doing that. Those able to swim were ordered to jump overboard first in attempts to arrive at land. The rest were to take planks or pieces of the ship to use to arrive at the land. Everyone reached land safely.

Acts 26

Before King Agrippa, Paul makes his defense. Paul talks about what he was like before his conversion and goes into detail about his experience on the Damascus road. However, he is interrupted by Festus who calls Paul crazy. Paul suggests that King Agrippa understands what Paul is saying. However, King Agrippa makes this interesting comment, curious as to whether Paul thinks he can make everyone Christian. In response, Paul hopes that all were as he, except for his chains. King Agrippa and Festus leave, commenting to each other about how Paul hasn't done anything to deserve death. The even mention how he could have been set free if he hadn't appealed to Cesar.

Acts 25

Now that Porcius Festus has succeeded Felix, the Jews bother him about Paul's case. So there is a meeting and they accuse Paul once again and it cannot be proven. The Jews actually want Paul to be sent to Jerusalem in hopes that they can ambush Paul on the way. So, Festus tries to get that to happen, trying to appeal to the Jews, but Paul instead appeals to Caesar. The decision is made then and Paul will eventually go to Caesar.

Agrippa the king meets with Festus and hears about Paul. He hears about how Festus feels about this odd case and wants to meet Paul. Paul is brought before king Agrippa and he is about to talk and make his defense.

Acts 24

So in this chapter Paul is before Felix as a number of Jews bring accusations against Paul. Paul makes his defense, letting them know what he said and what he believes. The claims made against Paul are not true and cannot be proven, and it is even interesting that the specific and initial accusers are not there.

Felix has an accurate knowledge of the Way, which is what they called the followers of Jesus Christ. He postpones the decision of this case until a later time. He has frequent meetings with Paul, hearing about faith in Jesus. However, these frequent meetings are also in hopes that Paul would offer Felix money, which Paul never does. Two years go by and Felix is succeeded by Porcius Festus.

Acts 22:30-23:35

They want to find out what happened, but they can't flog Paul. They bring him before a council with all the Jews. He says something, and then the high priest gets someone to hit Paul. Paul speaks judgment against the high priest, but he somewhat takes it back when he find out it is the high priest.

Now Paul is before all these Jews, but he realizes that half of them are Pharisees and half are Sadducees. Since these two groups disagree about the resurrection, Paul blurts out agreement with the resurrection. Now these two groups who were ready to pounce on Paul are at each other's throats in argument about the resurrection. The soldiers need to step in and take Paul away before he is killed.

A number of Jews make an oath to not eat or drink anything until Paul is killed. Then, they try to have Paul lured out by setting up another meeting in attempts to ambush him on the way, but this plan is made known to the son of Paul's sister. So, this man tells the head of the soldiers and they secretly send Paul to Felix at night so that he won't be ambushed and killed. A hearing is to happen when Paul's accusers come to Paul in Herod's praetorium.

Acts 20-22:29

This chapter begins with Paul going here and there and encouraging the brothers and such. There's a plot made for his life, and he goes here and there. At one point, Paul is speaking to a gathering of followers of Jesus. He only intended to talk for a short while and then leave, but he ends up talking until midnight. A guy named Eutychus is sitting at the window and he begins to fall asleep. He falls from the window and is declared dead, but Paul brings him back to life.

Paul then calls for the Ephesian Elders and begins to share with them about him and his ministry. He talks about not having shrunk in declaring Jesus and what is profitable to them. He also doesn't count his life of value but only testifying about the gospel of Jesus. Having done these things he states that he is innocent of their blood, since he hasn't kept anything from them but boldly told them what needed to be said. What's also interesting is how he points out that wolves will rise among them from the flock when he leaves, so they are to be on guard. In addition, he reminds them about how he didn't take anything from them, but provided for himself his own physical needs. This is all a sad farewell as they cry and pray before Paul leaves. It is also mentioned how they would never see his face again.

So Paul leaves and is on his way to Jerusalem. In one of the cities on the way to Jerusalem, Paul meets some disciples and they tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem. This they tell Paul is apparently through the Spirit. At another place on his way to Jerusalem, he stays at the house of Philip the evangelist. While there, a prophet named Agabus takes Paul's belt and binds his own hands and feet with the belt. He declares his words to be that of the Holy Spirit, saying that the Jews at Jerusalem will bind Paul in a similar manner and will deliver him to the Gentiles. They try to persuade him not to go, but he will not be persuaded.

Paul gets to Jerusalem, meeting James and the elders. He tells them about his ministry and they glorify God. However, some Jewish believers are zealous for the law, keeping fast to the traditions of the Old Testament. Some of them have heard that Paul teaches the Jews to forsake Moses and not circumcise their children. This isn't the case, but they don't want Paul to get into any trouble for this. In addition, Paul has been travelling and staying in Gentile lands, causing him to be ceremonially unclean. They instruct him to pay the expenses of four men under a vow, which is an observance of the law and an act of piety. This would help prove to others that Paul did in fact observe the law.

Jews from Asia find Paul shout claims against him to gather a crowd and drag him out of the temple. While they were beating him up, news of this came to the commander of the Roman troops of the city, so he took some officers with him to the crowd. The crowd stops beating Paul when they see the soldiers and the soldiers take Paul into the barracks. Paul asks for permission to speak to the crowd and the commander permits him to do so.

When they hear him addressing them in Hebrew, they quiet down to listen. He tells them about himself and how he was before his conversion. He explains to them his conversion experience. However, after Paul tells them about the stoning of Stephen and how Jesus sends Paul to the Gentiles, the crowd begins shouting and causing trouble. So the commander takes Paul into the barracks and decides to flog Paul to find out the truth about this matter. It's hard to understand what happened because many people were saying different things. As they ready the whip, Paul asks whether it is lawful to flog a Roman citizen who is uncondemned. Those people chose not to flog him and were afraid because they had bound a Roman citizen.

Acts 19

Apollos was weird because he was one who was bold and God-fearing, but he didn't quite get it about Jesus. Here, Paul meets up with people similar to Apollos. These people have only received the baptism of John and don't even know about the Holy Spirit. Paul tells them about Jesus and they believe and are baptized.

Once again, there are a number of Jews who oppose Paul. Paul teaches about Jesus in a lecture hall for two years. Eventually, all Jews and Greeks living in Asia hear the word of God. We also learn that God's miraculous work through Paul is so powerful that handkerchiefs that have touched Paul are brought to the sick to make them well. This sounds similar to earlier when some people lay the sick next to the path of Peter so that Peter's shadow could possibly touch the sick to make them well.

In this chapter we also read about the seven sons of Sceva. They hear Paul casting demons out of people in the name of Jesus, so these seven sons of Sceva want to do the same thing. So they enter into this ghost-buster business, but they don't seem to be followers of Jesus. One time when they try this, the evil spirit acknowledges Jesus and Paul, but doesn't recognize these seven sons of Sceva. The evil spirit beats them up so badly that they flee the house naked and bleeding.

People in the city recognize the power of Jesus and many believe. Many of them had previously practiced sorcery and they all gathered their scrolls to be burned. The number of scrolls burned was great.

Having many people burning their scrolls and turning towards Jesus leaves fewer people following idols. Some people who gain their income from idol worship are worried now and they cause a riot. They gather a large crowd and grab a few disciples into a theater where there is much shouting and chanting. At one point they shout "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians" for two hours. They wouldn't even let the followers of Jesus make a defense for themselves.

The town clerk, who is probably like the mayor, doesn't find anything really wrong or necessary to do from this event. He tells the people to bring issues before a proper assembly if there is in fact one. Then he dismisses the crowds. So I guess whatever the crowd wanted to have happen against the followers of Jesus didn't happen.

Acts 18

In Corinth, Paul meets a married couple, Aquila and Priscilla. He joined them because they were also tentmakers. Paul reasoned in the synagogue on the Sabbath as he usually did, trying to persuade the Jews and the Greeks. Silas and Timothy arrived while Paul was having trouble persuading some of the Jews about Jesus. He went to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God who lived next to the synagogue. Many people believe. Paul receives a vision from Jesus telling him not to be afraid and continue speaking. Paul stayed there for a year and six months.

Some Jews attacked Paul and brought him before Gallio, who was proconsul of Achaia. Gallio refuses to judge because this is not a matter of wrongdoing but of questions about words and names in the law of the Jews. Gallio says this before Paul is about to defend himself, but I guess he didn't have to since Gallio dismissed this issue.

Paul leaves for Syria with Priscilla and Aquila. Apparently, Paul cuts his hair at Cenchreae because he was under a vow. They go to Ephesus and do not stay long. They leave for Caesarea, and then go to Antioch. Next, he goes to Galatia and Phygia, strengthening the disciples.

We now meet a man named Apollos who was in Ephesus. He knows the scriptures and has been taught in the way of the Lord. It's weird though, that he only knows the baptism of John. Now, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus, and they hear Apollos and help explain to him the way of God more accurately. He left for Achaia and was of great help to the believers. He also preached to many Jews about Jesus through the scriptures, similar to what Paul was doing.

Acts 17

Paul and Silas get to Thessalonica. They entered the Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath and told the people about Jesus. A number of people believed. A number of jealous Jews cause a riot and rush the house of Jason in search of Paul and Silas. It's not until Jason and the others pay money that they are left alone.

Paul and Silas are sent to Berea, reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue about Jesus from the scriptures. These Jews actually searched the Scriptures with eagerness to see if what Paul said was true. Because of this, many of them believed. However, some Jews from Thessalonica came to cause trouble for Paul, so Paul was sent to Athens. Timothy and Silas stayed in Berea.

There were a great number of idols in Athens. Some were interested in what Paul had to say, so they arranged for a number of them to hear from Paul. Paul tells them about Jesus, making reference to the fact that one of the idols they have are to "an unknown god". Some believe and some do not.

Acts 16

Paul goes from Derbe to Lystra where he meets Timothy. Timothy is a follower of Jesus and has a Jewish mother who is a believer and a father who is Greek. Timothy is well spoken of and Paul wants to take him along. Paul decides to circumcise Timothy because of some of the Jews in the area. He had recently come across a number of arguments saying that you must be circumcised in order to be saved. Though he knows this is untrue, perhaps he realized it may have been getting in the way of telling others the good news about Jesus. Regardless, Timothy is now circumcised and they travel together.

For some reason, Paul is restrained from preaching the word in certain places. This restraint is coming from the Holy Spirit. He then has a vision to go to Macedonia, so that is where they go. They go from Troas to Samothrace, then to Neapolis. They then go to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia. Typically Paul goes to the synagogue on the Sabbath to preach the gospel, but this Sabbath he went to the river, expecting a place to pray. This implies that there wasn't a synagogue in that city. However, he meets Lydia, tells her about Jesus, she believes and is baptized.

Lydia is a seller of purple, which was very expensive in those days. This implies that Lydia is quite well off financially, and she invites them to stay at her house. The group travel around the city preaching the gospel, but there is a female slave following them around all the time. This lady is known for fortune-telling, which is how she brings in a lot of money for her owners. However, she continuously follows Paul and Silas proclaiming them to be servants of the Most High God. You can imagine how this could get annoying after a while, so eventually Paul commands the spirit to come out of her in the name of Jesus Christ. So, the spirit leaves her.

Now, this lady possessed by an evil spirit is speaking the truth, so how is this wrong? First of all, it's obviously annoying, which is what caused Paul to eventually cast the spirit out of her. In addition, looking at Jesus we see how he wouldn't let those possessed by evil spirits to speak. Those evil spirits would speak the truth about Jesus, saying that he is the Son of God. However, it wasn't the correct time for him to reveal himself. In addition, having ones possessed by spirits agree with you might hinder your reputation. Like, if the "bad guys" are saying one thing about you, one may be less inclined to believe that because it is being said by the "bad guys".

Anyway, back to the story, the owners find their slave without a spirit. This causes her to be unable to perform her fortune-telling, putting a hindrance on the income they were receiving from this slave girl. These people drag Paul and Silas to the authorities where they eventually get them thrown into jail.

This is not a hindrance to Paul and Silas, who are found singing and praying while they are in jail. Then, an earthquake causes the prison doors to open and everyone's chains to come loose. If prisoners escape, usually the person in charge would be held responsible and probably killed. So, when the jailer realized what happened, he was about to kill himself. However, Paul stops him and reveals to him that nobody has escaped yet. The jailer asks how to be saved and they tell him about Jesus. The jailer washed their wounds and the jailer along with his household was baptized.

The next day, those who threw Paul and Silas in jail order the jailer to release them, but Paul refuses because they were publically humiliated and now are secretly being released. They also make it known that Paul is a Roman citizen, causing those who threw Paul in jail to become alarmed. They were then escorted and released from jail.

Acts 15

Men from Judea came and began teaching some of the followers of Jesus that salvation only comes to those who have been circumcised. Paul and Barnabas are sure to start up debate with these people because this is clearly wrong. At Jerusalem, believers belonging to the party of the Pharisees also say that circumcision is necessary for salvation. The apostles and elders gather to discuss this matter and Peter rises to speak against this idea that circumcision is necessary for salvation. Then, Paul and Barnabas share their experiences with the Gentiles and how God has been working through them. James has the last word, agreeing with Peter, Paul and Barnabas and suggesting that they send a letter of encouragement to the Gentiles, instructing them to keep from things like idolatry and sexual immorality. The letter is sent by Paul, Barnabas, Silas and Barsabbas who take it to Antioch. They receive it with joy, and Silas and Barsabbas return. However, Paul and Barnabas remain in Antioch to continue God's work there.

There arose a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas because of John Mark. Barnabas wants to take with them John Mark, but Paul disagrees because John Mark left them before. After this disagreement, they separate. Barnabas takes John Mark with him to Cyprus and Paul takes Silas with him through Syria and Cilicia.

Acts 14

Paul and Barnabas are at Iconium. They preach the good news about Jesus, and there are many Jews and Greeks who believe. However, there are some Jews who do not and they stir up trouble, poisoning the minds of others. As a result, Paul and Barnabas need to spend a considerable amount of time there telling them about Jesus. Eventually, a plan was formed to stone Paul and Barnabas, but they learned of this plan and fled to Lystra and Derbe.

In Lystra, Paul speaks the gospel to others. There is a man lame from birth who hears Paul speaking. Paul saw his faith and instructed him to stand to his feet, and he did. The crowds see this miracle and begin treating Paul and Barnabas like gods. However, when Paul and Barnabas learn about this, they tear their garments, telling the people not to do such a thing because they are just men and not gods. They had trouble keeping the crowds from sacrificing to them.

However, some Jews win over the crowd. These Jews are from Antioch and Iconium, which are the last two cities that Paul and Barnabas visited. I guess these Jews went searching for Paul and Barnabas and actually found them. So they stoned Paul. I guess they didn't do a good job at it, because apparently Paul wasn't dead. Perhaps he was dead, but God saved him. Regardless, he seems fine for the most part and they leave for Derbe.

They preach the gospel in Derbe and many people believe. They also return to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples there. Elders are appointed, and Paul and Barnabas go to Pamphylia, preaching the word in Perga and then going to Attalia. Then they go to Antioch and stayed there a long time.

Acts 12-13

Herod takes center stage and starts to do a bunch of bad things. First he kills James with the sword. After he sees that this pleases the Jews, he arrests Peter. Peter is in prison and Herod had planned to bring him out one night. I'm assuming this means that Herod had planned to take him from the prison to have him killed or something like that. However, he is set free by an angel, even though he is under heavy surveillance by a number of guards. After Peter has been set free by the angel, he goes to the house of Mary, who is the mother of John Mark. The door is answered by Rhoda, a servant girl, who is so excited that it is Peter that she forgets to open the door for him. She tells the rest of the people that Peter is at the door, but they don't believe her until they finally come and see and open the door for Peter. He tells them what happened and soon leaves.

This next scene we see the people have a dispute with Herod. So Herod addresses the people and pleases them somehow by delivering to them an "oration" as it says in ESV. The people were apparently so pleased that they were saying that Herod has the voice of a god and not of man. Herod is immediately killed by an angel of the Lord because he didn't give God the glory. Herod should have immediately corrected them, saying that he is not a god. However, he didn't, and simply accepted this praise that came from these people. Later on in chapter 14, crowds of people desire to make offerings to Paul and Barnabas in Lystra. When Paul and Barnabas hear of this, they tear their garments telling the crowd that they men just like everyone else and not gods. Herod should have acted like Paul and Barnabas, who wouldn't dare take offering and praise that belong to God.

It even says that worms eat Herod, which is quite a terrible way to die or have your body dealt with. Barnabas and Saul return from Jerusalem and they have with them John Mark.

At the church in Antioch, Barnabas and Saul are told by the word of the Holy Spirit to be set apart for work for which the Holy Spirit has called them to. So they begin their journey taking along with them John Mark who assists them. They go to Cyprus where they are summoned to speak to a number of respected people. A magician named Elymas oppose them, but Paul speaks boldly against Elymas who by the hand of the Lord causes Elymas to be blind for a period of time. At this the people seeing this believe the words of Saul and Barnabas.

One interesting thing about this section is how Saul is now introduced as Paul. Paul is his Greek name and he is from now on introduced as Paul instead of Saul.

Now they go to Paphos and we find that John Mark leaves them. At Paphos they go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and when the Jews ask for a word of exhortation, Paul stands up and starts talking. Similar to Stephen's speech, Paul begins from the Old Testament. He talks about judges and Samuel and Saul and eventually tells them about Jesus. Paul and Barnabas are invited back to the synagogue to speak to them on the next Sabbath. On the next Sabbath, the whole city gathers to hear them speak. The Jews become jealous and start trying to contradict what Paul and Barnabas are saying. Paul and Barnabas answer the Jews, saying that they came to the Jews first and now they are speaking to the Gentiles, according to what the Lord has instructed them to do. The Gentiles were happy about this and the word of the Lord spread through the region. However, the Jews stir up trouble to kick Paul and Barnabas out, so they shake the dust off their feet and went to Iconium.

Acts 10-11

So there's this man named Cornelius who is a centurion. He is devout and God-fearing, but he doesn't know about Jesus. An angel appears to him and instructs him to send for Peter. So Cornelius sends some of his men to fetch Peter. Then, Peter receives a vision from God about a large sheet filled with all sorts of animals that were considered "unclean". He is instructed to kill and eat, but Peter is reluctant to eat something that is "unclean". Peter is told to not call unclean what God has made clean, and this happens three times. When the vision is over, the men sent by Cornelius meet Peter and ask for him to come with them to meet Cornelius. Normally, Peter would've said no because Jews do not normally associate or have dealings with non-Jews. However, because of his vision, Peter agrees and goes to meet Cornelius. Peter understands that this vision was the beginning of the gospel being preached to the Gentiles. Now, the gospel was previously preached to the Ethiopian eunuch by Philip, but this is a big step as well. But we see Peter realizing from this vision in verse 34. He speaks of how God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation.

Peter meets Cornelius and Cornelius has gathered a large number of people to hear what Peter has to say. Peter tells them the good news about Jesus and the Holy Spirit falls upon those who hear. Generally, there may be opposition to the fact that Gentiles are receiving salvation, but Peter mentions how no one can stand in the way of these people being baptized since they have received the Holy Spirit. They can't really debate anymore because they are seeing with their own eyes that God has worked in them and given them the Holy Spirit.

When Peter leaves that place and meets up with other followers of Jesus in Jerusalem, he is criticized by some of the circumcised believers. These circumcised believers were all probably Jewish since that was their tradition. So instead of arguing with them, Peter simply tells them what happened. When he is finished telling them what happened, they don't have anything else to object, but instead praise God. This is a new thing they have heard that is cause for joy. The Gentiles are being allowed repentance leading to life.

We see other groups of followers of Jesus preaching the word to Gentiles as well and more people believing. In addition, Barnabas is sent to Antioch who encourages the believers there. Then he goes to Tarsus looking for Saul and brought Saul to Antioch where they taught many. Next we hear about a prophet named Agabus who predicts a severe famine. As a result, the believers try to help each other sending gifts to other elders via Barnabas and Saul.

Acts 9

The story comes back to Saul who still desires to put to death the followers of Jesus. He asks for letters from the high priest to help him in his persecution of the followers of Christ. So he goes to Damascus for his search but on his way he is met by Jesus. It's interesting how Paul's persecution on the followers of Jesus is a persecution of Jesus himself. This is shown by the conversation they have. After this meeting, Saul is left blinded and led by the hand by those travelling with him.

There is a disciple named Ananias who the Lord speaks to. This is not the same Ananias who was killed a few chapters ago (obviously). He is instructed to place his hands on Saul so that he will be able to see again. Ananias is reluctant at first because he has heard about Saul and his persecution against the followers of Jesus. The Lord still instructs him to go and reassures him that Saul is his chosen instrument. So Ananias goes and lays his hands on Saul who immediately receives his sight. He is also immediately baptized.

Saul begins to preach in the synagogues about Jesus. This is hugely different from his previous persecutions of the followers of Jesus Christ. As a result of his actions, the Jews seek to kill Saul. In order to save him, his followers help his escape the city by lowering him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

Saul goes to Jerusalem, but is having trouble joining the other followers of Jesus. Understandably, they're having a tough time trusting Saul since he used to persecute them. Barnabas is the first to trust Saul and he brings Saul in, showing others that Saul can be trusted and he is now a follower of Jesus. Saul is then sent to Tarsus by the Apostles.

The story returns to Peter who is in Lydda. We see him heal a man named Aeneas who has been paralyzed for 8 years. Peter doesn't take the glory for this, saying "Jesus Christ heals you". Peter performs another miracle, bringing Tabitha back from the dead. She is in Joppa and is a follower of Jesus. They send for Paul when she passes away, he prays for her and she is brought back to life.

Acts 8

Apparently the church is then persecuted and scattered. At this time, the story focuses in on Philip who I think was among the seven men selected to deal with the food distribution issues. Philip begins performing all sorts of healings and miracles. We are also introduced to a man named Simon who is a sorcerer. He amazes many people with his magic, but when Philip comes along, people begin to believe in Jesus and follow him because of Philip's telling them about Jesus. Even Simon believes and is baptized. One weird thing that happens is that the believers for some reason do not receive the Holy Spirit upon belief, so Peter and John and sent. Peter and John lay their hands on the people and they receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon sees this, he is amazed by this power and wants to pay for that power. Now this isn't a little thing that they can deal with later. Peter immediately deals with it and basically says that what Simon wants to do is wrong. So Simon asks for them to pray for him and we don't really hear what happens next. We don't really hear about this Simon anymore so we don't know whether he was saved and received the Holy Spirit or not. It's possible that God put him to death at that moment as he did to Ananias and Sapphira.

Next, Philip is called by God to head south on a rod going down from Jerusalem to Gaza. On his way, he sees an Ethiopian eunuch who is seated in a chariot. Philip is told by the Spirit to go near and he hears the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isiah. Philip asks if he understands what he is reading and the Ethiopian eunuch is confused. Then, Philip explains to him from the scriptures the good news about Jesus. The Ethiopian eunuch is baptized and then Philip is teleported to Azotus where he continued to preach the gospel.

One interesting thing about this passage is that some translations say "Then Philip opened his mouth..." in verse 35. Philip wasn't talking but listening to the Ethiopian eunuch as he showed Philip what he was reading and explained some of his concerns. I thought that was pretty cool because we get an interesting example of Philip spreading the gospel to another showing the importance of being quick to listen.

Acts 6:1-8:1

Apparently, some of the widows among the Hellenistic Jews are being neglected in the daily food distribution. As a result, some people are complaining. However, the apostles don't think it's wise for them to deal with issues like this and leave their other dealings. So, they propose to select seven men to deal with this issue and the people are pleased with this proposal. Seven men are selected, including Stephen and Philip.

Stephen begins to perform great signs and wonders among the people. Some of the people from the Synagogue aren't too pleased with this, and so they arrange to have a number of people speak falsely about Stephen. As a result, Stephen is seized and brought to the Sanhedrin. It's interesting how it's mentioned that Stephen's face was long an angel. These people are hurling false claims at him and he is seized. Yet, his face is like an angel. I can imagine that if I were in that situation, my face would not be like that of an angel. I could imagine that I'd be rather upset or quite confused and sad.

Stephen is given a chance to speak, so he begins giving a long overview of parts of the Old Testament. He begins speaking about Abraham and talks about Joseph and Egypt and Moses and so on. He doesn't cover all the details of course; otherwise it would take him a very long time to tell the whole story. He ends talking about Moses, then calling them stiff-necked people. Clearly they are not accepting of Jesus, so Stephen talks about how they resist the Holy Spirit and killed Jesus. He was just talking about the prophets, so he even mentions how those he is speaking to are acting like their ancestors who persecuted the prophets as they are persecuting the proclaimers of Jesus.

As Stephen says this, those listening become upset. Stephen is full of the Holy Spirit and sees the Son of Man at the right hand of God. At hearing this, the Jews rushed him. It's quite funny because they are rushing Stephen as they cover their ears and yell. It's like little kids when they don't want to hear what you're saying, so they cover their ears and shout loud enough to blur out anything you are saying.

So they cast him out of the city and stone him. As Stephen dies, he speaks similar words that Jesus spoke before he died. He asks the Lord to not hold their sins against them. He also says "receive my spirit", which is similar to the words of Jesus on the cross as well.

We also get an introduction to Paul who was also named Saul. Readers may not have known Paul as "Saul", so perhaps they would not find out until later that this is the very same Paul who wrote many of those letters that we now have in the New Testament. At this point, Saul is holding the coats of those who are stoning Stephen. Sure, he's not actually stoning Stephen, but he is participating by holding their coats. I heard it explained as if he was encouraging the others to "better" stone Stephen because you could probably throw a rock better with your coat off. Saul certainly wasn't just some innocent by-standard because we read that he approved of their killing of Stephen.

Acts 4:23-5:42

Peter and John return to the rest of the believers after having been threatened by the Jewish priests. They report what happened, and everyone begins praying. Lifting up what has just happened and praying for boldness, God answers. The place shakes, they are filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God boldly.

We begin to see how the believers interact with one another. They have a sense of unity that is unheard of among a large group of people. They begin to share everything they have with one another. One example is given of Barnabas, who sells a field he owns and shares it by placing it at the apostles' feet.

Sharing is good, but now we see an example of how it can go wrong. Ananias and Sapphira are married to one another and they too sell property that they own. Similar to Barnabas, Ananias lays money at the feet of the apostles. However, he keeps a portion of the money for himself. I'm not sure if it says this explicitly, but he is sharing it with all by laying it at the apostles' feet as if it were the entire sum of money. So, he is lying to them. Peter somehow knows and catches Ananias for this sin he has committed. It's interesting how Peter mentions how Ananias is lying to the Holy Spirit and later he simply says that this is a lie to God. Peter also mentions how the money and property were owned by Ananias beforehand and were his to do whatever he wanted with. In Peter's eyes, Ananias' actions don't really make sense because Ananias wasn't forced to sell the property or even lay any money at the feet of the apostles. However, this is what Ananias does, and after hearing what Peter says, Ananias falls down and dies.

This story is quite amusing and one that I enjoy very much. If that wasn't enough, Sapphira comes in three hours later not knowing what has just happened. Peter simply asks her about the money, whether the amount that was laid at the apostles' feet was the amount received for selling the property. At this point, she should've confessed and told Peter that they did in fact hold back a portion of the money received for selling the property. However, she doesn't confess and continues this lie that she agreed to do with her husband. Peter responds and it's funny how he says that the very same people who carried away her dead husband would also carry her away. So, she falls down and dies and they carry her dead body away. I didn't really do it justice; you should just read it for yourself.

The next thing that happens is that the apostles perform many signs and wonders. In addition to this, more and more people are beginning to follow Jesus and joining the rest of the believers. With all these signs and wonders being performed, many people are bringing the sick so that they can be healed by the apostles. It's interesting that some even bring the sick to where Peter walks, so that his shadow would by chance touch them. This shows how desperate people are to have them or their friends and family healed. More importantly, this shows the power of God working through the apostles to heal all.

This doesn't please the high priest and his associates. They have to do something about it, so they arrest the apostles and throw them in jail. But apparently, a jail cell can't hold them because an angel of the Lord opens the doors and brings them out of the cell. Arriving at the cells the next morning, the high priest and his associates find everything in order, except that the apostles are missing. But they soon find out that the apostles are in the temple courts teaching people.

The apostles are brought to be questioned. This time, the high priest and his associates are afraid of being stoned, so they do not use force in bringing the apostles. This gives the apostles another opportunity to simply tell their questioners about Jesus. They mention about obeying God instead of men.

The high priest and his associates are upset and want to kill the apostles, but a Pharisee named Gamaliel suggests something to them. He reminds them of other groups that started up but eventually failed. He argues that they will eventually fail if they are simply lead by humans. However, if the apostles are lead by God, then nobody can stop them and to oppose them would be to oppose God. What they end up doing is have the apostles flogged and warn them again not to talk about Jesus.

However, this only makes the apostles happy because they were worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. If you were one of the Jewish Pharisees, you'd be in an interesting situation. It's as if nothing they try even bothers the followers of Christ at all. In fact, their attempts to stop the apostles only further encourage the apostles to preach about Jesus.

Acts 4:1-22

After healing a lame man, Peter spoke to the crowd and told them about Jesus. However, here in chapter 4 we see the Jewish priests aren't too happy about this. So, they seized Peter and John to put an end to their proclaiming of Jesus. I guess to the Jewish priests, these men speaking about Jesus seem to be a new cult that was forming. We know better, knowing that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, which is what Peter points out to them. Even though they arrest Peter and John, it doesn't make a difference because people still believe and the followers of Jesus Christ continued to increase.

Now that they have taken away Peter and John, they bring them forward to question them. They ask Peter and John the origin of the things that they are doing. To me, this seems like a silly question, especially when reading ahead to see what happens. It makes you wonder why they would ask that or what they hoped to get out of this. Since they were high and recognized in the Jewish community, they were probably quite prideful and arrogant. They probably had to deal with a number of different troublesome groups similar to the followers of Christ. You can even skip ahead to the next chapter and read about the Pharisee Gamaliel talk about other upstart groups like one lead by Theudas and one lead by Judas the Galilean. Since these Jewish priests thought themselves to be so high and mighty, they probably thought that whatever answers Peter and John could have said, the Jewish priests could easily win an argument and prove that Peter and John were wrong in their thinking. However, they can't really dissuade Peter and John from what they plan on doing and this gives them yet another opportunity to tell others about Jesus Christ. He even refers to Jesus as the cornerstone which the builders rejected, referring to how the Jews have rejected Jesus even though Jesus is important like how a cornerstone is important.

The Jewish priests can't really do or say anything to them, but they try. The Jewish priests threaten Peter and John and command them to stop doing what they are doing, but Peter and John are not going to listen. They even present a logical argument, saying that they'd rather listen to God than to the Jewish priests.

Peter and John give God the glory and credit for the miracle of healing the man who was lame. This fact is shown in another way when the Jewish priests notice that Peter and John were unschooled people. They can't believe that these men are unschooled, yet they were capable of what they did. This once again shows the power by which they do these things, a power that is not their own.

Acts 3

So in this chapter, Peter is with John and he sees a man who is lame. I heard a joke from a sermon by James MacDonald about this passage. This man who was lame asked for alms, but he got legs. Asking for alms is like asking for charity or begging for money. But instead, Peter heals him and he responds with joy and gladness. Afterwards, it says that the man who was lame was clinging to Peter and John. I guess he was so overjoyed that he wouldn't even let go of those who healed him. Other people see this happen and are amazed, so Peter addresses the crowd. He immediately gives God the glory, explaining that it is not by their power but by God that this man was healed. Most of these people must have been Jews, since Peter appeals to them by referring to Moses and how Jesus Christ was foretold. It's as if he can't help but take advantage of this great opportunity to tell a whole bunch of people about Jesus.

Acts 2

The chapter begins with the receiving of the Holy Spirit. The followers of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in tongues. Then, they went out and began speaking to people on the street and those who heard them heard their own language being spoken to them. It is quite a feat to have each person have their own language being spoken to them since there were probably many of them and thus, many different languages. Clearly, this was a result of the work of the Holy Spirit. Some who heard were amazed, but some thought them to be drunk with wine. Then, Peter gets up and begins speaking to them. He speaks about Jesus and quotes from the Old Testament, appealing to the Jews who he is speaking to. One interesting thing I noticed was verse 24 when he says that it was not possible for Jesus to be held by death. It was also interesting how they were "cut to the heart" as it says in verse 37. After Peter has finished saying all these things, they were affected and wondering what they should do next. So Peter simply tells them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus. The chapter ends with this and reporting that 3000 people were added to their number.

Acts 1

There is yet another change. I am currently taking a course on Paul. In the course we study Paul and will read Acts and Paul's letters. So, I'm starting Acts today and I'll probably be looking at larger portions of text each day. Actually, I'll probably just read a whole bunch and summarize for that day.

So today I read Acts 1. Acts is the second book in the bible that is written by Luke. Acts basically continues from where Luke ends. The author, Luke, addresses the person he is writing to, Theophilus. In the first chapter we read about Jesus ascending into heaven and a group of people including the disciples watching Jesus ascend into heaven. Now they have to figure out what to do next, and we get a hint in this chapter about what they are to expect. Jesus tells them about the Holy Spirit, who is supposed to come upon them. So, after Jesus has ascended, the followers of Jesus are continuing to devote their time to prayer. Their first order of business is to replace Judas with another person. The office of apostleship is an important role that needs to be filled and so they nominate two people for this position. Lots are cast and Matthias is the one who fills the spot left by Judas. Acts tells us that Judas acquired a field and died in a bloody and gruesome way. However, in the book of Matthew, we read that Judas hanged himself. This is quite weird and it seems contradictory for both to be true. I've heard the interpretation that both could be true. It is possible that Judas did in fact hang himself and afterwards he fell somehow and went headfirst into the ground and his body burst open as Acts depicts. Regardless, the passage isn't really about Judas and how he died, but about Jesus' ascension and replacing Judas.

Colossians 1:7

You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,

(v7, NIV)

In this letter we are introduced to Epaphras. Those who this letter was addressed to should already know who Epaphras was. Epaphras was the one who told them and taught them about the good news of Jesus Christ. Even though he was the one who taught them, he is referred to as a fellow servant. It's not like he is higher or better them in any way. He is not of higher rank than them, but he is on the same level. Sure, we're all different and some of us are better than one another in different ways. For example, I'm not the smartest guy and many people are a lot smarter than me. However, we should remember that we are fellow servants and we shouldn't pride ourselves in comparing to one another. In other letters, Paul talks about it as being partners in the gospel or as co-heirs in the inheritance. We are fellow servants.

Colossians 1:6b

that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.

(v6, NIV)

This growing that occurs in these people as well as in the whole world originates from hearing and truly understanding God's grace. Paul talks about the bearing and growing fruit with regards to the world and compares it to the same work done in those he's writing to. So it begins from hearing and truly understanding God's grace. It's interesting how some people just get it and some people don't. Do you understand it? Now, there is a way in which we'll never fully understand, but there is a way in which to some degree we do understand. There is a light that goes on in our understanding, but there is also growing in our knowledge and understanding. This occurs in both these people and people all over the world. It really is quite amazing and joy producing to hear of how it's spreading and to see it occurring in others all over the world.

Hebrews 10:19-25

"Brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to Godwith a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, butencouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Hebrews 10:19-25

- We begin our meeting with Christians by the confidence of salvation by grace we have. (V19)

- The purpose of meeting with Christians is to draw near to God with a sincere heart and with full assurance of our sins have been forgiven (V22)

- The goal of meeting with Christians is spur one another on toward love and good deeds (V24)

- The way to achieve the goal is by encouraging one another (especially when meeting becomes a habit v25), and by reminding each other of the kingdoms is near and the way to prepare for it. (v25)

Colossians 1:6

that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.

(v6, NIV)

Paul is talking about the true message of the gospel. He is talking to those who have heard it and it is these people who have faith and love springing forth from them. Now, Paul takes a step back to broaden his view and talk about the global perspective. This good work done in those he is writing to is also being done in people all over the world. The gospel is not only limited to a small area or a few minimal groups of people. It really is quite amazing and cause for joy to hear of how it is spreading.

Colossians 1:5b

the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel

(v5, NIV)

What's somewhat sad is that Paul needs to specify with the word "true" when talking about the gospel. Unfortunately, there were a number of false gospels circulating at the time, which is why Paul needed to specify. It is only the true message of the gospel from which comes the hope that brings forth faith and love such as this. The true message of the gospel is all that is really worth anything and we should care and worry about whether we do in fact have the true gospel or not. This true message of the gospel is something they have heard and Paul is encouraging and reminding them of that.

Colossians 1:5

the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel

(v5, NIV)

We don't really need to go any further or wonder about where or how this faith and love is brought about since Paul explains it here. The faith and love comes from the hope they have in heaven which comes from the gospel. It is from the hearing and acceptance of the gospel that a hope of heaven is produced, which then produces faith and love. With this in mind, we can properly get to the heart of the issue. If you or a friend of yours is struggling in faith or love, we can see where faith and love comes from. So instead of trying to fix how your faith or love issue, deal with the hope you should have in heaven which comes from hearing the gospel. What I'm trying to say is getting to the root cause of an issue instead of the symptoms. If water is dripping from your ceiling, the floor or whatever is underneath the leak will start to get wet. To solve the problem, you can place a bin or container under the leak to catch the leaking water and prevent it from getting other things wet. However, the ceiling will continue to leak until seal or fix where the leak is coming from. Perhaps this means repairing a hole in the roof or mending a few leaky pipes.