Bittersweet! We come to the end of a year long journey. We have gained many valuable insights as we have read, reread, studied, pondered, and meditated on God’s Holy Word. We pray that you will continue on the journey. Allow God to direct your steps! Thank you for making this journey with us.

Imagine with us the wedding banquet in the New Jerusalem.

Revelation 19:7
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

Jesus compares our relationship with Him as a marriage. We can compare the betrothal agreement in the Jewish and Hebrew wedding ceremonies to the wedding in the New Jerusalem.

In the Jewish and Hebrew betrothal ceremony the groom would give the bride a ring. He would confirm his love for her and his desire to be united to her in the bond of marriage. The ring would be given as a token, a promise of the wedding to come.

Jesus offers us the engagement agreement. He offers us salvation. We accept and the promise of our later wedding is confirmed and sealed with the Holy Spirit. Just as the betrothal agreement in a Jewish wedding is sealed with the giving of a ring, our agreement is sealed by the indwellment of the Holy Spirit. As the ring guarantees the marriage, the beginning of a forever relationship, so the Holy Spirit guarantees our marriage in a forever relationship to the Lamb.

Our betrothal period, our waiting time, is our life here on this earth until the day arrives of our marriage to the Lamb. During this time of betrothal, just as any bridegroom would do, Jesus is preparing a particular, exceptional sectioned off room just for us in His Father’s house. (John 14:2-3)

We will be clothed with garments of righteousness as we are changed into spirit. Just as any groom views his bride as beautiful and perfect, so Jesus sees us as perfect. (Jude 24)

Jesus is the bridegroom who comes for us. He will come to take us to be with Him. All along the route to His Father’s house the cry rings out from the great heavenly multitude. The wedding has come. The bride is ready. The Holy Spirit has guaranteed this marriage will take place. The vows have been made, we have accepted Jesus’ offer and are secured salvation with Him. The marriage celebration supper follows as we take up residence in His Father’s house, the new heaven, the New Jerusalem. In eternity we will know God fully with an intimacy that we could never have on earth in our physical bodies. (I Corinthians 13:12) This will be the banquet in the mansion.

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jude 1:24
To him (Jesus) who is able to keep you (put your name here) from falling and to present you (put your name here) before his glorious presence (God the Father) without fault and with great joy—“

Revelation 22:20
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The Bible ends the way it begins…….perfect……and in paradise.

For us as believers it ends with an urgent note, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
In a dark and evil world with problems, persecution and suffering,
we can have hope.

God is in control.

His will WILL be done!

Revelation 22:21
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people.

AMEN!

On the Great Day of the Lord’s wrath, God will shield from the firestorm a select number of extraordinary people…the 144,000.

They have a specific number…144,000, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.
They will have the seal of God on their foreheads. It seems that there is a foreshadowing of these 144,000 in the writings of the prophet Ezekiel. Since the word woman often refers to the church in Biblical analogy, not being defiled by women could mean that these select few will be repulsed by the activities of the false church and absolutely incensed at the abominations that have been committed in God’s name. If it is a mark placed on the forehead it would be conspicuous, and would be something which could at once be recognized designating them as true servants of God. Figuratively speaking, the sealing of the 144,000 could be a protection for them.

Ezekiel 9:4
and said to him, "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it."

These exceptional ones will be protected from the wrath of God and the wrath of Satan. Their purpose is to follow Jesus and serve Him personally.

The 144,000 are listed as pure and not defiled by women. They will not participate in the activities of the false and apostate church. They will be of a pure heart and mind and that is why they will be selected.

Rev 14:14-16
I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

God the Father will give Jesus the word that the harvest is ripe. The trumpet will sound. Heaven will stand open. Jesus will thunder amid billows of smoke at the head of his vast army of warrior angels as they leave the clouds of heaven. Their numbers will be beyond measure. Their mounts will be white horses, primed and geared for battle. These warrior angels will be dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords will be dressed in a robe dipped in blood, with eyes of blazing fire. On His head will be many crowns. He will come with burning anger to execute the wrath of God. (Joel 3:13, Revelation 14:14-16, Matthew 24:14-16, Luke 3:17, Matthew 24:30, Revelation 19:11-15, II Thessalonians 1:5-7, Revelation 2:18, Revelation 19:12, Isaiah 13)

For the continuation of this narrative, see the book These Last Days.

The seven trumpets in the book of Revelation show that Satan will be allowed to perform counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders in the last days. God will not cause these things to happen but He will allow them to happen. Satan will be able to accomplish many of these counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders through the False Prophet first and then later through the Antichrist. Some of these signs and wonders will be from the realm of nature.

Satan has been allowed to control nature before, such as described in the book of Job. Satan used raiding parties to take Job’s livestock and kill his servants. Satan used fire from the sky to destroy servants and sheep. He used a mighty wind to kill Job’s children. God has allowed Satan, in the past, to cause natural disasters. In the last days Satan will be allowed to control nature again.

God will allow some true believers to feel the wrath of Satan. Believers in Jesus are however always protected from the wrath of God.

Some of these trumpet events appear to have already happened. However, they may be a foreshadowing of things yet to come. For example, in the third trumpet a star is named wormwood. The word wormwood in the Ukrainian language is Chernobyl. They both mean bitter water, each in a different language.

The atrocities committed against the Jews during the Holocaust and the persecution of the Christians during Nero’s time are foreshadows of atrocities committed by Satan through the Antichrist during the covenant period.

Satan is known by many names, among them “dragon” found in Revelation 12 and 13. For more details see the book These Last Days.

People explain the seals in the book of Revelation in many different ways and have them mean many different things. Labeling, and placing things in categories is not really important. Essentially, the seals are just a way of explaining some ongoing events. There is nothing really mysterious about it. What is really important is how we live our lives in anticipation of these last days.

The mystery surrounding the seven seals and especially the first four seals, also known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, can be incredibly confusing and also very frightening. For clarification concerning the four horses see Zechariah 6:1-8.

God allows some terrible things to happen to fulfill his purposes. God continually gives humanity a choice. How are we to choose if there is only good and no evil from which to choose?

The process of winemaking illustrates the point. A vintner will pour the juice of crushed grapes into a clean container. According to his recipe he will add a certain amount of sugar to the grape juice. If nothing else is added to the recipe there will be no wine. It will eventually be only vinegar. In order for the grape juice to make wine another element must be added to the recipe and that element is yeast. Yeast is an agitating force in the making of wine just as evil is an agitating force in the human condition. The vintner separates the dregs from the good wine at the end of the winemaking process. Our struggles between good and evil on the earth are nothing more than the fermentation of the plan of redemption. Whether we live in a condition of eternal death or eternal life depends on how we react to the yeast that God puts into our lives. God will separate the righteous from the unrighteous at the end of days. God gives us the choice.

God has a plan. Satan tries to subvert that plan with his own plan…a devious plan…a clever plan. He is a master at marketing his demon resources. Satan is dealing with a finite number of evil spirits and demons. If his goal is to deceive a thousand people, which would be more resourceful and time efficient… to send out a thousand evil sprits or one evil spirit who would inhabit a religious leader who would deceive a thousand people? All Satan has to do is influence one strong leader who will deceive and influence many people. The choice is set before us. We can choose to believe Satan’s lie or God’s truth. The choice is ours.

The first five seals are ongoing and have been since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. False teaching (the white horse) began in the garden and has plagued mankind since. Satan taught Eve that God did not have ultimate authority. She believed it. That is the spirit of the white horse. False religion is any spirit that teaches against God. That is exactly what Satan did to Eve. While professing to teach the truth he taught against God and she believed it. This is what is symbolized in the first seal.

Our world has been inundated with oppressive governments (the red horse) and greed (the black horse) that takes many forms. All these choices made by mankind illustrate man’s freedoms to choose. These choices have consequences. The consequences of all three horses are illustrated by the fourth horse, the pale (green) horse. Mankind’s freedom of choice ends with the fifth seal.

The evil spirits of the four horses are the mixer, the yeast in the wine that God has put in place to keep things agitated so that humanity has an opportunity to choose between God and Satan. These spirits are catalysts that God has put in place to give us a legitimate choice.

What will we as Christians choose?

Better take a deep breath as we plunge into the deep waters of the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:3
Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Scripture tells us that we are blessed if we read and hear words of prophecy. But we must do more than read and hear these words of prophecy; we must take them to heart. We must internalize them, believe them, know them and live them.
Why? “because the time is near”.

Revelation 22:18-19
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

So many people are afraid of studying the book of Revelation, in part because of these verses in Revelation 22. Yet God tells us that we will be blessed if we read it and hear it. A general attitude today is that much concerning these last days cannot be known. This attitude is designed by Satan to keep us from receiving the promise. God has promised us that He will tell us great and unsearchable things. Satan wants to keep us from understanding these great things and to keep us from receiving the blessing.

Revelation 1:1-2
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw-- that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

God sent His angel (His son, the messenger Jesus) to reveal His plan to John, His servant. John has revealed God’s great plan to us. John saw the Word of God, Jesus. The testimony is what John heard. This was written about 96 AD, yet God said that this plan “must soon take place”. There is an element of urgency in this Scripture as there are elements of urgency in much of Scripture concerning the coming Kingdom and these last days.

Revelation 1:10
On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
“The Lord’s Day” does not mean that what John saw was on Sunday. John was in the Spirit.

In order to understand what John said we must know where John was in time. The language of the following verse identifies past, present and future tense.
Revelation 17:8
The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come

The beast John saw was (past), and now is not (present), and will come (future). The latter part of the verse also tells that the beast “once was, now is not, and will come”. There is a time in which the beast, Satan “once was”. This time begins on earth in the Garden of Eden and it ends with the time yet in our future when he will be thrown into the Abyss. The time that the condition exists when the beast “is not” is when Satan is confined in the Abyss during the Millennium. The future tense of that verse “will come up” tells us that he will come up out of the Abyss. Satan will be thrown into the Abyss right before the Millennium begins. So from this we know that John has been moved to a point in time somewhere during the Millennium, a time yet in our future. He is looking back in time to eternity past, to a time before the creation of the world. In looking back John was allowed to see the war in heaven when Satan was thrown like lightning and took 1/3 of the angels with him. (Luke 10:18, Ezekiel 28:12-17, Revelation 12:7-9, Revelation 12:4a) He is also looking forward in time to eternity future, to a time beyond the end of the Millennium when Satan is thrown into the lake of fire to stay forever. John
saw everything from eternity past all the way through history and into eternity future.
His vantage point in this timeline has been identified. John is in the spirit world and advanced in time to the Millennium.

Revelation 1:8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

Jesus is the great “I Am!” He Is, He Was, and He Is To Come! Jesus’ kingdom, unlike Satan’s kingdom will never be destroyed. There will never be a time when Jesus “is not”.

Revelation 1:19
"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.

John is directed to write what he sees in imagery and symbolism and to send it to seven churches in Asia. The first three chapters of Revelation primarily concern the letters to seven specific churches in John’s time. Each of those churches had a specific nature about them. Today these natures exist in the churches that call themselves Christian. The natures exist in the large church denominations as well as in individual local churches. These natures also exist in the people within these churches. The message is not just to those seven churches in John’s day. Neither are they about churches or movements in the past; however their characteristics may fit any number of churches or movements. Those letters are there for the churches today. They are there for us as individuals today. They are there to encourage us and at times rebuke us for things we are doing or things we are allowing to happen, things that are contrary to the teachings of Scripture. We are admonished through these letters to become the church and the people that Jesus wants us to be.

So how are all of us doing???

It seems that there is mixed interpretation from biblical scholars as to who the “chosen lady” is in 2 John. Some think it refers to the church as a whole. Others, such as John Wesley, believe it to be a specific person.

II John 1:9
Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Do we sometimes run ahead of God? Are we impatient? Do we try to put God on our timetable? Do we sometimes embrace teachings that are not biblical? Isn’t it hard to wait???

In 3 John we see a great contrast between two individuals. John is warning against being like Diotrephes and is encouraging being like Gaius. “…do not imitate what is evil but what is good.”
Attributes of Diothrephes:
1. Loves to be first
2. Gossips maliciously
3. Refuses to welcome the brothers
4. Stops those who want to welcome the brothers and puts them out of the church

Attributes of Gaius:
1. Faithful in doing for the brothers, showing hospitality
2. Loves the brothers
3. Sends the brothers on their way in a manner worthy of God

We end this blog entry the way John ends 3 John, “Peace to you.”

Heb 10:26-27
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Very potent words!

Heb 11:1-2
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
Remember the “shadow” from yesterday’s reading? The ancients believed that the “shadow” represented the real thing that they could not see. This was credited to them as righteousness. They believed in advance.

Heb 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

This reward comes to those who “seek”. This is not just the reward of eternal life (though that would certainly be enough) but He rewards us now with the joy we have in reading and studying His word.

Heb 11:17
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,
Wait a minute…didn’t Abraham have a son before Isaac? Ishmael? Why is Isaac called his only son? And interestingly, Abraham had other sons after the death of Sarah by his wife Keturah. Isaac, however, was the son of promise.

Heb 11:23
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
In Chapter 106 of the book of Enoch, it gives great detail about the appearance of Moses when he was born. No question, according to Enoch that Moses was not “ordinary”!

Heb 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

We are in control of throwing off things that hinder us. We must get rid of the sin that captures and holds us hostage so that we may be unencumbered to “live a life worth of the calling we have received”.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…”
Run the race with the prize in mind.

Heb 12:7
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
Remember God is the perfect parent!

Ever wondered who Melchizedek is?

Heb 7:1
This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,
Ps 110:4
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."
Heb 6:20
where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Heb 7:3
Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.

Still wondering??? If so read Hebrews 7 again.

In writing about the priests…
Heb 8:5
They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
We could think of the tabernacle as a foreshadowing of what is to come. Or we could think of the tabernacle as a shadow like the shadow of a person. A shadow is not the real thing. It is not a living, breathing, moving thing on its own.

Heb 9:13-14
The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Jesus cleanses our conscience. Sacrifices covered up the sin, and only temporarily, they didn’t cleanse the conscience.

Heb 9:22
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Heb 9:28
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Daily the priests stood to perform their duties implying that they had to continually sacrifice for the people. Jesus on the other hand, sacrificed once for all, mission accomplished, and then He sat at the right hand of God.

Heb 10:14
because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
We are all “in process”. God isn’t finished with us yet.

There are many opinions on the author of the book of Hebrews. We believe it was a collaborative effort with Paul and some of his closest companions. Most commentators agree on the time frame of the writing and it would place the writing of Hebrews near the time of Paul's death. In his last recorded letter Paul asks Timothy to bring the scrolls, especially the parchments. Could it be that the parchments had no writing on them and that is what was used to write Hebrews?

Heb 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God's glory (see Genesis 1) and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
God spoke in the past through the prophets, the Old Testament. Now we have God speaking to us through His Son, the New Testament.

Until we make the "Son" the center of our universe with all our lives revolving around Him, then we fall short of all God wants us to be.

Heb 3:6
But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
Courage and hope are built on the foundation of Jesus. We are His "house" while we sojourn here.

Heb 3:10-13
That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
The writer(s) or Hebrews tells us that God was angry with the generation of Moses and said that they would never enter His rest. They wandered around for forty years and were not allowed to go into the "Promised Land". If we substitute salvation for rest, we can make the connection that if we do not know His ways, if our hearts go astray, if we have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from God, we will not have His "rest" (salvation).

The "Today" that is mentioned in this passage is the first day of our eternity. Today begins at the moment of our conversion and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Heb 3:19
So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
They don't have salvation, therefore no rest. The gospel was preached to Moses and the others in the desert. The message was of no value to them because they did not combine it with faith.

Heb 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
How is the word of God living and active?

Heb 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
We have this confidence in Him not in ourselves. It is approaching the throne without doubt or fear and with respect.

Heb 6:1-2
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
As Christians we should have no need of laying again the basic foundations of the faith. We should know the fundamentals. We grow in our understanding of those areas that may be "fuzzy" for us.

Heb 6:7
Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.
Sounds as if we should drink in the nourishing "rain" and produce a crop of righteousness.
Matt 13:8
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop-- a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

2 Pet 1:2
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Grace and peace in abundance are promised to us through Jesus. Only through Him do we get real peace. But we get that grace and peace through the knowledge of God and of Jesus.

2 Pet 1:4
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Peter lists the qualities necessary to go beyond knowledge and into love and he says,

2 Pet 1:8
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We certainly do not want to be ineffective and unproductive on our knowledge of Him.

2 Pet 1:15
…and I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
Boy, did he ever!!! You are remembering them now…here…wherever you are at this moment.

2 Pet 1:18
We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
Peter is referring to the Mount of Transfiguration in which he, James, and John witnessed the appearing of Moses, Elijah, along with Jesus.

2 Pet 2:4
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
KJV uses “chains of darkness” in place of “gloomy dungeons”. Satan and his demons are like dogs on a chain. They are only allowed to move and do just so much, only what God allows them to do depending on the length of their “chain”.

2 Pet 3:1
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.

If we read God’s Word we will be stimulated to wholesome thinking. If our minds are filled up with wholesome thinking, we won’t have room for unwholesome thinking. Peter tells us that this is his reason for writing both of the letters.

2 Pet 3:9a
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.
Or to quote my dad (Patti’s)…”I know you’ll keep your promises, Lord, I just wish you wouldn’t wait until the last minute.”

Peter addresses himself not as Simon but as Peter, “The Rock”, a name given to him by Jesus. He also acknowledges himself as an apostle, a “sent one”. He is writing to “strangers in the world”. Those to whom he is writing had been dispersed throughout a wide area. They are strangers, as we are strangers in an alien land. Our real home is in heaven. We are sojourners here, as they were there. It seems that Peter may be strengthening and building on Paul’s foundation. If that is the case, it is a great example of two aspects of the gift of apostleship. One characteristic is that an apostle can blaze new ground and establish new ministry. Another characteristic of an apostle is that of empowering a ministry that may be floundering and breathe into it new life. In either case, Peter certainly was using his gift of apostleship.

Peter tells us that we may suffer grief in all kinds of trials so that our faith may be proved genuine. Faith is proved genuine by persevering through many trials. If our faith crumbles under pressure, we probably haven’t had enough trials in our lives.

1 Pet 1:12b
Even angels long to look into these things.
Angels are curious about the gospel and salvation through Jesus, but they have no need of it. They cannot receive salvation because they are not equal with believers.

1 Pet 2:2
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
We grow as Christians much like we grow as babies and children. As we get nourishment from milk, we grow, and soon that nourishment is not enough. It isn’t healthy. It would not be healthy to give a child, or an adult, just milk. We need to move on to more solid food.

1 Pet 3:7b
…so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
What are some things that may hinder our prayers?

1 Pet 3:15
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
That’s why we all need to study the Bible.

1 Pet 4:7
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.
This was 2,000 years ago. The beginning of the end had begun.

“Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”
We should not be distracted by anything, or as we are told earlier “so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

1 Pet 4:16
However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
What a great responsibility we have as Christians! We bear His Name!

1 Pet 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
He didn’t say some things, or just the big stuff…he said ALL. He can handle it! He’s GOD!

1 Pet 5:8-9
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

There is nothing that Satan would like any better than to devour (Greek -katapino - to gulp entirely). Satan seeks to devour our testimony, our witness. We must be alert to his schemes, and they are many. Peter tells us that we must “submit to God” and be “clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” and then we are told to “stand firm”!

Pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are undergoing sufferings just because they bear His Name.

James was the brother of Jesus, but notice James does not list that fact. He calls himself a “servant” of Jesus. Josephus says that James was the bishop of the church in Jerusalem.

James 1:1-6
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Testing that comes our way is not for God to see what we will do. It’s for us to see what God will do through the testing.
God gives wisdom generously to those who ask, if they believe and not doubt.

James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 2:19
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-- and shudder.

James makes it very clear in the previous two verses that merely listening to the Word or just believing is not enough. Those who just believe are “shadow makers” in the pews. The idea is not to just believe there is a God but instead believe in the God that is just. We must believe in Him, not just acknowledge he exists.

James 3:2a
We all stumble in many ways.
And yet our ever faithful God catches us as we stumble and sets us back on the right track.

James 4:1-4
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.

This scripture is often taken out of context. Look what comes after that.

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Ouch!

2 Tim 2:9
for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained.
Praise God, His Word is not chained!

Paul warns us that there will be terrible times in the last days.
2 Tim 3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
Sound familiar???

2 Tim 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

What a powerful piece of Scripture this is! Check out the definitive words ALL, THOROUGHLY, and EVERY. All Scripture is God-breathed! That would include the Old Testament - after all the only Scripture they had at the writing of this letter would have been the scrolls.

2 Tim 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
What a great statement of faith, from Paul or from any Christian!

We would urge you to re-read 2 Timothy 4:9-18 and weep in remembrance of Paul!

Titus was a Greek believer taught and nurtured by Paul, who later became the overseer of the churches on the island of Crete. This letter helps us know how to train others to lead and teach. The church there was most likely started in Jerusalem at Pentecost.

How do we “make the teaching about God our Savior attractive”? (Titus 2:10)

Titus 2:15
These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise (disregard) you.

“Encourage and rebuke” is to build others up but to also hold others to account, as we should have someone to hold us to account. In other words, we need a Barnabas in our lives.

Titus 1:2
a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,

Eternal life was promised to us before the beginning of time. These plans were established before the creation, before time began. What an amazing thought! But not only does God promise eternal life through Jesus, He has promised us wisdom, destined for our glory before time began.
1 Cor 2:7
No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
And not only does He promise us eternal life and wisdom and glory, He redeems us and He summons us by name!
Isa 43:1
But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
And not only does He summon us by name, He leads us out!
John 10:3
The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Totally AMAZING!

Timothy was one of Paul’s young converts and one of his closest companions. Timothy had been sent to the church at Ephesus to counter the false teaching there. Paul gave Timothy practical advice about the ministry. Apparently Timothy struggled with a timid and reserved nature and allowed others to look down on his youth. I heard a pastor say once that every Christian should have in his life a “Paul” (someone to look up to and imitate), a “Timothy”(someone to disciple), and a “Barnabas”(someone to encourage us and to hold us to account).

1 Tim 1:18-20
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
How can a person shipwreck their faith? What does “handed over to Satan” mean?

1 Tim 2:9-12
I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.
In the culture of the day, for women to dress this way was disrespectful. Some also placed undue emphasis on the outward appearance. Women were not usually taught scripture in those times. Many of those who were learning of Jesus’ teachings were trying to teach others without being properly trained and were speaking in human wisdom and not led by the Holy Spirit wisdom.

Paul specifically states the requirements of the leaders of the churches (elders and deacons) for positions of authority. He certainly sets up a high standard, not only for the leaders but for their families as well.

Paul also warns what happens when we abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits. “…consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”
What happens when something is seared? Nerves are killed and have no feeling.

1 Tim 4:12
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
I remember one of our Sunday school second graders (now a senior in high school) reciting this verse. He still sets an example!

1 Tim 6:17-19
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
What a great way to end 1Timothy!

The city of Philippi received its name from Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. It is a tender letter written to a church with which Paul was very familiar.

Phil 1:14
Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
If we think of this verse in a worldly manner, what Paul is saying doesn’t make sense. God allowed Paul’s suffering so that others may be encouraged.

Phil 2:15-16a
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—
We shine like stars in this dirty world. We hold out to the world the word of abundant life here and eternally. Remember yesterday’s blog entry about night light or flood light?

Phil 3:10-11
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
That word attain is loaded with meaning. Paul is saying here that he wishes to do something more than to obtain a resurrection. He aspires to something greater. Once we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we automatically obtain eternal life through resurrection. We obtain through belief. Attain means to reach in excellence or degree; to equal. Paul wants to equal Christ in suffering and death and so attain a better resurrection. (see Hebrews 11)

When Paul is speaking of perfection, he is saying he is “perfected” (fit) for the race. The "be perfect” is to be ready to receive the prize.

Phil 3:13
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
It makes no difference what has happened in the past, what really matters is what is ahead!
“…our citizenship is in heaven…”
Once we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, our destiny is sealed, our citizenship is transferred to heaven.

Phil 3:21
who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
We will not stay “seeds”. We will be “planted” only to rise again as a beautiful “flower”.

Have we ever said in our daily entries that today’s reading is rich? Well, we’ll say it again! Today’s reading is rich!

Eph 1:13
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
Sealed (Greek “sphragizo”) means we are preserved, fenced in, protected. Once we become a believer, God preserves and protects us. He fences us in. He stamps us with His signet or mark. We are HIS! Wow!

Eph 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ever stop to contemplate just what God has prepared for each of us to do? He offers us the job. It’s up to us. Do we take the assignment or allow someone else to be blessed by it? God has given us the spiritual gifts to do these “good works”.
Eph 4:12
to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

Eph 3:10
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
We, the church, the believers are the revelation of the mystery made known to the angels.

Eph 3:12
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
This is an amazing promise verse, witnessed by the following verse.
I Jn 5:14
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
We can approach our Heavenly Father with confidence! Not in an arrogant way, but with confidence that if we are in His will, He will hear us!

Eph 3:16-20
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
It’s bigger than we can know! Get hold of this part of the passage, “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,”
If we imagine that the Holy Spirit that is at work in us is LIGHT. What we do with that light is up to us. We can tap into the LIGHT and use the power as a night light or a flood light.
We could continue this blog entry for several more pages, but will stop here. Read this letter of Paul’s again to the church at Ephesus and be blessed!

Paul writes this letter to the Colossians while he was under house arrest. He has never visited this church and writes this letter to combat some heresies similar to Gnosticism. Gnostics believed that it took special knowledge to be accepted by God and that Jesus alone was not the way to salvation. Paul wrote the letter to clear up their confusion.

Paul’s Prayer for the Colossians
Here is a perfect pattern for intercessory prayer, even for those whom we don’t even know. After all, Paul didn’t know these people personally. The church was founded by one of Paul’s converts.
Pray:
For Knowledge of God’s will
For Spiritual wisdom and understanding
To Please and honor God
To Bear good fruit
For Endurance
To be Filled with God’s strength
For Patience
To Have great joy

Col 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Much false doctrine is taught that sounds attractive because it identifies with basic principles of this world. If we are grounded in God’s word through personal study and sound Bible teaching, we will know the truth. We will be able to recognize false doctrine and teaching. There are many human approaches to life’s problems that do not include God.

Paul writes that in the old law, circumcision was a symbol of God’s covenant with man. This was a literal physical act of circumcision. Under the new covenant, we are circumcised figuratively by the infusion of the Holy Spirit. It is a circumcision of the heart. It denotes a change in character.

Col 3:5
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Greed would be a quest for power, prestige, position, and possessions, not necessarily just money.

If we put our mind on things above, we will put to death the old ways which may include this list. But Paul goes on to say that we used to walk in these ways, and now we have died to the old nature, we must put away other things as well: “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language”.

Col 3:12
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Clothe is an action word. We must do this daily. Just like we clothe our body every day, we must clothe ourselves in Christ and all the attributes of a Christian. We must consciously think about being all these things and start every day promising that we will be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Sometimes it may mean going out of our way to display these qualities.

Col 3:14
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Think about a necklace of jewels. The precious sparkling jewels are separated by a jewel of love so that we have a necklace that looks like this:
Compassion***love***kindness***love***humility***love***gentleness*** love***patience***love***

Paul writes about someone named Epaphras
Col 4:12b
He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
The Greek word for wrestling means to agonize, with an intense desire for their salvation.
How are all of us as Christians doing with this way of praying? Are we agonizing in our prayers for other’s salvation?

Paul warns about the dangers of sailing at that time of year. The Fast was the Day of Atonement, which was commemorated sometime in October. Paul was warning them not to make the voyage. Ships had no compass. They navigated by the stars. Overcast weather made sailing almost impossible and very dangerous. Sailing was doubtful in September and impossible by November. This was in October.

Notice in the readings for today that Paul begins this voyage as a prisoner in chains. Then the sailors listen to him and do what he suggests.

The ship is wrecked on the island of Malta. Malta was located 60 miles south of Sicily, had excellent harbors and was ideally located for trade. The islanders were from Phoenician ancestry.

Paul healed many people while he was on the island of Malta. We have stated many times that Scripture supports that the apostles (including Paul) were given all the gifts of the Spirit to the max. In this passage there is evidence of a couple of those gifts. The passage also helps us to understand the difference between two similar gifts.

There is a nuance on the words healed and cured. Paul healed the father of Publius. This word means the man was instantly healed and made well. This would be the gift of miracles. When the rest of the sick from the island came to Paul it says he cured them. The word cured means a continuing treatment and slow healing. This would be the gift of healing.

A perfect example of how God turns bad into good is this one. While Paul was under house arrest he wrote the letters of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Had Paul not been imprisoned, maybe he wouldn’t have written those letters and we wouldn’t have them to read today!

Paul spent a total of five years in chains.

The book of Acts ends abruptly but powerfully and beautifully with Paul giving us a wonderful example of Christian living.
“Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Indictments were made against Paul for teaching “The Way” in the temple. It would be a similar situation if someone were to go and teach the New Testament at a Jewish synagogue in Indianapolis.

Paul is given many opportunities to witness as he is brought before many authorities. He takes advantage of these opportunities. Do we as Christians take advantage of every opportunity to witness for Him?

Acts 26:29
Paul replied, "Short time or long-- I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains."
Paul was praying for those of us who are reading and listening to this Scripture today. Do you think that Paul had any idea of the millions (or even billions) of people who would be influenced by his words???

We are not in literal “chains” like Paul was, but are there some “chains” that bind us from teaching about Jesus? What might some of those “chains” be? How can we break those “chains”?

When Paul reported to the brothers in Jerusalem what God had done through his (Paul’s)ministry, they praised God, not Paul.

The Jews seized Paul in the temple. Paul was only teaching against legalism. He was saying hold on to salvation through Jesus. Those Jews believed that they could earn their place in heaven through strict obedience of the law. They were upset with Paul because they thought he had brought Greeks into the temple area. Greeks were not allowed there, they were limited to the Court of the Gentiles.

One of the commanders questioned Paul about a revolt. Josephus, an ancient historian, wrote of an Egyptian who led a revolt in Jerusalem in AD 54, then disappeared. The commander may have thought Paul was this man.

When Paul made his defense to the crowd, he spoke in Aramaic, the language of the common people. Paul spoke Greek and Hebrew as well, maybe others. In order for us to minister to people we must speak their language. This applies literally as well as figuratively.

Acts 22:3
"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.

This was the same Gamaliel in Acts 5:34. He was the most honored rabbi of the 1st century, an expert on religious law. He passed more traditional rules and laws than any others in the same amount of time than anyone else in Judean history.

Paul retells the story of his conversion experience. I wonder how many times he told this story! This was the first time Jesus spoke to Paul. It is interesting to note that He spoke to Paul in Aramaic. Paul also relates a second time that Jesus spoke to him, this time in a trance.

Paul was brought on trial before the Sanhedrin.
The Pharisees were the most numerous of the Jewish parties or sects. They were members of the middle class, mostly businessmen (merchants and tradesmen). They taught that the way to God was through obedience to the law. They accepted the entirety of the Old Testament as authoritative. They established and controlled synagogues and exercised great control over the general population, serving as religious authorities over most Jews. They were also known as the scribes.

The Sadducees were from the aristocracy, the rich descendants of the high priestly line. They were in charge of the temple and its services. They exercised great political control through the Sanhedrin. They accepted only the Torah (the written law of Moses) and practiced a literal interpretation of the law, stressing strict observance of the law. They denied divine providence, the concept of life after death, and the existence of angels and demons. They were also known as the chief priests and elders.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were the two main groups within Judaism. The Sanhedrin usually tried to maintain a balance of power between them.

The Sanhedrin was the Jewish ruling council composed of both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It was the highest ruling body and court of justice among the Jewish people. It was headed by the high priest and was granted limited authority over certain religious, civil, and criminal matters. It was composed of 71 members. The Romans left most of the business of governing the Jews to the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin even had its own police force. This is the force that arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Romans denied them the power of capital punishment.

Paul very shrewdly pitted the Pharisees against the Sadducees when he brought up that he believed in a resurrection of the dead, which created a huge dispute between the two ruling parties.

Paul also mentions the third time when Jesus appeared to him and encouraged him to take courage. This time Jesus appeared in bodily form and not in a vision or trance.

Acts 23:12
The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
They were really motivated to kill Paul. But they weren’t successful. Does this mean they died of starvation??? Or did they break their vow??? Hmmmm...

Kind of an amusing story concerning the young man Eutychus, who fell asleep during one of Paul’s long sermons, fell out of a third story window, died, and was revived by Paul.

Acts 20:26
Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
This is a great testimony of Paul’s faith in knowing that he is forgiven for persecuting and killing Christians.

Acts 21:8
Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.
When we read one of the Seven (with a capital S) we thought that perhaps there were only seven remaining apostles living at this time, Philip being one of the Seven. After doing some research, we discovered that most commentaries agree that this Philip was not one of the apostles, but one of the seven deacons. (Acts 6:5)

It is very difficult to read the story of the sad farewell (Acts 20:36-38) and not be moved to tears.

There was some confusion (by us) concerning the Spirit warning Paul about what was to happen to him in Jerusalem. Paul was warned by the Holy Spirit and other people were also warned about what Paul would have to suffer there. After studying further, it seems as if the Holy Spirit was telling the people that Paul would face much suffering in Jerusalem. The people loved Paul and wanted to save him. But the Holy Spirit didn’t tell them to try to stop Paul. Something for us to ponder.

Rom 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your spiritual act of worship.
What does it mean to offer our bodies as living sacrifices?

When God asks for sacrifices, He asks for only our best. He wants the first, not what’s left over.

Rom 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.
It’s very clear that we as Christians are not to conform to the standards of acceptance of a morally decadent world.
How do we conform to the standards of this world?

To be transformed is to be “born again” with a new mindset, a new attitude.
We learn and understand what God’s will is for us by reading, studying, and meditating on His word and in prayer to Him, being submissive to the Holy Spirit.

Rom 13:10
Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
If we obey the first two commandments, then all the others simply fall into place.

Rom 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
If we use the scriptures, both Old and New Testament to get the full picture we will be encouraged and strengthened. The more we read, the more we understand and the more we will trust in Him. It is only with the full context of scripture that we can understand.

Rom 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Imagine a clear glass. As we trust in Him, he begins to fill us (the glass) with joy and peace. He fills us more and more as we trust in Him more and more until finally our glass overflows. What might prevent us from allowing Him to fill us?

Rom 15:29
I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.
Paul has the Lord’s blessing for coming to them, the established church. This will be a time of spiritual nourishment and encouragement for Paul. God knows that Paul, like many true servants, needs refreshment from time to time.

Notice Paul did not do his own writing of this letter. Tertius wrote it. Is his eyesight failing so badly that he can no longer write?

Rom 9:3
For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race,
What an offer! Moses did a similar thing.

Rom 10:2
For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
They were zealous based on the law (legalism) and didn’t have the knowledge of Jesus.

Rom 10:10
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Once we believe and are made right, then we want to live right.

Rom 10:13-15
for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Believers are sent to preach – others hear – others believe – they call on Him – they are saved. Bottom line here is believers are sent and others are saved!

Rom 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
When we (Phil and Patti) were children, we heard the message. We accepted what Christian adults told us. It brought about a measure of faith in what they were telling us. So that when we accepted Jesus for ourselves we already had a measure of faith. Phil likes to say that we knew Jesus first as a friend before we even knew we needed a Savior.

Rom 10:20
And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me."
We have often used the analogy of a horizontal line. Our life is like a horizontal line. We stay on the line and to eventual destruction until at some point (or many points) God reaches down to us and we reach back to Him. Then we are on the vertical line and on our way to life eternal.

Rom 3:22-24
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
No question here that ALL have sinned. Also, no question that we are justified freely by His grace!

Rom 4:3
What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
Rom 4:10
Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!

Interesting that the “son of promise”, Isaac, was conceived after Abraham’s circumcision. Ishmael was conceived before the circumcision.

Abraham’s faith didn’t waver concerning the promise of an offspring. Sarah, on the other hand, felt that she should offer her handmaiden, Hagar to Abraham in order to fulfill the promise, since she was too old to bear children (or so she thought).
Rom 4:20-21
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Do we as Christians waver through unbelief regarding the promises of God or are we strengthened in our faith and give glory to God? Are we fully persuaded that God has power to do what he has promised or are we like Sarah and try to “help God out”?

Rom 8:15
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Just before Jesus was arrested, He prayed this prayer in the Garden.
Mark 14:36
"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
Abba is a term of endearment, something like our English word, Daddy. As we have watched Jesus repeatedly speak of the Father the closer He gets to the crucifixion, it seems as if He hungers for the presence of Abba, Daddy. Do we as Christians hunger to be in the presence of Abba, Daddy?

Rom 8:37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul makes it pretty clear that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus!

Paul wrote the book of Romans as a well thought-out statement of his faith. It does not appear as one of his typical letters. The church at Rome was mostly Jewish but also had a number of Gentiles. It had probably been started by believers who were present at Pentecost. He had never met most of the believers there so he sent this as a letter of introduction. He really presents the foundations of the gospel as salvation for all, saved by grace through faith. He gives clear practical guidelines for the Roman believers.

Paul reminds the people about the prophecies in Holy Scripture. This would be our Old Testament.

“First I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you…”
Notice Paul thanks God for the people. He doesn’t thank the people.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel.”
Paul’s rewards are still coming in.

“…men who suppress the truth…”
“…so that men are without excuse…”
God’s power has manifested itself from the beginning. Those who suppress the truth are called wicked.

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather that the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.”
An example of exchanging the truth of God for a lie would be evolution. It is non belief in a Creator. It takes more faith to believe in evolution than to believe in God.

“…received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”
Sin has consequences. Sin also hurts more than just the sinner.

“…but also approve of those who practice them.”
We must be careful that by our silence we are in effect condoning sinful behavior. Silence can speak volumes!

Circumcision was a symbol of God’s covenant with his people. Circumcision of the heart by the Spirit happens at acceptance of Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit. However, we must be on guard or our hearts may become hardened.

“…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
When faced with temptation, it’s nice to have a Bible verse to quote in order to take every thought captive.

Paul had some strong words to say, “When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves to themselves, they are not wise.”
Would this be ego-mania to the max!?!

“…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light”
Satan will use any means possible, including passing himself off as God, using both subtle and blatant means. He is the great deceiver. Satan is not omnipresent. He can’t make us do anything. Don’t give him too much credit.

Notice all the sufferings Paul lists. With all the punishment his body received, he probably never fully recovered from any of them. Can you imagine suffering without pain medication or the comfort of our homes and people to take care of us? Being a Christian does not guarantee a “cushy” life.

“…caught up to the third heaven…”
Many think that this happened during the three days after Paul’s conversion experience while he was blinded. The first heaven contains clouds and air. The second heaven contains stars and sky. The third heaven is where God lives, where His glory shines. See the firmament in Genesis.
The natural response to this experience would be pride. No one else experienced this so Paul was given a thorn in the flesh. Any handicap we might live with can be our thorn in the flesh. Satan wanted this to turn Paul. God wanted to humble Paul. Pride doesn’t exist in people of pain. It is not always God's will to keep us from pain and pressure. Remember that suffering is not new. Pride comes with achievement. Contentment does not require comfort.

“…a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”
Many scholars have done extensive research to discover what this “thorn” in the flesh was and no one can say for sure. But whatever it is, the most important thing is that Paul accepts this and even boasts about this weakness. Rejoice and be glad to be found worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ.

Paul tells the church that they have gone through many hardships. “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God…”
What would happen if we relied on God instead of ourselves? Would the hardships be less?

“For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
What schemes? Satan's schemes are not always blatant and "in your face". Most often they are very subtle. Check out the Chronological Chronicles on the website for a writing entitled Too Busy? It tells all about Satan’s schemes!

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
We are constantly being transformed into the likeness of Christ, if we allow it and work toward it.

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
What an awesome responsibility and privilege!

“Therefore come out from them and be separate…”
When we step out of worldliness and into Godliness, we are different. This difference will attract others.

“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence to God.”
What contaminates body and spirit?

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
Notice all the "alls". All the "alls" follow giving cheerfully!

“Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
This James is thought by most scholars to be the brother of Jesus who at first did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but later believed and became a leader of the church in Jerusalem.

Paul says that he was abnormally born. Not many of us have the spiritual birth that Paul did.

Concerning spiritual bodies…we have a natural body and a spiritual body. It’s hard for us to comprehend what our spiritual bodies will be like. Imagine an apple seed. If we plant an apple seed, a seed doesn’t grow – ultimately a large beautiful apple tree with leafy branches, beautiful blossoms, and luscious fruit grows. The final result looks nothing like the seed. Our resurrected bodies will be far more beautiful than a “seed”.

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
What a statement this is! Death is not defeat. Believers are victors in death because we will have inherited eternal life.

“…because a great door for effective work has been opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.”
Just like Paul, we will have opposition if we are doing effective work for the Lord. Has a great door been opened to us Christians for effective work? Do we have the courage to walk through that door, knowing we will be empowered by the Holy Spirit or are we weak because there are many who oppose us?

1 Cor 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

So even if we think we aren't making a difference, God says we are! What encouragement!

“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.”
We are supposed to know and understand our spiritual gifts. The body of Christ, the church is diverse. Because of our different spiritual gifts we view things differently and we interpret things differently. We are motivated to do things differently. We are born with certain talents and natural abilities but when we are born again, we are given certain spiritual gifts. Talents are natural. Gifts are supernatural. Evidence of a spirit-filled church is one in which the members exercise their gifts for one another. God has chosen to minister to his people through us!

“…since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church…”

“Tongues, then, are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.”

“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.”
Paul explains that those who have the gift of prophecy speak to believers for edifying the church – for strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. Those who speak in tongues edify themselves unless there is an interpreter present. To excel in a gift is to exercise it, to use it and find out more about it.

Paul warns about allowing women to lead in church. We have to remember that girls were not formally taught like the boys were. They did not have knowledge of scripture. They didn’t have the foundation to speak with understanding. Many women were speaking and confusing others. This is why Paul warned about allowing women to lead. The same warning applies to new believers. They are simply not equipped yet with that firm foundation of the knowledge of spiritual matters. However, Jesus made it clear that there is definitely a place for women in leadership. Whew! Glad He did!

Paul addresses a specific incident concerning sexual immorality and tells them to how to deal with the person. “When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.”
This person has to “hit rock bottom”, be at the bottom of the pit and have no where to go but up.

Paul warns about the yeast of malice and wickedness (most of the time when yeast is mentioned it is not a good thing, in fact is a symbol of sin) and encourages them with the bread of sincerity and truth.
“For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.”
Our sins are forgiven, obliterated, not just covered over temporarily as with the old covenant.

Paul separated sexual immorality from other sins. He says that the one who sins sexually sins against his own body and that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Our relationship with God has been repeatedly compared to a marriage relationship. In Corinth as well as in today’s society, sex outside marriage was treated as a normal, even desirable part of life, while marriage was seen as confining and joyless. Paul made it clear that Christians should take no part in sexual immorality, even if it is accepted in society. It is a sin against God, it hurts all those involved.
“..You are not your own; you were bought with a price…”
Christians don’t belong to themselves.

Paul expresses that he doesn’t want to be distracted by a family. He believed if he had a family it would slow him down in his ministry.

“But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.”
HA!

“…but there is one God, the Father…and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ…”
Paul makes a distinction here between God and Lord, identifying God as the Father and Jesus as the Lord. The word God means supreme deity. The word Lord means supreme authority.

“I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means, I might save some.”
Paul met them where they were without condemning them.

“…for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”
No doubt here that it was the Son of God who interacted in the wilderness with Moses.

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.”
We must stand firm with the whole armor of God, not standing firm with our own confidence or only with part of the armor.

“And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear…”
Good news for all believers when faced with temptation.

Corinth was a major seaport and trade center, the capital of Achaia (present day Greece). The city was very prosperous with great cultural and religious diversity. It was ripe for corruption, filled with immorality. Idolatry flourished with more than a dozen pagan temples employing more than a thousand prostitutes. The temple of the love goddess Aphrodite was there. Sex was a part of the worship ritual.

The church at Corinth had been established by Paul on his second missionary journey, made up largely of Gentiles. The Christians there were struggling with the corruption all around them and felt the pressure to adapt. Paul wrote this letter to offer solutions to the many concerns and to answer the questions that had been raised.

“Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift…”
The body of Christ as a whole does not lack any spiritual gift. In any body of Christ, truly seeking Him, there will be no lack of gifts. It may be that one spiritual gift may be enhanced over another if there is a need for that particular gift in that particular body.

Paul didn’t seem all that too concerned about baptism. He said Christ didn’t send him to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with his own words. Be baptized (immersed) in the Holy Spirit.

Paul tells the Corinthian church that he did not come to them with eloquence or superior wisdom, but with a personal testimony of the Spirit’s power. He was demonstrating a characteristic of the gift of evangelism. Paul was thoroughly educated in the scriptures and could have spoken with superior wisdom, yet he spoke from personal experience.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him…”
In our wildest imaginations, we can never imagine what God has prepared for us!

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”
Paul told them of salvation through Jesus. Apollos nurtured, educated, and encouraged them. But when all is said and done, it is up to God to produce the growth. We can do what we have been gifted to do, then leave it in the Lord’s very capable hands.

If we are “servants of Christ” then as servants we must do what the Master tells us to do. We are servants who have been “entrusted with the secret things of God”. It is up to us to prove faithful and share those “secret” things with others. As we learn more and more about Him, through Bible study, prayer, devotions, we must witness for Him. We must be faithful to His word and be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore I urge you to imitate me…”
This appears on the surface and taken out of context to be arrogant on the part of Paul. We must read the previous passages to understand what Paul is referring to in this instance. He just told the Corinthians that he and his companions in the gospel were hungry, thirsty, in rags, brutally treated, homeless, cursed, persecuted, and slandered. And that his response to this was to bless, endure, and answer kindly.
In other words, Paul is saying that everything we do as Christians is the opposite of human logic when it comes to dealing with the enemy.

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”
Talk is cheap! Do all of us as Christians walk the talk?

Paul wrote this second letter less than a year after writing the first one. There was some confusion among the people concerning the second coming. Many thought it was imminent and so were just waiting without doing much. He wrote this letter to clear up the confusion concerning Jesus’ second coming. Read I Thes 4:16-17 and then read II Thes 2:1-12. Paul made it very clear what things MUST take place BEFORE Jesus returns.

The events before the second coming include a “falling away” and the man of lawlessness revealed:
1. falling away
2. anti-Christ is revealed,
3. anti-Christ will declare he’s God in a temple not yet built.

The lawless one will display counterfeit signs, wonders, and miracles and deceive many people. People will perish because they do not love the truth. If we love the truth we will study and search for it. If we don’t know the truth we will be deceived.

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
We should have no fear of the evil one or the powerful forces of evil because we will be protected from spiritual harm if we trust in Him. We do need to stand firm with all the armor of God in place. (see Ephesians 6)

We must understand that spiritual warfare is real. We must take spiritual attacks seriously. How do we know when something is a spiritual attack? We must know our enemy the devil, his tactics and his style. How do we know our enemy? We must study, memorize, and apply scripture. We must be in communication with the Lord through prayer. We must be in fellowship with other believers.

As humans we think of attacks as something that hurts. In reality the attacks from Satan may feel good. He whispers in the ear such things as, “you don’t really need to go to church today, or you’re too tired to read your Bible, or you’re running late this morning so you don’t have time to pray, etc.” He helps us rationalize away spiritual disciplines, (devotions, prayer, Bible study, worship and praise, fellowship with other believers) things that draw us closer to God.

Some of the devil’s deadly “Ds”:
Doubt, when unchecked leads to disbelief. Disappointment leads to discouragement, which leads to despair. Distraction, delay, discord, deceit, all lead to division.

If the things that happen to us push us away from God, then it’s from Satan. If things pulls us to God and gives glory to Him, then it’s from God no matter what it feels like to us, even if it’s painful.

What is Paul’s distinguishing mark? Could it be the large letters he uses as he writes because his vision is poor?

Apollos “was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.”

Apollos knew about Jesus but didn’t know Jesus. He, along with the Old Testament people believed in the Messiah, the Redeemer, in advance of His coming. Apollos was teaching about the Messiah.

A similar thing occurred with Paul and some followers in Ephesus. They received only the baptism of John, the baptism of repentance. Paul baptized them in the name of Jesus and they received the Holy Spirit.

Why were the seven sons of Sceva not able to drive out the evil spirit? Could it be that they were just saying words and weren’t given the power or authority to drive out demons? Notice what happened when the people heard about it. They were seized with fear and openly confessed their sins. Many who practiced sorcery brought their scrolls and burned them publicly. These scrolls were very valuable, just for the paper itself, not to mention what was inscribed on them. The parchment itself was expensive. The scripture tells us that the scrolls were worth about 50,000 days wages. That’s the equivalent of about 137 years wages. Talk about selling out!

Thessalonica was the capital and largest city in Macedonia, a Roman province. It was one of the wealthiest and most flourishing trade centers, due mostly because of its location on the highway from Rome to the Orient. There was also a thriving seaport located there. The city was exempt from most restrictions placed by the Romans because they were allowed self rule there. It was the site of many pagan religions.

Paul tells us that faith comes first, and then works. From our faith we are motivated to do good works. Work produced by faith, labor prompted by love, endurance inspired by hope. Work is a deed or act, labor is work involving pain. We make a progression from a deed to real work that involves some sacrifice or pain, leading to endurance which is cheerful waiting.

“We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts…”
We can please men by saying what they want to hear and be a Christian, but we can’t be content to just please men, saying what they want to hear and be a servant of Christ. To be a servant of Christ we are compelled to bind or knit ourselves to Christ.

“…let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet…”
Again we have the faith, love, and hope as Paul gave us at the beginning of this letter. The helmet and breastplate defend the two vital parts, the head and the heart respectively. The head needs to he kept from error, the heart from sin.
Work and labor paired with faith and love. Cheerful waiting paired with salvation – the hope of eternal rest.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Remember, God is the perfect parent! It’s appropriate for us to say, “This is God’s will so it must be good for me.” We may never know how we’ve witnessed to others simply by the way we react to difficult circumstances. Look at what happened with Paul and Silas and the jailer. The saved ones are the product of our witness – our glory and joy – great is our reward!

Paul circumcises Timothy. This appears to be a contradiction. Paul had just established at the Jerusalem Conference the importance of not imposing circumcision upon the Gentile converts. He even had the decrees of the council at Jerusalem with him. Yet he circumcised Timothy. Possibly Paul thought that if Timothy remained uncircumcised he would be considered unclean by the Jews to which he would minister and that they might be prejudiced against him and his message. Paul was using circumcision in Timothy’s case, not as necessary to salvation, but conducive to the building up of the church. Timothy was to be Paul’s assistant and constant companion and might not be accepted if he were uncircumcised. (“to the Jews he became as a Jew, that he might gain the Jews”)

The slave girl in today’s passages was inhabited by a spirit. Paul commanded the spirit to leave the girl. Even though the things she was saying were true, they were not from God. This is an example of Satan’s deceit and craftiness. He will tell just a little bit of truth so that some will believe and be drawn to a particular person or group. That’s the hook. Then he will be able to teach falsehoods and so deceive people. He tells just enough truth so that people are easily fooled.

The owners of the slave girl were angry that Paul and Silas had stopped their intake of money from the girl fortune teller. That’s why they had Paul seized claiming he and Paul were advocating unlawful customs. The magistrate ordered them to be stripped and beaten. KJV says the magistrates rent off their clothes, ordering the lectors to tear them off, expressing the roughness done to prisoners, preparatory to whipping.

They were severely flogged and then placed in prison in stocks. This was the inner prison (pestilential cells) damp, dark, and cold where chains rusted on the prisoners. During the time of Paul’s journeys, many died from flogging. Many died from the stocks.

The stocks were instruments of torture, made of wood bound with iron, with holes for the feet, which were stretched apart according to the severity of the punishment or torture. Yet the response to this persecution??? Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God. The Greek words here mean “as they prayed they kept singing praises unto God”. The word for hymn is the one used for the Paschal hymn (Psalm 113 - 118) which might have been the hymn sung by Jesus and the disciples after their last supper together.

The prisoners kept listening to Paul and Silas instead of sleeping. They were awake and listening. A violent earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, the prison doors opened; all the prisoner’s chains were loosed. But no one escaped. What a great witness to the jailer! It was so great a witness that the jailer and his whole household were saved. When the magistrates sent for their release, Paul responded with. “No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.” WAY TO GO PAUL!!!

Paul and Silas went to Lydia’s house and encouraged the brothers. Interestingly it was Paul and Silas, the ones who were tortured and imprisoned that encouraged the brothers, not the other way around.

In Athens the people had many gods and objects of worship, even an altar “To An Unknown God” just in case they had missed one. KJV says the city was wholly given to idolatry (covered with idols).

Epicureans were a well-known school of atheistic materialists, who maintained that the universe is the product of chance, and that pleasure was the chief end of human existence. Sounds a bit like humanism among other false religions today.

When they called Paul a babbler they were insulting him. It was a general term of contempt for any pretend teacher.

When Paul came to Corinth he devoted himself exclusively to preaching to the Jews. After Paul left the synagogue he left the Jews and went to the Gentiles. Then the Lord spoke to him in a vision. He was told to stay in the area and to continue speaking and that he would be protected. “So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.” It’s as if God were giving Paul a much needed time of rest, relief, and rejuvenation. Preaching vs. teaching. Paul was preaching to the perishing, teaching to the believers.