Acs 19:8-10

Sometimes you need to know when to let go and let God work.

Paul tried explaining the things of the kingdom of God to the Jews in the synagogue for three months. After he was finally rejected, he took those who had believed and started a new “school” for the study of the Scriptures in the facilities of a philosopher named Tyrannus. During the two years that Paul conducted these classes, all who dwelt in Asia heard the gospel. 

Acts 19:8-10

⁸ And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 

Acts 21:35-36

To believe that people will always agree with you in your Christian walk is folly and to seek the approval of others, even fellow Christians, is spiritual stagnation. It is enough to seek God’s will in your life and then to follow what the Holy Spirit reveals as truth to you. Paul suffered for his beliefs but he completed his walk and fought the good fight. Faith alone pleases God..

Between six hundred and a thousand men were stationed in the Fortress Antonia on the northwest side of the temple. From a tower overlooking the temple courts they could watch for any trouble. When the riot broke out against Paul, at least two hundred soldiers were dispatched from the fortress into the Court of the Gentiles.

Acts 21:35-36

³⁵ When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. ³⁶ For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!” 

Daniel 9:24

Sometimes when I think about the end times I view it with a sense of apprehension but in actuality it is a time of hope for all of us who place our trust in the unity of the Triune Godhead because it is the fulfillment of God’s love for mankind and the end of sin. With the placement  of Jesus Christ and His righteousness as the ruler of mankind established what a wonderful time it will be.

Seventy weeks may also be translated seventy sevens. Many scholars agree that the “sevens” are years, as the 70 years of captivity addressed in v. 2 implies. Leviticus 25:8 speaks of “seven sabbaths of years”; Lev. 26:18, 21 implies that Israel’s punishment would be multiplied sevenfold. Therefore, an exile of 70 “weeks” would be expected to last for seven times 70 years. Second Chronicles 36:21 suggests that the captivity was to last long enough to make up for 70 omissions of the sabbatical year, which occurred every seven years. This would amount to 490 years before God’s people would experience perfect reconciliation with their God. There are many different interpretations of how these years account for the eras of world history before the Second Coming of the Messiah. Some interpreters have suggested that the use of the number seven in this verse is symbolic representing completeness—that is, the completion of all of human history.

Daniel 9:24

²⁴ “Seventy weeks are determined 

For your people and for your holy city, 

To finish the transgression, 

To make an end of sins, 

To make reconciliation for iniquity, 

To bring in everlasting righteousness, 

To seal up vision and prophecy, 

And to anoint the Most Holy. 

Mark 3:13

God calls whom He wishes and they come.....it seems simplistic but it is what it is! Some from a very early age believe, never doubting, knowing from the beginning that He is and that they are His. To whom much faith is given, much is expected, help us to know Your will and to do it.

Jesus had a large group of followers. Even after the Twelve were appointed, He still had a large and continual following. Spiritual kinship is determined not by blood or race but by obedience to God.

Mark 3:13

¹³ And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 

Acts 23:1-5

‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people’” we would all do well to remember this Biblical command. Jesus spoke out against the hypocrisy of the practices of the Scribes and Pharisees but never did He single out one individual governing ruler. Somewhere along the way we have lost civility even within our individual electoral parties.  We now expect more of our children in their dealings with others than we do with ourselves. We can agree to respectfully disagree that is what America is supposed to be about.

Note that Paul did not defend his behavior, but rather repented of it. There are several possible reasons why Paul did not know Ananias was the high priest. It could be that Paul’s eyesight was poor, and he could not see Ananias clearly. Or perhaps this was not a normal assembly of the Sanhedrin, and the high priest was not wearing his normal robes or sitting in his usual place.

Acts 23:1-5

23 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” ² And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?” 

⁴ And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” 

⁵ Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’” 

The Genealogy of Christ

Genealogy means “origin.” Genealogy to first century Jews was very important. It proved that 1) a person was an Israelite 2) it identified the tribe he belonged to and 3) it qualified certain Jews for religious duties. 

Christ’s genealogy is crucial to historic Christianity. It proved that Jesus is qualified to rule on the throne of David an event in fulfillment of the Scriptures still to come in our history.

Jesus was of the direct lineage of David and thoroughly qualified to be King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus was born into the lineage of David through his stepfather Joseph. He was qualified for religious duties through His mother who was of the the Tribe of Judah and of the priestly division of Aaron. He was totally dependent upon His Father, the Holy Spirit, to fulfill His calling to the Body of Christ.

I found this very interesting: in Biblical times there was no word for father-in-law, just as there was no word for grandfather. Joseph can’t be the son of both Jacob and Heli. According to the Jerusalem Talmud (Chag. 77,4), Heli was actually Mary’s father making him Joseph’s father-in-law. The reason the two genealogies are different is that Joseph was descended from Solomon while Mary was a descendant of Solomon’s older brother Nathan.

So Joseph and Mary were actually cousins although many times removed. Since Heli had no sons, Mary had to find a husband from the tribe of Judah like herself to protect her father’s estate.(See Numbers 36) She also needed a direct descendant of Solomon to perfect her son’s claim to the throne of David, since Nathan’s descendants weren’t of the Royal line.

Joseph fit the bill on both accounts but like every other descendant of Solomon’s carried a blood curse disqualifying any biological son of his from ever being King of Israel.(Jeremiah 22:28-30) Since Joseph was not the Lord’s biological father, he could adopt Him, qualifying Him to be King without passing Him the curse.

Thus, because of the virgin birth, Jesus became the only one in Israel qualified to sit on David’s throne, and remains so to this day. 

Matthew 1:1-17

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 

Acts 21:25

I believe that the Catholic Church was founded by the converted Jews of  “The Way”, Peter and the Apostles, and that they formed the original Church of Christ. Under Paul’s Divine calling the rest of mankind, because it was to small a thing that Jesus save only the Jews, who would come to believe in Jesus Christ make up the Protestant or Gentile Churches. Still today Catholics are bound by tradition and rules set up at the beginning that gentiles do not have to be concerned with. What a loving and inclusive God we serve!

The Christian leaders were not asking Gentiles to live like Jews; neither did they want to compel Jews to live like Gentiles. The spiritual unity of the body of believers is realized in its diversity, not in its conformity. From our diverse backgrounds and cultures we honor the same Lord.

Acts 21:25

²⁵ But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 

Nahum 2:8-10

Wealth made from hurting and extorting others brings nothing but heartache, desolation and certain spiritual death.

The nation that had made so much of taking captives would be made a captive by others. No one would listen to their shouts of panic. 

Assyria had despoiled many nations, including Samaria and the cities of Israel. There seemed to be no end to the loot that could be found within its walls. Nonetheless, even Nineveh was exhausted of its treasures. At long last, it was empty.

Nahum 2:8-10

⁸ Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water, 

Now they flee away. 

“Halt! Halt!” they cry; 

But no one turns back. 

⁹ Take spoil of silver! 

Take spoil of gold! 

There is no end of treasure, 

Or wealth of every desirable prize. 

¹⁰ She is empty, desolate, and waste! 

The heart melts, and the knees shake; 

Much pain is in every side, 

And all their faces are drained of color. 

Jonah 1:1-3

We all know the story of Jonah and the fish.....it is not pleasant to be out of the will of God and it can be sheer folly to willfully disobey Him! Remember, God has a way of disciplining those He loves. Jonah did not want to look like a fool when Ninevah repented and was saved from the disaster that awaited them......God only wanted them saved!

Nineveh, located on the Tigris River, was the capital of ancient Assyria and was over five hundred miles from Gath Hepher, Jonah’s home near Nazareth in Israel. Their wickedness refers to Nineveh’s pride, greed, brutality, and adultery. 

Jonah 1:1-3

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” ³ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 

Luke 1:1-4

When we abide in Him God uses the talents that He has given us to help bring others to salvation and the Holy Spirit to equip us with the power to accomplish His will. We all have a purpose and a destiny in His plan no matter how large or small. God used the analytical, compassionate mind of Luke to describe the compassion and healing nature of the Son of God. 

Luke makes it clear that he was not the first to write a narrative of the ministry of Jesus. The theme of God’s plan is introduced with the note that the subject of such narratives was the things which have been fulfilled. The sources for these narratives were eyewitnesses who delivered their testimony to the church. Deliver refers to the transmission of an authoritative account. These verses suggest that Luke was not an eyewitness to the events of Jesus’ ministry, but that he had access to statements of those who were.

Luke 1:1-4

1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, ² just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, ³ it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. 

Acts 22:23-28

The Jews used the Roman government to carry out their religious judgements. Paul was not above using any means available to protect himself and to spread the word of the Gospel to Jew and Roman alike. He became all things to all people in order to save a few. He called upon the Roman government to protect himself from being scourged. Paul thought that he was saving himself  BUT the truth is that God used Paul’s citizenship to spread the Good News of the Gospel. Put your trust in Him!!

Scourging was used to cripple for life or to kill. Roman law was that no Roman citizen could be chained, scourged, or killed without a proper trial. Failure to obey this law resulted in severe punishment for the one who commanded the illegal punishment. Paul had been chained and was about to be scourged without any formal charges having been made.

Originally the privileges of Roman citizenship were limited to free people living in the city of Rome. Later, citizenship was granted to others living in the Roman Empire. Sometimes the emperor would offer citizenship to those who had rendered outstanding service. Possibly Paul’s father or grandfather had became a citizen this way with the result that Paul was born a Roman. 

Acts 22:23-28

²³ Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. ²⁵ 

And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?” 

²⁶ When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.” 

²⁷ Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” 

He said, “Yes.” 

²⁸ The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.” 

And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.” 

Matthew 1:1-17

With the craziness of our own elections causing such extremism it is good for us to remember that Jesus taught moderation in all things not wanting us to swing to the extreme right or the extreme left! Keep in mind there are more important things to consider..... we need to be about the work of our Father! If the love of the Trinity given in Jesus Christ is held up man will be drawn to Him and His eternal rewards, not the monetary rewards of the me first society we live in.

Succession to a throne is often a time of conflict and uncertainty. This is no less true when the heir is the King of kings. The Book of Matthew presents Jesus’s credentials. Who wants an impostor? It presents Jesus as the King of kings, but King of a totally different kingdom - the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 1:1-17

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 

² Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. ³ Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. ⁴ Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. ⁵ Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse begot David the king. 

David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. ⁷ Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. ⁸ Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. ⁹ Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. ¹⁰ Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. ¹¹ Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. 

¹² And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. ¹³ Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. ¹⁴ Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. ¹⁵ Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. ¹⁶ And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. 

¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations. 

Matthew 23:15

A reformed sinner can sometimes be like a reformed alcoholic, addict  or smoker...condemning, judgmental and elitist. Don’t allow evil to overcome the good that God  brought about in you.....Be real! 

Remember God’s mercy and grace draw men to Him and you are an extension of His love for all of His creation!

The Pharisees and scribes could never fairly be accused of being lazy, but they were clearly misdirected and dangerous to the cause of God.

Matthew 23:15

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 

Song Of Solomon

God’s love for us is based on a relationship, a mutual, love filled relationship! He calls whom He wills and knows from the beginning those who will accept His love.....Oh how I love Him! 

This is a day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Song of Solomon 1:4

⁴ Draw me away! 

The Daughters of Jerusalem

We will run after you. 

The Shulamite

The king has brought me into his chambers. 

The Daughters of Jerusalem

We will be glad and rejoice in you. 

We will remember your love more than wine. 

Luke 11:27-18

We need to be doers of His word not just hearers! Good thoughts are just that, good thoughts.......good deeds complete good thoughts and those deeds please God!

It is easy to allow traditional practices to take the place of the authority of the Scriptures. Jesus offers His blessing to those who respond concretely to God’s will as expressed in the Bible.

Luke 11:27-28

²⁷ And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” 

²⁸ But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” 

Mark 6:4-6

Faith alone pleases God and without faith little happens because the power of the Trinity is released in faith. Plant yourself in a Holy Spirit led church where united in Him nothing is impossible! 

Mark 6:4

⁴ But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” ⁵ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. 

Acts 8:38-40

Do we expect too little of our faith in the times we live in? The supernatural was the natural in the Scriptures and was used to accomplish the works of the Trinity on earth. In the measure that we believe is the measure we can receive because nothing is impossible with God!

The Greek word translated caught here is also used in 1 Thess. 4:17 for the catching away of the church into the air. Though this passage may say only that Philip went from the desert to Azotus, most likely the terminology indicates a miraculous transportation.

Acts 8:38-40

³⁸ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. ³⁹ Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. 

1 Timothy 5:1

5 Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity. 

In other words show respect for all people and you will fulfill God’s commands to love one another as He has loved us.

A command to show respect, a respect demonstrated by one’s attitude and through financial support.