Day 124: NT Acts C17-18; Paul’s Journey; A Movie and Reality with the End Yet to Come!

Paul, the prior persecutor of Christians now turned Christian and being persecuted continued his second journey proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ…

And Paul, as was his custom, went in to them and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures; explaining and showing that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that this is the Christ, even Jesus, whom I preach to you. And some of them believed and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the worshipping Greeks and of the Gentiles, and not a few woman of rank.

Jews, moved with jealousy, to the magistrates: “These men who are setting the world in an uproar have come here too… and they are acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”

They (the Jews of Thessalonica) came there (to Beroea) also to stir up and excite the multitude… sent forth Paul to go as far as the sea, while Silas and Timothy remained there.

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, he was exasperated to see how the city was wholly given to idolatry.

“May we know just what is this new doctrine which thou teachest? (Now all the Athenians and the visitors there from abroad used to spend all their leisure telling or listening to something new.)”

 

Paul: I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the Unknown God.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, that I proclaim to you. God… is Lord… does not dwell in temples built by hands; neither is he served by human hands as though he were in need of anything, since it is he who gives to all men life and breath and all things… and made them live all over the face of the earth… though he is not far from any one of us.

For in him we live and move and have our being, as indeed some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ It therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to imagine that the Divinity is like to gold or silver or stone, to an image graven by human art and thought.”

Isn’t that the way it is with us too? We are lost just a little bit, just a little bit off purpose and when we realize it and adjust our perspective, giving gratitude, the powerful base of resurrection of our spirit is right there ready to help us help ourselves!

Paul went on to finish up his second journey staying in Corinth for one and a half years!

After he departed from Athens he came to Corinth… and there he found a certain Jew named Aquila with his wife Priscilla… because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul visited with them and, as he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and he set to work; for they were tent-makers by trade.

But when Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul was wholly occupied with the word, emphatically assuring the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But as they contradicted him and blasphemed, he shook his garments in protest and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am innocent of it. Henceforth I will go to the Gentiles.”

…and many of the Corinthians heard Paul, and believed, and were baptized.

And one night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not fear, but speak and do not keep silence; because I am with thee, and no one shall attack thee or injure thee, for I have many people in this city.” So he settled there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

 

In what seemed at first like a mini-version of the crucifixion of Christ turns into freedom for Paul and the beating of the Chief Jew?

Jews to Gallio, proconsul of Achaia: “This fellow is persuading men to worship God contrary to the Law.”

Gallio to the Jews: “Look to it yourselves; I have no wish to decide such matters.”

And he drove them from the tribunal. Then they (the Jews seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal; but Gallio paid no attention to it.

Paul… sailed for Syria with Priscilla and Aquila; at Cenchrae he had his head shaved, because of a vow he had made. He arrived at Ephesus… but bade them farewell, saying, “I will come back to you, God willing.” …landing at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem to pay his respects to the church and then went down to Antioch.

A short sabbatical back in the homeland and Paul heads out on his third and final journey.

After spending some time there he departed… (beginning his third journey)… strengthening all the disciples.

…a certain Jew named Apollos… He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, used to speak and teach carefully whatever had to do with Jesus, though he knew of John’s baptism only… Priscilla and Aquila took him home and expounded the Way of God to him more precisely… he was of great service to those who had believed, for he vigorously refuted the Jews in public and showed from the Scriptures that Jesus is Christ.

Isn’t that strange that someone who knew of Jesus only knew of him through his baptism of John the Baptist?

Even more strange is this very night that I read, wrote and posted this article I watched the movie ‘Paul, the Apostle of Christ’ which includes Priscilla and Aquila and Paul’s death in Rome which was the end of his third journey. In the movie Luke visits him in prison and writes this very biblical account of the Acts of the Apostles.’

All is good for now, Christianity is growing. Paul’s journey continues; the movie, more discipleship reality, and the end is yet to come!

Day 124: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Paul’s Journey Continues; A Movie and Reality with the End Yet to Come!

Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Acts of The Apostles Chapters 17-18.

Bible Notes:

Saint Luke, the author of the third Gospel, wrote also this history of the primitive Church. Opening with the story of the Ascension and Pentecost, this book records the important events of the early Church: the mass conversions after Pentecost; the persecution by Herod; the conversion of Saint Paul; his three missionary journeys; his arrest and final trip to Rome

Acts Chapter 17:  Preaching in the synagogue at Thessalonica; Successful preaching in Beroea; Paul and the philosophers in Athens; Paul’s discourse in the Areopagus; Result of his discourse.

…they came to Thessalonica.

And Paul, as was his custom, went in to them and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures; explaining and showing that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that this is the Christ, even Jesus, whom I preach to you. And some of them believed and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the worshipping Greeks and of the Gentiles, and not a few woman of rank.

Jews, moved with jealousy, to the magistrates: “These men who are setting the world in an uproar have come here too… and they are acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”

…to Beroea… Now these were of a nobler character than those of Thessalonica and they received the word with great eagerness, studying the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so…

They (the Jews of Thessalonica) came there also to stir up and excite the multitude… sent forth Paul to go as far as the sea, while Silas and Timothy remained there.

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, he was exasperated to see how the city was wholly given to idolatry.

“May we know just what is this new doctrine which thou teachest? (Now all the Athenians and the visitors there from abroad used to spend all their leisure telling or listening to something new.)”

Paul: I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the Unknown God.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, that I proclaim to you. God… is Lord… does not dwell in temples built by hands; neither is he served by human hands as though he were in need of anything, since it is he who gives to all men life and breath and all things… and made them live all over the face of the earth… though he is not far from any one of us.

For in him we live and move and have our being, as indeed some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ It therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to imagine that the Divinity is like to gold or silver or stone, to an image graven by human art and thought.”

Acts Chapter 18:  Paul’s labors in Corinth; Paul before Gallio; Return to Antioch; Paul begins his third journey; Apollos at Ephesus.

After he departed from Athens he came to Corinth… and there he found a certain Jew named Aquila with his wife Priscilla… because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul visited with them and, as he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and he set to work; for they were tent-makers by trade.

But when Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul was wholly occupied with the word, emphatically assuring the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But as they contradicted him and blasphemed, he shook his garments in protest and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am innocent of it. Henceforth I will go to the Gentiles.”

…and many of the Corinthians heard Paul, and believed, and were baptized.

And one night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not fear, but speak and do not keep silence; because I am with thee, and no one shall attack thee or injure thee, for I have many people in this city.” So he settled there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Jews to Gallio, proconsul of Achaia: “This fellow is persuading men to worship God contrary to the Law.”

Gallio to the Jews: “Look to it yourselves; I have no wish to decide such matters.”

And he drove them from the tribunal. Then they (the Jews seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal; but Gallio paid no attention to it.

Paul… sailed for Syria with Priscilla and Aquila; at Cenchrae he had his head shaved, because of a vow he had made. He arrived at Ephesus… but bade them farewell, saying, “I will come back to you, God willing.” …landing at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem to pay his respects to the church and then went down to Antioch.

After spending some time there he departed… (beginning his third journey)… strengthening all the disciples.

…a certain Jew named Apollos… He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, used to speak and teach carefully whatever had to do with Jesus, though he knew of John’s baptism only… Priscilla and Aquila took him home and expounded the Way of God to him more precisely… he was of great service to those who had believed, for he vigorously refuted the Jews in public and showed from the Scriptures that Jesus is Christ.

I sure would like to know more about the vow Paul made that resulted in him shaving his head which by the way was shaven in the movie too.

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