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Apostle Paul before the Sanhedrin The destination for Paul is Rome in this extraordinary journey of taking the gospel to all the “ends of the earth”. God in his perfect design and in control of all world history allows and uses everything for his glory including the then reigning civilization – the Roman Empire. Rome being the capital of the then world had the infrastructure to initiate the spread of the Gospel to all over the world. But before Paul will get to Rome, he would have to stand at least four trials – before the Sanhedrin, Governors Felix and Festus, and King Agrippa. The Sanhedrin is “the Supreme Jewish court, consisting of 70 to 100 men”. The Commander who now has custody of Paul after his arrest wants to give the Jewish court a chance to hear Paul’s case. In between the hearings, there were plots by the Jews to kill Paul and God would foil each of those plans. Read about how God used Paul’s nephew to foil one of these plans (Acts 23: 12-22). If God is behind your mission...

The Power of Our Testimony Apostle John had been given “the revelation of Jesus of Christ” for us his servants. John recorded, “10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (Revelation 12:10-12). As we continue our study in Acts 22, Apostle Paul countered the opposition and his accusers by telling his testimony of personal salvation, knowledge and experience with Christ. People can argue about anything but no one can argue with you about your p...

Free Press for the Gospel Once again, we need to remind ourselves of the purpose of the Book of Acts. Dr. Luke through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has documented the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). As we come to Acts 21, we see how God will use circumstances beyond Paul’s control to start the journey that will bring Paul to Rome which was then the world’s capital for the purpose of the gospel. From here on it is going to be hardship and trials for Paul until he gets to Rome. In the meantime, the gospel is getting free press and Paul is offered a platform to proclaim the gospel. Are the circumstances in your life and my life offering God free press for the spread of the gospel? Or, are we only full of complaints and always seeking for justice to be done? Life is not fair on this side of eternity so let’s take advantage of it for God’s glory to be exemplified in our lives. Let’s see what happened to Apostle Paul. Ac...

Thanksgiving, Paul’s Style As we in America celebrate a day of Thanksgiving, I thought it would be worthwhile to investigate how Apostle Paul would have celebrated one. Why just Paul? Well, since we have been studying Paul in the book of Acts and his prominence in the early church, what better way to give thanks than to see what Paul thanked God for. Let’s briefly reflect on the thanksgiving offered by Paul on behalf of the churches the Holy Spirit helped him start. What are you thankful for? I am thankful to God for you and your obedience to the Word of God. I am thankful for half a century of God’s grace to me on this earth since Nov. 27th is my birthday. Ephesians 1: 15-Thanksgiving and Prayer 15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wi...

The Last Good Bye Have you ever said good bye to someone you know you will never see again at least on this side of eternity? I have and I had experienced it this past January. My family and I had travelled to Nigeria and had spent about two months in the country. Upon leaving I had to say good bye to a family member whom I knew I was not going to see the next time I returned. It was a very hard parting because by March this year, he passed away. Today we see Apostle Paul saying a “hard and difficult good bye” to the church and elders in Asia after ministering there for about three years. What do you say to someone you know you will not see again? Are you and I ready to say the good bye if we were the ones to first “check out” from this earth. Paul was the one facing imminent death because he knew it was a matter of time. Like Jesus, he was “compelled by the Holy Spirit” to proceed to Jerusalem where trouble awaited him. Let’s hear Paul as recorded by Dr. Luke who at this time...

Does the Devil know you by name? In this chapter 19, Paul spends about two years in Ephesus as base for reaching the rest of the then Asia province of the Roman Empire. Many events transpired during this period and notably are: 1. Paul meeting the 12 disciples who had not received the Holy Spirit. 2. Paul’s dedicated daily teaching at the school of Tyrannus; 3. Paul’s encounter with the local magicians and the resulting revival; and, 4. The great riot in Ephesus. It is a worthy observation to see a big change in society because of Christianity and its impact to the point that businesses that catered to idol worship closed. This is why there was the riot (please read it for yourself 19: 23-41). In focusing our study, we will try to answer two questions that are posed as a result of the recorded events. First, “Does one need a baptism of the Holy Spirit after one has believed”? The other question is “Does the devil know you by first name as he knew Jesus and Paul? Let’s allow the tex...

Aquila and Priscilla with Paul in Corinth Today we get insight into how the Church in Corinth was started and established. We read the epistles of Paul in 1st and 2nd Corinthians and take for granted the sacrifice it took to start the Church in that city. We meet a husband and wife team who were instrumental in Paul’s success in establishing the church in Corinth. Sometimes we see our living situations change for no fault of our making for example this world-wide economic melt down. We wonder why we are going through what we are going through. This was the case for Aquila and Priscilla (husband and wife) who were kicked out from Rome because of a decree. Unknown to Aquila and Priscilla, God had a mission for them. You may right now be at a place where you are wondering what is going on and asking, “Why am I here in this situation”? Let’s look out for God’s assignment wherever we may be. God used the ordinary to plant and grow the early Church. He is still doing the same today. Acts 1...

The Bereans and the Areopagus We continue with Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey. He is encountering all sorts. He confronted and cast out the evil spirit that was operating through a young slave girl who was being used to make money. This landed Paul and Silas in prison because the girl could no longer bring money by fortune telling to her owners (Acts 16). In a miraculous way, God released Paul and his team from prison. You will think his problems are over but not. Paul gets thrown out of town in Thessalonica by his fellow Jews who were envious of the success of the gospel of Jesus. That did not stop him. Paul will continue his journey and will now encounter the Bereans, the Epicureans, the Stoic and the Areopagus. Who are these strange sounding names? Let’s find out from Scripture. Let’s be ready to encounter all kinds along the way and be like the Bereans who did their home work. Are you doing your home work on the Word of God or are you just winging it? Acts 17: 10-...

Just One Life at a Time – Timothy and Lydia Apostle Paul and Barnabas have gone separate ways in the mission having had “sharp disagreement” because of John Mark whom Barnabas wanted to come along and Paul did not think so (Acts 15:36-41). That did not stop the work of God. Rather, we see God at work to shape the lives of individuals one at a time for the purpose of establishing His Church. Barnabas discipled John Mark who later became very “useful” even to Paul (2 Tim. 4:11) and John Mark is credited with the writing of the Book of the Gospel of Mark. We see the power of mentoring at work in the early church. This is what making disciples is all about – changing and impacting just one life at a time. Jesus put this plan in place to grow the Church and His kingdom. We will focus on two of these disciples – Timothy and Lydia whom God put in the path of Paul during his second missionary journey. God will put us in the path of someone who needs to be discipled. Often, it is for a seas...

Circumcision Required for Salvation? I have heard about many church splits and I have experienced one myself. Most of the church splits of our time are often based on disagreements on money/property control or on leadership personalities. It seems that we are not particularly interested in doctrinal issues that could divide as did the early church. In Acts 15, we see a “sharp disagreement and dispute” among the believers on the essential doctrine of the church. The big question: Is one required to be circumcised to be saved in accordance with the laws of Moses? Of course, the question is unique to men since the bible never required women to be circumcised. In other words, is obedience to the laws of the Old Testament required in other for the Gentile (or even the Jew) to be saved? Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church leaders at the time dealt decisively and appropriately with the issue at hand. May we learn from them on how to have legitimate disagreements and make l...

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED We must continue to go back to the first chapter of Act as we study the entire book. The mission handed down by Jesus to his disciples and how it was carried out is the book of Acts. Jesus told his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” Progress has been made on this assignment by the power of the Holy Spirit as we have studied so far. Acts chapter 14 documents a major milestone as Apostle Paul and Barnabas concluded their first missionary journey. The first mission had not come easy. Opposition by the Jews and some Gentiles confronted Paul and Barnabas. In verse 2, “But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers”. Also, in verse 19, it says, “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinkin...

THE TURNING POINT Apostle Paul has now taken the leadership of the ministry to the Gentiles. Barnabas has been a very important figure paving the way for Paul. It is good to work with people who are only after God’s glory instead of their own glory and promotion. Barnabas was that kind. He had sold all his property for the work of God to see the gospel prosper. He is an encourager for that is what his name means. Paul will now preach his first recorded sermon in this chapter. Paul’s audience was the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. It was a powerful message that won some converts but did not sit well with most of the Jews. It will become the turning point and the fulfillment of God’s promise to reach the Gentiles for salvation. Let’s see what happened and commit to praying for the salvation of the Jews. ACTS 13: 13-52 13From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On t...

SENT BY GOD Today we come to a new season and direction of the early Church. From chapter 13 to the end of the book of Acts, we see the launching of the ministry of Apostle Paul and the spread of the gospel to mostly Gentile world. This is also where we see Saul being referred to Paul for the first time (Acts 13:9). It was not so much of a name change but a new focus. We will also see a shift from Jerusalem to the city of Antioch which will now be the new missionary base to reach the Gentiles. Many ministries abound today. Sometimes you begin to wonder who sent some of them. In our age, it has been highlighted by the TV and internet. The “TV evangelist” has become something of ridicule. The early church did not have this reputation and the ministers were ordained and sent by the Holy Spirit of God. Paul and Barnabas were sent by God. Has God sent you and me and to whom? They will also deal with false prophets and deceivers along the way and we must do the same. Acts 13: 1-12 1In t...