Category: news, Bible, prophecy

Acts 16:16-40 — Spiritual Warfare In Philippi – New Life In Christ

~ mikethemissionary

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

When we left off in our last post, Paul and Co (Silas, Timothy, and Dr Luke) were being hosted by a Christian family in Philippi — Lydia of Thyatira and her household, who were all baptized shortly after Paul arrived in Philippi. (Acts 16:15) The year is now circa 50 AD.

Philippi was an economic powerhouse, made rich by nearby gold mines. Shortly after the famous Battle of Philippi in 42 BC, a decisive engagement that changed the course of Western history, Philippi was made a Roman colony. Philippi was a walled city with an impressive Roman forum. Adjacent to the forum was a theater that was built in the 4th Century BC.

Aside from the imperial cult of the Roman emperor, Claudius, the standard pantheon of gods was worshiped in Philippi, along with other deities. By preaching Christ, Paul was declaring war on the order of the day, not just for the Romans, but the Greeks and the Jews as well. Paul was God’s CDO.

Fill us with your Holy Spirit, Father, and give us understanding as we read thy word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts 16:16-40
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

This is typical of demonic behavior I have witnessed myself firsthand. She is drawing attention to herself and away from Paul, making a mockery of his ministry. Satan is not happy with Paul’s preaching.

18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

Curious that even though the demon did not instantly come out, Paul did not continue with a lengthy deliverance session. Ostensibly, Paul trusted by faith that the demon would leave after his rebuke, and shortly thereafter, it did.

19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,

The word translated as marketplace is agora, but most of the Philippians would have called it the forum, as Romans who spoke Latin.


The ruins of the agora in Philippi


Model of the agora in Philippi (2nd Century AD)

20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

The slavegirl’s masters think they can easily attack Paul because he is Jewish. There’s still a lot of that going on today. Antisemitism has been steadily increasing, particularly over the last few decades, but those who oppose the Jews bring a curse on themselves. (Gen 12:3; 27:29; Num 24:9) A guy named Haman comes to mind. (Esther 7:10) Someone may read this and protest, citing war crimes by Israel in Gaza, but in the end, God will deal with Israel the same way He will with all of us. (Ez 16:59-63) We are all a work in progress, but the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. (Ps 135:4)

21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

According to the Archaeological Museum of Philippi, this underground water reservoir was Paul’s prison cell. Later, it became a place of worship and was decorated with frescoes.


Interior of the prison cell

24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

God used the suffering of Paul and Silas as a witness to the other prisoners, the jailer, and his family. Everyone saw how these guys who were just beaten were singing praises to God. Then…

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

There was a Roman law that said if a prisoner escaped, the jailer would have to serve out his sentence. Philippi being a Roman colony, that law would have been in force. If all the prisoners escaped, the jailer would have multiple sentences stacked on him, probably including capital punishment. Yet not only are Paul and Silas still there, but the other prisoners as well.

28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

The thought here is not a guarantee that your family will be saved if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but rather that they will be saved if they too believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, I cannot help but think that maybe Paul was giving the jailer a word of knowledge. (I Cor 12:7) Maybe Paul knew the family was going to follow.

The important thing to notice about verse 31 is that salvation is a free gift that was available to the jailer and his family if they would simply believe.

32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

They presented the gospel to the jailer’s family. I believe Dr Luke pointed this out to show that they had to make their own decisions for Christ for themselves.

33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

The same thing happened with Lydia’s family. They all followed her in her new faith and were baptized, believing on the gospel. Now the jailer and Lydia are brother and sister in Christ. Their families worship together at church meetings. (Pr 22:2)

The Philippian jailer is a perfect example of a transformed life. They say that before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. When the Philippian jailer drew out his sword and looked at his life, he knew he was in trouble. He knew Paul had the truth. He wanted what Paul was offering through faith in Christ. He was immediately changed. He ministered to Paul and Silas in washing their stripes and feeding them. He and his family were rejoicing.

34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.
36 And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.
37 But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.

This is one of the things I like about Paul; he never ‘rolls over’ but always stands up for what is right. The easiest thing to do would have been to just leave, but Paul wants the magistrates to admit their wrongdoing.

38 And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.
39 And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.

Because Paul stood up for himself, he now has some information that the magistrates know he can use against them. The magistrates thought Paul and his company were Jews — ‘nobodies’ whom Claudius had expelled from Rome. (Acts 18:2) When they learn that Paul is a Roman citizen, they realize they are in serious trouble. This works to the advantage of the new church just formed in Philippi. The magistrates come to Paul with their hats in their hands now, saying, Please, sir, can you move along, and can we put all this behind us?

40 And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.
Acts 16:16-40

 

My takeaway from this section is the new life we have in Christ. Psychology tries to dig into one’s past to look for answers. Satan loves to remind us of our past. He tries to make us fixate on past mistakes. The Philippian jailer had a lot of mistakes in his past, no doubt, but looking backward is not the answer. As Christians, we are to look forward. Paul would later write to the Philippians:

   Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
   I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13, 14

The Philippian jailer is now with the in crowd, from a kingdom perspective. His future is in the New Jerusalem. I suspect that Christians in 1st Century Philippi were not the most respected people in the community, but Philippi was on the way out. Dying. Yesterday’s news. The New Jerusalem is where the future is. The jailer’s name is written in heaven now.

Father, thank You that your Son is making all things new. We pray You will send Him back soon to fetch us all home to meet You. In the meantime, fill us with your Holy Spirit day by day and give us the wisdom to make good decisions. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prophecy Update: A local teenager on Oahu, Sophia King, said what nobody else would say at a recent neighborhood meeting: The flooding was intentional. (Ps 8:2; Isa 11:6)

Fifteen-year-old Sophia’s name means Wisdom in Greek. They have had the technology to create storms or steer existing storms for decades now. The fact that they did not steer it away shows intent. It looks a lot like what happened in Lahaina on Maui. What comes around goes around, and Revelation 11:18 says that God is going to destroy them which destroy the earth. As the war in Iran continues to escalate, that day is fast approaching. Although wars in the Middle East are nothing new, this one in particular seems to be preparing the stage for the Magog scenario of Ezekiel 38 and 39, which takes place right around the time of the rapture. Of course, no man knows the day or the hour, but wisdom says it is time to prepare. (Matt 25:1-13)

Just as Philippi was on the way out, so is this world. The rich of this world think they can manipulate the future to their advantage. There is a name that appears nearly 12,000 times in the Epstein files: Rothschild. The rich think the future is in AI. They are pouring trillions into new data centers that, when completed, will make today’s AI look antiquated. They think they will be the victors in a technocratic future, but their future a house of cards. Dying. Yesterday’s news. Satan’s kingdom is fallen. (Matt 24:21f; Rev 18:2) The Bible says the great men of the earth are going to hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. They are going to cry, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The New Jerusalem is where the future is. Remember that if AI takes away your livelihood. Make no mistake, AI is changing things. Add 3D printing to the mix and we are looking a very different economy coming our way. I recommend you get ahead of what is coming and prepare accordingly. Here is an excerpt from the article linked above:

How fast this is actually moving
Let me make the pace of improvement concrete, because I think this is the part that’s hardest to believe if you’re not watching it closely.
In 2022, AI couldn’t do basic arithmetic reliably. It would confidently tell you that 7 × 8 = 54.
By 2023, it could pass the bar exam.
By 2024, it could write working software and explain graduate-level science.
By late 2025, some of the best engineers in the world said they had handed over most of their coding work to AI.
On February 5th, 2026, new models arrived that made everything before them feel like a different era.
If you haven’t tried AI in the last few months, what exists today would be unrecognizable to you.

By ‘getting ahead of what is coming’, what I mean is that if your job involves looking at a computer screen, you are going to have to learn to use AI or transition into a different profession. The trades are lucrative endeavors. You could probably make as much or more working for an oil company in Texas or as a welder in the Midwest, than you can as a professional working with computers. I make more as a truck driver than I ever did in printing management, which is a highly technical field.

In closing, through faith in Christ, we have new life in Christ, life everlasting. I do not need to fix the old Mike because he is dead. His sins are washed away. The new Mike is a new creation in Christ (II Cor 5:17) with a glorious future in the New Jerusalem. New Mike is still a work in progress as long as he is in his old body, but he is forgiven.

Our section began with a demon-possessed servant girl trying to disrupt Paul’s gospel presentations, but she was delivered. Our section ends with another family receiving the free gift of everlasting life through faith in Christ. Paul and Silas were thrown in jail, but they were delivered too. Everyone in this section was delivered. Paul will have to go to jail again. In fact, that is where he will be when he writes his letter to the Philippians (house arrest in Rome), but he will still be the Lord’s freeman.

Let me leave you with this, as we see the day approaching:

    Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Hebrews 12:14

Acts 16:1-15 — The Leading Of The Holy Spirit

~ mikethemissionary

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

In our last post, Paul partnered with Silas and embarked on his second missionary journey. As we pick back up, Paul is going through Derbe and Lystra, just beyond his hometown of Tarsus. Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit, and give us understanding as we read your precious word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts 16:1-15
1 Then came he [Paul] to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:

Paul begins his second missionary journey where the first one ended. (Barnabas and Mark went back to where the first one started. Between them, they confirmed the churches in all the areas they evangelized before.)

In Lystra, Paul recruits Timothy for the ministry, who was not just a ministry partner but Paul’s son in the faith. (I Cor 4:17; I Tim 1:2; II Tim 1:2)

2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.
3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.

In Acts 15, the issue was whether you have to become a Jewish proselyte to be saved. The answer was no, but that works in both directions. Neither do you have to stop being Jewish to become a Christian. Since Timothy was Jewish, Paul circumcised him to avoid controversy.

Incidentally, Titus was with Paul and Barnabas when they went to Jerusalem in Acts 15 (Gal 2:1-5), yet Paul did not compel Titus (the Gentile) to be circumcised. Timothy (the Jew) was different. To be an effective missionary, Timothy had to be all things to all men. (I Cor 9:19-23)

4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.

The issue of circumcision from Acts 15 was not limited to the church in Antioch of Syria. This was a central issue for the church at large.

5 And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

In the New Testament context, faith does not simply mean believing. It is specific to what you believe in, ie, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who said I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Hence, Luke tells us the churches were established not in faith, but in the faith.

6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,
7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.

Today, we know this area as NW Turkey, but before the Ottoman annexation, this was the center of Greek culture. (In fact, modern Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years until they gained independence in 1821.) As a fluent Greek speaker from Tarsus, Paul is well-equipped to evangelize them, but the Holy Spirit has something else in mind.

8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

When Paul wanted to go south to Asia, the Holy Spirit said No. When he wanted to go north to Bithynia, the Holy Spirit said No. (1) 

After trying different things, the Spirit intervenes with a dream telling Paul which direction to go. If you want to be used by God, you have to be in motion and listening to the voice of the Spirit. You can not steer a parked car, but once the car is moving, the driver can steer it. The Spirit steers Paul towards Macedonia.

We are not told who the man was who appeared to Paul in the vision at night (Jesus?); J Vernon McGee said the man was a woman, Lydia of Thyatira.

10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

This is the first ‘we’ and first ‘us’ in Acts, meaning Dr Luke joined the team in Troas. As we go through Acts, we will see the narrative switch to ‘they’ and back to ‘we’ again until we have three total ‘we’ sections. (Acts 16:10-17:1; 20:5-23:32; 27:1-28:16) Now we know why the Spirit did not send Paul straight to Macedonia. He had to get Dr Luke.

Do not make the mistake of thinking dreams and visions were limited to Bible times. When I was in Zimbabwe, my friends and I had several dreams from the Lord. On one occasion, we even saw a food multiplication like in John 6. When I was in Karnataka, we saw a gospel tract multiplication. I’ve seen miracles in my own country, too, but not nearly as many as when I was in the mission field.

11 Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;

According to the Museum of Philippi, Neapolis is the small peninsula on the east side of the modern city of Kavala. It was the gateway between Asia Minor and Europe, the primary port on the Via Egnatia.


Neapolis today

12 And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.

To get from Neapolis to Philippi, Paul and his team took the Via Egnatia. The Via Egnatia was a 535-mile-long road built by the Romans in the Second Century BC.

Map of the Via Egnatia

Paul and Co will continue on the Via Egnatia until they reach Thessalonica.


A section of the Via Egnatia on the way from Neapolis to Philippi

13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
Acts 16:1-15

In verses 14 and 15, we see how the spread of the gospel is a group effort. Paul obediently brings the gospel to Lydia. God opens Lydia’s heart. Lydia responds in faith and is baptized. I believe God speaks to everyone. Everyone has to decide whether or not to listen. In I Kings 19, God was not in the earthquake, and He was not in the fire. God was in a still small voice. He still speaks to us in this way.

Today, the Saint Lydia Philippisia Sacred Baptistery is located where Lydia is believed to have been baptized in the Zigaktis River.


The traditional location where Lydia was baptized.

Just to the north of the bapistry is a village named after Lydia. There is a Greek Orthodox Church there.

Hence, we have the first European convert to Christianity, Lydia of Thyatira. Thyatira (today called Akhisar) does not appear on our map, but you may remember it from Jesus’ Letter to the church in Thyatira in the Revelation. It is located in Asia between Pergamos and Sardis. Before there was a Roman province called Asia, there was the kingdom of Lydia, hence Lydia’s name. I suspect she was a very classy lady, a real Proverbs 31 girl.

My takeaway from this section is how Paul and Silas were guided by the Holy Spirit as they collected Timothy and Luke, then went west to Macedonia. This is the key to a successful ministry. We are introduced to the Holy Spirit at the very beginning of the Bible:

1 In the beginning God [Heb: Elohim] created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:1-2

In Genesis 1:1 the word used for God is plural. El is God in Hebrew. Elohim is literally ‘Gods’. In Genesis 1:2, we meet the second person in the Godhead, God the Holy Spirit. Later in the Torah, we see object lessons in the Book of Leviticus. Oil in the Bible is a type of the Holy Spirit, just as leaven is a type of sin and brass is a type of judgment. Oil is conspicuously missing in the sin offering:

     But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering.
Leviticus 5:11

The sin offering points to the cross, where Jesus was temporarily forsaken. The Holy Spirit withdrew from Jesus at the cross. (Matt 27:46) Therefore, there is no oil in the sin offering. The meat offering points to something that we bring on our own. It does not point to the cross. (It does point to the resurrection and our new life in Christ, hence the frankincense.) Notice the difference:

1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
2 And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord:
3 And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.
4 And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
5 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
6 Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering.
7 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.
Leviticus 2:1-7

When we do something for the Lord, we have to be filled with the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit, every step of the way. Oil is mentioned seven times in the instructions for the meat offering, the number of completion.

When a leper was cleansed (a picture of each of us being forgiven for our sin), the priest would sprinkle oil seven times before the Lord, then anoint the tip of the leper’s right ear with oil, anoint the thumb of his right hand with oil, then anoint the great toe of his right foot with oil. The priest would then pour oil on the leper’s head. (Lev 14:15-18) Likewise, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit, let Him empower our work, let Him direct our walk, and always be mindful of Him.

In the introduction to Acts, we saw how the Holy Spirit sent the apostles in all different directions. I suppose that someday, when we get to heaven, we will be able to read about the adventures of the other apostles. For now, it’s up to us to write our own chapters in Acts. May we be led of the Spirit as we do so. 

Father, fill us day by day with your Holy Spirit. We are leaky vessels. We need You to pour your Spirit into us each day. Immerse us in your Spirit, Father. Let it be overflowing in our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. Let your Spirit permeate every fiber of my being. Make me to hear the voice of the Spirit. Empower me through the Spirit in my work. Direct my path through the ministry of your Holy Sprit, that I may trust in You with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding as I acknowledge You in all my ways. We ask these things in Jesus’ name, the name above all names. Amen.

We will hear more about what happened in the Roman colony, Philippi, in our next post. Paul will have some serious opposition before his next major breakthrough.

Prophecy Update: Readers of this blog may remember my experience last summer with back pain and the role of HCQ in healing it. Recently, my back pain came back, with a vengeance. This time, it was not just a sore muscle on my right side, but whenever I moved, it felt like my back might go out. I was walking with a slight hunch. I did not have any HCQ, but I had a few ivermectin pills that I got in Idaho, where you can buy it without a prescription. I took 12 mg of ivermectin and 200 mg of zinc. The effect was immediate. After about an hour, the pain was gone.

My dad tells me that my grandfather used to take nitre for back pain. It was a one-and-done treatment that he took every once in a while when needed, without a prescription. I’m not sure exactly what he was taking, as there were two different compounds used back then: potassium nitrate (KNO₃), and ethyl nitrite (C₂H₅NO₂).


In any case, cheap and effective treatments have been ditched by the medical establishment to sell expensive pharmaceuticals. This is related to Bible prophecy, as John the Revelator tells us in Revelation 18:23 that MYSTERY BABYLON (the new world order) will deceive the world with drugs (Gk pharmakeia).

See, HCQ and ivermectin are not just good for back pain, but all sorts of things, including ‘COVID’, and I believe they will try it all again. A few days ago, the WHO convened a global session to ‘prepare’ for the next influenza pandemic. They probably feel it’s too soon to try their 2020 scam again, but I believe they will eventually. (They are doing all they can to stop RFK Jr’s efforts to free us from vaccines.) The takeaway here is to avoid Big Pharma at all costs. Take control of your own health by avoiding processed food, vaccines, getting proper nutrition, exercising, getting enough sunshine, and getting enough sleep. (And a little HCQ or ivermectin goes a long way.)

1 What the Spirit was really saying was, Not yet. Paul will hit Asia at the end of his second missionary journey, and again at the beginning of his third. (Acts 18:19-19:41) Presumably, others who heard Paul’s message went to Bithynia. This area would become populated with Christians. Peter addressed his First Epistle to them. (I Pet 1:1)

Acts 15:30-41 — Teaching And Preaching

~ mikethemissionary

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

In our last post, the first church council decided the controversy in Antioch of Syria, whereby the Judaizers were attempting to bring the brethren into the bondage of the law. We learned the key to a pure heart (Ps 24:4; Pr 22:11; Matt 5:8; I Tim 1:5; II Tim 2:22; I Pet 1:22) is faith. Acts 15:9 says our hearts are purified by faith.

Before we move on, however, I want to revisit what I wrote about how Paul may have written to the Galatians by the time of the first church council in Acts 15. This agrees with contemporary conservative scholarship, but I got to thinking about whether we should be looking a little further back. For example, we find some interesting information in the postscripts that the KJV translators included in the Pauline Epistles:

Romans
¶ Written to the Romans from Corinthus, and sent by Phebe servant of the church at Cenchrea.
I Corinthians
¶ The first epistle of the Corinthians was written from Philippi by Stephanas, and Fortunatus, and Archaicus, and Timotheus.
II Corinthians
¶ The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.
Galatians
¶ Unto the Galatians written from Rome.
Ephesians
¶ Written from Rome unto the Ephesians by Tychicus.
Philippians
¶ It was written to the Philippians from Rome by Epaphroditus.
Colossians
Written from Rome to the Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.
I Thessalonians
¶ The first epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens.
II Thessalonians
¶ The second epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens.
I Timothy
¶ The first to Timothy was written from Laodicea, which is the chiefest city of Phrygia Pacatiana.
II Timothy
¶ The second epistle unto Timotheus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Ephesians, was written from Rome, when Paul was brought before Nero the second time.
Titus
¶ It was written to Titus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Cretians, from Nicopolis of Macedonia.
Philemon
¶ Written from Rome to Philemon by Onesimus a servant.
Hebrews
¶ Written to the Hebrews from Italy by Timothy.

These postscripts were carried over from the Euthalian tradition, which the KJV translators considered to be authoritative. Modern commentators may scoff at this notion, but not so fast; some recent scholarship has shed new light on the subject.

In Volume 67 of New Testament Tools, Studies and Documents, leading academics compiled a catalogue of manuscripts containing the Euthalian tradition. When one considers the scope of this data, it becomes clear that the Euthalian tradition is a rich source of information. For example:

“The Euthalian system was the primary arbiter of most of the Greek New Testament’s works (everything except the gospels and the book of Revelation) for over a millennium, something that nearly every reader would have encountered, even if selectively.” (1)

Hundreds and hundreds of manuscripts still contain references from the Euthalian system. The references to the cities from which Paul wrote and his “co-authors” are preserved in dozens of extant manuscripts. (2)

In this post, we will be embarking on Paul’s second missionary journey. To make a thorough study of Acts, we should be reading Paul’s Epistles as we travel along with him to the areas where he planted churches. Based on the information available, here is a list of possible dates for Paul’s Epistles (and the rest of the New Testament):

1 James: 45–50 AD
2 I Thessalonians: 50–51 AD
3 II Thessalonians: 51–52 AD
4 I Corinthians: 53–55 AD
5 II Corinthians: 55–57 AD
6 Romans: 56–58 AD
7 Philemon: 60–62 AD
8 Galatians: 60–62 AD
9 Ephesians: 60–62 AD
10 Philippians: 61–63 AD
11 Colossians: 60–62 AD
12 I Timothy: 63–65 AD
13 II Timothy: 63–67 AD
14 Titus: 64–67 AD
15 Hebrews: 63–65 AD
16 Gospel of Matthew: 37–55 AD
17 Gospel of Mark: 63–70 AD
18 Gospel of Luke: 60–63 AD
19 Acts: 63–70 AD
20 Gospel of John: 85–90 AD
21 I John: 85–95 AD
22 II John: 85–95 AD
23 III John: 85–95 AD
24 I Peter: 64–67 AD
25 II Peter: 64–67 AD
26 Jude: 50–65 AD
27 Revelation: 94–96 AD

You may have noticed that I included Hebrews in the Pauline Epistles, bolded in the list above. Again, the KJV translators believed Paul wrote Hebrews. It seems plain to me that they had more insight than the translators of our day. The Euthalian postscript says it was written by Timothy, typical of Paul’s letters. Someone may protest, saying that the KJV translators included the Apocrypha in their version. However, in the original 1611 version, the Apocrypha was placed between the Old and New Testaments for historical references only. They did not consider the Apocrypha to be Scripture.

Hebrews makes 14 letters in total by Paul, the number of completion. As a Pharisee and the most successful missionary among the apostles, Paul would be the obvious choice to author Hebrews, as Paul had the gravitas required to address the Hebrews on the vital subject of New Covenant grace. His fingerprints can be seen in Hebrews 10:38, 11, 13:1 et al. Paul probably left the Epistle unsigned because of the controversy attached to his name among his fellow countrymen. Moreover, Paul understood that he was only an instrument; the real Author was the Holy Spirit.

Now we will pick up where we left off in our last post.

Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit and give us understanding as we read your precious word, which is more than our necessary food, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts 15:30-41
30 So when they were dismissed, they [Paul, Barnabas, Judas Barsabas, and Silas] came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:

This is the Epistle which the apostles in Jerusalem sent back to Antioch (Acts 15:20), establishing the doctrine of New Covenant grace. The Gentiles would not have to be circumcised as the Judaizers were telling them.

31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.

I would have rejoiced too! I have never been the sort of person who likes rules. Whenever I have gone looking for a job, if there were paragraphs of cold, detailed information in the job description, I kept scrolling until I found a simple job description with a friendly tone.

I feel the same way about churches. There are quite a few of them that still have not gotten the memo. (Acts 15:20, 29)

32 And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
33 And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles.
34 Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.
35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Teaching and preaching are key components of the ministry. In many churches, you hear a lot of preaching, but very little teaching. A teaching ministry grows a church and makes it healthy. According to Paul, that is the reason for the church: to teach the saints and equip them for the ministry. (Eph 4:11f)

36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.

Paul has a shepherd’s heart. I confess that I have fallen short in this area. We should make the spiritual health of those we lead to Christ our top priority.

37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

In some ways, Barnabas shows even more grace than Paul. Barnabas was willing to give his nephew a second chance. Paul, not so much. An argument ensued:

39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
40 And Paul chose Silas [aka Silvanus], and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.
41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.
Acts 15:30-41

When Christians disagree with one another, often the result is the same as it was for Paul and Barnabas, which is good, in that it leads to multiplication. (Rom 8:28) Now their missionary efforts will be doubled. According to tradition, after Barnabas returned to his native Cyprus, he continued to Northern Africa and planted churches. We know John Mark from the Gospel he authored, so suffice it to say everything worked out after all. Paul eventually came around and received Mark as a fellowservant. (Col 4:10; II Tim 4:11; Philem 23f) We will not hear from Barnabas again in Acts, but there are a lot of adventures still to come. Paul and Silas are just getting started.

1 Garrick V. Allen, Kimberley A. Fowler, Emanuele Scieri, Maxim Venetskov, The Euthalian Tradition of the New Testament: A Catalogue of Greek Manuscripts (Leiden/ Boston: BRILL, 2025), p 1.
2. Ibid, p 352.

Acts 15:1-29 — Purifying Their Hearts By Faith

~ mikethemissionary

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

When we left off at the end of Chapter 14, Paul and Barnabas were on furlough at their home church in Antioch of Syria. This was a vibrant, Spirit-filled church in a truly magnificent city. All was going well, until …

Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit and give us understanding as we read your perfect word, so full of wisdom and comfort. When everything that can be shaken is shaken, your word will remain rock solid. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts 15:1-29
1 And certain men which came down from Judæa taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

These certain men are often referred to as the ‘Judaizers’. Bob Dylan sang, “the times, they are a-changin’.” Brother Bob was certainly right in that assessment back in the sixties, and it could likewise be said about the time period here in Acts 15. With the church still in its infancy, ideas about exactly what the church was and what they were supposed to believe were still being hammered out. Yet certain men clung to the past and resisted the direction that the Holy Spirit was leading them. God was doing something new, something glorious, something full of freedom and liberty, but it had to be fought for.

The crux of the issue was, Do you have to be a Jewish proselyte to be saved? The Judaizers said yes. Paul and Barnabas said no.

When I was in Honolulu, I attended a church where the praise and worship time was led by hula dancers. They were fully clothed, but my point is that they did not have to stop being Hawaiian to be Christians. They simply had to believe on Christ.

2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

I feel for Paul. Paul is right. Paul knows he is right. Paul has already suffered immensely for the gospel. He was called by Jesus just like the other apostles. Yet this is what the church wants, so Paul plays along. He has no other choice. Since the New Testament had not yet been written, the apostles in Jerusalem were the de facto authority.

This is a challenge that evangelists still face today. It is not just about what you know, but convincing people that you know it. For example, David Livingstone said that when he went to a new village and built a house, he always made sure it was bigger than all the other houses. Otherwise, they would not respect him enough to receive his message. (Having a big house may have worked well for Livingstone, but it’s typically not the way to influence people. It’s been said, They will not care how much you know until they know how much you care.)

3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.

In the Bible, Phenice refers to two different places. In this case, it means Phonecia.

Great joy is a recurring theme in Acts. The gospel brings great joy.

4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.

Again, we see the Acts of the Holy Spirit here in the Book of Acts. Paul and Barnabas do not take credit for what God is doing. Christians should never say, Look what we did. They should say, Look what He did.

5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

Here we have the first church council. Above, I said these ideas were being ‘hammered out’. Maybe it would be more accurate to say they were being chiseled out. Michelangelo said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” The doctrine of New Covenant grace was already there waiting for them. They just had to chisel away the law and set it free.

7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Peter points out that he was just as surprised as anyone to see that God was accepting the Gentiles who did nothing more than simply believe. This is the glorious truth that they are discovering: We are saved by faith alone. It has nothing to do with the law. This is Peter at his best.

It may seem odd that John is not mentioned here, but consider that John, being the youngest, was still probably considered the junior apostle by the others. He wrote all of his Books when he was an old man after everyone else was dead.

12 Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.

Dr Luke does not go into the testimony of Barnabas and Paul, as we already have the history of it recorded in Chapters 13 and 14.

13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:

This is almost without question James the brother of Jesus, not James the son of Alphaeus. (James the son of Zebedee was killed by Herod Agrippa I in Acts 12.)

As the author of the General Epistle of James, which he may have already written at this point, James directly established his chops as a leading theologian. Paul may have written to the Galatians by this time, but this letter would not be known to the church in Jerusalem, making James the first New Testament author as far as the saints in Jerusalem were concerned. Growing up in the same house with Jesus bolstered his standing as well. Thus, James the Lord’s brother quickly assumed a top leadership role at the church in Jerusalem.

14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. [Amos 9:11f]
18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

James quotes Amos 9:11, 12, then declares that God knew all that He was going to do from the very beginning. Not only so, but He wrote it down for us. You may have noticed that there are a lot of commentators who seem very astute when it comes to political analysis of current events, but when the really big events happen — like the so-called pandemic or the war in Iran — they are totally out to lunch. It’s because they do not believe the Bible. When you trust in your Bible above all else, you are armed with divine intelligence reports that far surpass anything the world has to offer.

19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

You can see the authority James has as he delivers the verdict. Nobody challenges him. His decision is final, but he is not done:

20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication [Gk porneia], and from things strangled, and from blood.

These are the rules for being a Christian. They are simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. There is nothing here about dancing, dresscode, or hair length. Paul will modify these rules in his Epistiles but the bottom line is that Christianity works above the law on a higher plane. Whatever the Spirit wants at any given moment is the right thing to do. When we fall short of that, we confess it, and we are forgiven. (I John 1:9)

21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication [Gk porneia]: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
Acts 15:1-29

We have the declaration in verse 20 repeated in verse 29 for good measure. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, James wisely sends Judas and Silas back with Paul and Barnabas to add authority to the letter, especially since the letter agrees with what Paul and Barnabas said in the first place. Judas and Silas are witnesses that the letter is genuine. The letter reiterates that there are only a few simple rules for them to follow, not the 613 in the Torah — 248 positive rules and 365 negative rules.

In Acts 15, it was the Judaizers who were the bullies. That problem has been dealt with. Yet, ever since committing my life to Christ in 1996, I have always been amazed at the way Christians will still try to bully one another. They often come up with rules on the fly in real time as they go about their business. The next time somebody tries to set themselves or their church up as an authority to bully you, show them the checklist above and tell them they have no authority over you.

I love the Lord because He doesn’t bully me. Christians can hula dance if they want to. Or fill in the blank. The important thing is, do you love Jesus and his word? Are you trusting in Christ alone by faith alone? To add anything to Jesus and what He did for us on the cross at Calvary is an insult to God.

Prophecy Update: You may have heard that certain officers, supposedly evangelical Christians, in the US military have been telling the troops that what they were doing in Iran was ‘God’s will’ and will ‘accelerate the return of Jesus’. My first thought upon hearing this was that it was just plain embarrassing. Jesus did not say, If you want Me to come back, drop bombs on people. On the other hand, these complaints are being logged by a guy who has been on a crusade for decades to make Christians in the military shut up. How do we really know that the commanders in question framed their comments this way? People who have not yet received Christ as their Saviour often gripe about us pesky Christians and our attempts to evangelize them.

Jesus is coming back at a time of his choosing. Many signs point to this happening soon, including the war in Iran. If you do not believe that it is because you do not believe the Bible:

Ezekiel 37            Israel becomes a nation again.
Ezekiel 38, 39      Russia, Iran, and other nations attack Israel.
Ezekiel 40-48       Millennial Temple, Kingdom of Christ.

Do you suppose that maybe, after recent US and Israeli actions against Russia and Iran, they might want to attack Israel if millions of Americans suddenly disappeared? You better believe it.

Soldiers have been told that God is on their side from time immemorial. (This is usually told to them by non-Christians. I remember seeing a clip of Donald Rumsfeld say exactly this to troops in Iraq.) Bob Dylan sang that if God is on our side, He will stop the next war. Well, brother Bob is not much of a theologian, but overall, his song makes a salient point. See, God is on our side; that is, the side of all people everywhere — everybody. (John 3:16) No matter who you are or what you have done, God is on your side if you will receive his Son and his free gift of everlasting life. (Rom 5:15-18) If you reject his Son, not so much. (John 3:36)

Acts 14:8-28 — And It Came To Pass In Iconium Part II

~ mikethemissionary

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

When we left off in our last post, Paul and Barnabas were still preaching the gospel in Southern Galatia, after fleeing for their lives from Iconium. Galatia was a difficult mission field for various reasons. First of all, because of the hardened pagan beliefs of the Gauls who lived there. People who worship idols are the hardest to reach. You become like your God, which is an unspeakable gift for Christians (II Cor 3:18), but not so much when your god has eyes that do not see. (Ps 115:4-8) The most populated area on the Joshua Project map showing unreached people groups is Northern India. Not because missionaries have never gone there, but because they repeatedly rejected the gospel. Just like the Gauls in our narrative, they are blinded by their idols.

Paul will visit the Galatians more often than any of the other people groups he evangelized, as they required the most attention. The Epistle to the Galatians contains the strongest rebuke of all Paul’s letters.

Give us understanding and fill us with your Holy Spirit, Father, as we read your word. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts 14:8-28
8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked:
9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

This is not as uncommon as one might think. When I was in India, more than once, someone attempted to worship me, and for the same reason. When I would pray for God to heal someone, and He did, they would take me for a deity of sorts. When I explained to them that Jesus is the one who healed them, they would not be swayed. They would say, “To me, you are Jesus.” I eventually stopped praying for people to be healed.

12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

The KJV translators opted to use the Roman names of the pagan deities that Barnabas and Paul were mistaken for. Being a Roman province, this may indeed be more accurate. Dr Luke was writing in Greek, but he may have meant Jupiter and Mecurius, not Zeus and Hermes, which would be the literal translation.

13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,

In hindsight, my reaction to the Indians who kowtowed to me was not strong enough. Although I did my best to explain that they must not worship me because I was an ordinary person like them, I should have reacted more like Paul and Barnabas. In the East, if you do not raise your voice and get animated, people tend to think you are not all that serious.

15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

An important point to remember when evangelizing is to relate to your target audience. Paul did not use the Old Testament to evangelize the Gauls because it gave them no point of reference. Paul did use the Old Testament when evangelizing Jews, because that is what they knew. Paul said I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (I Cor 9:22b)

18 And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

Paul’s strong reaction worked, but just barely. He scarce restrained them from offering sacrifice. The Gauls must have taken it as an insult that Paul and Barnabas refused their worship, as they quickly turned on them when certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium showed up. This is the second reason Galatia was a tough mission field. These are the same ones who expelled Paul and Barnabas from their cities. Not content to see them leave, they felt they had to follow them around and stir up trouble:

19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

Dr Luke is a bit ambiguous about what exactly happened here. It says they ‘supposed’ Paul was dead. This may have been what we today call a NDE (near-death experience). This may be the instance Paul was referring to when he said he was caught up to heaven. (II Cor 12:2-4) Whether or not Paul stopped breathing, it was a miracle that he stood up and was able to travel the next day after getting stoned.

21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,

If you had enemies that followed you around and convinced people to stone you, would you go straight back to where you made these enemies in the first place? After they kicked you out of their cities? Paul did. His concern for his flock outweighed any second thoughts he had about his own safety.

22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

When Paul said that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God, he knew what he was talking about. (II Cor 11:23-28)

23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

There are several different words translated as ordained in the New Testament. According to Wiersbe, the word in verse 23 above literally means ‘to elect by a show of hands’. There was no ‘show of hands’ for Paul, however, or any of the other apostles. True ordinations come from God. If a card is given, it is only an acknowledgment of agreement with God. If God does not do the ordaining, the card is worthless.

24 And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
25 And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia:
26 And thence sailed to Antioch [of Syria], from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.

27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
28 And there they abode long time with the disciples.
Acts 14:8-28

Thus concludes Paul’s first missionary journey. When Paul and Barnabas meet with their home church, Dr Luke points out that it was by the grace of God that they were originally sent out from thence, grace being at the heart of the gospel. This was the lesson that Paul had to drill into the Gauls when they were deceived by legalistic false brethren. (Gal 2-5) At the missions conference in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas emphasize faith (not works), which is the door to obtaining the gift of grace. The law is bondage. Grace is liberty and peace.

     Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians 2:16

Paul and Barnabas give the glory to God for all God had done on their journey. They then take a good, long rest in Antioch of Syria. However, their peaceful repose will be interrupted by more legalistic troublemakers. In our next post, we will see what happens and how Paul handles it.

Prophecy Update: What we are witnessing with all of the recent disruptions is, in fact, the larger agenda of the Great Reset. Yet if we take a step back, we see that these things are only unmasking what has been simmering beneath the surface for quite some time. For example, around 15 years ago, I was told in church (where you always learn the most important things) that the cartels had created what amounted to a civil war taking place in Mexico, and 50,000 people had been killed so far. This situation continued with little media attention until recently. According to the NYT,

“Over the next decade [following 2015], at least 400,000 people were killed or disappeared in Mexico, according to conservative estimates. Analysts say Mr. Oseguera’s [El Mencho’s] cartel may have killed more of those people than any other group.”

From Venezuela to Mexico to the Ukraine to Gaza to Iran, we continue to see that the only thing we can reliably expect to continue without changing is change itself. Several other variables in the mix likewise guarantee more disruption is coming.

One of the clearest signs of positioning for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy is the war in Iran. When the rapture finally happens, and it will, a coalition of nations led by Russia and Iran is going to descend on Israel, just like the Bible always said would happen. (Ez 38, 39) It is not going to go well for the belligerents on the Russian side.

Acts 13:1-12 — Paul and Barnabas Launch Out Into the Deep and Let Down Their Nets

~ mikethemissionary

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

As Acts 12 closed, we saw Barnabas, Saul, and John Mark returning to Antioch. As Acts 13 opens, we see a diverse cast of characters in the church at Antioch:

• Barnabas (lit The son of consolation) of Cyprus, named so by the apostles.
• Simeon called Niger, possibly ‘Simon of Cyrene’ who carried the cross for Jesus.
• Lucius of Cyrene.
• Manaen, who was raised in the royal household of Herod Antipas. (Pr 22:2)
• Saul of Tarsus, the main character of Acts, aside from Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

They appear to all be Greek-speaking Jews. This alludes to the shift taking place in the body of Christ as Gentiles are added to the church. Greek-speaking church leaders can more easily relate to Gentiles than speakers of Aramaic or Hebrew.

Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit as we read your word. Give us understanding, that we may each grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We pray this in his holy and precious name. Amen.

Acts 13:1-12
NOW there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger [lit, Black], and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministered to [served] the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

In my post on Acts 11:19-30, I said I have never made a prophecy. Come to think of it, I did have something like that happen once, but it was so long ago I almost forgot about it. In the mid-90s, a friend was diagnosed with a horrible illness for which there is no cure. I said that she would be healed, which she was. That may not be a prophecy per se, but I have had many similar experiences where God showed me something concerning the future. Like in the verses above, several of my other friends were told the same thing I was, by the Spirit, and all at the same time. (It is implied in verse 2 that the Holy Ghost spoke to all of them about Barnabas and Saul.) From the beginning of the Bible, God speaks to his people. We see this continued in the Book of Acts and in the church today.

Notice it says they ministered to the Lord (not the church). This begs the question, how can one minister to the Lord? If someone is hungry and you feed them, thirsty and you give them drink, a stranger and you take them in, naked and you clothe them, sick and you visit them, in prison and you come to them, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Church service is service to the Lord.

If you will do these things, Jesus said one day you will hear Him say, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: But Jesus also said, Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

I recall an outreach by a church in Margao. They fasted and prayed for months before they went out. Then, when they went into the neighborhoods one Sunday afternoon, every door they knocked on that day was answered by someone who listened and said the sinner’s prayer with them. If you are going to evangelize, prayer and fasting are essential. 

4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

Seleucia was the seaport of Antioch, on the Mediterranean coast at the mouth of the River Orontes. The island of Cyprus is where Barnabas is from. (Acts 4:36) This makes for a smooth transition into missions work, as Barnabas is familiar with the area.

5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.

John Mark is Barnabas’ nephew. (Col 4:10) He was led to Christ by Peter. (I Pet 5:13) He is also the author of the Gospel According to Mark. In Mark 14:51, 52, Mark seems to drop a hint that he was there the night Jesus was arrested.

6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer [Gk magos (1)], a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:

Like Simon in Acts 8, we have another ‘sorcerer’ here. 

7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,

From this point forward, Dr Luke refers to Saul by his Greek name, Paulos, meaning ‘small’ or ‘humble’. According to Weiersbe, as a Roman citizen, Paul’s full Roman (Latin) name was probably Saul Paulus, as many Jews had both Jewish and Roman names.

10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
Acts 13:1-12

Paul deals with Elymas in much the same way that Peter dealt with Simon the sorcerer, with a stinging rebuke. Paul, however, adds a curse. He removes the sorcerer’s ability to see, but only for a season. The Holy Spirit is patient, even with wicked sinners. Thank God for that, because I need that grace. Elymas may look bad, but not so much if I take an honest look at myself. Sin always looks worse on someone else. We all need God’s grace and mercy.

For Paul to make such a pronouncement — that Elymas would not be able to see — it took faith. The Bible says faith is a spiritual gift. (I Cor 12:9) When had my prophetic experience concerning my friend’s healing in the 90’s, I had the faith to tell everyone in my office that God was going to heal her. It was not very difficult, as God had spoken this truth into my heart, the same way I suppose He did for Paul. It says that when Paul made this pronouncement, he was filled with the Holy Ghost. If you fill your mind and your heart with the word of God, He gives you the gift of faith. (Rom 10:17) If you fill your mind with the things of the world, it will have the opposite effect.

We are now into the final division in the Book of Acts, following the outline in Acts 1:8. Paul, Barnabas, and Mark are taking the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. As our section ends, the curse on Elymas leads to the conversion of the deputy, Sergius Paulus, and we have another astonished Christian, much like we had in Chapter 12. Our God is an astonishing God, indeed.

 

1 The sorcerers in Acts (Gk magi) were foolish, but the magi in Matthew 2 were wise men. Greek words, like words in any other language, have different definitions depending on the context.

Acts 10:19-48 — Soldier to Soldier

~ mikethemissionary

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

In this post, we pick back up with the story of Cornelius, Peter, and the visions that God used to bring them together. 

Acts is the great turning point in Scripture. From Genesis 25 through the Gospels and the beginning of Acts, the focus of Scripture is on Israel. There is much for the heathen nations as well — like the occasion when Jonah tried to take a boat from Joppa to Tarshish, only to end up on a mission trip to Nineveh — but the focus is on Israel.

Then in Acts, the focus starts shifting to the church, a body of believers made up of both Jews and Gentiles. In Acts 10 in particular the Gentiles start coming in to the church.

Later in Acts, Paul will tell the philosophers in Athens that God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth. That’s a good message for the ‘philosophers’ of our day too. If someone has a problem with the way God made your skin tone, tell them to take it up with Him. We all have the same Creator and we all need the same Saviour. (Acts 4:12; 17:26) 

The Letters that follow Acts focus mostly on the Gentiles. James addressed his Letter to the twelve tribes that are scattered abroad, and there is also the Letter to the Hebrews; yet, overall, the focus of the church age has been the Gentiles. This change started in Acts 10. 

This transition continued through the first century, as the gospel is to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Gentile). Paul in his Letter to the Romans demonstrates how this transition was foretold in Scripture:

8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. [II Sam 22:50; Ps 18:49]
10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. [Deut 32:43]
11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. [Ps 117:1]
12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. [Isa 11:10] 
Romans 15:8-12

Yet later in Revelation 7, God calls 12,000 Jewish believers from each of the twelve tribes, 144,000 in total. At this point (in the not-too-distant future), not only will the church age be over, but the times of the Gentiles will be wrapping up as well. When Jesus comes back, the leader of the free world will be Jewish and Jerusalem will be the capital. This is God’s plan for Israel. (Rom 11:25)

Hence, we have a watershed moment here. Before Acts 10, none of the apostles were preaching to Gentiles. The Ethiopian eunuch and the diverse crowd in Acts 2 were all either Jews or Jewish proselytes, but Cornelius is a Roman Gentile. Let’s see what happens. 

Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit as we read your word. Give us understanding. We pray these sayings will sink down into our souls and bear fruit in our lives, as well as the lives of others. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts 10:19-48
19 ¶ While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

I love how the Spirit speaks directly to Peter here. Throughout the Bible, God speaks to his people. Christianity is not a religion. It’s a relationship, and in a healthy relationship, people talk to each other. If you’re not hearing Him, read your Bible more and remember to always pray before you read your Bible. (Also as you’re reading it.)

21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.

Cornelius was a man who gave God his best, like the woman who poured her precious spikenard on Jesus’ head before He went to the cross. In our last post, we read that Cornelius gave much alms to the people. (Matt 25:40)

23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

Peter is being obedient to the vision he had in the first part of the chapter (see here) by inviting the Romans in and letting them stay in the same house with him. 

24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.

Cornelius was an evangelist even before receiving Christ. Peter has a nice-sized audience waiting to receive him. It reminds me of the party Matthew threw to receive Jesus. (Matt 9)

25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.

Notice Peter does not tell Cornelius to kiss his ring, much less his toe. When I was recently in St Peter’s Basilica, I watched as someone went past the velvet rope and kissed the toe of Peter’s effigy — famously worn down from centuries of kissing and touching.

Rather, Peter sets Cornelius straight and tells him to stand up. 

27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

This is Peter’s first time in a Gentile home. He explains to them how God showed him that he has to accept them. As I said in the last post, the unclean beasts in Peter’s vision were not just meant to signify food — the Romans themselves are the unclean animals in the vision. God said he had cleansed them and not to call them unclean. I don’t know how they ever got that idea in the first place, as I do not find that in the law of the Old Covenant. Jesus did not think going to the house of Cornelius(?) was breaking the law in Luke 7:6, but traditions passed down by the scribes and Pharisees came to be accepted more or less as law.

29 Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me?

Peter makes Cornelius spell it out for him.

30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.
33 Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.

Perhaps at this time Peter remembered the great commission. Jesus commanded him (and us!) to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Now, taken together with Cornelius’ vision and his own vision, Peter knows what to say:

34 ¶ Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Verse 35 cannot be used to promote universalism; it says ‘every nation’, but with a qualifier: in every nation he that feareth him [Jesus], and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.

There Peter goes again, preaching on the resurrection. Why does he keep playing the same song? Because that is the heart of the gospel. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important part of our faith as Christians. (Rom 4:25; 10:9; I Cor 15:14-19) 

Peter’s preaching shows that a simple message is all that is needed to win souls. (I Cor 1:17) I recall hearing about one new Christian who only knew John 3:16, yet she was an effective evangelist. You can play a song on one string, and it only takes three chords to jam.

42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick [living] and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Peter is offers a slice of John 3:16 here; you’re either a whosoever will or a whosoever won’t. This is a crowd of whosoever wills:

44 ¶ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,

I believe “they of the circumcision … as many as came with Peter,” probably heard the Romans speaking Hebrew. I once heard a Hebrew scholar, who was by no means Pentecostal, say that he saw a lady receive Christ on the Bayou in Louisiana and immediately start speaking Hebrew. I suspect that is the reason Peter’s friends were astonished. The Jews who accompanied Peter to Caesarea would have never believed these Romans were their brothers in Christ without this compelling evidence.

47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

Verse 47 destroys the false teaching of baptismal regeneration. They were already saved and had received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized. 

48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Acts 10:19-48

Peter may have made some big mistakes (haven’t we all), but he is really starting to get his sea legs now. Yet Peter is still just a man, the same as the rest of us.

When I was in Rome, the exaltation of Peter could be seen everywhere. The basilicas and shrines throughout the city often feature colossal statues of Peter and the other apostles, making them seem like gods. The vaulted ceilings in these shrines are very high and far away, making God seem far away. The decorations and artwork in these places are very lavish, often decked with silver and gold. 

Yet the Bible shows Peter as he really was, full of flaws yet fully accessible to the common people. Peter always directed people to the word of God and away from corruptible things like silver and gold. (I Pet 1:18-2:3)

Wiersbe said that Peter used the keys of the kingdom (Matt 16:19) to open the door of faith to the Jews (Acts 2), the Samaritans (Acts 8) and finally, the Gentiles (Acts 10). That is one possible interpretation, but even that sounds like a bit of a stretch to me. In Matthew 18:18, Jesus told the other apostles pretty much the same thing He told Peter in Matthew 16:19. I tend to think that what Jesus meant when He said the keys of the kingdom was the word of God and the faith to believe it, keys that are available to us all. (Matt 7:7; cf Luke 11:52) The ‘Church’ claims that the keys of the kingdom were passed from pope to pope, giving them their authority. That sounds nice, but it’s not in the Bible. (Neither are prayer beads, confession booths, nor a celibate priesthood. In fact, Peter himself was married.) Therefore, it is another gospel they are preaching in Rome. (Gal 1:6-9)

It is not my intention to insult anyone, but I thank God for my Christian friends who were not afraid to challenge my Catholic faith. I pray all who read this will put their faith in the word of God as I have, and not in the Church.

In closing, at this point in the book of Acts, not only have we seen the gospel go out from Jerusalem to Samaria and beyond (Acts 1:8), but we have seen the gospel received by the three major people groups in Genesis 10: Shem (Acts 2), Ham (the Ethiopian Eunuch), and Japheth (Cornelius from Italy). I wonder what Dr Luke, the Gentile, was thinking while he was writing about the conversion of Cornelius?

For the next couple of chapters in Acts, we will continue to see both Peter and Saul, before the focus shifts away from Peter towards Saul and his missionary journeys. 

Father, thank You for the open door You have set before us. Thank You that all are welcome, no matter what we may have done, however terrible it may have been. Thank You for the precious blood of your Son that washes away all our sins. Thank You that He is risen from the dead and that He is coming back again for us soon. Thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Acts 10:1-18 — Peter Goes To Caesarea – Rome Away From Rome

~ mikethemissionary

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

I decided to forgo my usual recap of events this New Year’s, as I have been feeling more and more like the news we receive is less and less worth following. I see this not only in the mainstream, but also in the new media. I still follow current events, but more than ever I take the news with a grain of salt, so to speak. For example, the tragedy concerning our fellowservant, Charlie Kirk, was among the major events of 2025, but what do we really know about how or why it happened? Not much at all. 

Considering Dr Luke’s many historical references (eg Luke 2:1-3), it is clear that he was well versed with the inner workings of the Roman Empire, but that was not his focus. 

As a Roman citizen, when Paul confronted the public officials of his day, he always had one clear message: the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Matt 5:44) Let that be our focus too. Let us be realistic about current events (Phil 3:20; I John 2:17; 5:19), and view everything through the lens of Scripture.

In other words, I think we need to strike a balance between viewing events in terms of Bible prophecy and being obsessed with the new world order; between an honest appraisal of the prophetic landscape and a quixotic crusade against the powers that be. (Eph 6:12) I leave that for your thoughtful consideration.

Moving forward, in Acts 9, we left Peter hanging out with Simon the tanner in his tanning shop on the beach in Joppa. A shop where tanning was done was a spartan dwelling that reeked of stale urine from the tanning process. Peter does not require first-class accommodation. 

Moreover, tanners were considered unclean according to the Torah. (Lev 11:35-40) This does not seem to bother Peter either, but he still has a lot to learn. (Don’t we all.) The Holy Spirit is going to deal with Peter’s prejudices and his attachments to the law in this chapter. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, Father, and give us understanding as we read thy word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts 10:1-18
THERE was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

Caesarea is just north of the plain of Sharon, which is just north of Joppa. (Where there are revivals resulting from Peter healing Aeneas and raising Tabitha in Chapter 9.)

Paul traveled through Caesarea in Chapter 9. He will return again during his missionary journeys, and ultimately be jailed in Caesarea for two years before setting sail for Rome. 

Caesarea will become the home of Philip. (Acts 21) It was also the home of Roman governors like Pontius Pilate. Caesarea, named for Caesar Augustus by Herod the Great, was the capital of Roman Judea. 

Ruins of Caesarea today

Artist’s Rendition of Caesarea 

2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

Cornelius is a devout man, meaning he is not merely religious but sincere and dedicated. He feared God (not the gods), meaning he already had faith in the God of Israel. He was very generous with his alms to the people. He was also a man of prayer. Moreover, he took his responsibility as the spiritual leader of his family seriously. To say Cornelius was an honorable man seems a bit of an understatement.

3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day [ie, the hour of prayer; cf Acts 3:1] an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

In Chapter 9, Paul and Ananias had visions. In this Chapter, Cornelius and Peter are up. The Holy Spirit is busy leading and orchestrating the transition from the law into the New Covenant of grace. 

4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

Have you ever had a vision from the Holy Spirit? How much do you pray? It looks like Cornelius is praying when he has his vision, just as Peter is when he has his (v 9). The vision Ananias had seems to be an answer to Paul’s prayers in Acts 9:11, prayers which likewise led to Paul’s vision in Acts 9:12. The angel tells Cornelius he was sent as a result of his prayers and his alms.

5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:
6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.

Notice how Cornelius was only given a limited amount of information. He will have to obey, then wait and see what happens next.

7 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;

I cannot help but wonder if Cornelius might be the centurion Dr Luke mentions in Chapter 7 of his Gospel, and whether one of the servants mentioned here may be the one Jesus healed. The Gospel account of the centurion that loved Israel and built them a synagogue matches. Dr Luke mentions that the soldier Cornelius sends along is a man of faith as well.

8 And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa [Gk Ióppē; called Jaffa in modern English or Yafo in Hebrew].

They make good time and arrive at Joppa the next day. Joppa is about 38 miles south of Caesarea on foot, but as attachés to Cornelius, they are probably on horseback. Or, since Joppa was a major port city like Caesarea, maybe they went by boat?

9 ¶ On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

It’s been said that God knows you always have to tell a man twice (Abraham, Abraham; Jacob, Jacob; Moses, Moses; Samuel, Samuel; etc.) Peter requires being told three times. (Cf John 21:17) He said Not so, Lord the first time, but repented after the second and third. (Cornelius, who was used to taking orders, only needs to be told once.)

17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate,
18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
Acts 10:1-18

In our next post, we will see that Peter’s vision is not necessarily about non-kosher food. It’s also about us — non-kosher Gentiles. 

We all have our biases and beliefs that we carry with us from our culture, ingrained deep into our souls from early childhood. Peter’s vision is telling him he needs to let go of his biases and fully embrace the New Covenant of grace. It’s not just ‘okay’ to eat with Gentiles now, but the Lord is commanding it. The one another passages of the New Testament apply to all believers, Jew and Gentile alike.

Throughout the Book of Acts, we see how the Jews resisted the New Covenant of grace and clung to the law. The apostles will start to understand better at the first church council which takes place in Acts 15, but there were many who continued to resist. Ironically, the one least likely to embrace New Covenant grace — Saul of Tarsus — became its strongest advocate.

This same misunderstanding continues today, not just among Jews, but among many Gentiles. Legalism is like a strong tower that keeps Christians bound by rigid superstitions. To fully understand and embrace New Covenant grace is to be free indeed. (John 8:31-36) We will see later in Acts 15 that the only rules for Christians are to abstain from meat offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication (Gk porneia). Paul modified these rules in his Epistles, but the bottom line is that when a Christian is led of the Spirit, all things are lawful. (I Cor 6:9-20)

In closing, if you are a Jewish believer in Yeshua, go ahead and eat the lobster if you want to. According to Peter’s vision it’s okay; even Yeshua said so. (Mark 7:15; cf Rom 14)

Father, please fill us day by day with the Holy Spirit, that we may be led of the Spirit and focused on your Son. Help us to cast aside our unbiblical beliefs and biases, that your Son may feel at home in our hearts, and that we may always be ready to serve Him, in season and out of season. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts 2:16, 17 — God Keeps His Promises

~ mikethemissionary

Dear Friends,

Greeting in Christ!

This Christmas, I am thankful that Jesus is still with us, alive and well in our hearts in the Person of the Holy Spirit — a promise God made long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem:

     But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 
    And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭

Jesus reiterated this promise before He went to the cross and again after He rose again. Of course, God kept this promise, the same as He kept his promise to send his Son (Job 19:25; Isa 13:12; Mic 5:2 just to name a few).

You will not find Christmas celebrated in Acts or any of the Epistles, yet the first coming of Christ is a theme that runs all through the Old Testament, beginning in Genesis 3:15. 

For thousands of years they waited for God to keep his promise, and God always keeps his promises — promises like these:

God promises to protect us:

    The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 
Psalm 34:7

    For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. 
Isaiah 41:13

    When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 
Isaiah 43:2

God promises to give us peace:

    Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 
John 14:27

    Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Isaiah 26:3 

God promises to supply our needs:

    But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 
Matthew 6:33 

    But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 
Philippians 4:19 

God promises to guide us:

    I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 
Psalms 32:8

    Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 
    In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 

    Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. 
Jeremiah 33:3

    If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 
James 1:5 

God promises to empower us:

    But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 
Acts 1:8

    But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 
Isaiah 40:31 

God promises us a good future:

    Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 
Psalms 37:4 

    For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end [one translation says a future and a hope]. 
Jeremiah 29:11 

God promises to help fight our battles:

    I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 
Philippians 4:13 

    No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. 
Isaiah 54:17

The best promise of all is that we are saved through faith in Christ:

    As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 
Psalms 103:12 

    For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13 

He promises that He is coming back: 

    And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 
    Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 
    Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. 
Acts 1:10-12

Yes, just as God kept his promise to send his Son the first time, He will surely keep his promise to send Him back again:

Isaiah 7:14 (1st Coming)

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

Isaiah 9:6 (2nd Coming)

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

Father, thank You for your exceeding great and precious promises, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

In closing, as I finish my European tour of highlights from Paul’s missionary trips, I wish you Merry Christmas from Madrid. I am looking forward to the rest of Acts as I continue to process what I have learned. I like to think that Paul made it to Spain (Rom 15:24, 28). Even if he didn’t make it in person, he made it here in spirit, as I’ve met evangelical Christians here who follow his teachings.

Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus Performed in Madrid

Acts 9:32-43 — A Time of Rest, Miracles, and Revival

~ mikethemissionary

 Dear Friends,

Greetings in Christ!

In our last post, the churches had rest following the persecution from Saul. But, Saul on the other hand, learned what it was like to be hunted and persecuted (v 29).

When you are going through a trial, it is always good to remember that this too shall pass. Persecution will be back again soon enough, but for now, the churches have rest.

In this post, we pick back up with Peter as the Holy Spirit sends him on a new mission. Dr Luke will return to Saul near the end of Chapter 11; again, we will see Barnabas helping him.

Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit and give us understanding as we read your word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts 9:32-43
32 ¶ And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.

Lydda is the Greek name for Lod, a town just south of the Ben Gurion airport.

33 And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy [paralized]. 
34 And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.
35 And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.

In healing Aeneas, Peter performs another great miracle, which lights a revival fire in Lod that burns all the way to Saron (Greek for Sharon, which is just north of where Tel Aviv is today). 

36 ¶ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.

Dr Luke interprets the Aramaic Tabitha for his Greek readers (Dorcus), which means Gazelle in English. I suspect Dorcus was graceful and attractive like a gazelle.

37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.

Peter does not delay when called upon by the believers in Joppa (today on the south side of Tel Aviv). He immediately makes the hike of about 14 miles to come to their aid. (See I Peter 5.)

39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.

Now Peter performs a greater miracle than the one he performed in Lod. This miracle is very similar to the one Jesus performed when He raised Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5. As Jesus did, Peter puts all the people out of the room and says almost the same words, Tabitha, cumi.

43 And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.
Acts 9:32-43

In Acts 10, Peter is going to perform an even greater miracle than the ones he performed here in Chapter 9: He is going to minister to Gentiles and lead them to Christ. Leading a lost soul to Christ is beyond any shadow of a doubt the greatest miracle anyone will ever perform. We cannot save anyone, not even ourselves, but we can lead them to He who can save them, Jesus, and that is a miracle. 

If you have never led a soul to Christ, ask yourself how much time you have spent praying for the lost. Ask yourself how much time you have spent telling others about what Jesus has done for you. If that sounds hard, write it down. After you practice saying it on paper it will be much easier in person. 

Or, maybe the problem is just that you have not asked them if they want to receive Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. I used to talk and talk, and nobody was getting saved. Then it occurred to me that I was not asking them if they want Jesus. You have to ask. When they say yes, you have to be prepared to lead them in prayer:

Father in heaven, I’m a sinner. I turn from my sin and I receive your Son as my personal Saviour. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and take control of my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and write my name in your book of life. I ask this in your Holy and precious name. Amen.

In closing, salvation is only square 1. A new believer needs doctrine like a newborn needs milk. (Acts 2:42) Satan will attempt to deceive her or him with errors of all kinds. Therefore, you need to see to it that she or he is instructed in sound doctrine. Make sure she or he knows not just to avoid cults and isims, but to reject them outright. (Acts 19:19; Gal 1:8; Tit 3:10)

Prophecy Update: Canada and the EU are partnering together with plans involving AI, digital IDs, and digital wallets. This, and the fine Brussels has slapped X with for daring to host a quasi free-speech platform, are both examples of further steps toward the one-world government prophesied in the Revelation. (Heb 10:37)

PS: As I am sure you know, a big part of the attack on us in these last days is through our food. A convenient and handy way to make healthy choices wherever you may shop is to scan before you buy with the Yuka app.