MEETING WITH THE APOSTLE PAUL

“So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening” (Acts 28:23 NKJV).

The apostle Paul is in Rome as a prisoner. He is not in a dungeon but in a house where a soldier guards him (cf. Acts 28:16). Since he is permitted to have people come to see him, he arranges for a day when folks could come and he would speak with them about the things of the Lord. In our verse we note the subject of the meeting, the skill in the meeting, the Savior in the meeting, the Scripture in the meeting.

Subject of the meeting - “The kingdom of God.” The subject of the meeting was about spiritual matters. Many folks are not interested in hearing about spiritual matters today. They are more interested in sports, business, politics, and the like. Talk to them about spiritual matters and they lose interest quickly. If you listen to what most folks who go to church talk about before and after the services, seldom will you hear spiritual talk.

Skill in the meeting - “Persuading them concerning Jesus.” The apostle Paul labored at persuading people to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Evangelizing is in disfavor today; believers are warned about proselyting in certain places. Of course businesses can try to make sales and promote ungodly philosophies freely. This double standard is of the devil as he seeks to help promote evil.

Savior in the meeting – “Persuading them concerning Jesus.” In this meeting, the focus was on the Lord Jesus Christ. Leave out the Lord Jesus Christ and there is no salvation message. Those religions that replace the Lord Jesus Christ with someone else, has a message that has no value.

Scripture in the meeting - “He explained . . . both the Law of Moses, and the prophets.” The apostle Paul’s message was Scriptural. He spoke from the Law of Moses (the first five Books of the Bible) and the prophets (the last part of the Old Testament). Speaking from the Scripture gave his message validity. Our messages must come from the Word of God. Our church meetings need to emphasize the Scriptures.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction is God!”

Aiden Wilson (A.W.) Tozer (1897 – 1963)

American Pastor, Theologian and Author

Word Study

Fellow soldier

In Phil. 2:25 we read, “Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need” (NKJV).

“Fellow soldier” is the Greek word systratiṓtēs (συστρατιώτης = soos-trat-ee-o'-tace). It is made up of two Greek words: “sun” which means with, association, fellowship, and “stratiṓtēs” which means a soldier, a man enlisted for service in an army; a comrade-in-arms. Thus, the word means a fellow soldier, an associate in labors and conflicts. It pictures Christians as soldiers (Philem. 1:2; 2 Tim. 2:3-4), and the Christian life as a warfare with believers fighting side by side for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. Like Roman soldiers, the period which we are to serve is fixed by the Captain of our salvation, and all Christian soldiers will soon and eternally be permitted to enjoy the fruit of victory.

Did You Know…

According to the Book of Proverbs, “a merry heart” not only “does good, like medicine” (Prov. 17:22), but it also “makes a cheerful countenance” (Prov. 15:13).

Bible Quiz

Why was Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, asked to eat at David’s table?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

What did Cornelius, the Centurion, do to Peter when he was brought before him? He fell at his feet and worshipped him (Acts 10:25).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

The Commander of the Lord’s Army - Prefigures the Lord Jesus Christ as the Captain of our salvation (cf. Heb. 2:10)

"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” (Josh. 5:13-14 NJKV).

In context, Joshua is speaking to the Angel of the Lord. Most theologians believe this to be a Christophany, an Old Testament appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. Thus, Joshua met the Lord Jesus Christ as the “Commander of the army of the Lord.” Note that the “Man” does not give a direct answer to Joshua’s question as to whose side he was on. He did not come to take sides but to take over and rescue Israel! And so Joshua recognized this “Man’s” authority, and prostrated himself on the ground and “worshiped” Him. He gave Him divine honors, and He received it; no created angel would have done that (cf. Rev. 22:9). Our Lord always comes to us when we need Him and in the way we need Him most. From a spiritual perspective, the Lord Jesus is the Leader or Commander of the army of the redeemed (cf. Heb. 2:10).

Did You Know – Christian History

Lobegott Friedrich Konstantin von Tischendorf was born January 18, 1815, in Langenfeld, Saxony (now Germany). He was a German Biblical scholar.

While a student at the University of Leipzig, Tischendorf began his work on the recensions of the New Testament text (the practice of editing or revising a text based on critical analysis). In the 1840s, he earned international recognition when he deciphered the Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, a 5^th Century Greek manuscript of the New Testament. But, as he studied, he encountered scholarship that denied the inspiration of the Bible. Tischendorf then set out to search for old manuscripts (hand-written books) so he could produce an edition of the Bible as close to the original text as possible. In 1844 he went to the Middle East. While working in the library of the Monastery of St. Catherine in the Sinai Peninsula, he discovered, among some old parchments, leaves of what he was certain were among the oldest Biblical manuscripts that he had ever seen. He was permitted to take 43 of these leaves back with him to Leipzig, and in 1846 he published a facsimile edition, taking care to keep secret the place where he had obtained them.

In 1853 Tischendorf made a second journey to Sinai with the hope of recovering the other leaves he had seen on his first trip, but he found no trace of them. This did not deter him as he made still a third trip, with the support of the Russian government, in 1859. Just as he was about to give up all hope of finding the manuscripts, the steward of the monastery showed Tischendorf the manuscripts that he was looking for as well as other manuscripts. After intricate negotiations, and for a sum that has been estimated at about $7,000, Tischendorf acquired for the Tsar Alexander II what is now known as the Codex Sinaiticus. The Communists who took over Russia in 1917 had little interest in Bible manuscripts. Cash-strapped, they sold the codex to the British Museum on Christmas Day, 1933 for the large sum of £100,000 (about $500,000). These manuscripts date probably from the latter half of the 4^th Century, were probably written in Egypt, and include most of the Old Testament and the entire New Testament, as well as the Letter of Barnabas and part of the Shepherd of Hermas. Tischendorf eighth edition of the Greek New Testament is considered to be of most value to contemporary textual critics. Tischendorf died in Leipzig on December 7, 1874, at the age of 59.

A Little Humor

A rich man told his pastor, “I’d give money, but I love it too much.” The young priest replied, “Good! The Bible says to love your enemies!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Feel Puzzled? God Is Your Missing Peace!”