The Apostle Paul is continuing his evangelistic schedule, never staying in one place more than a couple of months. Verses one through six: After leaving Ephesus Paul journeyed to Troas where a group of believers were waiting for him. In verse 6 we are told that the group had remained in Philippi until “after the days of unleavened bread” (Passover–this […]

The Apostle Paul has sent Timothy and Erastus ahead to Macedonia while he remained in Ephesus. Verses twenty-one through forty-one: Through his preaching Paul has convinced many of the Ephesians that the female deity called Diana that they and their ancestors had worshiped was in fact a false god. Paul’s success proved that many people of that day were open to the […]

Paul has been led of the Lord to settle down for a while in Ephesus, a city known for its deadly treatment of anyone who did not adhere to its religious rules. Verses eight through twelve: For the past three months Paul preached to the Jews who attended the Ephesus synagogue. His message–the Kingdom of God and the dead […]

The Apostle Paul is in full evangelistic mode, traveling from city to city preaching to the Jews in the synagogues every Sabbath (Gentiles were not allowed inside synagogues). Verses one through seventeen: Paul has arrived in Corinth where he has found a married couple named Aquilla and Priscilla who have been expelled from Italy because they are […]

An overview of the Apostle Paul’s message to the religious leaders of Athens was presented in the previous posting. Now let us revisit 17:26 which will place us on the path of knowledge concerning the subject of racial integration. Here Paul is telling the Athenians that, though God had made all men of one blood, He had dispatched each of the sons […]

The Apostle Paul has traveled to Athens where finds the people worshiping several gods. Verses sixteen through thirty-four:  Having preached to the local Jews in their synagogue, Paul then walks through the city where he finds the local populace openly practicing polytheism. One of the gods they worship is unknown to them. Taking the opportunity available to him, Paul introduces […]

The apostles Paul and Silas have cast a demon out of a girl whose occultic skills had made much money for her handlers by forecasting the future. Verses nineteen through thirty-four: Angered that she could no longer make money for them, her handlers had the apostles arrested, beaten and thrown into jail. At around midnight as they sang […]

The apostles Paul and Silas are staying with the family of Lydia while ministering in Thyatira. To travel from her home to where they would be ministering they had to walk through the city. Their daily walk provides a wonderful teaching moment that falls under the heading of “all that glitters is not gold.” Speaking of “gold,” I recently saw and heard […]

At this point we will begin to examine the ministry of the Apostle Paul in a general way, occasionally interrupting the narrative flow to address a specific situation. The Lord dedicates the remainder of the Book of Acts primarily to Paul’s ministry. Let us begin the study of his work with chapter 16. Verses one through five: In Derbe and […]

Return with me to verse five where I referenced the word “and.” Recall that there were some Pharisees present who “believed.” Still being bound to the Talmud and their man-made rules and regulations, they insisted that Gentile converts be circumcised AND keep (obey) the law of Moses. This became a matter of much debate among the apostles. Though the Lord did away […]