Week 47
Acts 14-15
In the city of Lystra the Lord heals a man who was lame from birth, and the people think that Paul and Barnabas are some of the Greek gods, and they attempt to sacrifice to them. However, Paul explains that they are just witnesses for the one true God, who created all things in heaven, and on the earth. Some of the Jews from the surrounding area convinced the people to hate Paul, and then he was stoned and left for dead. Paul revives, and they travel on the next day, establishing churches in many of the cities they preached in, and appointed elders in each of those churches for the teaching and care of the people. Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch, from where they had been commissioned.
Around that time there were believing Jews (many of them had been Pharisees), who were arguing that these newly converted Gentiles needed to be circumcised, as commanded in the law of Moses. Paul and Barnabas disputed against this notion, and they were sent from Antioch to the elders in Jerusalem, to get the matter straightened out. In Jerusalem, Peter, and the other apostles agreed with Paul and Barnabas, and they issued a letter to the Gentile churches, telling them to keep themselves from idols and sexual immorality, but to not think it necessary to be physically circumcised in order to be a Christian. Paul and Barnabas took this letter back to Antioch, where it was received with gladness by the people.
Paul eventually wants to go back and visit the churches that he and Barnabas had planted, however they get into a huge argument over whether to bring John Mark (who had left them in the middle of their first journey). Ultimately, Paul takes Silas with him, and Barnabas takes John Mark and goes to Cypress.
Galatians 1-3
It is not known for sure when Paul wrote this epistle to the churches in Asia Minor that were collectively located in the Galatian region, which today is in modern Turkey. However, the nature of Paul’s letter is to bring correction to those churches, where Jewish Christians were convincing Gentile Christians of the need to obey the Jewish laws of Moses. Paul explains to them the foolishness of such a thing, since there was nothing in the observation of Old Testament laws that had saved them in the first place, and nothing in the law that would commend them to God beyond what had already been accomplished in Jesus Christ.
Paul explains all of this in the context of his own Christian journey, where he had been the strictest of Pharisees in following the law, and in persecuting the church of Christ, but was eventually embraced by the apostles in Jerusalem. He tells them that all of the apostles came to agree that there was no benefit in having new Gentile believers submit to circumcision. He also points out to them the timeline of God’s dealings with Abraham and his descendants, where he was declared righteous because of his faith in what the Lord had said, and the promises of God were given more than 400 years before the law was ever laid out to Moses.
Galatians 4-6
Paul continues in admonishing the Galatians to stop thinking that they will somehow be judged more holy or righteous because they are embracing legalistic practices in the law of Moses. He tells them that the people who are convincing them of such nonsense are hypocrites themselves, who do not fully obey the law of Moses, and who only seek to gain power and influence over the Galatians for selfish ends.
The works of the flesh are clearly called out among those people who will not gain the kingdom of heaven, but it is the fruits of the God’s Spirit that become evident in those who belong to Him - Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, kindness, and self-control. It is these things that are produced in the lives of believers, in whom lives the Spirit of God. The works of the flesh lead only to destruction and judgement, but eternal life an righteousness await those who have embraced Jesus Christ by faith.
James
The book of James is called a general epistle, as it was written for circulation among many churches, and not to address a specific church issue. It was probably written by the James the son of Alpheus, who was one of the 12, and not the brother of John, who was killed by Herod.
The behavior of a child of God is to be upright before the world, which is something that can be seen in action, and not just heard. We must learn to put away anger, as it does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Our faith in Christ is demonstrated through our actions towards each other, without partiality or discrimination, showing the love of God to all. Our tongues are so small, yet cause so much trouble, and it is a rare thing for us to control it as God desires. Do not speak against one another, but humble yourself in the sight of the Lord - draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Let the Lord have control of your plans. Pray for one another, because the effective and persistent prayer of a righteous person will accomplish much in His Name.
Acts 16:1-18:11
After Paul and Barnabas had returned to Antioch with the letter from the elders in Jerusalem, Paul takes Silas with the intention of visiting the people they had let to Christ in Asia Minor, first going to Derbe and Lystra, which marks the beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey. It was there that they met Timothy, who was a young man of good report, and who began traveling with Paul from that point. They traveled to various places in Asia Minor, but nothing was happening, until Paul received a vision of a man in Macedonia (Greece), who was asking them to come there. So Paul and his party immediately traveled there, stopping first in the city of Philippi. Paul and Silas were imprisoned, but God saved his jailer, and all of his household through that experience. The Philippian magistrates ultimately let Paul and Silas go, but only after (essentially) apologizing for having them beaten, since it was not lawful for them to do that to Roman citizens without a court ruling. Thus, the church of Philippi was started.
They then traveled to Thessalonica, where many believed as Paul preached for 2-3 weeks before being thrown out of the city by an angry mob of Jews. Still in Macedonia, they traveled to Berea, where others also believed, and the Bereans proved to be solid believers, testing the things Paul said against the scriptures. However, it wasn’t long before he left Berea (ahead of Timothy and Silas) and went to Athens, as the angry Jews were beginning to follow him around.
While Paul was waiting in Athens for Timothy and Silas to catch up to him, he started reasoning with any who would listen, as the city was full of temples to false gods. They even had a monument to the “unknown god”, which gave Paul a great opportunity to explain to the Greek philosophers that He knew who that God was, and that He was the One Who made all things. The Greeks were intrigued by the things he said, but they were mostly just interested in hearing new things to discuss.
1 Thessalonians
After leaving Athens, Paul went to the city of Corinth, where he stayed for almost 2 years. However, since he had only been in Thessalonica for about 3 weeks, he was concerned about them, and he sent Timothy back to check on how they were doing. He writes this letter to encourage them in the faith, and to also remind them of the things that he had taught them in the limited time he was there. He tells them to take comfort in the fact that those who have died are with the Lord forever, and then reminds them that Jesus will return soon to take those who belong to Him. He encourages them to remain faithful in all that the Spirit leads, and to live quiet and faithful lives for Jesus in this world.
2 Thessalonians, Acts 18:12-19:22
It is presumed that Timothy went back to deliver Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, and while he was there it became evident that they were in a great deal of turmoil over the events that were overtaking them. They were under a great deal of persecution, and some false teachers had told them that Jesus had already returned, and they had missed it. Consequently, when Paul heard about this, he penned this second letter to clear things up for them regarding the last days, and there errors they were being told.
Paul tells them that the Day of the Lord had not yet come, and that it would not come in the future until the “lawless one” (the anti-christ) is revealed in the world. Until that time comes in the future, Paul said that God is restraining, or holding back all of the evil that satan would like to do in this world, which we understand to be an active work of the Holy Spirit. When the time is right, the Spirit of God’s restraint will be removed, the man of lawlessness will be revealed in the world, and he will bring about great destruction and evil until Jesus returns to execute final judgement upon him, and upon the Lord’s enemies in this world. He concludes by encouraging them, and telling them to stand firm in their faith until the Lord accomplishes what will be done.
Meanwhile, Paul was preaching and teaching in Corinth, and after experiencing little fruit while preaching to the Jews, he determined to just focus his ministry on the Gentiles in that city. At the end of his time in Corinth, Paul and his group return to Ephesus, where he spends some time before heading back to Caesarea and Antioch, but he leaves Priscilla and Aquilla to minister in Ephesus. It is there there they meet Apollos, who is a skilled preacher, but who has an incomplete understanding of the gospel. They help him understand the full gospel of Jesus Christ, and he then travels to Achaia and preaches in Corinth. After this Paul returns to Asia Minor, and spends another 2 years in and around Ephesus.