Things didn't work out this time for my trip; won't bore anyone with the details.
I am meditating on Phillipians 1:12-14
12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
There are other verses as well that show God using Paul; such as the story in Acts 16:33-35 where the jailor and his family were baptized.
There is no doubt that what caused people to grow bolder was Paul's continuing determination under fierce persecution as well as his heartelt love and committment to the churches he founded. Today; it seems with many missionaries in far away countries at least here in the USA people can keep their distance in terms of feeling a close kinship; and in the intensity of prayers. Of course it is reciprocal to some degree as it was with Paul who was encouraged by those who gave which made up for the lack of others. Paul of course was the perfect example of a selfless believer; accepting hunger and thirst when necessary and doing work of menial labor of tentmaking to supplement monies so as not to be a burden.
Such opportunities do exist today among certain organizations that write to prisoners in restricted countries who are incarcerated due to their faith in terms of written communications with careful restrictions for their own safety as to the contents. God measures every tear in a bottle as ( Psalm 56:8). Psalm 30:5 says For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. This verse is better suited for the explanation of the chastisement of God with Israel and their eventual restoration but also shows that our sufferings in this life are temporal.
I was in a very odd situation with a former OPC church I attended where I was granted a sort of "partial" membership without ascribing to their stance on infant baptism. There are a couple other issues which would keep me out of a similar place in the future (that church shut down 6 or 7 years ago due to lack of attendance). I will say that it wasn't required that I believed in their stance on Postmillenialism; although I may have mentioned here in the past when it was brought up how foolish it was to believe in the Antichrist and Mark of the Beast in one of their sermons and I took them up on that they sort of backed down. It wasn't a requirement to adhere to their eschatology, although it was a rather cliquish sort of mentality at that place. I agreed to disagree with them without such banter so I thought it only fair; however of course it was their belief.
In any case; infant baptism has cast a rather nebulous picture in my mind as to explanations; somehow holding what children or infants were commemorated with when they become adults and rebel as if they had some sort of inherent partaking of a covenant; I suppose equivalent to the Israelites who were "baptized" by crossing the Red Sea. ( 1 Cor. 10:2). No one I know actually thinks someone is saved through infant baptism but nonetheless they seem in my mind to have carried on a Catholic tradition through the Reformers in the past. I also had a "rebaptism"; having argued beforehand the sprinkling of water should also be legitimate ( Ezekiel 36:25). In my case I had it done that way along with my wife at the time because she had a balance issue going totally underwater; but I rededicated myself to a commitment as a church member when I had an immersion at the founding of a church I used to attend at its inception almost 10 years ago. Seeing how quickly Philip baptized the eunuch in Acts 8; and the jailor with his family ( Acts 16:33) it should follow salvation quickly.
Acts 16:30-33 states: 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.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
This passage shows what appears at first glance to be a statement that supports the idea of infant baptism; or that entire households as a given are saved as a result of one person coming to faith. I would take it more as a word of knowledge on Paul's part. We see in this passage in verse 32 that the Gospel was spoken to the entire household of the jail guard first; and immediately afterwards baptism occurred (although it is not clear where that was done in the middle of the night).
The main concept here is that with the earthquake and releasing of chains at midnight of Paul and all the prisoners brought great fear; and that this shows the Biblical prescident for faith; that is an emphasis on the fear of the Lord and a desire for the individual to come to faith without prodding or compulsion by others as is the style today. When we see other verses such as in Acts when Agrippa almost was convinced to be a Christian ( Acts 26:28) it was through Paul's eloquent appeal. Repent and believe is a general call; but I can't find any specific verses where an individual is called to make a confession of faith such as in modern day "altar calls". This shows that a heart must be ready; and how frequently such commitments are made due to pressure from man; rather than genuine conviction. The appeal in Acts to the Jews was that the one they had crucified was indeed the Christ ( Acts 2:23). Such response brings persecution as all who are giving a genuine convicting message of truth; this is opposed to today's easy believism without counting the cost which happens often.
Hebrews 11:1 states: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." In my last post I discussed the concept of repentance and that it isn't something we merely learn by our own wisdom or intuition but that it is a gift from God as many scriptures state. 2 Timothy 2:25 as well as scriptures in Acts; 2 Peter and Romans show how repentance is granted or given by the Lord. As stated in my earlier comments no contrition on our part is able to save us. This is not to say; however that the admonition in Romans 6:1-2 isn't pertinent; we shouldn't seek to sin more for more grace. Our testimony should come from a genuine admission of realization of our state before salvation. We realize that we are no better than a murderer; adulterer or any other sinner that is repugnant to society at large. Of course our NATURE has to be understood; or else we are as Judas Iscariot did just sorry for our actions rather than realizing the cause is a rotten heart needing to die to itself and be rebirthed. Peter had a downfall and Thomas doubted but they recognized the Lord when He made Himself known to them.
My earlier statements should by no means detract from the importance of emulating external actions which are outflows of GOOD FRUIT in our lives. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (easy to memorize with this numbering) gives Paul's exhortation to imitate him as he imitates Christ. Demonstrations of such behaviors are much like a parent to a child in this case. How we need such examples in church leadership today! How many of these mega pastors live even close to Paul who would work for himself so as not to burden the churches and suffer as he did with deprivation and imprisonment for the cause of Christ?
We are not to idolize people but those of Godly character should motivate us; and also bring the fear of the Lord and His holiness to unbelievers as Paul did with the prison guard ( Acts 16:30-33). Our lifestyles must back up our words.
I am glad to hear you had a great time over the holidays, I hope you were able to rest your heels of travel. Yes, it is the circumcision of the heart that the reformation begins, and the Holy Spirit inspires true worship. Worship is our response to what the Spirit reveals to us about God.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We do this with our renewed minds led by the Spirit not with our wisdom and emotions, they can be deceived. Being deceived is to be easily caught up or carried away or taken out of the way, the favorite tool of Satan, like prey taken in the mouth of a lion.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: If we are deceived, we are devoured. We must be vigilant daily to be conformed to the image of the Son of God, Jesus. Daily, as the Apostles did in the beginning, preaching the Gospel of Jesus every day, Acts 2:46-47Acts 5:42Acts 16:5.
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"
The scriptures show multiple times such as Matthew 27:19 with Pilate's wife (who may or may not have come to saving faith) and with Paul in particular (with the jailor who he had a chance to bring to faith along with his whole family) in Acts 16:30-33. The jailor even showed compassion in washing the stripes from whipping of Paul that apparently occurred earlier. There were others who Paul was able to bring to faith who were often wives of important officials.
Jesus; of course knew what He was talking about since we ALL start out as enemies of God. This puts us on an even playing field so to speak; so that we cannot understand how God can change the heart of a serial killer but not of someone who always seems to be a "nice person" whether our family members or friends. It isn't so much important to browbeat someone as to their sinfulness to convince them to repent; ASSUMING that we are preaching about the sorry state of human souls in general with unregenerate hearts. This is how the Gospel was preached; those in authority were given general and very harsh rebukes by Christ as part of the general call. WE certainly need to clearly speak of how Jesus saved us from total depravity or however we want to describe our sorry state before salvation.
Matthew 10:28 shows what we should NOT fear (our death) and what our persecutors SHOULD fear (see also Philippians 1:28).
Easier said than done; actually not possible apart from the Spirit giving us the utterance (see Luke 12:12).
We must remember God determines when our last day is on earth not Satan or man. No doubt Satan desires 24/7 to destroy us so we must always be vigilant and not let our guard down. The same should be said in prayer for those suffering persecution today.
Well maybe David0921 I may have misunderstood you (which caused you to be puzzled). You did state, "God does not save anyone BECAUSE we Believe. But if and when God Saves an individual by His MERCY and GRACE alone, they will Believe. Our BELIEF, our REPENTANCE are good works that we do as a RESULT of our Salvation." When I read this statement, it appeared you're stating that Belief & Repentance are necessary (good works) but are the result (could read it as, products) of our Salvation. If something results from an activity, it is assumed that the activity takes place first. So, if Salvation comes first, then how does Belief & Repentance result from it?
As well, in this last comment from you, you write, "Repentance and Belief of someone whom God has saved or plans to savedoes NOT contribute in any way whatsoever TOWARDS their salvation. These are good works that we do because God has saved us or in the process of drawing us to salvation". So even here it seems that Repentance and Belief, though non-contributing to salvation (and I agree to this part), but are evidences post-Salvation or during Salvation. Maybe your thought of Repentance is the continual attitude of the believer in his day-to-day life/warfare, and not of an initial repentance required for salvation; or even, if someone is the Elect of God, he must be saved from the beginning even as a sinner, but only has to repent & believe when he realizes his state. So, I too remain perplexed for I too don't believe that Repentance & Belief can be added to God's Gift of Salvation or else they would be considered as Works; YET I know that Repentance & Belief are necessary to grant Salvation ( Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19; Acts 8:22; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9).
I believe, David 0921, that my "decision to accept Christ" was the response of a Work of God the Spirit before that. Let's look at the example in Acts 16:18-34 (of the Philippian Jailer & his salvation).
When he asked Paul & Silas, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?", Paul answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house". Clearly, the jailer had to do a work (= to believe). Was it a requirement to gain salvation which as you reminded us, is all of Grace alone? Not at all - it was a Response to receive the Gift- he had to believe to receive.
So what went on prior to this moment when the jailer cried out to know the way of Salvation? All we're told is that he witnessed an earthquake, saw prison doors flung open, & prisoners' chains falling off. What else took place? We're not told, but from we have before us, with the extraordinary events taking place before his eyes which he couldn't deny, caused him in a moment to re-examine his obstinacy towards the God of Israel, have a glimmer of the Truth from the witnessors search his heart, and of course, the Work of the Holy Spirit to convict.
In answer to the jailer's question, Paul said, "Believe". And no doubt when Paul & Silas "spake unto him the word of the Lord (the Gospel), and to all that were in his house", they would have acknowledged their sins & repented. True, Salvation is all of Grace, but the sinner still needs to repent (a work), & still needs to believe (a work). All these must take place prior to salvation being given - not after. None of it are contributions towards a person's salvation - but all are responses to the Spirit's Work.
There are a few places in Acts that speak of the whole household being baptized. it doesn't explicitly exclude babies and children. For those who adhere to infant baptism, it is seen as entering into a covenant with God an His community of faith-filled believers. Infant baptism is seen as bringing upon an infant the saving work of God in Christ as parents obey the command of Jesus to baptize ALL nations and instruct these who are baptized in the life of faith in Jesus. Those who practice infant baptism recognized that all are born dead to God and need to be made alive in Christ, which they believe happens through baptism of infants and children because their parents' consent to obey this command of Christ. These believe that the Holy Spirit implants faith in the infant or child in baptism, whereas before they had not faith to believe. They believe in such baptism all the work is done by God in the infant or child. He gives the faith, He gives the forgiveness of sins with the washing of His Word (the gospel) spoken over the child. Denominations that practice infant baptism besides Catholicism are Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian/Anglican, and perhaps others.
Others, who do not embrace infant baptism, allow for children to be baptized upon an open confession of faith in Christ by the child. Some have an age limit, others do not because Jesus said that we are not to hinder children from coming unto him.
Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16; Acts 2:3; , Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33Acts 22:16
Others only allow what is called "believer's baptism" where one must believe the gospel in order to be baptized. Jesus says in Mark 16:16 to believe and be baptized. See also: Acts 2:41; Acts 16:18:8
I think that there is Biblical merit to all of these teachings about Baptism. Each person must pray for the Holy Spirit to lead them as to whether or not their children should be baptized when very young.
Reading your posts unto me, I remember Acts 16:16-18KJV : "It came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, and 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. 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".
I was reading through the first bible I ever owned and right next to the scripture I had written "Gift of discernment of Spirits."
Acts 16:16-18 (KJV)
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.
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.
No all that glitters is gold... Paul used his gift of discernment of Spirits and could tell this testimony was of demonic origin. The demonic spirit was stating the truth, but Paul not wanting testimony from a demonic spirit cast it out of her!
So too must we use our spiritual gifts of discernment of spirits to make sure who and what we are dealing with even though it might render some biblical truths. We must be certain that it is of a holy origin, as not all that glitters is gold."
Thank you for the kind words GiGi, the only way is to be close to the Lord, in the Bible in thoughts and words. I can share with you a word that I was reminded of today. Acts 16:31. My words I love them. Here the words tell that salvation is as simple as that, so easy it should happen. Jesus carries me, he saves me,
Yes thank you Jesus came soon! By thy will, Lord. Amen
Written by Paul. Paul's Inscription is on all thirteen of his letters.
II. TO WHOM IT WAS WRITTEN:
It was written to Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus and its territories, because out of Ephesus went the missionary journeys. So, Timothy not only was pastor at Ephesus, but also several churches. We know at least the churches that are in the book of Revelation.
III. THE HISTORY OF TIMOTHY:
His name mentioned 24 times in the New Testament. Timothy was from Lystra and was saved during Paul's first missionary trip ( Acts 14:19-20; 16:1-2). His mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, were godly Jewish women, and we see that in 2 Timothy 1:5. They were Jewish, they were raised on the scriptures, and they also had been saved under Paul's ministry, and had a great influence over Timothy's life.
Timothy was about 15 years old when he met Paul.
Timothy's father was a pagan Greek ( Acts 16:1; II Timothy 1:5).
Timothy was raised hearing Old Testament Scriptures ( II Timothy 3:14-15).
He joined Paul, along with Silas and Luke, during their second missionary trip ( Acts 16:3).
Paul had Timothy circumcised so that he might have the freedom to preach the gospel in Jewish synagogues ( Acts 16:3; I Corinthians 9:20).
Because his mother was Jewish, he is considered Jewish, even though his father was a Greek. Now had it been reversed, and his father was Jewish and his mother a Greek, he would not be considered Jewish. The mother has to be Jewish to be considered Jewish.
Timothy was raised hearing Old Testament Scriptures ( II Timothy 3:14-15).
He joined Paul, along with Silas and Luke, during second missionary trip ( Acts 16:3).
Paul had Timothy circumcised so that he might have the freedom to preach the gospel in Jewish synagogues ( Acts 16:3; I Corinthians 9:20). He could not do that unless he was circumcised. And of course, Titus (another Gentile), he was not circumcised by Paul, and he even went to Jerusalem with Paul to attend the Jerusalem council.
And Paul refused to have him circumcised because he wasn't doing it out of the necessity of keeping the law, but as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:20, that whatever he does, he does for the purpose of reaching people for Christ.
So, when he had Timothy circumcised, it was because he knew that he would be in the Jewish synagogues and amongst the Jews, and they would not receive anything that Timothy had to say unless he was circumcised.
And by the way, a person is considered Jewish if your mother is Jewish and your father is not. You are considered Jewish as long as your mother is. If the father is Jewish, but the mother is not, you're not Jewish.
So, Timothy was accepted as a Jewish person, and he would be in the synagogues, but he was not circumcised, so Paul had him circumcised. Timothy was ordained by Paul and the Presbytery ( I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6). He accompanies Paul on his third missionary trip ( Acts 19:22; Acts 20:4; II Corinthians 1:1, 19).
1 Timothy and Titus were written between Paul's first and second imprisonment. And 2 Timothy was Paul's last letter that he wrote, some believe hours before he was executed outside of Rome. Tradition says that he was beheaded.
But then you have Philemon which goes with Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. The reason why Philemon is there on the end is because the final four letters are the only four letters written to individuals. And that's how they canonized scripture. They put the individual letters at the end and put the church letters at the front.
So that's why Philemon is on the end, but it really was part of the prison epistles, or prison letters.
I. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Written by Paul. Paul's Inscription is on all thirteen of his letters.
II. TO WHOM IT WAS WRITTEN:
To Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus
III. THE HISTORY OF TIMOTHY:
His name is mentioned 24 times in the New Testament. Timothy was from Lystra and saved during Paul's first missionary journey ( Acts 14:19-20; 16:1-2). His mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, were godly Jewish women. In fact, Timothy was taught the Old Testament scriptures since he was a little boy. So, he has a scriptural background.
Timothy was about 15 years old when he first met Paul. And when Paul writes his letter to Timothy, he's approximately 35. So, he has spent approximately 20 years with Paul in ministry learning.
Even though Timothy's mother and grandmother were godly Jewish women, his father was a pagan Greek ( Acts 16:1; II Timothy 1:5).
The church at Philippi was founded during Paul's second missionary journey, recorded in Acts 16:8-12. Paul received a Macedonian Vision while in Troas and crossed the Aegean Sea to preach the gospel first in Philippi. That's found in Acts 16:8-10.
What happened was that on Paul's second missionary journey, he went by land and visited some of the cities that he had established during his first missionary journey. But what he wanted to do was pass those cities, and he wanted to go north and preach the gospel. But he said that Satan hindered him. That's all he said!
So, he decided that it must be a closed door, so I'll go south and preach the gospel, and he said the Holy Spirit hindered him. So, he went straight across and came all the way all the way to the coast of Troas, and he just sat there. I mean how much farther can you go? He's in Troas. He doesn't know what God wants him to do.
And so, while they were in Troas, that's when Paul received what is called the Macedonian vision. That is, a man from Macedonia appeared to him and said come over and preach the gospel to us. At which time Paul went. And as he went over, the first place where he landed, because all the vision said was come over to Macedonia, and so he landed first in Philippi and that's where he preached the gospel first.
In 57 AD, some five years after his first visit, and after his third missionary journey, Paul seems to have visited the church in Philippi twice. That is found in II Corinthians 1:16; Acts 19:21; Acts 20:1-3.
The book of Acts is the last book of the history section. Matthew through Acts is the historical accounts of the teachings and miracles of Jesus Christ and His Spirit's work through the early church. The book of Acts covers approximately 30 years. So that's the historical section. Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke, also wrote the book of Acts.
I. ABOUT THE AUTHOR LUKE:
He's only mentioned three times in the New Testament. Colossians 4:14 tells us that He is a physician. Historical accounts tell us that he was schooled in Alexandria Egypt. So, we look at that and we see that God chose an educated man to do a very detailed investigation. Luke is a Greek name and therefore many believe that he was a Gentile.
From Acts Chapter 1 Verse 1 through Chapter 16 Verse 9, Luke uses "they," third person plural in his writings. Starting with Acts Chapter 16 Verse 10 all the way to the end, he changes it to "we." So, at Acts 16:9, this is where Luke joined up with Paul.
He joined up with Paul in Troas. He was probably converted in Troas by Paul. He becomes Paul's personal physician. In Acts Chapter 27, he's right there in the shipwreck with Paul, right before Paul reaches Rome, which will be his last destination before he dies.
Luke is a Greek name, not Jewish. Many believe that he was a Gentile. In fact, we can be pretty certain that he was. Luke was the only Gentile to be used to write a book of the bible. The best evidence of him being a Gentile is in Colossians 4:11-14. This is where Paul is listing the groups of people, and in Verse 11, he lists those of the circumcision. And so those would be the Jews. But when it gets down to Verse 14, he mentions the Gentiles, and Luke is mentioned in amongst the Gentiles. So that is pretty good proof that Luke was a Gentile.
In Luke's writings, all the way through the gospel of Luke, and all the way up through Acts Chapter 16 Verse 9, he uses the Third Person Plural "they" in his writings. But starting at Acts Chapter 16 Verse 10, he then changes it to "we" (First Person Plural). So, at Acts 16:10, he joins up with Paul at that point and becomes a constant companion with Paul.
Luke joined Paul at Troas. He was probably converted in Troas by Paul, and he becomes Paul's personal physician. What is interesting is that in Acts Chapter 27, in that famous shipwreck that we read about and study and hear about, Luke also was on board that ship.
And it is interesting because you can't have guests accompany you, especially when you're a prisoner on your way to Rome. So, it is believed that Luke went along as a slave. You can have your slave, but you can't have your friends. But Luke was with him all the way. He joined up with him in Troas, doctored him, and was with him during a lot of the things that happened in Paul's ministry and life.
I now understand Adam as to what you're seeking. I equated Biblical statements about one's salvation the same as if one stated specifically that salvation was their present possession. But if you require other Scriptures, including the Luke 19:9 you gave, as well as Luke 23:42,43, we could include Acts 16:30-34 (they rejoiced, not because that salvation would be in the future, but by believing they would be saved now). Also, Acts 10:44-48 (the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles, not just for the Jews; & they spoke in other tongues & were water baptized). Though we don't hear these people (the jailer & Cornelius) saying the words that you require, yet Luke records what he observed, that a transformation had taken place.
As to the "dozens of verses supporting a future salvation", one could examine those verses you gave & find that there is a differing understanding whether those verses speak of a future salvation or of victoriously living out one's present salvation & of eternal rewards.
So, we come back to the whole understanding of salvation by faith, the Work of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life, & living a life presently but not knowing whether God will or will not bring about a salvation at Judgement time. These points would certainly take us away from the point you're raising, but I believe they are necessary so as to understand what takes place when a person repents, believes, & gets baptized by the Spirit. Does the Spirit really even baptise him? Does the Spirit leave & enter him at will? What place does Holy Spirit Power hold in a believer's life? Can we even call him a believer - maybe just a follower of Christ awaiting/hoping for approval on that future day of salvation? These are some of the questions that disturb me if I'm not an assured believer & accepted by God on the merits of His Son's Sacrifice - an adopted child of God now. The question then is: am I saved right now or not till later - maybe?
Divination is something we are not to get into you can open doors to things you do not want to even think about dealing with. It is the means of foretelling future events or discovering things secret with the aid of witchcraft, sorcerers, stars, and other mystical things we have been told to stay away from. Here are a few verses, Lev. 19:26-31Lev. 20:6Num. 22:7Deut. 18:9-14
Many people do not believe these things exist but believe me they do. Saul did this 1 Sam. 28:7-25. You can also see in the NT, with a slave girl in Acts 16:16-18 and a man named Simon in Acts 8:9-24
Getting back to the Great Commission; the examples in Acts are things which we will not experience unless we are out there sharing our faith. It is hard to imagine today a Phillipians 1:15 situation where there is envy for those who are "turning the world upside down" ( Acts 17:6). At least in the USA it seems the impact is minimal; and probably largely due to a fear of persecution.
Prayers such as freed Peter in Acts 12; as well as Paul's release in Acts 16:25-28 are sorely needed today; of course that involves remembering missionaries and those in bonds today ( Hebrews 13:3 which certainly sounds like something Paul would have authored).
Prayer can err on both being presumptuous as to God answering things a certain way or not being boldly presenting our petitions to His throne ( Heb. 4:16). Yes; there are times when we contend with God; such as when I would guess happened when James was killed with the sword in Acts. We shouldn't use Esau's example of praying with tears as an excuse not to have heartfelt prayer; he was only concerned with the results of his sin. Sadly; I have seen very few times when tears flow because of grief and loss; I'm sure a lot of us myself included would be greatly edified by more tears of repentance realizing how great the Father's love is for us. Therefore; praise and adulation of the Lord and His Holiness; as well as our own sad state in comparison should be something starting church services and other gatherings as a routine practice. As my friend in Pittsburgh stated a couple years back when he started early morning prayers; he was "desperate for prayer". Something needed by more believers today.
Along with knowing when to act is also knowing when to wait on the Lord. Patience is a virtue I surely need more of but it is something commonplace in those possessing mature faith and good fruit in their walk. Wrestling with God all night in prayer is also commendable like in Genesis 32:22-32
Another sad fact is that many are not serious about fulfilling the Great Commission. This lack of perseverance robs many of using spiritual gifts; which are illustrated in examples such as Acts 16:17. This reminds us of Acts 13:8-12 with another person who was seeking to attain Paul's miraculous powers by offering him money. This caused him to become blind much as Paul did for a season.
The first example really hits home because many so called Christians aren't even discerning enough to tell when obvious false Gospel messages are creeping in. This woman was telling the truth; and not just any way was proclaimed but she stated through the spirit in her that it was THE way. The error was the spirit was using her (probably because of her own desire for recognition or money) to draw attention to itself; we must remember that the demons know and shudder ( James 2:19). It seems Paul tolerated this behavior for a time; either he wanted to ignore the distraction or wasn't sure it was from the enemy.
Sadly; from my own experiences and having been granted some spiritual discernment the truth is never very popular. I try not to be jaded myself with so many false prophecies and revelations promulgated today lest there be a few that are genuine. It seems more than cooincidence that there are very few words of knowledge that are critical of actions; and if a rebuke is given it is often more of a show of pride than an honest assessment. Nonetheless; so much can be prevented if such responsibilities would be done quickly by elders as well as responsible laypersons before error is allowed to take root; or sins destroy the life of an individual or family. Jesus didn't mince words with Peter and other would be disciples; try that approach in todays seeker friendly church and see how long it is before you are escorted out the door. Truth be told we cannot love our brethren without exhortation and rebuke balancing encouragement
Dear God Father in Heaven, You who have created all things, visible and invisible. We pray according to Your will in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen. We want more of You Jesus, be closer to You, love You and worship You. For Your purity and Divine nature, for Your Revelations and the learning that You give. We thank You for Calvary and Your work that has cleansed us all of Your blood that flowed there. Death has no power Hallelujah Amen. Then it is only for us and faith for salvation. That's why we lift up the family and relatives of "Abenavides9969". This is how we know that everyone is saved, Amen.
Acts 16:31 Faith comes from the preaching and freedom we have is in the Holy Spirit, Our conscience guides us. We thank You for all the gifts that You give. We thank You for strengthening "Abenavides9969" to spirit, soul and body. You will always be present, we thank You Lord for the opportunity we have to deepen our acquaintance with You Lord. In All God's Word You Are Jesus Christ, Amen
Luke 1 chapter
Thank you for sharing this, we can all count on sights and revelations Hallelujah Amen! The kingdom of God today is in the spiritual. Then it is also natural that we who are His children to peek into the heavenly sometimes. And as long as you get peace and joy through sight and revelations, just give thanks and receive. Thou shalt experience this to fade thy other things, which are so shown here on earth daytimely. God with u and yours, love u in Christ. Nothing is without meaning, and with the Lord everything is planned. Amen
Dear Ruby Lead Read, being saved IS simple. I'm not talking about the doctrine around it. A lost sinner need not understand anything but Who Jesus is and why he must come to Him for the remission of sins to save himself from Hellfire. Once saved, he/she can learn the doctrine. I'm talking about the simplicity of coming to the Lord to be born again. Read these two verses from the WORD where the jailer asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved:
ACTS 16:30 "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
ACTS 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved."
Dear God the Father in Heaven, You who throne over everything and everyone. You who care for us so much that You send Jesus Christ to us. Oh we long for those days when we can always be with the Lord. Thank You Holy Spirit for being with us today. We bow our hearts in respect of You Lord who had to walk the heaviest path. And with a humble mind, we fall to our knees and ask forgiveness for our transgressions and sins we do in Thoughts, Word, and Deeds. Help us You Lord Jesus You who are our Lawyer, You whom we can hide behind from the wrath of God. We thank You for coming soon Jesus, and You will judge the dead and the Living. We give thanks for the truth that is in our hearts, that truth draws us to You Lord. The Truth wants us to grow and grow in Your presence, Your authority, Your wisdom, and in You we do not judge ourselves. Like "Onewatchman" dear God help him so that he does not harm himself. We pray acording to Your will God, in Jesus Christ holy name. It is You who will judge, thank the Lord Jesus Christ. We humbly pray that our sins are forgiven and the Holy Spirit can still work in us. We stick to the word that says. Acts 16:31. 1 John 3:6 Amen.
In peace, I say to you who have so many good words and say to all of us here on the web and probably elsewhere as well. Cleanse your thoughts and heal your body. Don't damage God's temple. I don't want to believe that I have or am a better guy, because we all have ours and struggle with. We now even live here on earth. Study Holy Scripture dear you, and you will find that you cannot judge yourself either, because it is One who will judge. When did we become fully grown? When did we become so famous that we are better at judging than God Himself. And know ourselves more than God does. We don't. So now you fold up your arms and find the triggering words of our Holy Scripture. And wash your face and understand that God is with you. He will never leave you. He won't take you away because He saw you in His image. Love u
in any case know that the Lord has put you here on the web and writing here is useful to all who read it. Remember where two and three are gathered, there is the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of us. Which task is the biggest?
Prayer is the greatest of all gifts. Without prayer we get nothing, without someone who prays all is lost. Without the prayer of a righteous man, there will be complete/total spiritual darkness on Earth. James 5:16
It is so great to join and pray for all people, it gives life and vitality in a dark time where we see that our loved ones feel so good about themselves that they do not see/that they need God in their lives. But there will be days when they too will fall to their knees. The day when God calls them for that He has promised. Acts 16:31
Imagine there, the whole family was saved at once, received the baptism in the Holy Spirit too! God is good to the faithful who believe. Never lose heart and stand against such thought. Every man has received a gift. Love u in Christ. Thank, Hallelujah for the Lord knows and take his people home.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Paul and Silas's jailer asked them in ACTS 16:30 ..."Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Their answer was as simple as this in ACTS 16:31 ..."Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..." Simple as that.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.- Romans 10:9-13.
Jesus will help you through all your problems. Psalms 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
If you have broken the law, you may have to face those charges, but Jesus will be there with you. The verdict may not be what you want, but it will be God's will, and that is the best way, for He knows what benefits us more than we do.
Beloved, the prayer of a righteous man works with great power. James 5:16. Have you received the forgiveness of sins? Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be righteous. That is all that He God the Father Himself expects us to believe in Jesus not only Jesus but also Christ. Acts 16:31 Then you also get to experience Heaven on Earth. For the kingdom of God dwells in us. Luke 17:21
We face temptations on a daily basis, it becomes like something you know you shouldn't do, then you do it anyway. Then the question is what is it dear to you. One can well imagine that this is not a good thing. It is important to distinguish between Spirit, Soul and body. Run to Jesus an pray for help.
The body has its everyday routine. Then we can expand this into many illegal things. If it is the meat that tempts us, we only have one choice. Run to Jesus, pray for it to go away. Then it also means that you have to capture every thought that comes up, after this pray of help. So that you don't think about it ever again
There is a difference here. The one who is a child, the one who is young, and the one who is old. Think about it. The Lord does not expect a child to drive a car. If there is anyone who cares for us all, it is the Lord. Think about the smallest little thing He is with. He is also involved in the big things. As Gods word said, the kingdom of God is within us who believe.
We learn as we go. We separate things from good and bad as we have been taught to do so. People are so different. Some hear well and others don't. This is completely individual. Thank God the Father for it is He who has made us this way.
And if our conscience says that what we are doing is wrong. May we sincerely ask for forgiveness and learn from it as best we can. Good luck on your journey towards Sanctification. Love u in Christ.
Hint: Try 1 day that suits and keep the thought of the Lord Jesus. Only on Him, see what's coming. He tells you good things. It will help you a lot and not think on other.
I am meditating on Phillipians 1:12-14
12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
There are other verses as well that show God using Paul; such as the story in Acts 16:33-35 where the jailor and his family were baptized.
There is no doubt that what caused people to grow bolder was Paul's continuing determination under fierce persecution as well as his heartelt love and committment to the churches he founded. Today; it seems with many missionaries in far away countries at least here in the USA people can keep their distance in terms of feeling a close kinship; and in the intensity of prayers. Of course it is reciprocal to some degree as it was with Paul who was encouraged by those who gave which made up for the lack of others. Paul of course was the perfect example of a selfless believer; accepting hunger and thirst when necessary and doing work of menial labor of tentmaking to supplement monies so as not to be a burden.
Such opportunities do exist today among certain organizations that write to prisoners in restricted countries who are incarcerated due to their faith in terms of written communications with careful restrictions for their own safety as to the contents. God measures every tear in a bottle as ( Psalm 56:8). Psalm 30:5 says For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. This verse is better suited for the explanation of the chastisement of God with Israel and their eventual restoration but also shows that our sufferings in this life are temporal.
We're in this together
I was in a very odd situation with a former OPC church I attended where I was granted a sort of "partial" membership without ascribing to their stance on infant baptism. There are a couple other issues which would keep me out of a similar place in the future (that church shut down 6 or 7 years ago due to lack of attendance). I will say that it wasn't required that I believed in their stance on Postmillenialism; although I may have mentioned here in the past when it was brought up how foolish it was to believe in the Antichrist and Mark of the Beast in one of their sermons and I took them up on that they sort of backed down. It wasn't a requirement to adhere to their eschatology, although it was a rather cliquish sort of mentality at that place. I agreed to disagree with them without such banter so I thought it only fair; however of course it was their belief.
In any case; infant baptism has cast a rather nebulous picture in my mind as to explanations; somehow holding what children or infants were commemorated with when they become adults and rebel as if they had some sort of inherent partaking of a covenant; I suppose equivalent to the Israelites who were "baptized" by crossing the Red Sea. ( 1 Cor. 10:2). No one I know actually thinks someone is saved through infant baptism but nonetheless they seem in my mind to have carried on a Catholic tradition through the Reformers in the past. I also had a "rebaptism"; having argued beforehand the sprinkling of water should also be legitimate ( Ezekiel 36:25). In my case I had it done that way along with my wife at the time because she had a balance issue going totally underwater; but I rededicated myself to a commitment as a church member when I had an immersion at the founding of a church I used to attend at its inception almost 10 years ago. Seeing how quickly Philip baptized the eunuch in Acts 8; and the jailor with his family ( Acts 16:33) it should follow salvation quickly.
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
This passage shows what appears at first glance to be a statement that supports the idea of infant baptism; or that entire households as a given are saved as a result of one person coming to faith. I would take it more as a word of knowledge on Paul's part. We see in this passage in verse 32 that the Gospel was spoken to the entire household of the jail guard first; and immediately afterwards baptism occurred (although it is not clear where that was done in the middle of the night).
The main concept here is that with the earthquake and releasing of chains at midnight of Paul and all the prisoners brought great fear; and that this shows the Biblical prescident for faith; that is an emphasis on the fear of the Lord and a desire for the individual to come to faith without prodding or compulsion by others as is the style today. When we see other verses such as in Acts when Agrippa almost was convinced to be a Christian ( Acts 26:28) it was through Paul's eloquent appeal. Repent and believe is a general call; but I can't find any specific verses where an individual is called to make a confession of faith such as in modern day "altar calls". This shows that a heart must be ready; and how frequently such commitments are made due to pressure from man; rather than genuine conviction. The appeal in Acts to the Jews was that the one they had crucified was indeed the Christ ( Acts 2:23). Such response brings persecution as all who are giving a genuine convicting message of truth; this is opposed to today's easy believism without counting the cost which happens often.
My earlier statements should by no means detract from the importance of emulating external actions which are outflows of GOOD FRUIT in our lives. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (easy to memorize with this numbering) gives Paul's exhortation to imitate him as he imitates Christ. Demonstrations of such behaviors are much like a parent to a child in this case. How we need such examples in church leadership today! How many of these mega pastors live even close to Paul who would work for himself so as not to burden the churches and suffer as he did with deprivation and imprisonment for the cause of Christ?
We are not to idolize people but those of Godly character should motivate us; and also bring the fear of the Lord and His holiness to unbelievers as Paul did with the prison guard ( Acts 16:30-33). Our lifestyles must back up our words.
I am glad to hear you had a great time over the holidays, I hope you were able to rest your heels of travel. Yes, it is the circumcision of the heart that the reformation begins, and the Holy Spirit inspires true worship. Worship is our response to what the Spirit reveals to us about God.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We do this with our renewed minds led by the Spirit not with our wisdom and emotions, they can be deceived. Being deceived is to be easily caught up or carried away or taken out of the way, the favorite tool of Satan, like prey taken in the mouth of a lion.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: If we are deceived, we are devoured. We must be vigilant daily to be conformed to the image of the Son of God, Jesus. Daily, as the Apostles did in the beginning, preaching the Gospel of Jesus every day, Acts 2:46-47 Acts 5:42 Acts 16:5.
God bless,
RLW
Acts 16:13, Acts 17:2 Acts 18:4
"Protestants do not realize that by observing Sunday they accept the authority of the Spokesperson, the Pope." ( Our Sunday Visitor February 5, 1950.)
Matthew 5:44 states:
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"
The scriptures show multiple times such as Matthew 27:19 with Pilate's wife (who may or may not have come to saving faith) and with Paul in particular (with the jailor who he had a chance to bring to faith along with his whole family) in Acts 16:30-33. The jailor even showed compassion in washing the stripes from whipping of Paul that apparently occurred earlier. There were others who Paul was able to bring to faith who were often wives of important officials.
Jesus; of course knew what He was talking about since we ALL start out as enemies of God. This puts us on an even playing field so to speak; so that we cannot understand how God can change the heart of a serial killer but not of someone who always seems to be a "nice person" whether our family members or friends. It isn't so much important to browbeat someone as to their sinfulness to convince them to repent; ASSUMING that we are preaching about the sorry state of human souls in general with unregenerate hearts. This is how the Gospel was preached; those in authority were given general and very harsh rebukes by Christ as part of the general call. WE certainly need to clearly speak of how Jesus saved us from total depravity or however we want to describe our sorry state before salvation.
Matthew 10:28 shows what we should NOT fear (our death) and what our persecutors SHOULD fear (see also Philippians 1:28).
Easier said than done; actually not possible apart from the Spirit giving us the utterance (see Luke 12:12).
We must remember God determines when our last day is on earth not Satan or man. No doubt Satan desires 24/7 to destroy us so we must always be vigilant and not let our guard down. The same should be said in prayer for those suffering persecution today.
It may not be our timing or our method; but the LORD'S way is always best.
May we press on and seek to learn more of our LORD and KING through scripture.
GOD bless all on this forum. I pray that everybody had a peaceful time in CHRIST name during Christmas. Have a happy New Year everyone!
The LORD to shine HIS glorious face on all who trust and believe in HIM.
December 26, 2023
As well, in this last comment from you, you write, "Repentance and Belief of someone whom God has saved or plans to savedoes NOT contribute in any way whatsoever TOWARDS their salvation. These are good works that we do because God has saved us or in the process of drawing us to salvation". So even here it seems that Repentance and Belief, though non-contributing to salvation (and I agree to this part), but are evidences post-Salvation or during Salvation. Maybe your thought of Repentance is the continual attitude of the believer in his day-to-day life/warfare, and not of an initial repentance required for salvation; or even, if someone is the Elect of God, he must be saved from the beginning even as a sinner, but only has to repent & believe when he realizes his state. So, I too remain perplexed for I too don't believe that Repentance & Belief can be added to God's Gift of Salvation or else they would be considered as Works; YET I know that Repentance & Belief are necessary to grant Salvation ( Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19; Acts 8:22; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9).
I believe, David 0921, that my "decision to accept Christ" was the response of a Work of God the Spirit before that. Let's look at the example in Acts 16:18-34 (of the Philippian Jailer & his salvation).
When he asked Paul & Silas, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?", Paul answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house". Clearly, the jailer had to do a work (= to believe). Was it a requirement to gain salvation which as you reminded us, is all of Grace alone? Not at all - it was a Response to receive the Gift- he had to believe to receive.
So what went on prior to this moment when the jailer cried out to know the way of Salvation? All we're told is that he witnessed an earthquake, saw prison doors flung open, & prisoners' chains falling off. What else took place? We're not told, but from we have before us, with the extraordinary events taking place before his eyes which he couldn't deny, caused him in a moment to re-examine his obstinacy towards the God of Israel, have a glimmer of the Truth from the witnessors search his heart, and of course, the Work of the Holy Spirit to convict.
In answer to the jailer's question, Paul said, "Believe". And no doubt when Paul & Silas "spake unto him the word of the Lord (the Gospel), and to all that were in his house", they would have acknowledged their sins & repented. True, Salvation is all of Grace, but the sinner still needs to repent (a work), & still needs to believe (a work). All these must take place prior to salvation being given - not after. None of it are contributions towards a person's salvation - but all are responses to the Spirit's Work.
There are a few places in Acts that speak of the whole household being baptized. it doesn't explicitly exclude babies and children. For those who adhere to infant baptism, it is seen as entering into a covenant with God an His community of faith-filled believers. Infant baptism is seen as bringing upon an infant the saving work of God in Christ as parents obey the command of Jesus to baptize ALL nations and instruct these who are baptized in the life of faith in Jesus. Those who practice infant baptism recognized that all are born dead to God and need to be made alive in Christ, which they believe happens through baptism of infants and children because their parents' consent to obey this command of Christ. These believe that the Holy Spirit implants faith in the infant or child in baptism, whereas before they had not faith to believe. They believe in such baptism all the work is done by God in the infant or child. He gives the faith, He gives the forgiveness of sins with the washing of His Word (the gospel) spoken over the child. Denominations that practice infant baptism besides Catholicism are Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian/Anglican, and perhaps others.
Others, who do not embrace infant baptism, allow for children to be baptized upon an open confession of faith in Christ by the child. Some have an age limit, others do not because Jesus said that we are not to hinder children from coming unto him.
Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16; Acts 2:3; , Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33 Acts 22:16
Others only allow what is called "believer's baptism" where one must believe the gospel in order to be baptized. Jesus says in Mark 16:16 to believe and be baptized. See also: Acts 2:41; Acts 16:18:8
I think that there is Biblical merit to all of these teachings about Baptism. Each person must pray for the Holy Spirit to lead them as to whether or not their children should be baptized when very young.
Reading your posts unto me, I remember Acts 16:16-18KJV : "It came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, and 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. 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".
I was reading through the first bible I ever owned and right next to the scripture I had written "Gift of discernment of Spirits."
Acts 16:16-18 (KJV)
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.
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.
No all that glitters is gold... Paul used his gift of discernment of Spirits and could tell this testimony was of demonic origin. The demonic spirit was stating the truth, but Paul not wanting testimony from a demonic spirit cast it out of her!
So too must we use our spiritual gifts of discernment of spirits to make sure who and what we are dealing with even though it might render some biblical truths. We must be certain that it is of a holy origin, as not all that glitters is gold."
Yes thank you Jesus came soon! By thy will, Lord. Amen
I. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Written by Paul. Paul's Inscription is on all thirteen of his letters.
II. TO WHOM IT WAS WRITTEN:
It was written to Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus and its territories, because out of Ephesus went the missionary journeys. So, Timothy not only was pastor at Ephesus, but also several churches. We know at least the churches that are in the book of Revelation.
III. THE HISTORY OF TIMOTHY:
His name mentioned 24 times in the New Testament. Timothy was from Lystra and was saved during Paul's first missionary trip ( Acts 14:19-20; 16:1-2). His mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, were godly Jewish women, and we see that in 2 Timothy 1:5. They were Jewish, they were raised on the scriptures, and they also had been saved under Paul's ministry, and had a great influence over Timothy's life.
Timothy was about 15 years old when he met Paul.
Timothy's father was a pagan Greek ( Acts 16:1; II Timothy 1:5).
Timothy was raised hearing Old Testament Scriptures ( II Timothy 3:14-15).
He joined Paul, along with Silas and Luke, during their second missionary trip ( Acts 16:3).
Paul had Timothy circumcised so that he might have the freedom to preach the gospel in Jewish synagogues ( Acts 16:3; I Corinthians 9:20).
Because his mother was Jewish, he is considered Jewish, even though his father was a Greek. Now had it been reversed, and his father was Jewish and his mother a Greek, he would not be considered Jewish. The mother has to be Jewish to be considered Jewish.
Timothy was raised hearing Old Testament Scriptures ( II Timothy 3:14-15).
He joined Paul, along with Silas and Luke, during second missionary trip ( Acts 16:3).
Paul had Timothy circumcised so that he might have the freedom to preach the gospel in Jewish synagogues ( Acts 16:3; I Corinthians 9:20). He could not do that unless he was circumcised. And of course, Titus (another Gentile), he was not circumcised by Paul, and he even went to Jerusalem with Paul to attend the Jerusalem council.
And Paul refused to have him circumcised because he wasn't doing it out of the necessity of keeping the law, but as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:20, that whatever he does, he does for the purpose of reaching people for Christ.
So, when he had Timothy circumcised, it was because he knew that he would be in the Jewish synagogues and amongst the Jews, and they would not receive anything that Timothy had to say unless he was circumcised.
And by the way, a person is considered Jewish if your mother is Jewish and your father is not. You are considered Jewish as long as your mother is. If the father is Jewish, but the mother is not, you're not Jewish.
So, Timothy was accepted as a Jewish person, and he would be in the synagogues, but he was not circumcised, so Paul had him circumcised. Timothy was ordained by Paul and the Presbytery ( I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6). He accompanies Paul on his third missionary trip ( Acts 19:22; Acts 20:4; II Corinthians 1:1, 19).
1 Timothy and Titus were written between Paul's first and second imprisonment. And 2 Timothy was Paul's last letter that he wrote, some believe hours before he was executed outside of Rome. Tradition says that he was beheaded.
But then you have Philemon which goes with Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. The reason why Philemon is there on the end is because the final four letters are the only four letters written to individuals. And that's how they canonized scripture. They put the individual letters at the end and put the church letters at the front.
So that's why Philemon is on the end, but it really was part of the prison epistles, or prison letters.
I. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Written by Paul. Paul's Inscription is on all thirteen of his letters.
II. TO WHOM IT WAS WRITTEN:
To Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus
III. THE HISTORY OF TIMOTHY:
His name is mentioned 24 times in the New Testament. Timothy was from Lystra and saved during Paul's first missionary journey ( Acts 14:19-20; 16:1-2). His mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, were godly Jewish women. In fact, Timothy was taught the Old Testament scriptures since he was a little boy. So, he has a scriptural background.
Timothy was about 15 years old when he first met Paul. And when Paul writes his letter to Timothy, he's approximately 35. So, he has spent approximately 20 years with Paul in ministry learning.
Even though Timothy's mother and grandmother were godly Jewish women, his father was a pagan Greek ( Acts 16:1; II Timothy 1:5).
The church at Philippi was founded during Paul's second missionary journey, recorded in Acts 16:8-12. Paul received a Macedonian Vision while in Troas and crossed the Aegean Sea to preach the gospel first in Philippi. That's found in Acts 16:8-10.
What happened was that on Paul's second missionary journey, he went by land and visited some of the cities that he had established during his first missionary journey. But what he wanted to do was pass those cities, and he wanted to go north and preach the gospel. But he said that Satan hindered him. That's all he said!
So, he decided that it must be a closed door, so I'll go south and preach the gospel, and he said the Holy Spirit hindered him. So, he went straight across and came all the way all the way to the coast of Troas, and he just sat there. I mean how much farther can you go? He's in Troas. He doesn't know what God wants him to do.
And so, while they were in Troas, that's when Paul received what is called the Macedonian vision. That is, a man from Macedonia appeared to him and said come over and preach the gospel to us. At which time Paul went. And as he went over, the first place where he landed, because all the vision said was come over to Macedonia, and so he landed first in Philippi and that's where he preached the gospel first.
In 57 AD, some five years after his first visit, and after his third missionary journey, Paul seems to have visited the church in Philippi twice. That is found in II Corinthians 1:16; Acts 19:21; Acts 20:1-3.
The book of Acts is the last book of the history section. Matthew through Acts is the historical accounts of the teachings and miracles of Jesus Christ and His Spirit's work through the early church. The book of Acts covers approximately 30 years. So that's the historical section. Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke, also wrote the book of Acts.
I. ABOUT THE AUTHOR LUKE:
He's only mentioned three times in the New Testament. Colossians 4:14 tells us that He is a physician. Historical accounts tell us that he was schooled in Alexandria Egypt. So, we look at that and we see that God chose an educated man to do a very detailed investigation. Luke is a Greek name and therefore many believe that he was a Gentile.
From Acts Chapter 1 Verse 1 through Chapter 16 Verse 9, Luke uses "they," third person plural in his writings. Starting with Acts Chapter 16 Verse 10 all the way to the end, he changes it to "we." So, at Acts 16:9, this is where Luke joined up with Paul.
He joined up with Paul in Troas. He was probably converted in Troas by Paul. He becomes Paul's personal physician. In Acts Chapter 27, he's right there in the shipwreck with Paul, right before Paul reaches Rome, which will be his last destination before he dies.
Luke is a Greek name, not Jewish. Many believe that he was a Gentile. In fact, we can be pretty certain that he was. Luke was the only Gentile to be used to write a book of the bible. The best evidence of him being a Gentile is in Colossians 4:11-14. This is where Paul is listing the groups of people, and in Verse 11, he lists those of the circumcision. And so those would be the Jews. But when it gets down to Verse 14, he mentions the Gentiles, and Luke is mentioned in amongst the Gentiles. So that is pretty good proof that Luke was a Gentile.
In Luke's writings, all the way through the gospel of Luke, and all the way up through Acts Chapter 16 Verse 9, he uses the Third Person Plural "they" in his writings. But starting at Acts Chapter 16 Verse 10, he then changes it to "we" (First Person Plural). So, at Acts 16:10, he joins up with Paul at that point and becomes a constant companion with Paul.
Luke joined Paul at Troas. He was probably converted in Troas by Paul, and he becomes Paul's personal physician. What is interesting is that in Acts Chapter 27, in that famous shipwreck that we read about and study and hear about, Luke also was on board that ship.
And it is interesting because you can't have guests accompany you, especially when you're a prisoner on your way to Rome. So, it is believed that Luke went along as a slave. You can have your slave, but you can't have your friends. But Luke was with him all the way. He joined up with him in Troas, doctored him, and was with him during a lot of the things that happened in Paul's ministry and life.
As to the "dozens of verses supporting a future salvation", one could examine those verses you gave & find that there is a differing understanding whether those verses speak of a future salvation or of victoriously living out one's present salvation & of eternal rewards.
So, we come back to the whole understanding of salvation by faith, the Work of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life, & living a life presently but not knowing whether God will or will not bring about a salvation at Judgement time. These points would certainly take us away from the point you're raising, but I believe they are necessary so as to understand what takes place when a person repents, believes, & gets baptized by the Spirit. Does the Spirit really even baptise him? Does the Spirit leave & enter him at will? What place does Holy Spirit Power hold in a believer's life? Can we even call him a believer - maybe just a follower of Christ awaiting/hoping for approval on that future day of salvation? These are some of the questions that disturb me if I'm not an assured believer & accepted by God on the merits of His Son's Sacrifice - an adopted child of God now. The question then is: am I saved right now or not till later - maybe?
Divination is something we are not to get into you can open doors to things you do not want to even think about dealing with. It is the means of foretelling future events or discovering things secret with the aid of witchcraft, sorcerers, stars, and other mystical things we have been told to stay away from. Here are a few verses, Lev. 19:26-31 Lev. 20:6 Num. 22:7 Deut. 18:9-14
Many people do not believe these things exist but believe me they do. Saul did this 1 Sam. 28:7-25. You can also see in the NT, with a slave girl in Acts 16:16-18 and a man named Simon in Acts 8:9-24
I hope this little bit helps.
God bless,
RLW
Getting back to the Great Commission; the examples in Acts are things which we will not experience unless we are out there sharing our faith. It is hard to imagine today a Phillipians 1:15 situation where there is envy for those who are "turning the world upside down" ( Acts 17:6). At least in the USA it seems the impact is minimal; and probably largely due to a fear of persecution.
Prayers such as freed Peter in Acts 12; as well as Paul's release in Acts 16:25-28 are sorely needed today; of course that involves remembering missionaries and those in bonds today ( Hebrews 13:3 which certainly sounds like something Paul would have authored).
Prayer can err on both being presumptuous as to God answering things a certain way or not being boldly presenting our petitions to His throne ( Heb. 4:16). Yes; there are times when we contend with God; such as when I would guess happened when James was killed with the sword in Acts. We shouldn't use Esau's example of praying with tears as an excuse not to have heartfelt prayer; he was only concerned with the results of his sin. Sadly; I have seen very few times when tears flow because of grief and loss; I'm sure a lot of us myself included would be greatly edified by more tears of repentance realizing how great the Father's love is for us. Therefore; praise and adulation of the Lord and His Holiness; as well as our own sad state in comparison should be something starting church services and other gatherings as a routine practice. As my friend in Pittsburgh stated a couple years back when he started early morning prayers; he was "desperate for prayer". Something needed by more believers today.
Along with knowing when to act is also knowing when to wait on the Lord. Patience is a virtue I surely need more of but it is something commonplace in those possessing mature faith and good fruit in their walk. Wrestling with God all night in prayer is also commendable like in Genesis 32:22-32
Another sad fact is that many are not serious about fulfilling the Great Commission. This lack of perseverance robs many of using spiritual gifts; which are illustrated in examples such as Acts 16:17. This reminds us of Acts 13:8-12 with another person who was seeking to attain Paul's miraculous powers by offering him money. This caused him to become blind much as Paul did for a season.
The first example really hits home because many so called Christians aren't even discerning enough to tell when obvious false Gospel messages are creeping in. This woman was telling the truth; and not just any way was proclaimed but she stated through the spirit in her that it was THE way. The error was the spirit was using her (probably because of her own desire for recognition or money) to draw attention to itself; we must remember that the demons know and shudder ( James 2:19). It seems Paul tolerated this behavior for a time; either he wanted to ignore the distraction or wasn't sure it was from the enemy.
Sadly; from my own experiences and having been granted some spiritual discernment the truth is never very popular. I try not to be jaded myself with so many false prophecies and revelations promulgated today lest there be a few that are genuine. It seems more than cooincidence that there are very few words of knowledge that are critical of actions; and if a rebuke is given it is often more of a show of pride than an honest assessment. Nonetheless; so much can be prevented if such responsibilities would be done quickly by elders as well as responsible laypersons before error is allowed to take root; or sins destroy the life of an individual or family. Jesus didn't mince words with Peter and other would be disciples; try that approach in todays seeker friendly church and see how long it is before you are escorted out the door. Truth be told we cannot love our brethren without exhortation and rebuke balancing encouragement
Acts 16:31 Faith comes from the preaching and freedom we have is in the Holy Spirit, Our conscience guides us. We thank You for all the gifts that You give. We thank You for strengthening "Abenavides9969" to spirit, soul and body. You will always be present, we thank You Lord for the opportunity we have to deepen our acquaintance with You Lord. In All God's Word You Are Jesus Christ, Amen
Luke 1 chapter
Thank you for sharing this, we can all count on sights and revelations Hallelujah Amen! The kingdom of God today is in the spiritual. Then it is also natural that we who are His children to peek into the heavenly sometimes. And as long as you get peace and joy through sight and revelations, just give thanks and receive. Thou shalt experience this to fade thy other things, which are so shown here on earth daytimely. God with u and yours, love u in Christ. Nothing is without meaning, and with the Lord everything is planned. Amen
ACTS 16:30 "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
ACTS 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved."
In peace, I say to you who have so many good words and say to all of us here on the web and probably elsewhere as well. Cleanse your thoughts and heal your body. Don't damage God's temple. I don't want to believe that I have or am a better guy, because we all have ours and struggle with. We now even live here on earth. Study Holy Scripture dear you, and you will find that you cannot judge yourself either, because it is One who will judge. When did we become fully grown? When did we become so famous that we are better at judging than God Himself. And know ourselves more than God does. We don't. So now you fold up your arms and find the triggering words of our Holy Scripture. And wash your face and understand that God is with you. He will never leave you. He won't take you away because He saw you in His image. Love u
in any case know that the Lord has put you here on the web and writing here is useful to all who read it. Remember where two and three are gathered, there is the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of us. Which task is the biggest?
Prayer is the greatest of all gifts. Without prayer we get nothing, without someone who prays all is lost. Without the prayer of a righteous man, there will be complete/total spiritual darkness on Earth. James 5:16
It is so great to join and pray for all people, it gives life and vitality in a dark time where we see that our loved ones feel so good about themselves that they do not see/that they need God in their lives. But there will be days when they too will fall to their knees. The day when God calls them for that He has promised. Acts 16:31
Imagine there, the whole family was saved at once, received the baptism in the Holy Spirit too! God is good to the faithful who believe. Never lose heart and stand against such thought. Every man has received a gift. Love u in Christ. Thank, Hallelujah for the Lord knows and take his people home.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Paul and Silas's jailer asked them in ACTS 16:30 ..."Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Their answer was as simple as this in ACTS 16:31 ..."Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..." Simple as that.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.- Romans 10:9-13.
Jesus will help you through all your problems. Psalms 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
If you have broken the law, you may have to face those charges, but Jesus will be there with you. The verdict may not be what you want, but it will be God's will, and that is the best way, for He knows what benefits us more than we do.
God Bless!
We face temptations on a daily basis, it becomes like something you know you shouldn't do, then you do it anyway. Then the question is what is it dear to you. One can well imagine that this is not a good thing. It is important to distinguish between Spirit, Soul and body. Run to Jesus an pray for help.
The body has its everyday routine. Then we can expand this into many illegal things. If it is the meat that tempts us, we only have one choice. Run to Jesus, pray for it to go away. Then it also means that you have to capture every thought that comes up, after this pray of help. So that you don't think about it ever again
There is a difference here. The one who is a child, the one who is young, and the one who is old. Think about it. The Lord does not expect a child to drive a car. If there is anyone who cares for us all, it is the Lord. Think about the smallest little thing He is with. He is also involved in the big things. As Gods word said, the kingdom of God is within us who believe.
We learn as we go. We separate things from good and bad as we have been taught to do so. People are so different. Some hear well and others don't. This is completely individual. Thank God the Father for it is He who has made us this way.
And if our conscience says that what we are doing is wrong. May we sincerely ask for forgiveness and learn from it as best we can. Good luck on your journey towards Sanctification. Love u in Christ.
Hint: Try 1 day that suits and keep the thought of the Lord Jesus. Only on Him, see what's coming. He tells you good things. It will help you a lot and not think on other.