Personal Encounters

Acts ch16

Is such an awesome chapter that for me to write to much would take up your precious time which could be spent reading it indepth.

So simply note:

• If Paul had travelled in Asia what would the world be like as a consequence?
• 3 wonderful new beginnings - Lydia, Slave girl and Jailers family.

If a prisoner escaped it was customary for Jailer to be killed in place of the prisoner. No wonder he was so releaved to know the prisoners were still there!

After much discussion!

Acts Chapter ch 15

The apostles and elders met to consider this question.
What question??
After much discussion, Peter got up…
Here we hear first hand that ‘discussion’ was vital in the role of making decisions. There was not a vote, not a one man decision, but a discussion which led the way for wisdom to be gained and consensus sought. We have so much to learn… but often I think we are just too busy.

This is such an important discussion that went on back in the very early days of the young church about AD 50.

This is a discussion about the ‘condition for entrance’ not about negating the laws or books of the Old Testament.

From verse 13 we have James speaking the Bishop of the Jerusalem church. His knees are said to have been as hard as a camel’s through continual prayer. He was also a zealous adherent to the Mosaic Law, in his own person. Yet when we focus on James words we learn why he is in agreement with Peter….15:13-21

It is fulfilment of Prophecy. A new age has begun in the life of Christ. We are still part of that age, in deed we maybe at the end of that age, but we do not know. All we should know is that Christ is as much desiring that we ‘seek the Lord and bear his name’ today as back then in AD 50.

Consider

Acts Chapter 13 and 14

"Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!...

I wanted this to be studied on a quiet day because it is here that Acts takes a turn. From now on we begin to hear about Paul and how the gospel makes its way to Rome.

As we are unlikely to have a quiet day I think I will just encourage you to read this passage and:

a) consider the sermon: 13:14-52 as three sections:

16-25 - Preparation

26-37 - Declaration

38-52 - Application

what does this passage now say to you?

b) mark out what you find stands out. Questions, words, phrases, ideas, conections….

Here are some of mine
9Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,… (I remember my own experiences of the Holy Spirit)

38 "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. (Again Paul is not negating the Law)

26 "Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, (So Gentiles did enter the speaking areas within the Temples)

45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. ( here marks the beginning of the Jews marked anger toward Paul)