Galatians 3: Who are the people of the Lord? trust vs ceremonial law

The Galatians believed in Jesus. There were signs that the Spirit was with them; however, they received Christian-Jews who told them that the ceremonial law, the circumcision, was necessary to be seen as the people of Lord. Why did they listen to these Christian-Jews? Because they were descendants of Abraham, because they were the people that received Moses and the prophets. Paul used the Old Testament to argument that the Galatians are in fact the people of the Lord not by the law but by trusting in Jesus because:
Genesis 15:6 - Abraham was saved (seen as just by the Lord) by faith before the Law.
Genesis 12:3 - The promise to Abraham included all nations.
Deuteronomy 27:26 - The Law demands perfection (and we fail).
Habakkuk 2:4 - The righteous live by trusting God.

Therefore, the Galatians don't need to be circumcised to be accepted by the Lord. In fact, they were already accepted by the Lord when they trusted in Jesus, and it was notorious that the Spirit was with them.

5-6 Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Don’t these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God.

Galatians 2: The beauty of the cross

Paul says that he has authority given by Jesus. He was not ordained by anyone. Thus, when he says that salvation comes from Jesus, and Jesus only; he is claiming that he has authority to say so. He also says that no one can be saved by keeping the law and the Jews know it very well because they are unable to keep all the law. Besides, when someone says that although Jesus saves, it is still necessary to keep the law for salvation, he is not seeing the beauty of the cross, he is not seeing the beauty of the Jesus' sacrifice.
By the cross, Jews and gentiles can live together, in harmony.
By the cross, we are free to be ourselves before the Lord; we don't need masks because we are accepted by Jesus and not by what we do.
Paul rebuked Peter when he disguised that he behaved more like a Jew in front of the Jews and gentiles. For Paul, Peter was in fact distorting the gospel, he was an hypocrite because he knew that Jews and gentiles could live in harmony by the cross. Peter's behavior would send a message that circumcision is important and causes division. 

Paul says:

19-21 What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Galatians 1: Another gospel

Paul writes to the Galatians. Perhaps, this is the first letter of Paul written around 48AD or perhaps it comes after the letters to the Thessalonians, in this case, it was written around 54AD. In this letter, Paul is furious because others has added some words to the gospel from: "salvation comes from Jesus" to another gospel: "salvation comes from Jesus and circumcision".  
Let us say that it was the very first letter of Paul. In this case, it was written to the people of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe before the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 where it was stated that circumcision was not necessary for salvation, for the believers. In the letter to the Galatians there is no reference to the Council of Jerusalem so it seems that this was an open question in the beginning of Christianity.
Paul writes:

6-9 I can’t believe how you waver—how easily you have turned traitor to him who called you by the grace of Christ by embracing an alternative message! It is not a minor variation, you know; it is completely other, an alien message, a no-message, a lie about God. Those who are provoking this agitation among you are turning the Message of Christ on its head. Let me be blunt: If one of us—even if an angel from heaven!—were to preach something other than what we preached originally, let him be cursed. I said it once; I’ll say it again: If anyone, regardless of reputation or credentials, preaches something other than what you received originally, let him be cursed.

However, who is about to be cursed? People who says that believe in Jesus because they were in the church. Paul is very clear that salvation comes from Jesus and it is really a great gift from the Lord.

If Galatians is really the first letter of Paul, then Paul states from the beginning of his career how important is the sacrifice of Jesus.

2 Thessalonians 3: taktos, in order

Some people in Thessalonian church stopped working. Perhaps they were waiting Jesus return. A soldier must be taktos, in his position, in order. Paul uses this military term to command the lazy people that as soldiers, they must come back to their position so that they defend themselves together. When someone stops working, he leaves the church more vulnerable. Paul says how to deal with them: to ostracize them in order that they repent and come back to their ranks.
Paul writes:

6-9 Our orders—backed up by the Master, Jesus—are to refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we taught you. Don’t permit them to freeload on the rest. We showed you how to pull your weight when we were with you, so get on with it. We didn’t sit around on our hands expecting others to take care of us. In fact, we worked our fingers to the bone, up half the night moonlighting so you wouldn’t be burdened with taking care of us. And it wasn’t because we didn’t have a right to your support; we did. We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious.

2 Thessalonians 2: What to expect before Jesus returns?

The Thessalonians received a false letter of Paul saying that Jesus had already returned. They were facing troubles due to their faith, but if Jesus had already returned so, were everything in vain? were they abandoned by the Messiah? Paul wrote:

1-3 Now, friends, read these next words carefully. Slow down and don’t go jumping to conclusions regarding the day when our Master, Jesus Christ, will come back and we assemble to welcome him. Don’t let anyone shake you up or get you excited over some breathless report or rumored letter from me that the day of the Master’s arrival has come and gone. Don’t fall for any line like that.

Paul wrote that Jesus hadn't return and there will be signs before it happens:

- the apostasy 

- the man of Lawlessness - one man that sits in the temple of God (in Jerusalem?) proclaiming to be God.

Paul said that there is a Restrainer - one that is restraining the power of the Lawlessness.
Paul said:

13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.

According to Paul, I (or a Thessalonian) was chosen for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the Truth, so that I may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the Spirit work on me; may I grow in the Truth; may I obtain the glory of Jesus (be resurrected).

2 Thessalonians 1

In this second letter to the Thessalonians, we find the same subjects of the first letter. The first chapter, deals with tribulation /  Thlipsis θλῖψις. It means to "press" or "squeeze". The Thessalonians are evicted by their families because they don't worship the same gods. They are seen by the Thessalonica city as rebels against Caesar because they proclaim that "Jesus is Lord". In this context, it is difficult to work, to have clients.

Paul give reasons for being glad in tribulation:

1) Hope: Jesus will return - there will be a reversal
5-10 All this trouble is a clear sign that God has decided to make you fit for the kingdom. You’re suffering now, but justice is on the way. When the Master Jesus appears out of heaven in a blaze of fire with his strong angels, he’ll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time. His coming will be the break we’ve been waiting for. Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Message will pay for what they’ve done. Eternal exile from the presence of the Master and his splendid power is their sentence. But on that very same day when he comes, he will be exalted by his followers and celebrated by all who believe—and all because you believed what we told you.

2) Growth: The discomfort makes us grow:
3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is only fitting, because your faith is increasing abundantly, and the love of each and every one of you toward one another grows ever greater.

1 Thessalonians 5 - What to do waiting for Jesus return?

Imagine a church very focused on Jesus return. The focus is on the future where things will be changed: there will be a reward for those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah whereas there will be a punishment for those who rejected the gospel. The problem is that too much focus on the future may imply in a bad behavior in the present. For instance: why work? why build new things? why improve in life? In chapter 5, Paul addresses the problem: What to do waiting for Jesus return? In resume, we are to live the life that reflects the life that the Lord designed for us.
We are to have communion with the Lord through prayer, and to grow as a community that loves the Lord:

13-15 Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

In a way, this life is about to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth.

1 Thessalonians 4: Stewardship, not Escapism

Paul had been preaching the Messiah, a life surrendered to him and His return when His enemies would be conquered.
Some people listened to this message and thought: "why to work if this world will come to an end? if this world will be conquered by Jesus?". So, some people stopped working and began to live by the charity of others, giving a very bad testimony to outsiders. We read:

11-12 Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You’ve heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.


Jesus loves his creation; He loves us and He wants us to love, to serve, to be useful.
Some people died while waiting for Jesus return. It was troublesome because they thought that Jesus would return very soon. What would happen to the dead?
In this chapter, we read about the rapture, perhaps the only place in the Bible that talks about it:

15-18 And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.

It is very interesting that some people think that as we are meeting Jesus in the air, we will go and live in heaven. No. The Bible says in many passages that we are living here in Earth, but a recreated Earth, governed by the Messiah. The New Jerusalem comes to Earth and not goes to heave. So, why are we meeting Jesus in the air? At that time, when the king came to his town, the city would meet him in the gates of the town and bring him in; as we meeting Jesus in the air and return to earth.

So, again this text is about stewardship (I serve the Master), not escapism (to escape from this world). Although our life is on earth, the vision of the coming Messiah is very important to keep our faith alive.

1 Thessalonians 3: Paul received good news from the Thessalonian church.

The Thessalonian church was persecuted by three kinds of people: 1) it was very offensive to the Romans to listen that "Jesus is Lord". 2) it was very offensive to families and co-workers to abandon their false gods so the church was ostracized from their families or from their jobs. They faced a social pressure by their families and an economic pressure from their jobs. 3) the Jews were against them and used the Romans to persecute them, as in Acts 17:5.  

Paul was eager to know how these new church was facing persecution, so he sent Timothy to know the situation. He received the good news that they were enduring persecution and he became very glad to listen to it.

It is very interesting to see how powerful is the message, the good news that "Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God that came to redeem us" because it was necessary the Lord's power to endure what the Thessalonian church was facing. It was also necessary strong ties among the church members to support one another; including people who lost financial support. Today, we abandon the church for little things showing the fragility of our faith.

1 Thessalonians 2: Paul reinforces his love to the Thessalonians

Paul left Thessalonica in a hurry (as in Acts 17). Some in the church might find that Paul was abandoning them. He explains that in fact he loves them. His message was given to the Philipians when he was beaten and jailed. Why would he repeat the preaching again in Thessalonica with similar results? Not to explore them but because he wanted them to leave their false gods and believe in Jesus as their Messiah. In doing he behaved as father and mother who cares for their children. In fact, Paul is proud of them. He said:

19 For who is our hope, or joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Or is it not indeed you? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

I would like to be in church where the pastor imitates Paul. 

1_Thessalonians 1: First letter of Paul in New Testament?

1_Thessalonians 1: First letter of Paul in New Testament?

The letters of Paul in New Testament are placed from the greatest to the least. Many people believe that 1 Thessalonians were the first letter of Paul that survived in the New Testament. It was written around 50 -51 AD, less than 20 years after the resurrection. In this blog, we will read the letters of Paul chronologically.

This letter must have been written during Paul’s second missionary journey. In Acts 17, Paul preaches in Thessalonica. It was a great city in a road connecting Rome to Byzantium (Via Egnatia). It was also a port. It was a "civitas libera", free city. The Thessalonians supported the right side on the civil wars and they were allowed to govern themselves. The message of the gospel declaring Jesus as King, Jesus as Lord, was very offensive to them in general. Paul preached but had to flee from the city. He got news from the converted Thessalonians and wrote a letter to them. He said:

2-5 Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.

Some missionaries want to gain souls to Jesus and stop there. Here, Paul wrote a letter to guide the Thessalonians in their new life with Jesus, in a empire hostile to another Lord, but Caesar.

Acts 28: Paul in Rome

The Lord had been guiding Paul. In Acts 27, Paul said to the crew of the ship:

23 For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong, whom I also serve, came to me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has graciously granted you all those who are sailing with you.’

Paul was confident that the Lord was with him, guiding his ways. After the shipwreck, Paul is in Malta Island. He miraculously saved from a snake bite. There, he made new friends such as Publius who had a sick father.
He finally arrives in Rome. He is welcomed by the church in Rome. He preaches to the Jews: some accept the gospel, other reject. Although Paul is a prisoner, he lived in a rented house, where he welcomed everyone who wanted to know more about Jesus.

That is the end of the book of Acts which is somehow strange given that Paul was executed by Caesar Nero. There is a theory that Luke wrote to Theophilos in order to defend Paul in his judgment. If so, the book of Acts must have been helpful in order to sustain that Paul was not guilty. Soon after he must have traveled to Spain (according to "The Muratorian Fragment"). He was killed by Nero around AD 64 and AD 67 in a persecution to Christians.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1): "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." ; indeed, Paul is an example of to place the Lord Jesus in first place.

Acts 27: Paul is sent to Rome with two friends

Paul is a Roman citzen and a prisioner who appealed to Ceasar. He was in Ceasaria Martima that worked like a great Airport Hub with ships to many destinations. He had been previously many times there. Now, Paul is sent to Rome in a ship to Sidon with two friends: Luke and Aristarchus.
Although I live in large city, I don't have many friends. Paul was a prisioner with two leal friends but not only that, he was always gaining friends in his life. He was assigned under the care of the centurion Julius who became friend of Paul. They changed to an Egyptian ship full of wheat (a valuable cargo) which was destroyed in a shipwreck. In a way, Paul was taking care of all in the ship, he wanted them all alive.
Paul had a mission and he cared for people (not only Christians). No wonder he had friends.

Acts 26: The importance of resurrection to Paul

Paul is before king Agrippa (who knows the prophets and the Jewish tradition) and Festus (a Roman governor appointed to rule Judea). In today terms, Festus would be a "rational" guy who doesn't believe in resurrection. Thus, Paul is glad to be listened by king Agrippa who can understand the situation. In the book of Acts, it is the third time that the conversion of Paul is told. In his explanation, he is saying that he was like his enemies - who was also against the followers of Jesus; but he saw Jesus resurrected. He reread all the Tanakh and concluded that it was all about Jesus. Paul said to king Agrippa:

22-23 And everything I’m saying is completely in line with what the prophets and Moses said would happen: One, the Messiah must die; two, raised from the dead, he would be the first rays of God’s daylight shining on people far and near, people both godless and God-fearing.

Paul had a mission given by Jesus:

17-18 “‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’

For Festus, Jesus is dead; but for Paul, Jesus is not only alive, but He is the reason of his life.

Acts 25: Felix to Festus, change of the Roman governors of Judea

In Acts 25, Felix is substituted by Festus as the new governor of Judea. Although Felix kept Paul in prison for two years (expecting bribery), Festus decided to judge Paul as soon as he came into power. The enemies of Paul asked Festus to judge Paul in Jerusalem when in fact they had a plot to kill him; however Paul refused to go to Jerusalem and appealed to Ceasar, to be judged by the Ceasar Nero.
The king Herod Agrippa I had died in Acts 12, but now his son, Agrippa II received part of Agrippa I territories but not Judea. Festus (who was indeed ruling over Judea) invited Agrippa II to study the case of Paul because it was very difficult to document the accusation against him. Agrippa II realized that Paul was not guilt under the Roman law.
Paul belongs to the kingdom of God. It is very interesting how the kingdom of God grew and gained power in a very humble way; for instance, Paul uses the circumstances to present the kingdom of God when being judged.

Acts 24: Paul was good to Felix

Paul was taken to Ceasarea by commandant Claudius Lysias. There, he stood before Ananias and the procurator/governor Felix. Both Ananias and Felix were evil men. Felix was a slave who conquered a very high position. He was married to three queens, but in particular, Drusilla. Drusilla was married to king of Emesa but left his husband to marry Felix. Josephus hints that Felix hired the assassins of the High Priest Jonathan because Jonathan kept lecturing him on how to govern better. It is interesting how Paul addresses to Felix:

10 And when the governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul responded: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense, (...)

Paul was very respectful to Felix, but Felix even knowing that Paul had done nothing wrong kept him in prison, expecting some bribe from him.

We read:

24-26 A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. “That’s enough for today. I’ll call you back when it’s convenient.” At the same time he was secretly hoping that Paul would offer him a substantial bribe. These conversations were repeated frequently.

Thus, Paul didn't judge Felix as a bad man , however, he talked about how important is to have a right relation with God and this implies in a change of life. Felix stopped Paul because he was not interested in a relationship with God. That is: Paul didn't presuppose that Felix wasn't an elect of God. Despite Felix's character, Paul was good to Felix.

Acts 23: Paul in the Sanhedrin

The Sanhedrin is the council composed by the chief priest, and the leaders of Pharisees and Sadducees. At that time, the chief priest was Ananias. At Jesus time, the chief priest was Caiaphas, son in law of Annas (and not Ananias). Ananias was a violent, greedy and a volatile person that was assassinated by Jewish Zealots in 66.

1-3 Paul surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then said his piece: “Friends, I’ve lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very moment.” That set the Chief Priest Ananias off. He ordered his aides to slap Paul in the face. Paul shot back, “God will slap you down! What a fake you are! You sit there and judge me by the Law and then break the Law by ordering me slapped around!”

Thus, it is bizarre how the good man (Paul) was being judged by the bad man (Ananias). It reminds the judgement of Jesus.

6 Paul, knowing some of the council was made up of Sadducees and others of Pharisees and how they hated each other, decided to exploit their antagonism: “Friends, I am a stalwart Pharisee from a long line of Pharisees. It’s because of my Pharisee convictions—the hope and resurrection of the dead—that I’ve been hauled into this court.”

This statement caused a great confusion in the Sanhedrin because the Sadducees didn´t  believe in resurrection. Paul was taken out alive from the Sanhedrin by the Romans. The nephew of Paul (from his sister) heard a conversation where 40 Jews vowed to not eat until they kill Paul. Who were these Jews? Probably they ware Zealots. The Zealots couldn't think of gentiles (not as converted Jews), being accepted by the Lord. For them, Paul was betraying Israel.

Acts 22: Paul's discourse

The crowd in Jerusalem (near the temple) thought that Paul was some kind of helenist guy, that didn´t care about the Lord or the people of Israel. The proof to it was that they thought that Paul was leading some gentiles inside the inner courts of the temple (which would profane the temple). The crowd wanted to kill him, but when Paul was being rescued by the Roman commander in the stairs of of the Fortress of Antonia, he asked the commander to speak some words to the crowd (who was against him). 
His purpose was to explain that his acts were not against the Lord but by the opposite: his acts were in obedience to the Lord.
He began to talk in Aramaic, not in Greek. He began saying about his high level Jewish degrees (education, obedience to the tradition, etc.). In a way, he was far superior in Jewish tradition than the normal crowd. He explained that Jesus (who was crucified and cursed by the Lord) was indeed resurrected and alive.
We read:
21 And He/Jesus said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
22 They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a man from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”

Why the sentence in 21 made the crowd so angry? 
They always say the Gentiles as the uncleans while they were the chosen people of the Lord. It seemed very offensive to them that the Messiah would accept the Gentiles as his people.
And here I am: a gentile in 2026, that belongs to the Messiah, chosen by the Messiah.

Acts 21: Paul cared about the Jews to the point of risk his own life

Paul loved the gentiles and saw the Spirit changing their hearts. Paul also loved the Jews in the Jerusalem church and cared about what they were thinking. Some Jews were suspicious of Paul: wouldn't he be teaching the gentiles that the Mosaic law is useless? Paul had decided to go to Jerusalem and bring a great donation from the gentiles to them. However, the daughters of Philip, the Evangelist and Agabus were predicting that he would be captured there, so they were advising him not to go to Jerusalem. He said:

13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

So he went there. He wanted to show that he was not against the Mosaic Law, but that backfired and he was captured.
People are very difficult to change opinion. I am reluctant to say things that are against others opinion. In doing so, I live in a comfortable world where I really don't interact very much to other people. Paul was different. He wanted to unite Jews and gentiles in the people of the Lord and he was not afraid to risk his life to get on it. Paul loved and was loved.

Acts 20: Paul's farewell

Nero became Caesar in 54 AD. Paul was in Ephesus and stayed there for three years. Acts 20 happens around 58 AD when the "peaceful years" of Nero’s reign were starting to fray. Paul was in his 3rd mission trip. He was heading Jerusalem but wanted to say goodbye to his friends of Ephesus. He went to Miletus, a city next to Ephesus and called his friends and church leaders from Ephesus to meet him there. It was the last time they were seeing each other because Paul would face a persecution and finally die in Rome for the gospel. There he said:

25-27 “And so this is good-bye. You’re not going to see me again, nor I you, you whom I have gone among for so long proclaiming the news of God’s inaugurated kingdom. I’ve done my best for you, given you my all, held back nothing of God’s will for you.

28 “Now it’s up to you. Be on your toes—both for yourselves and your congregation of sheep. The Holy Spirit has put you in charge of these people —God’s people they are— to guard and protect them. God himself thought they were worth dying for.

The Church is like a chain of love: Jesus, Peter, Paul, leaders in Ephesus, the congregation, etc. In his farewell, Paul asks them to take of the Ephesus congregation because God himself thought they were worth dying for. I must always remember that God himself thought I were worth dying for, despite being a sinner.

Acts 19: Who is great in Ephesus?

Ephesus was a great city with the great temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the world. In his third mission trip, Paul taught first in a synagogue but he was not welcomed; so he decided to teach daily in the School of Tyrannus to gentiles. The Lord opened the eyes of the city to the point that Demetrius goddess sales plummeted. For him, the gospel preached by Paul was destroying the city, was destroying the great Artemis, but who was great in Ephesus? Certainly, Jesus, although not using strength. That is why Paul had to flee from Ephesus.

Acts 18: Paul was afraid in Corinth.

 Corinth was worse than Las Vegas:
AI: Corinth was the "Sin City" of the ancient world. It was a place of extreme wealth, intense idol worship (the Temple of Aphrodite had 1,000 ritual prostitutes), and litigious, aggressive people. It was an intimidating environment for a small group of tent makers.
Paul came from Athens, where he was mocked by the intellectual elite.
Paul had been already experienced persecution in many cities.

9 And the Lord said to Paul by a vision at night, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he settled there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Imagine the joy to listen from Jesus: "I am with you". Besides, Jesus told him there were many Christians in Corinth. Paul was certainly not alone.
Jesus kept Paul on the way, strengthening him.

Acts 17: Paul in Athens

Paul was used to preach first in synagogues, but in Acts 17 he is preaching in the marketplace where gentiles could listen to him.

18 And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers as well were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What could this scavenger of tidbits want to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming?

The Greeks were like scholars of today: they are very curious, they like to ask questions, to learn new things, and they look to themselves as smart and rational people. The reaction of the philosophers resemble the reaction in a university.

AI: The primary goal of an Epicurean was not "wild partying" (a common misconception), but Ataraxia — a state of tranquil calm (as in nirvana?). Because the gods were in a state of perfect ataraxia, they would never "pollute" their peace by listening to human prayers, judging sins, or managing the universe. When Paul spoke of a God who "commands all men everywhere to repent" because He has "appointed a day on which He will judge the world" (Acts 17:30-31), he was attacking the very core of Epicurean peace. To an Epicurean, a body coming back to life was scientifically impossible and philosophically disgusting. The goal was to be free of the body, not to have it restored. They called Paul a spermológos ("seed-picker" or "babbler"). To these sophisticated philosophers, Paul sounded like a street-peddler selling "superstition" (Greek: deisidaimonia).


AI: The Stoics were the "Moralists". The Stoic did not seek "pleasure" like the Epicurean; they sought Virtue (aretē). They believed the universe was a rational, orderly system. To be happy, one must align their will with the "Providence" of the universe. They taught that you cannot control external events (sickness, war, poverty), but you can control your reaction to them. Stoics were Pantheists. They believed God was not a person outside the universe, but the "Soul of the World"—a divine, rational fire that permeated everything. They used "Logus" to describe the "Reason" that holds the stars in place and gives humans logic. It resembles Christianity but: Paul’s God was a Creator who made the world, not just a force that was the world. This God has a will and can be grieved. Stoics were famously proud of their self-sufficiency. Paul’s message was that humans are sinners who cannot save themselves and must repent. To a Stoic, "repentance" looked like weakness. Stoics believed in the "Great Conflagration"—that the universe is periodically destroyed by fire and starts over. They believed the soul might survive for a while but eventually merged back into the "Divine Fire." The idea of an individual, physical body rising from the dead was illogical to them.

Even though the stoics seemed more Christians, they thought that through reasoning (and their superior way to look things) they could get the answer for a better life. In Christianity, it is different: the Creator moves to his creatures, show love and call them to repentance and acceptance through Jesus.

Acts 16: Πίστευσον

In Acts 16, Paul , Silas, Timothy, Luke are in Philippi. Paul and Silas were put in jail, but at night, there was a great earthquake that set them free. The jailer was responsible for them and he thought that they had feed from prison (as any normal man). Then, he decided to take his own life because he was afraid of the Roman punishment. When he was about to kill himself, Paul shouted at him, claiming not do that. The jailer asked what he should do to be saved (from the Roman punishment). 

31 They said, “Believe/Πίστευσον in the Lord/Κύριον Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of God to him together with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them into his house and set [j]food before them, and was overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with his whole household.

It is very interesting that the jailer was afraid of the Romans, but this was the process that guide him and his family to Jesus. The Lord has his ways to call people to him.

Acts 15: what is necessary to be saved?

After many gentiles have believed in Jesus, Christian-Jews were saying that they should be circumcised in order to be saved. If I were living at that moment, I think that  would want to be circumcised due to the way I treat my health. When I don´t know exactly what to do in order to get something, I am careful -  so in order to have more assurance, I would agree on being circumcised. But, according to Paul, it would be an error. This kind of thought shows lack of trust that the blood of Christ is enough for me to be ok with the Lord.
However, I suppose that things are quite more complex.
James, the brother of Jesus, said:

19-21 “So here is my decision: We’re not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master. We’ll write them a letter and tell them, ‘Be careful to not get involved in activities connected with idols, to guard the morality of sex and marriage, to not serve food offensive to Jewish Christians—blood, for instance.’ This is basic wisdom from Moses, preached and honored for centuries now in city after city as we have met and kept the Sabbath.”

A Christian is one who belongs to Christ, who loves the Lord and loves other human beings. In doing so, his own body belongs to the Lord and he is to be in harmony with others. James was looking to how the Lord made a covenant with all the humanity and set it to all non Jews.

Acts 14: Lystra

In the first mission trip, Paul and Barnabas went to Lystra. They healed a cripled man from birth. The crowd was amazed and saw Paul and Barnabas as gods (Hermes/Paul and Zeus/Barnabas) due to the legend of Philemon and Baucis. In this legend, the two gods (Hermes,Zeus) came tot earth disguised as mortal men to test human hospitality. An elderly couple (Philemon and Baucis) welcomed them, so they were rewarded with a gold temple while the wicked city was destroyed by a flood. When the city saw the healed men, they associated Paul and Barnabas with these two gods and they were about to worship them but Paul and Barnabas forbade them to do so. They gave them this message:

15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men, of the same nature as you, preaching the gospel to you, to turn from these useless things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them. 16 In past generations He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; 17 yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 And even by saying these things, only with difficulty did they restrain the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.

These "useless things" (ματαίων) refers to false gods, such as Hermes and Zeus. Thus, this message was somehow offensive too.  They correctly refused to be praised and they also showed that their believes were wrong. Besides, the influence of their opponents made the crowd stone Paul.
It is very likely that Timothy from Lystra saw this, but not only that. After some time, Paul and Barnabas came back (return from the 1st mission trip) to organize the believers in a stronger community and Timothy saw their love (despite being stoned). 

Acts 13: the first mission trip

The church in Antioch was gathering different kinds of people: Barnabas - a levite Jews, Simon from Africa and Manaen who was raised together (syntrophos) with Herod Antipas (he should be rich). For outsiders, they were the Cristianos - people of Christ. They were strangely together because of Christ, that's why they called some attention from outsiders. The Holy Spirit spoke to send Saul and Barnabas to a mission. 
In Paphos they were called by the proconsul Sergius Paulus who wanted to analyze the gospel. Why? Perhaps, due to some disagreements when Saul and Barnabas preached there. The proconsul was assisted by a magician called Bar Jesus  who was against the gospel. This magician was against the gospel when Barnabas and Saul was preaching to the proconsul. Saul said:

9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him, 10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop making crooked the straight ways of the Lord? 11 Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. 

This event led the proconsul to believe in the gospel. Perhaps, Saul (Jewish name) began to use the name Paul (Roman name) as a way to be associated to Sergius Paulus .

The family of Sergius Paulus  was very influential in Pisidian Antioch. Paul and Barnabas went to this city (perhaps to a recommendation from the proconsul). There, Paul preaches:

MSG: 36-39 “David, of course, having completed the work God set out for him, has been in the grave, dust and ashes, a long time now. But the One God raised up—no dust and ashes for him! I want you to know, my very dear friends, that it is on account of this resurrected Jesus that the forgiveness of your sins can be promised. He accomplishes, in those who believe, everything that the Law of Moses could never make good on. But everyone who believes in this raised-up Jesus is declared good and right and whole before God.

Paul says in the synagogue that Jesus is the One to make us whole before God, and this can't be accomplished by the Mosaic Law. Imagine the reaction of this message among the Jews!

Acts 12: the Lord is sovereign

In Acts 12, James (John's brother and very close to Jesus) was killed by Herod. As he was praised by the Jewish leaders for this, he went to kill Peter; however, Peter was miraculously set free from the jail. Therefore, the Lord can save whoever He wants. The Lord let Herod live and kill James, but the Lord made Herod die when he was boasting about being like a god.

Atcs 11: μετάνοιαν (metanoian)

Peter is questioned by other Jews how has he stayed with uncircumcised gentiles. He explains how the Lord conduct him to the gentiles. There, Peter saw the Holy Spirit moving in the gentiles.


In Acts 11:18 we read:

18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has also granted to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

Repentance is the translation from μετάνοιαν which means "change of mind" or in Christian terms, "conversion".
So the gentiles received from the Lord, the "change of mind" that leads to ζωὴν (zōēn)/life implying that they were dead.

Acts 10: Peter announces the kerygma to a gentile

 Acts 10: Peter announces the kerygma to a gentile

The Kerygma is what is announced, the good news. The Lord commands Peter to announce the Kerygma to a gentile that knew the Old Testament. He said:

37-38 “You know the story of what happened in Judea. It began in Galilee after John preached a total life-change. Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him.

39-43 “And we saw it, saw it all, everything he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem where they killed him, hung him from a cross. But in three days God had him up, alive, and out where he could be seen. Not everyone saw him—he wasn’t put on public display. Witnesses had been carefully handpicked by God beforehand—us! We were the ones, there to eat and drink with him after he came back from the dead. He commissioned us to announce this in public, to bear solemn witness that he is in fact the One whom God destined as Judge of the living and dead. But we’re not alone in this. Our witness that he is the means to forgiveness of sins is backed up by the witness of all the prophets.”

The Kerygma contains:
. the promises of the Old Testament are being fulfilled in Jesus.
. Jesus was anointed by water and by the Holy Spirit; He showed the power of the Kingdom of God through signs.
. Jesus was crucified.
. Jesus was resurrected by the Lord.
. Jesus is destined as Judge of the living and dead.
. Jesus commissioned the gospel to his disciples.
. Jesus is the means to forgiveness of sins.

Acts 9: Saul is chosen by the Lord

Saul was persecuting the Church. He was going to Damascus,

4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

He became blind until he met Ananias who was called by Jesus to help Saul:

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he/Saul is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.”


Jesus said that Saul is a σκευος εκλογης (skeuos eklogēs) ; a chosen vessel (instrument). Indeed, Saul did not attend any altar call to become a Christian and we don´t know of any baptism by the Spirit that made Saul talk in languages, however it is very clear that Saul was a persecutor of Jesus and became persecuted for Jesus.

Acts 8: εὐηγγελίσατο - preached

In Acts 7 and before, there was a community in Jerusalem who was sharing the bread; but this community faced a great persecution. Most Christians fleed from Jerusalem to other places after the death of Stephen, but wherever they went they spread the gospel. In particular, Philip preached to the eunuc who was reading Isaiah 53. 

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached/εὐηγγελίσατο/euēngelisato Jesus to him.

When we read the gospel of Luke (for instance), it seems that the gospel/evangelium is about the coming of the kingdom of God, but in Acts, it becomes clearer that the Messiah is the Way to connect to the Lord. It was clear to the first Christians that they should evangelize, spread the gospel, spread who is Jesus.

Perhaps I have to adjust what the gospel is. In my mind, the gospel is all about being accepted by the Lord through Jesus, so I can rest in Him and perhaps rest of preaching. But there was some necessity of the first Christians to preach. Why? Perhaps because they discovered a great treasure, they were really glad and they had to spread the good news as in:

39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.

Acts 7: Stephen in the Sanhedrin

Stephen (Greek name) was falsely accused of "betraying" Israel by preaching that Jesus would destroy the temple and change the law of Moses. He was taken to be judged by the Sanhedrin - with the same high priest that condemned Jesus. In his discourse, he highlighted how Israel was unfaithful to the Lord. At the end, he said:

52 Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, and you have now become betrayers and murderers of Him; 53 you who received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

It is common to think that we should avoid confrontation to all costs, but Stephen knew that this Sanhedrin condemned Jesus, so they would condemn him too. Despite their fury:

55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 

He saw the Son of Man, not site, but standing as supporting him at that moment. 

59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

Here he prays to Jesus as if Jesus was ready to receive him. For Stephen, his life was to serve the Messiah. Saul was there and witnessed this, perhaps judging him but also perplexed how the faith in Jesus was strong.

Acts 6: Greeks in the church of Jerusalem

In Jerusalem, the gospel is spreading among local and foreigner Jews- Jews that came from Greek speaking places. Widows were vulnerable at that time because there was no retirement from government at that time. Greek speaking widows complained that they were put in second place when the meal was distributed. The apostles proposed that the congregation chose 7 people to be in charge of this meal distribution. It is very interesting that all 7 chosen people had Greek names, specially, Stephen and Philip. The church in Jerusalem had a problem and they showed love in the solution when they put 7 people, very likely Jews from the diaspora (not from Jerusalem), in charge of the solution.  

From the very beginning, the church seemed to adopt a less ethnic view of the "people of the Lord". 

Acts 5: sin & death in the church

Ananias and Sapphira saw the great generosity of Barnabas and how he was praised. They decided to copy Barnabas in order to be praised too.
I know that the Lord is good and worth to be praised; however, I can't understand how the Lord is good when Peter said to Sapphira soon after his hushand has died:

8 And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for [g]this price?” And she said, “Yes, for that price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.”

I think that if I were in Peter's place, I would tell her directly that his husband has died in order to prevent her from dying.
The Lord is good and worth to be praised, but He humbles those who want to be praised, even those who claim to belong to Jesus.
In a way, Ananias and Sapphira were worse than the young rich guy who asked Jesus how to get eternal life.

We read in Acts 5:29:

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

Obey = πειθαρχεῖν / peitharchein
In bible.cc notation it is V-PNA :

• V:** Verb
• P:** Present (An ongoing, habitual lifestyle of obedience)
• N:** Infinitive ("**To** obey")
• A:** Active (We choose to do the obeying)

Peter states that he must obey the Lord instead men; and in a way, Ananias and Sapphira were focusing more on people than in the Lord. Disobedience and vainglory goes together.

Acts 4: σωθῆναι - to be saved, to be healed

In Acts 3, a crippled beggar is miraculously healed causing a great perplexity in Jerusalem. Peter and John were arrested by the Sadducees because they preached that the resurrected Jesus healed that man. As they had authority over the temple, they had soldiers who could arrest John and Peter. They stayed all night in prison to be judged in the following day. In the judgement, before very important people such as the chief priest Caiaphas (who had "judged" Jesus), Peter said that the crippled beggar was healed/saved by the name of Jesus and then:

11 He (Jesus) is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation/heal in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved/healed.”

Peter said that as the crippled beggar needed Jesus to be saved/healed, so does Caiphas, me and everyone else; but saved or healed from what? We are naturally fragmented, broken; but Jesus can make everyone who trusts in Him, whole.

In this world with social media, youtube, etc. a lot of people want to spread some original idea to call attention to himself; but here in Acts, the apostles were called to spread salvation in the name of Jesus; they were called to witness Jesus as the Messiah who resurrected from the death. In a way, it is burden to call attention to oneself and it is freedom to call attention to Jesus.

Acts 3: faith in the name of Jesus

Peter and John met a crippled beggar in the temple. He asked for money.

6 But Peter said, “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!”

Peter and John had a great treasure: Jesus. We are naturally selfish; as we are rich we become afraid to share our wealth, but here it is different.

The man was healed and then, he praised the Lord.
Everybody was marveled. Peter made a speech where he talked about Jesus's death. He reminded that his listeners were guilt given that they asked for the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. However, the name of Jesus is precious. Peter said:

16 And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

The crippled beggar trusted in the name of Jesus and was healed by Him. Peter said that Jesus was in the center of the Old Testament. 
To a Jew in Jerusalem, Jesus was crucified and was cursed by the Lord, but now, Peter (who denied Jesus) is proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah, the one pointed by the Scriptures.
As it all happened in the temple, the Jewish leaders knew about this. They were against Jesus and against the message of the apostles, but how to deal with this great sign?

Acts 2: Proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah

Jerusalem was the center of the 3 Jewish feasts, one of them was the Feast of Pentecost, 50 days after the Passover. Acts 2 says that 10 days after the ascension of Jesus, foreign Jews from many places are in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost. In this occasion, the Holy Spirit came over the disciples and made them talk in other languages, attracting the attention of the foreigner Jews. Peter explained that they were in a very special moment in history - when prophecies are being fulfilled. He uses Psalm 16 as a prophecy to the resurrection of the Messiah, and Joel 2 to explain the coming of the Holy Spirit. Peter explained that Jesus is at the right or the Lord waiting for his enemies to under His feet as in Psalm 110. Peter said:

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Most of the listeners should have been 50 days before in the Passover when Jesus was crucified by their approval. Thus, given that everything Peter was saying were true, they became the enemies of the Lord. The logical question they made was: what can we do? Peter said:

8 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Let this gift of the Holy Spirit be with me, changing my life so that I become more and more like Jesus.

Acts 1: How can evil be so powerful if Jesus is alive?

 In Acts 1:6, the disciples are with Jesus after resurrection. However, Rome is still in power. We read:

  

6 So, when they had come together, they began asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

Somehow that is the question that we do sometimes: "if Jesus is with me, how can evil still hurt me? how can evil hurt your people?". The answer was:

7 But He said to them, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

 The Holy Spirit will give power to me and to the church so that I and the church will witness that Jesus is alive.

How can evil be so powerful if Jesus is alive?

The answer must be that the evil will be subjected by the powerful kindness of the church. Certainly that I don't have power in me to witness Jesus alive. This power comes through the Holy Spirit.