Lesson 2782

(Lesson 2782)(08-06-19) Acts 18:25-28
    “ And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.”

   Today’s quote contains yet another very important lesson in that it helps to affirm that some of the more influential Jews, and even some of the early Christians themselves, inadvertently, or some even by design, distorted, or misrepresented, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
    Apollos, as described above, was a devout man who, although he obviously knew the old testament inside and out, was fervently, yet erroneously, teaching the Law of Moses as a means to gain eternal salvation.
    The quote says that when Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos preach, they recognized that he was misrepresenting the gospel by preaching salvation under the Law. After learning that Apollos had only known *“the baptism of John”, they immediately took Appolos aside and corrected his message by, obviously, making it known to him that eternal salvation comes only by “grace” through faith.
    I believe some of those misrepresentations, along with the Roman Catholic influence, have carried over into many of today’s, so-called, Christian sects. As we know, Paul encountered problems with Peter, James and the others because he wouldn’t force the Gentiles to be obedient to the rules of the Law as a pre-requisite to salvation.
    As is learned upon a complete and thorough study of God’s word, eternal salvation comes ONLY through faith in the virgin born life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.~
*The phrase, “the baptism of John”, as it is applied in today’s quote, refers to the message that John brought. It is not a reference to the water immersions John administered.

Lesson 2781

(Lesson 2781)(08-05-19) Acts 18:12-24
    “And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you: But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters. And he drave them from the judgment seat. Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things. And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not; But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus. And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch. And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.”

    Today’s quote affirms that as Paul travelled throughout the region, the Jewish hierarchy continued trying to have him persecuted as a blasphemer.~

Lesson 2780

(Lesson 2780)(08-04-19) Acts 18:7-11
    “ And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”

   Today’s quote relates how Paul began the church at Corinth where many of the local Jews believed and were saved.
    Again, I believe that as the word “baptized” is applied in the today’s quote, it refers to the baptism of the Holy Ghost and not water baptism.~

Lesson 2779

(Lesson 2779)(08-03-19) Acts 18:1-6
    “After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.”

    Today’s quote relates that Paul, because of the obstinance of the Jews, determined to preach only to the Gentiles.~

Lesson 2778

(Lesson 2778)(08-02-19) Acts 17:16-34
    “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.”

    Today’s quote relates that Paul, while waiting for the others, preached the one true God to the heathen at Athens.
    Even though many rebuked and even laughed at him, some believed and were saved.~

Lesson 2777

(Lesson 2777)(08-01-19) Acts 17:1-15
    “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go. And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.”
 
   Today’s quote relates that as Paul and Silas traveled througout the region preaching Jesus to whomever would listen, the Jews continually tried to have them imprisoned as blasphemers. But, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, they avoided capture and continued their evangelism.~

Lesson 2776

(Lesson 2776)(07-31-19) Acts 16:35-40
    “ And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.”

   Although the core of today’s lesson concerns how Paul and Silas, who were Romans themselves, stood up to their fellow Romans and made them come personally to release them from the prison.  Another, and more important part of the quote as it pertains to the teaching of Christianity today, is what the author notes in the very first part of the lesson. In the first part of the quote, he wrote, “And when it was day”, meaning that it was no longer night.
    To that point, one might reasonably ask, what has those five words to do with anything? The answer is that those five words established that what happened between Paul, Silas, the magistrate and his house, would have, in fact, occurred at night. That would mean that IF all those people were baptized in water, that baptism would have, of a necessity, been administered in the dark. With the knowledge that at that point in history outside lighting was almost non-existent, to imagine that a group of people would have lit torches and gone out to find enough “living” water to hold a massive water baptism in the dark, borders the ridiculous. This part of the lesson helps confirm to me that the baptism that the magistrate and “his house” were exposed to was the baptism of the Holy Ghost and NOT a water baptism.~