Acts 23:22-35

Paul Transferred to Caesarea

23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen[b] to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix."  25 He wrote a letter as follows: 26Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him. 31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers get here." Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace.


As we can see, God continues to protect Paul as he was on his way to be taken to Governor Felix.  I'm amazed by the type of protection that is provided for Paul.  200 soldiers, 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen were sent out to guard Paul so that he would not be killed by the Jews.  I believe this speaks volumes of God's love and faithfulness for those that act in obedience.  As God is guiding Paul throughout this entire journey, Paul also had to act in faith and trust God.  Paul is instructed to do things that are life-threatening, but it doesn't stop him from obeying.  

Everyday God is guiding our lives, but do we act in obedience, faith, and/or trust?  There may be certain areas in our life that we intentionally avoid due to fear or bitterness...but knowing that God is with us hopefully will encourage us to overcome our own feelings and act in the type of faith that only comes from God.    

Acts 23:12-22

It is clear from yesterday's passage that God was going to use Paul in Rome so we know going into today's passage that God is really in full control of the entire situation.

Today's reading really impressed upon me how God's hand is right there protecting Paul and guiding him out of danger as this group was absolutely determined to kill him. However, God in full control uses people and the circumstance to protect Paul and leads him away from danger. 

This passage gives us confidence that when we live in God's will he is right there with us using the people and circumstances in our lives to protect and guide.

In our own daily lives we will probably never know in full detail all of the times that God has intervened to protect us from imminent dangers that might have been in our midst.

We should be courageous in living for God and thankful every morning for his provision, protection and guidance in our lives.

Happy Birthday Dulla smn!  :) Hope you have a WONDERFUL day!!!

before the sanhedrin

"you sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that i be struck" (acts 23:3) 

in today's passage, paul's accusers practice a deceit very common among all of us--we judge others harshly who do not conform to a certain standard of behavior, yet in doing so, we violate that very same same standard we expect others to conform to. it is clear to us that such a retaliation on the part of the high priest was itself a breaking of the law--but in that heated moment, it no doubt seemed so right to the high priest that paul be struck--i'm sure the high priest felt very justified in his action.

we are all very guilty of this kind of judging of others, though maybe not on such a public scale. it is absolutely inborn in our sinful nature and pride to judge what we see to be a "breaking of God's law"-and we often feel very justified in our actions, but in the very act of judging, we ourselves sin grievously.  of course there are cases when the sin is blatant, but in matters of conscience, we would do well to be mindful of God's injunction to judge not, especially when we do not always know the details of what we think we know. 

again paul is exemplary in his conduct--calling out the wickedness of the high priest, but showing the respect due to him as God's appointed servant. it is especially moving to know that the following night, the Lord Jesus Christ "stood near paul and said, "take courage! as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in rome".  just as He did for Paul, the Lord Jesus knows when things go terribly wrong in our lives, but encourages and strengthens us to continue in the work He has given us to do.

Acts 22: 22-29

Even Paul's highly prized status could not keep him out of prison and in chains. So unjust and unfair however, the mob still got their way. Their hearts were hardened and because they could not understand, or did not want to scour their sinfulness, it was better to throw Paul into jail and call him "not fit to live" - a crazy man instead.

When the commander asks Paul "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen," it reminds me of when Jesus was wrongfully accused and asked by Pilate "Are you the king of the Jews?" Both Paul and Jesus both answered "yes" to the questions that were asked of them. Both were treated unjustly because the people did not understand or did not want to hear the message of Jesus Christ.

Today's passage shows clearly that our status cannot save us in the end. It shows us how much we must endure for God's kingdom and how much we must lose in order to gain. Personally, it teaches me to to be more humble, more gentle, more loving when things are not going the way I want things to go - to endure, to be patient, and to be of a sound mind for God's glory. Paul is such a great example of humility and passion for the Gospel, I am kind of in love with him.

Have a good weekend.

Grace and Peace!

e

Paul Speaks to the Crowd

³⁷As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, "May I say something to you?"

"Do you speak Greek?" he replied. ³⁸"Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?"

³⁹Paul answered, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people."

⁴⁰Having received the commander's permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:

¹"Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense." ²When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.

Then Paul said: ³"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. ⁴I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, ⁵as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶"About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. ⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?'

⁸" 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked.

" 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. ⁹My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰"'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked.
"'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.' ¹¹My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.

¹²"A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. ¹³He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him.

⁴"Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. ¹⁵You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'

¹⁷"When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸and saw the Lord speaking. 'Quick!' he said to me. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'

¹⁹" 'Lord,' I replied, 'these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. ²⁰And when the blood of your martyr tephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.'

²¹"Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' "

Saul was a man who wrongly put many people in jail, and he even turned the other way when he saw someone get murdered for their faith. But regardless of what Saul had done, God called out to Saul, and he came to accept Christ. God forgives Paul of all his sins, regardless of what sins Paul has committed and even protects Paul. God forgiving Paul was what stood out the most for me in this passage. I think that many times we hear God calling out to us, and ultimately because of our Pride we turn away from God. We give excuses that we are too sinful, and that we are not even worthy of being forgiven, but all thes reasons we give is our ultimately pride. It took me a very long time to realize that my pride is the biggest thing that stands in the way of my relationship with God, and I am thankful everyday for his forgiveness.

Anyways... its almost FRIDAY!!! FIGHTING everyone!!!!!

Paul Arrested

"The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt...'" (vs. 11)

This passage explains why the people were begging Paul not to go... The uproar and the anger of the city and the violence. Vs. 35 says that Paul had to be carried because he was badly injured. Its crazy... Paul KNEW that this was going to happen. The beatings, pain, violence, hate, and etc. Everything! But he still went...

"...I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jersualem for the name of the LOrd Jesus...The Lord's will be done." (vs. 14)

Not a lot of us are like that. We try to take the "easy way" out, but God never promised us the easy way when we accepted Him into our lives. Something that carries me through the tough times is...and Paul knew this too..that God is always by our side :)

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints,

is when I carried you."

Paul in Jerusalem

^17-19In Jerusalem, our friends, glad to see us, received us with open arms. The first thing next morning, we took Paul to see James. All the church leaders were there. After a time of greeting and small talk, Paul told the story, detail by detail, of what God had done among the non-Jewish people through his ministry. They listened with delight and gave God the glory.

^20-21They had a story to tell, too: "And just look at what's been happening here—thousands upon thousands of God-fearing Jews have become believers in Jesus! But there's also a problem because they are more zealous than ever in observing the laws of Moses. They've been told that you advise believing Jews who live surrounded by unbelieving outsiders to go light on Moses, telling them that they don't need to circumcise their children or keep up the old traditions. This isn't sitting at all well with them.

^22-24"We're worried about what will happen when they discover you're in town. There's bound to be trouble. So here is what we want you to do: There are four men from our company who have taken a vow involving ritual purification, but have no money to pay the expenses. Join these men in their vows and pay their expenses. Then it will become obvious to everyone that there is nothing to the rumors going around about you and that you are in fact scrupulous in your reverence for the laws of Moses.

²⁵"In asking you to do this, we're not going back on our agreement regarding non-Jews who have become believers. We continue to hold fast to what we wrote in that letter, namely, to be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols; to avoid serving food offensive to Jewish Christians; to guard the morality of sex and marriage."

²⁶So Paul did it—took the men, joined them in their vows, and paid their way. The next day he went to the Temple to make it official and stay there until the proper sacrifices had been offered and completed for each of them. ( The Message)

Here we have an example of personal sacrifice for the benefit of the whole community. The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were very zealous about keeping the law of Moses, and they heard a rumor that Paul was encouraging the gentiles to turn away from it.
James was concerned about how they would receive, he ask Paul to join 4 men who were taken a vow involving ritual purification and pay their expanses. Because it would show that the rumor wasn't true.
Even though it must have been frustrating for him, he recognized that for the sake of the unity it would be best for him do what James was asking.
This is a great encouragement. We need to think what is the best not only for us, but for the whole body.

Acts 21:1-16

1After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.
7We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day. 8Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
10After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.' "
12When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."
15After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.

Despite the warnings and worries from his people who cared him so much, he didn't get discouraged to go to Jerusalem.This shows how powerful his faith was in God and Jesus, even though he had known that what was going to happen in Jerusalem as Acts 20:23-24 says. He was totally ready to die for God's will. What made him so faithful enough to think that to live or to die is nothing? That's because he was already dead in Jesus Christ as he says in Galatians 2:20(I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.)

Time to think of if we are ready to lay down our lives for Jesus like he did for us.

Paul's Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

Hello Ladies! How are all of you doing today?

Today passage is Paul's goodbye to the Ephesian Church because he knows that he won't see them again. Paul is going to Jerusalem and doesn't know what will happen there to him.

In this passage, you read how much love and concern Paul has for the Ephesian church. He lists off everything in how to live for the Lord. I guess you can have a field day, trying to analyze what Paul is saying to them, but there is something that struck me hard while reading this passage.

Paul's warning to guard our hearts against "the wolves" of this world. When I think of Paul, I think of the analogy he always gives about perseverance and running through the race with all that you have. ²⁸Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. Paul warns them the dangers out there that will try to kill their faith and he knows that there is strength in numbers, so warns them to band together in that it will help them to struggle together because it will encourage each other to keep fighting and running the race together.

That is one of the reasons the church is there for you. To be there for you through the good times and bad. This is something I struggle with greatly. I don't have a problem with sharing and rejoicing with all of you when good things happen but I hold back in sharing the bad. I tend to see it as if I'm burdening you in some way. But I was told how wrong I am in thinking this way and I know that I was wrong. It's hard to open yourself up like that because it leave you feeling so exposed and vulnerable. But if you don't, I guess that will leave you all alone, closed off to everyone.

Eutychus Raised From the Dead

my first impression is of a bible study led by a man of God full of the holy spirit... in a room filled with people who love Jesus and are captivated by the stories paul is telling. he's telling them about how so many people are coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus... they just can't get enough and no one wants to go home. paul is leaving the day after and everyone is pressing him to stay just a little longer, just one more story they are asking... they are burning the midnight oil!

eutychus is young but he knows that this is a very special gathering and he doesn't want to miss a thing... he was listening as intently as he can but the flesh is weak and he gave in to the fatigue... he fell to his death.

ver. 10 says that paul rushed down and "threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him," then he assured those around him that eutychus was not dead. at first i thought it was odd that paul would throw himself on the boy... tabitha was resurrected from the dead by laying of (only) hands. after looking this up, i found that elijah and elisha both performed such miracles in the same way!

...then they all went back up to the upstairs room with the many lamps, ate and talked more till the sun came up. they didn't even need sleep... they were on fire!

the meaning of the name eutychus' is "fortunate." here i find the jem that adds to this historical event...

we are not always on fire... in fact, for me it's a daily struggle to keep my eyes on the Lord. but we know where we ought to be, to be growing and becoming more in the likeness of Jesus. so that when, not if we fall, we would be fortunate like eutychus to have the support of the body of Christ to lift him up...

Act 20: 1-6

Today’s passage tells of Paul’s travels through Macedonia and Greece. The details are pretty dry and straight forward somewhat like a log from a report. Some things I observed from this passage are of Paul’s perseverance in the face of opposition, the companions he recruited along his travels that not only give evidence as the fruit of his labor but also proved to be of good help, and his strategy in proclaiming the Gospel. There are times Paul refuted the Jews with a direct confrontation but this time, he decided to avoid the Jews that were plotting against him. We don’t have any details on this plot but Paul somehow knew enough to avoid them though it compromised the plans he had already made. Paul’s travel pattern shows flexibility that is able to accommodate unpredictable provocations but it also shows forethought and deliberate actions on how to proceed with his mission to proclaim the Gospel. I’m glad and even thankful on Paul’s behalf that he had Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychius and Trophimus to accompany him through these laborious travels that almost always seems to be plagued with danger. Some people may ask ‘why do such bad things happen to good people’ when they look at Paul’s life as I have done as I looked the life of Job. I think the problem is not in the ‘bad things’ that occur in this life but our unpreparedness and our stubborn refusal to let go of the notion that only good things should happen to those that are ‘good’. I guess the lesson I learned today is how I ought to persevere in doing good despite all the ‘bad’ things that come my way. I think that is where the little miracles Esther shared about the other day are revealed in our daily life. That like Paul, we have the ability to persevere in doing good and overcome the evils in and around us because we have Jesus Christ as our constant companion and helper.

The Riot in Ephesus

As I was reflecting on the passage, I realize what Jesus said was in Luke 12:51, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division."

Jesus divides because He is the truth and the world is not. Idol worship is what God abhors and the world would worship idols. Paul and other apostles command the people in Ephesus not to worship man-made idols and many people had been turned away from idol worshipping but following Jesus. The number of the convert must be a great enough for the silver smith to worry about his business and caused the riot in the city.

This true event that took a place in the history about 2000 years ago is happening right now in many countries. The very same situation is happening in India, Vietnam, North Korea, and so forth. Christians are persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ who proclaims The Truth and The Way.

Paul in Ephesus

11God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

13Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." 14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15(One day) the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" 16Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

17When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. 19A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.[d] 20In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.


It's not everyday we witness miracles such as the one in the passage above, but I need to remind myself that there are miracles taking place all around me. They do not always have to be out of the ordinary, but it can be something simple as well. What struck me in this passage was how the people responded to the miracle they witnessed. They came to believe and fear the Lord, openly confessed their sins, and sacrificed their practice of sorcery publicly. A sacrifice that came to a total of 50,000 drachmas. (I have no idea what the value of that is in the present day, but it sounds like a lot of money!) What a great act of faith and obedience!

Does it have to take an extraordinary miracle for people to come to believe in the Lord? Knowing that there are miracles all around me as well personal miracles, I have yet to truly sacrifice my entire life to God. Of course I have my moments, but they are just temporary and more of a feeling. May I not always depend on "miracles" according to my standards to act in faith and obedience to God. Everyday of life is a miracle given to us by Him.

Encouragement and building one another up for God's glory

The section of this passage on Apollos really emphasizes the importance of building up one another and encouraging one another in their faith, acknowledge their gifts and the proper way to 'correct' one another if we feel it is necessary. Priscilla and Aquila knew that Apollos only had a limited knowledge of the gospel (through the baptism of John).

Instead of being harsh and correcting him in front of people they quietly took him into their home and shared with Apollos what he did not know. They had also written the disciples in Achaia to encourage and welcome Apollos. He goes on to be of great help saving souls in Achaia because his talents in public debate helped prove from scripture that Jesus was indeed the Christ.

If Priscilla and Aquila did things differently and embarrassed him by calling out his limited knowledge in front of the crowds this could have greatly discouraged Apollos, it could have also discouraged those in the crowd that were listening. They probably never would have had the opportunity to share with Apollos the rest of the gospel, he would not have been well received in Achaia and ultimately souls may have been lost.

We should be reminded by this passage that the way we approach or deal with one another can make a big impact on kingdom work. Souls could be saved or lost. May we always remember to choose to build one another up and encourage one another in their walk with God so that we can all be used fully for the glory of God.  
Happy Friday! :)

paul in corinth

one night the Lord spoke to paul in a vision: "do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. for I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city."

paul faced much opposition when he preached the message of the gospel, not only in corinth, but in every other place he visited.  it must have been a especial discouragement to him to have the jews, the very people of God, reject His salvation. but Jesus speaks to Paul in a dream one day, encouraging him to continue in the work: "for I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city".

what an encouragement Jesus's words to paul are to those who are in ministry!  pastor james and i don't face abuse or open hostility from our congregation as paul did, but many, many in the odm reject the gospel in their own way and for a myriad of reasons--indifference, lack of commitment and participation, worldliness, an unwillingness to serve or to let go of a sinful life, pride, stubbornness, doubt, unbelief etc etc.  speaking for myself, sometimes i am so discouraged, so crushed and grieved by the disappointments in the ministry that i just want to give up.  but Jesus reminds me, "I am with you . .  I have people in this [congregation]".

just to know that there will be some who will be saved within our little group, and to know with certainty that "Jesus is always with us", motivates us to continue in the work.  ours may not be a super outwardly successful ministry, but it is wonderful to know that some will be saved in the end. even in our modest little group, Jesus has people in this congregation. 

Aloha sisters!

When I read this passage I can only be humbled by Paul's own boldness and humility in proclaiming Jesus. Athens was one of the great intellectual and cultural centers of the ancient world, full of idols and leading philosophical schools of the time! Paul was brought to "high" places like the "meeting of the Areopagus" (city council) to proclaim Jesus and state his case to the elite and leading minds of the time. How difficult it may have been for Paul, how courageous and moved he must have been by the Holy Spirit.

As I read this, I can think of our own society full of great and questioning minds and worshippers of unknown gods - gods of all sorts whether objects or of the mind. This passage could be lifted directly to our times today and I thank God that he has not given up on us yet. Passages like this always reminds me of how stubborn the human race can be and how often we have created our own gods to rest upon. May we leave our "gods" down at the feet of Jesus. Have a blessed day!

In Berea

¹⁰As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. ¹²Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

¹³When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. ¹⁴The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. ¹⁵The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

The Bereans are so willing, motivated, and open to learning about the word of God. One of the things I struggle the most is to have eagerness when receiving the message, and examining Scripture everyday. And, I hope that with through the blog, that I will become more eager and be more diligent in my walk with God.

Have a wonderful day!

In Thessalonica

While I was reflecting on today's passage I was like, "What should I reflect on? basically the same thing happened in this chapter.. Paul preaching and opposition against the Truth." The words: "Dead words" and yesterday's sermon came into mind. Ahhh... God rebuked me that I had a "surface level of understanding" attitude.

Pastor James preached about growing up and one of the ways was: we need to move on to the deeper levels of understanding. I realized I wasn't growing up in the Word..I was shrinking.

I have been following the series of Luke by Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church. If you ladies have time, you should definitely check it out. It's interesting because they show the actual places where these stories took place! After I watched the first sermon, i realized: this is real. Kind of ridiculous right? I've heard/read these stories ever since I was young...but I realized I had a mindset that these events were just stories...

I apologize for going off topic =X but something God has put on my heart these couple of days...

But Praise God for His understanding, grace, and patience with me and my lack of knowledge and faith...

Have a lovely week ladies! HOpe everyone is enjoying the dayy off :)

Paul and Silas in Prison

²⁵About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. ²⁷The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"

²⁹The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

There was a slave girl in Filipos, who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned lot of money for her owners by fortune telling. But after Paul commanded the spirit that possesed her, her owners got angry because they could not get any money.

They accused Paul and Silas , beat and threw them into jail. God use that situation to save the jailer, not only him but all his family. How amazing is that?

Sometimes we do not know why things happened in certain ways, but we should believe that He can show his glory trough this!

Acts 16:11~15

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The LORD opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the LORD," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.

When I see the map of Paul's missionary journey, I'm amazed how far and many places he could go and do God's work. Boarding on ships and facing lots of new area and people wouldn't be easy. It is such a shame that I don't really care even my close friends or neighbors to believe in God. I care, but I don't act. I don't move. I don't board on a ship for them.

Also this passage shows me there's a woman who God wanted Paul to meet and change her life. This woman was one of the people who helped Paul's mission. The fact that God prepared wherever Paul went tells me this. 'Don't worry. I'm ready for everything everywhere you go if you go following my plan.