July 2, 2022
PAUL GIVES A DETAILED ACCOUNT This was a wonderful day in the history of the early church. Paul returned from his third and longest missionary journey to give “a detailed account” to James and the elders in Jerusalem. After hearing the report of how the Gentiles all over Asia Minor and Greece had received the
July 1, 2022
TWO GREAT EVANGELISTS SPEND SOME TIME TOGETHER After Paul’s third missionary journey, he and his companions sailed homeward, arriving at Caesarea Martima. This is where Herod the Great had built an amazing harbor and named the city after his patron, Caesar Augustus. Paul’s traveling companions included Luke the physician, who kept a faithful diary, noting
June 30, 2022
THE HISTORICAL PRECISION OF LUKE Paul’s missionary companion, Luke, rejoined Paul at Philippi. Luke was a physician, missionary and the author of the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. His presence, while not specifically named, is seen by a reappearance of the word, “we,” a second person plural unused since Acts 16. Like
June 29, 2022
RIOTING AND REASON RARELY GO TOGETHER A riot broke out in Ephesus over the importance of the Temple of Artemis to the city’s identity and fame. The riot began as an angry response by the silversmiths of Ephesus, who made a living making figurines of the Greek goddess Artemis (Roman: “Diana”) to sell. Their business
June 28, 2022
PROCLAIMING CHRIST FROM THE SCRIPTURES Apollos, a Jewish believer in Jesus from Alexandria, Egypt, was an eloquent preacher of the gospel. But the power of his preaching wasn’t in his eloquence, but in his accurate use of the Scriptures to explain how they reveal Jesus as the Messiah. We don’t know very much about Apollos.
June 27, 2022
PAUL’S TENTMAKER MINISTRY When Paul met the Jewish tent-making couple, Aquila and Priscilla, in the city of Corinth, he found true partners in ministry and work. Paul often had to find work in order to support his ministry. He was a bivocational church-planter and he needed work that provided a sufficient income with flexible hours.
June 26, 2022
THREE RESPONSES TO THE GOSPEL The apostle Paul was called before the high council of Athens, which met at the Areopagus (“Mars Hill”), where they invited him to explain what he was teaching. For the Athenians were known for their interest in new philosophies, many of them spending much of their time discussing new ideas.
June 24, 2022
THE DISAGREEMENT OVER JOHN MARK Paul wanted to travel to check on the new believers that had come to faith on their first missionary journey. Barnabas agreed. However, they disagreed on taking John Mark with them again. Apparently, Paul considered the young man unreliable after he had “deserted them” and went home early on their
June 23, 2022
ONLY ONE WAY OF SALVATION After certain Judaizers came to Antioch, teaching that circumcision was required for salvation, Paul and Barnabas were sent to bring the question to the apostles at Jerusalem. After much deliberation, Peter stood and reminded everyone that he had been the first one chosen to carry the gospel to the Gentiles.
June 21, 2022
RELY ON THE GRACE OF GOD, NOT MEN In town after town, as people came to faith after hearing the gospel proclaimed by Paul and Barnabas, they would begin to follow them. But the two men always urged the people to rely on the grace of God, not men. For Paul and Barnabas wanted them