Romans - God's Judgment of Sin - Part 2

God’s Judgment of Sin - Part 2

Romans 2:5-11 _NLT

4 “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? 5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 10 But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.”

            In these verses above Paul continues making his point regarding the patient tolerance of our Creator. He wants to know if God’s loving attributes have gone unnoticed by those in the Roman congregation. If it meant something to them then they wouldn’t continue to do those things they know that shouldn’t be doing. It is those who patiently and persistently DO God’s will who find eternal life. It’s not those who have HEAD knowledge with regard to God, but those who cultivate an intimate, personal relationship with Him. It’s a relationship based on HEART knowledge. Let’s face it...the more time you spend with God the better you will know Him. That is certainly an important basic step towards becoming closer to the Lord. 

The Bible tells us in James 2:19, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” Scripture mentions demons, but obviously Satan believes in Jesus as well, since he was the one who confronted Jesus in the wilderness. Just knowing Jesus and God means very little if you don’t allow that knowledge to change your life.

         God will judge all of His creation on the final day. If you have relentlessly sought after God and wished to please Him by doing His will, you will be blessed and reside with the Father in His heaven for all eternity. But there is coming a day when God, thru Christ Jesus will shine a light on every secret we think is hidden. Nothing is hidden from Almighty God. 

            “We are not saved by good deeds, but when we commit our life fully to God, we want to please Him and do His will. As such, our good deeds are a grateful response to what God has done, not as a prerequisite to earning His favor.”  

Jews do not like non-Jews, yet Paul make an important point.  God will honor those who do good according to God’s directives, first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. Verse 11 puts an exclamation point on this fact but stating very clearly and concisely, “For God does not show favoritism.”  What He does for one He will do for all.

         Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Romans - God's Judgment of Sin - Part 1

God’s Judgment of Sin - Part 1

Romans 2:1-4 _NLT

“You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. ² And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. ³ Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? ⁴ Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”

            Because we are human we all tend to judge others, not realizing that often times we do the very same thing we are judging others for. We see ourselves as innocent, but we must be very careful, for we are building up punishment for ourselves. For example, a person who gossips may be very critical of others who gossip about him or her.

                  Paul pointed out his condemnation of idol worshipers, those who practice homosexuality, and violent people; however, his listeners must have been startled and surprised when Paul turn on them saying, “you are just as bad” and “you have no excuse”. The apostle emphatically stresses that ALL have sinned... and there is no way to be saved from sins consequences apart from Christ. We are saved by HIS shed blood. We need to embrace salvation, for it is thru salvation we have the opportunity to become like Christ in word and deed. 

                  God exhibits great patience by holding back His judgment. This patience allows us the opportunity to turn from our wicked ways and become ‘saved’...forgiven by God for all we have ever done contrary to His statutes. It is imperative that we never mistake God’s patience for weakness or approval of our sinful actions. What we must do is perform a self-evaluation which can be a little daunting, but it is much worse to approach God and have Him point out what needs to change in our behavior. This is the one way we can become healed. Sad to say, we’re much more likely to be amazed at God’s patience with others than humbled by His patience with us. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Romans - God's Anger at Sin

 God’s Anger at Sin

Romans 1:18-32 _NLT

“But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who, by their wickedness, prevent the truth from being known.”

                  Paul presents the thought in verse 17 that it is a righteous person who has life thru faith, then in the next verse contrasts this thought with the fact that evil people suppress the truth making them  an enemy of God. Creation itself reveals the existence of a God, therefore man has no excuse for not knowing Him. Those who are wicked take the truth and substitute it with lies (Ro. 1:25). This has been done throughout the centuries and is a main ploy of the enemy to stifle God’s plans for mankind. Satan has already lost; therefore he has nothing to lose. He will do whatever it takes to trip believers up causing chaos and conflicting information. 

                  Those who knew God decided not to worship Him or even thank Him for what He’d done for them (salvation). Instead they opted to worship idols that were made in the image of mortals, birds, animals, and reptiles. Such wickedness comes with a severe cost. Shunning God will bring about guilt, shame, and ultimate eternal judgement. 

                  God abandoned the evil ones to their own shameful desires. There is a reference shown where the evil ones will do unnatural sex acts with the same sex. The wicked began to worship that which the Creator had created, rather than the Creator Himself. This rebellion against God has been going on since the dawn of time. 

                  It is a curious thing that people will tend to believe lies that reinforce their own selfish beliefs. They don’t believe they are free since in their own minds they are restricted by that which is required by God. God does give us a free will to do as we please; however, everything we do comes with resulting consequences. Strive for things outside God’s will results in nothing good. God loves you and seeks to lead you as you seek Him... but if you insist on doing your own thing, the consequences could end up being quite tragic.

                  Look at the list of things that people with a penchant for evil end up doing: every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy...they become backstabbers, haters of God, arrogant, and prideful. They refuse to understand the truth, break their promises, and are heartless, showing no mercy. Paul states that anyone who does these things will deserve death, yet they all do them anyway. Perhaps they feel that God wouldn’t condemn them due to His loving nature, however, not following God’s statutes pits you against Him directly. You can do that, but consequences await you.  Free will is a wonderful gift until you are banished from God’s kingdom due to sever resistance to the Biblical truth. Paul concludes this portion of scripture by saying that in spite of all that man has done, something worse is their encouraging others to do the same as them. Paul is obviously not at all pleased with this type of behavior as it flies in the face of all that is good and righteous and fair and just. 

Next time we’ll touch on God’s judgment for Sin. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; Expositor’s Bible Commentary: New Testament.

Romans - What is Faith?

Romans

 

When I come across a well written explanation of something biblical, I feel there is no reason to re-invent the wheel, so to speak. This writing was pulled from the pages of the side bar on ‘Faith’.

 

What is Faith?

 

“Faith is a word with many meanings. It can mean faithfulness as in Matthew 24:45 (“A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.”). It can mean absolute trust, as shown by some of the people who came to Jesus for healing as seen in Luke 7:2-10 (“When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, ‘I tell you; I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!’”). It can mean confident hope as in Hebrews 11:1 (“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”).  Or as James points out in James 2:14-26 (“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”). What does Paul mean when, in Romans, he speaks of ‘saving faith’?

We must be very careful to understand faith as Paul uses the word because he ties faith so closely to salvation. It is not something we must do in order to earn salvation ... if that were true, then faith would be just one more deed, and Paul clearly states that human deeds can never save us as in Galatians 2:16 (“Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”). Instead, faith is a gift God gives us because he is saving us ... Ephesians 2:8 - “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” It is God’s grace, not our faith, that saves us. In his mercy, however, when he saves us, he give us faith...a relationship with his Son to helps us become like him. Through the faith he gives us, he carries us from death into life ... John 5:24 - “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”

Even in OT times, grace, not deeds, was the basis for salvation. As Hebrews points out, “it is not possible for the blood or bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4) God intended for his people to look beyond the animal sacrifices to him, but all too often they instead put their confidence in fulfilling the requirements of the law...that is, performing the required sacrifices. When Jesus triumphed over death, he canceled the charges against us and opened the way to the Father (Colossians 2:12-15 ... “For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”) Because he is merciful, he offers us faith. How tragic if we turn faith into deed and try to develop it on our own! We can never come to God through our own faith any more than his OT people could come through their own sacrifices. Instead, we must accept his gracious offer with thanksgiving and allow him to plant the seed of faith within us.”

Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

This post was taken from The Life Application Study Bible, pg 2471.

Word for the Day

 

Romans - Paul's Greeting

Paul’s Greeting

Romans 1:1-7 _NLT

“This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.”

      While Paul was in Corinth at the end of his 3^rd missionary journey he wrote to the Roman church. Neither he, nor James or Peter had paid Rome a visit. As a matter of fact it was 3 years after writing this letter that Paul finally visited his brothers and sisters in Rome.

      The New Testament hadn’t been circulated in its final form to all the churches just yet, so Paul’s letter may have been the first Christian document the Roman church had seen.

      We know Paul was a devout Jew who had at first persecuted Christians, but once he was converted on the Road to Damascus God used him to spread the Good News of the Gospel.

      In spite of his vast education and strict adherence to the Mosaic Law, Paul exhibited humbleness and humility by referring to himself as a “slave” of Christ Jesus and an apostle, which means “one who is sent”. Our willingness to serve and obey Jesus Christ enables us to be used by God, just as Paul was used. 

      Below I list the verses that predict the Good News regarding Jesus Christ *. These verses from the OT are what Paul is referring to in verse 2. Paul points out that the Good News is the revealing of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. He shares the fact that when we have our sins forgiven we are making a commitment to begin a new life in Christ. The point of this new life is to set up Jesus as our example to follow. Whether we realize it or not, once saved we enter into a sort of covenant to imitate Christ’s behavior in our own lives. That is a key responsibility for a new believer.

      Paul points out to the Jewish believers among the church brethren that Gentiles have been brought into the fold as well and in spite of how the Jews may feel about that they are to shed their prejudice and become united with these ‘outsiders’ to the Jewish faith as Christian brothers and sisters. Some factions of Jewish believers have been pushing the Gentile converts to adhere to the Jewish laws and customs. Paul deals with this at another time.

      In verse 6 Paul states a blessing to all the peoples of the Roman Church by saying: “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.” Grace being undeserved favor and peace being calm, with a lack of hostility. It’s very likely Paul specifically mentioned those Christian traits in light of the Jews complete distain for anyone who wasn’t a Jew. What God accepts man must honor. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament.

* Genesis 12:3; Psalms 16:10, 40:6-10, 118:22; Isaiah 11:1ff; Zechariah 9:9-11, 12:10; Malachi 4:1-6.

Introduction to Romans - Part 3

ROMANS

 Introduction Part 3

 

      The apostle Paul lays out for his readers both a blueprint for what to believe and how to behave as believers in Christ. So what exactly is the Roman church to believe. 

      Paul quite clearly set forth the basic foundations of the Christian faith. First of all, he established that ALL people are sinners. Secondly, that Christ died to forgive sin. Thirdly, that we’re made right with God through faith. Lastly, that we now have the opportunity to begin a new life resulting in a new personal, intimate relationship with God.

      How does Paul say we are to behave? A Christian’s life is to connect with life in general, yet still have practical implications that will affect how we are to behave each day. Through Paul’s teaching it becomes apparent that it isn’t nearly good enough to simply KNOW the gospel; we need to allow it to transform our life, letting God impact every area of our lives. Be like Christ in your daily walk. 

      There’s a question I saw a few years back that definitely makes one think. It says, “If you were charged with being a Christian is there enough evidence to convict you?” That’s the type of question that makes you look hard in a mirror. It makes one assess their life to see where they are falling short.

      So as we journey through the Book of Romans the themes we will see is 1) Sin, 2) Salvation, 3) Growth, 4) Sovereignty and 5) Service. Be watching for them. Tomorrow will begin our look at the letter’s text. Hope you come along for the ride. I’m looking forward to it. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Introduction to Romans - Part 2

 ROMANS

Introduction (continued)

 

      Paul laid out his presentation of the gospel to the Roman church which was comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. A gentile was ANYONE who wasn’t a Jew by birth. Once he established man’s sin and need for a savior, Paul made it known that salvation came not by anything we could ever think, say, or do, but rather only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus. This action made them all JUSTIFIED or found NOT GUILTY. 

      With the foundation he laid out for the believers in Rome, Paul began to build upon it with the teaching that salvation provides freedom. He then shared exactly what freedoms were provided. They were freed from the power of sin, and the dominion of the OT law. They were also freed to not only become like Christ, but to discover the limitless love of God.

      The apostle Paul explained to the church in Rome what it meant to submit your life totally to Christ. He talked about the use of spiritual gifts to serve others, genuinely loving others and be good citizens. He continues on by talking of building others up in the faith and helping those who are spiritually weak in the faith. One of the final things he stresses is building unity, especially between the Jews and the Gentiles. This was typically not an easy task because the Jews had absolutely no use for anyone who wasn’t a Jew.

      This letter was meant to be a sample of Paul’s message before he arrived in Rome. It was written around A.D. 57 from Corinth as he was preparing to visit Jerusalem. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Introduction to Romans

ROMANS

_{[aka, Paul’s Letter to the Roman Christians]}

 

_INTRODUCTION

 

         After travelling with Paul on his 3 missionary journeys, he ended up in Rome at the end of the Book of Acts. As I stated in the final posting from that study, it is church tradition that tells us of Paul’s eventual release, and he plan to begin a 4^thmissionary journey. Since Paul spent 2 years in a home prison of sorts, he had the opportunity to fellowship with the Roman church in his dwelling for he was allowed to have guests, albeit, with a Roman guard present.

      I decided Saturday night that I would take us into Rome to examine Paul’s letter (aka, an epistle) chapter by chapter to glean whatever truth is being offered by the author to the church body.

      I will begin with some introductory posts to set the stage for the text. Even though we are all just humans, even Paul and the like, emulating Christ should be our top priority in life since our conversion.

      Here we go ...

 

      Paul was a very intelligent and articulate Jew who once converted was totally committed to the spreading of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The letter we’ll be looking at is the vehicle God chose Paul to use to make a case for the gospel clearly and directly. 

      Since Paul hadn’t visited Rome prior to his incarceration, it would seem quite possible that the Church there was started by Jews who were present on the day of Pentecost. Although Paul hadn’t met these folks, he still felt a kindred spirit with them, for he saw them all as his brothers and sisters in the faith. This letter was sent to introduce himself and make clear what his beliefs were.

      As an introduction the apostle presented the facts regarding the gospel. Paul then made his allegiance to the gospel plainly known. It was then that he built an airtight case regarding the lostness of man and his need for God. He then presents the Good News ... that salvation is available to ALL with no limitations. It didn’t matter who he or she was, what sin(s) he or she had committed or what their background was ... for all had sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Those converted had been ‘saved’ by the grace of God. God’s grace is unearned, undeserved favor from God. It is through grace by faith in Christ Jesus that we are saved from sin and our own propensity to do so. I will continue this intro in tomorrow’s posting. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^{Resource: The Life Application Study Bible}

Thoughts from a Random Mind

Outside vs. Inside

 

                  I heard a statement a week or so ago that made me think. The man said, “People are too focused on the outside and not enough on the inside.” I pondered that thought and concluded that he was absolutely right. Satan has done a major number on us all with regards to what we find important and what preoccupies our minds.

                  The Apostle Paul tells the Roman believers in his letter to them, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”  Yet isn’t that exactly what we’ve done? Too many people claim to be Christians, but don’t live like one. How do we live like Christ? It’s all in the Book ... The NT account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth tells us everything we need to know regarding how we are to live. 

                  2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “... anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” We are supposed to be different once we accept Christ into our heart and life. We are supposed to make a 180 degree turn and walk away from our former way of living. But this isn’t happening to a large extent. Men and women have falling for the devils lies and tricks to pull us into an ungodly direction. Just look around you. This is not to judge anyone ... we’ve all been duped to a certain extent. And if you think you’ve not fallen into his trap you’re fooling yourself.

                  More to the point of the title of this posting, men seek to build muscles upon muscles to impress the opposite sex, wasting hours not just to maintain good health and vitality, but to become impressively big. Women have implants placed to increase all different parts of their bodies ... in many cases it makes them look unnatural as if how God made them wasn’t good enough.

                  It has always been my understanding that sexually speaking men are drawn by sight and women are drawn by gentleness, kindness, and financial security. Why else would a twenty or thirty something women marry a 90 yr old wealthy man. Just my opinion based on what I’ve seen throughout my life. Doesn’t apply to every case.

                  People focus on the exterior and ignore the interior, which is what God cares about. 1 Samuel 16:7 says: “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” 

                  As true believers in Christ we must shake loose of the chains Satan has placed upon us and go on a mission to replicate Christ’s behavior as much as possible. We will fail and fail again, but striving for perfection is our goal, understanding that we can never achieve it. This is not a reason to avoid trying. Take your eyes off yourself and the external things that are meaningless in a spiritual sense and focus inwardly. Seek to become selfless, instead of what we are. Let’s face it, we all have a thread of selfishness that exists in us. It’s take a deliberate attempt to eradicate it from our life or we will not be able to achieve the selfless state the Lord desires for each one of us. 

                  Don’t be concerned with your outward appearance. Don’t be a slob, but also don’t be fixated on your outward appearance. Become Christ-like in all you say and do so as to take on the appearance of Christ in your life. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller      

Bread of Life Ministries

The Book of Acts

Paul Preaches at Rome under Guard

Acts 28:17-31 _NLT

“Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders.”

Three days after arriving at Rome, Paul invited the leaders of the Jewish community to meet with him in his own quarters. He wanted to learn what they had heard from Jerusalem about him and to find out their attitude toward him. Through their contacts in the imperial court and with their money, these men could, if they so desired, support the charges against him. Since they undoubtedly knew something about his case, he wanted to defend himself before them. Also, he hoped the occasion would be an opportunity for proclaiming the message about Jesus the Messiah and that some would respond to it. 

The reason for his incarceration in Jerusalem was due to some Jews rejecting what Paul said about Jesus being the long prophesied Messiah. The objectors took exception to this way of thinking and wished to have Paul put to death because of it. Fortunately, the Romans, who considered themselves civilized, didn’t believe it was just or fair to put someone to death without a fair trial. His Jewish accusers had Paul stand before Governors’ Felix and Festus and King Agrippa II. While these Roman leaders found nothing that should be punishable by death, they were forced to honor Paul’s request for an audience with Caesar, which kept him alive to preach to Romans as he awaited his trial. The trial under Caesar isn’t found in the Book of Acts, but for the content of what he may have said, we can look again at his sermon in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch ^{(Acts 13:17-41)} and the letter he sent to the Romans.

When Paul was finished explaining the reason for his being held the immediate response of the Roman Jewish leaders to his address was surprising. Apparently they did not want to get involved in light of their recent experience. Having been expelled from Rome in 49 or 50 A.D., because of riots about Christianity in their community ^{(Acts 18:2)} and having only recently returned to their city after Claudius's death in 54, they were simply not prepared in 61 A.D. to become involved in Paul's case one way or another. They doubtless had their own opinions about it. But (1) the Jerusalem authorities had not requested them to get involved; (2) Paul was a Roman citizen who had had essentially favorable hearings before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa II; and (3) his case was now to be tried before Caesar himself. So they wanted to have as little as possible to do with Paul and Christianity. But they did say that they were willing at some future time to hear his views on "this sect."

When the day arrived to hear Paul speak, there was an even bigger crowd to hear him speak. The apostle used the OT to teach the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah ... the fulfillment of all God’s promises. It should be noted that Paul’s letter to the Roman believers, which was written 10 years earlier, reveals Paul’s ongoing dialogue with the Jews in Rome.

Paul spent the next two years confined to a rental house under guard. He wasn’t dismayed or discouraged, for even under such circumstances Paul was able to receive visitors, teach, and preach. He wrote letters to Ephesians, Colossians and Philippians which were commonly referred to as “The Prison Letters”.

Tradition tells us that Paul was released after two years of house arrest in Rome and then left on his fourth missionary journey. Tradition also tells us that a prosecution had two years to present their case and it is presumed that time simply ran out.

It is thought that God didn’t feel it necessary to continue the early church’s history, since the gospel would be passed on thru those who heard Paul and others preach and received Christ. The Book of Acts wasn’t about the life of Paul, but rather about the spread of the “Good News” of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Acts also shows the mighty miracles that took place and the incredible testimonies of men like Paul, Stephen, James, and Peter.  All the ministry done was prompted by the Holy Spirit working thru ordinary people.  The message shared back then is the same message we can take to our world as advocates and ambassadors for Christ today.

This concludes our study of Acts. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did preparing it.

Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; Expositor's Bible Commentary: New Testament

                  

Word for the Day

 

Word for the Day by Scott F Neve

“It is the things that we go through that prove our faith and test our godly character.”-  Scott F Neve, Christian Author

The Book of Acts

 

Paul on the Island of Malta

Acts 28:1-10 _NLT

“Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.”

            Once all 276 men had arrived safely on shore they learned they were on the Island of Malta *. The people of the Island showed kindness to these strangers by building them a fire on the beach, as it was cold and rainy.  While Paul was placing some branches on the fire a viper lunged at him, biting him on the hand.  The people saw the venomous snake dangling from Paul’s hand and immediately assumed he was some sort of criminal whom Justice had finally caught up with since he had not died at sea. 

                  The Island had originally been colonized by Phoenicians (1000 B.C.) until it was captured by the Rome (218 B.C.).  “Malta was known for its prosperity and residential architecture, and its native population spoke a Phoenician dialect, though many probably knew some Latin and Greek.” I mention this because the Phoenician’s worshipped Greek gods and goddesses. The goddess of justice was Dike ** (see note below). Knowing this we must assume that the Island people believed that Dike had meted out justice on this unknown man. The only problem was that though they waited to see Paul drop dead before them, he never did. He was left unharmed, which harkens back to God’s promise that Paul would arrive in Rome to stand trial unharmed. God wouldn’t allow Paul to be taken down because he had other important things to say and do for the Lord. After some time had passed the people decided Paul wasn’t a criminal, but rather a god with special healing powers.

                  The chief officer of the Island was Publius who welcomed the large group of men onto his estate and treated them all with kindness.  Through the text we find that Publius’ father was very ill with a fever and dysentery. Paul went to the father, laid hands on him and prayed which resulted in the father’s healing. After this miracle people from all over the Island who were sick came to the estate for healing. The apostle prayed for each one and they were all made totally well. After this incredible event took place many honors were showered upon those who washed up on shore. They blessed them with anything they would need for the final leg of their trip on to Rome.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; Expositor's Bible Commentary: New Testament.

* Malta is an island about 18 miles long and 8 miles wide, lying 58 miles south of Sicily and 180 miles north and east of the African coast.

** In Greek mythology, Dike or Dice [ pronounced die-key’] is the goddess of justice and the spirit of moral order and fair judgement.

The Book of Acts

The Shipwreck

Acts 27:27-44 NLT

“About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, the sailors sensed land was near.”

                  In the last post we discussed the dilemma the sailors found themselves in because they didn’t listen to the apostle Paul. One of the practices that a ships crew would perform to shore up their vessel was ‘frapping’ or binding ropes or cables around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. Since doing this during a dangerous situation would be quite impossible, it would need to be done prior to shoving off. This practice enabled the vessel to withstand elevated winds and waves, helping it stay together rather than break apart.

                  As I mentioned last time, the Northeaster’s winds could reach up to 90 mph. That would be bad enough on land, but to be subject to the relentless pounding of the waves against the hull of the ship at sea would have been extremely dangerous and pretty impossible to accomplish. The crew ascertained that the depth of the water was decreasing, thus meaning they were approaching land. They cast 4 anchors off the back of the ship and prayed for daylight. This was to keep the ship from crashing into the rocks on the shoreline. The crew were contemplating escaping to land via the lifeboat; however, Paul told the captain that no one must leave the ship for they will surely die. According to scripture there were 276 men on board the ship. This included the captain, the crew, the Roman soldiers, and the prisoners. 

                  Paul pointed out that due to the situation no one had eaten in two weeks. He took a piece of bread, blessed it and began to eat ... the others followed suit. After eating the crew began to toss overboard other cargo to continue to lighten the ships load. It should be noted that the storm lasted for 14 days. It would seem to me quite miraculous that not one life was lost. All that Paul had told them had come true; thus they paid a little more attention when he spoke to them in the future. 

                  The apostle had instructed the officer and sailors, upon seeing them prepare to jump overboard to swim for safety, to remain on the ship if they wanted to live. God had assured Paul that should they do as they were told all on board would survive. 

                  Not realizing at dawn where they were, they spotted a small bay with a beach. The crew cut loose the 4 anchors and allowed the tide to carry the ship toward shore. Then the ship ran aground in a shoal or low place in the water causing them to run aground too soon. The ship was now firmly stuck and the constant pounding of the waves on the stern caused the ship to begin to break up.

                  It was a fact that should any of the prisoners on board gotten away, the man responsible for keeping watch of them would pay with his own life, so the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to keep them from escaping, but the commanding officer wished to spare Paul’s life so he wouldn’t allow the soldiers to carry out their plan. The officer ordered all who were able to swim to jump overboard and swim to land. Others were to get into the water and cling to either a plank or some other piece of debris and get to shore. As Paul has predicted, no man was lost. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible   

Word for the Day from Corrie Ten Boom

"When a train goes through a tunnel & it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket & jump off. You sit still & trust the engineer."

Corrie Ten Boom

The Book of Acts

The Storm at Sea

Acts 27:13-26 _NLT

“When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a ‘northeaster’) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale.” (vv. 13-15)

            You may recall from my last post that Paul warned the captain and his crew about a storm they would be heading into should they continue on to Phoenix. He said to them “Men, I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on - shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” They didn’t heed his warning.

                  The following morning there was a light wind that came out of the South. The sailors were confident they could make it to Phoenix, so they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the coastline of Crete. Suddenly, the weather changed. The wind gusts rose to 90 mph and the situation almost instantly became deadly. The wind burst came from the Northeast; thus the name of the storm was called by the sailors “Euroquilo” or quite literally, “Northeaster”. The wind gusts were so intense that they pushed the boat away from the coast and out to sea. The wind was so strong that the sailors were unable to turn into it, so they dropped the anchor to slow the ship. They tossed cargo and gear overboard to lighten the load. 

                  For a 2^nd time Paul spoke to the men reminding them of his initial warning, then sharing a vision he had. The Lord appeared to him and assured him that he would indeed stand trial in Rome. The Lord also said that all who were with him would not perish. It’s important to realize that when a calamitous situation threatens a life, material possessions become inconsequential.

                  Paul ended by saying that things would take place just as the Lord had said, however, they would be shipwrecked on an island. Not a bad trade off to remain alive. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; Expositor's Bible Commentary: New Testament.

Word for the Day - Quote by RC Sproul

"We are secured not because we hold tightly to Jesus, but because he holds tightly to us."

Dr. Robert Charles (RC) Sproul (1939—2017) was an American Presbyterian pastor, theologian, author, apologist, and Bible teacher.

In His name & for His glory, Richard Keller ... Bread of Life Ministries

Word of the Day

 

The Book of Acts

 

Paul Sails for Rome

Acts 27:1-12 _NLT

“When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province.”

            Paul was taken on a ship with Luke (as evidenced by his use of “we” in the text) and Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. The entire trip from Caesarea to Rome was a little under 2,100 miles. They were sailing at a dangerous time of the year due to the strong winds that came upon the area in the fall. They set sail sometime in October. The most dangerous time to sail was November when sailing would have been impossible. September and October were months where sailing was doable yet doubtful to be safe. There were no compasses at this time in history, therefore captains used the stars at night. If it were overcast sailing was made nearly impossible and very dangerous.

                  Paul was placed under the charge of Julius, a centurion who was a captain in the Imperial Guard *. It was his responsibility to be near Paul at all times. After spending some time with the apostle and knowing he was a Roman citizen, he was somewhat lenient with him. When they stopped in the port of Sidon Julius allowed Paul to go ashore to visit friends where they could tend to his needs. This was obviously far different than his missionary journeys as he was now a prisoner of Rome.

                  Since there had been sailing into a strong headwind, progress was very slow. When the ship stopped in Lycia, Julius, who began to doubt they would make it to Rome before winter set in, found an Egyptian ship heading to Italy and asked the captain if he would take his passengers on board to complete the trip. He said ‘yes’ and the three men switched ships.

                  The ship struggled along the coast, stopping in the port of Fair Haven on the southwest portion of the isle of Crete. Since it was not an ideal place to stop for the winter, Paul sensed calamity ahead, for the sailors wanted to go up the coast to the port of Phoenix for the winter. This was because it was better protected from the winds. Julius was no longer in charge of Paul since he stayed on the vessel he began the trip on and the new officer in charge was heeding the captain’s voice rather than Paul’s. So they set sail for Phoenix. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament

* "The Imperial Regiment." - The soldiers who performed the police and escort services in Paul's day were ... a special body of imperial guards who ... did not belong to any division of a Roman army legion; instead, they formed a special unit of their own.

Word for the Day

 

The Book of Acts

Herod Agrippa II ... What is his story? *

 

                  It should be common knowledge that families pass on both positive & negative behavior to their children. Agrippa II was the great grandson of Herod the Great, the son of Herod Agrippa I and the great nephew of Herod Antipas. He had two sisters, Bernice, and Drusilla. 

                  Herod Agrippa II was the last heir of the Herod dynasty. He was made ruler/king over parts of Palestine. He continued the success his father had keeping the peace with the Palestinians and also kept up the Herod tradition of building & improving cities. 

The main mistake King Agrippa II made was to hear the gospel message, as told to him by the Apostle Paul and choose to reject it. Life doesn’t guarantee multiple opportunities to hear the gospel and response affirmatively to God, so Agrippa had the truth staring him in the face & choose not to respond. The king’s opportunity came in the form of an intellectual challenge, yet not being convinced of its validity consciously rejected it. His rejection is apparent by his sarcastic remark to Paul (“Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?”).  Apparently living under someone else’s rules/laws, regardless of who it was, didn’t agree with him.

Some folks need to fully process, then mull over what they’ve been told. I was one of those folks. I rarely make snap decisions, so I gave it a couple days to fully process what I had heard.  It was at that time that I responded in the affirmative. That was nearly 44 years ago and I’m still loving Jesus and obeying His directives as best I can with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The other dreadful mistake Agrippa made was to have an incestuous relationship with his sister Bernice, while she was married to her uncle Herod Chalcis. Agrippa no doubt knew by his knowledge of Jewish law, that if he were to say ‘Yes’to God, he would have to end his dalliance with his sister, and it doesn’t seem that he was the least bit interested in doing that.  Immorality is not acceptable in God’s economy. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name and for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible, p. 2459.

* His story is told in Acts 25:13 - 26:32.

Word for the Day