Saturday, March 14, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 56
Galatians 4; Galatians
5; Galatians 6
1 What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child,
he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 He
is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So
also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of
the world. 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under
law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because
you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who
calls out, ""Abba", Father." 7 So you are
no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an
heir. 8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves
to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know
God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those
weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over
again? 10 You are observing special days and months and
seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have
wasted my efforts on you. 12 I plead with you, brothers,
become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong. 13 As
you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. 14 Even
though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or
scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were
Christ Jesus himself. 15 What has happened to all your joy? I
can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes
and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by
telling you the truth? 17 Those people are zealous to win you
over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you [from us], so that you
may be zealous for them. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided
the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. 19 My
dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is
formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and
change my tone, because I am perplexed about you! 21 Tell me,
you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For
it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other
by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born in
the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a
promise. 24 These things may be taken figuratively, for the
women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears
children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar
stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of
Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But
the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For
it is written: "Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break
forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children
of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband." 28 Now
you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that
time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of
the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does the Scripture
say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son
will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son." 31 Therefore,
brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm,
then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark
my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ
will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every
man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You
who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have
fallen away from grace. 5 But by faith we eagerly await
through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For
in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only
thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. 7 You
were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the
truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one
who calls you. 9 "A little yeast works through the whole
batch of dough." 10 I am confident in the Lord that you
will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay
the penalty, whoever he may be. 11 Brothers, if I am still
preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the
offense of the cross has been abolished.12 As for those agitators,
I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! 13 You,
my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the
sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The
entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as
yourself." 15 If you keep on biting and devouring each
other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So
I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful
nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the
Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in
conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But
if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19 The
acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry
and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and
the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not
inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness
and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions
and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in
step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited,
provoking and envying each other.
1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are
spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be
tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you
will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is
something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one
should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without
comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should
carry his own load. 6 Anyone who receives instruction in the
word must share all good things with his instructor. 7 Do not
be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The
one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap
destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap
eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at
the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore,
as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who
belong to the family of believers.11 See what large letters I use
as I write to you with my own hand! 12 Those who want to make
a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The
only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not
even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be
circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. 14 May I
never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the
world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.16 Peace
and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. 17 Finally,
let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 55
Galatians 1; Galatians
2; Galatians 3
1 Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by man, but by
Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead-- 2 and
all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia: 3 Grace
and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who
gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to
the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever
and ever. Amen. 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly
deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a
different gospel-- 7 which is really no gospel at all.
Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert
the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven
should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be
eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say
again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted,
let him be eternally condemned! 10 Am I now trying to win the
approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still
trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 I
want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that
man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I
taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. 13 For
you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I
persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was
advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous
for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me
apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to
reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not
consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those
who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later
returned to Damascus. 18 Then after three years, I went up to
Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I
saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord's brother. 20 I
assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21 Later
I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to
the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard
the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith
he once tried to destroy." 24 And they praised God
because of me.
1 Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this
time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.2 I went in response to
a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.
But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was
running or had run my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who
was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 [This
matter arose] because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on
the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We
did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might
remain with you. 6 As for those who seemed to be
important--whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by
external appearance--those men added nothing to my message. 7 On
the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the
gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. 8 For
God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was
also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9 James,
Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right
hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that
we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. 10 All they
asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was
eager to do. 11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to
his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12 Before
certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they
arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because
he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The
other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even
Barnabas was led astray. 14 When I saw that they were not
acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them
all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How
is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? 15"We
who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16 know that a
man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we,
too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in
Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will
be justified. 17 "If, while we seek to be justified in
Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that
Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I
destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. 19 For through the
law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 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. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God,
for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for
nothing!"
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your
very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I
would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by
observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you
so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your
goal by human effort? 4 Have you suffered so much for
nothing--if it really was for nothing? 5 Does God give you his
Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you
believe what you heard? 6 Consider Abraham: "He believed
God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7 Understand,
then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. 8 The
Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced
the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through
you." 9 So those who have faith are blessed along with
Abraham, the man of faith. 10 All who rely on observing the
law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not
continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." 11 Clearly
no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will
live by faith."12 The law is not based on faith; on the
contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them."13 Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is
written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14 He
redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the
Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of
the Spirit. 15 Brothers, let me take an example from everyday
life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been
duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were
spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to
seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one
person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law,
introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously
established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For
if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise;
but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. 19 What,
then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until
the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect
through angels by a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, does not
represent just one party; but God is one. 21 Is the law,
therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had
been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come
by the law. 22But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a
prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus
Christ, might be given to those who believe. 23 Before this
faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be
revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ
that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has
come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. 26 You
are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you
who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There
is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one
in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Book of Revelation Summery and Outline
Summary of the Book of Revelation
This summary of the book of Revelation provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of Revelation.
Author
Four times the author identifies himself as John (1:1,4,9; 22:8). From as early as Justin Martyr in the second century a.d. it has been held that this John was the apostle, the son of Zebedee (see Mt 10:2). The book itself reveals that the author was a Jew, well versed in Scripture, a church leader who was well known to the seven churches of Asia Minor, and a deeply religious person fully convinced that the Christian faith would soon triumph over the demonic forces at work in the world.
In the third century, however, an African bishop named Dionysius compared the language, style and thought of the Apocalypse (Revelation) with that of the other writings of John and decided that the book could not have been written by the apostle John. He suggested that the author was a certain John the Presbyter, whose name appears elsewhere in ancient writings. Although many today follow Dionysius in his view of authorship, the external evidence seems overwhelmingly supportive of the traditional view.
Date
Revelation was written when Christians were entering a time of persecution. The two periods most often mentioned are the latter part of Nero's reign (a.d. 54-68) and the latter part of Domitian's reign (81-96). Most interpreters date the book c. 95. (A few suggest a date during the reign of Vespasian: 69-79.)
Occasion
Since Roman authorities at this time were beginning to enforce emperor worship, Christians -- who held that Christ, not Caesar, was Lord -- were facing increasing hostility. The believers at Smyrna are warned against coming opposition (2:10), and the church at Philadelphia is told of an hour of trial coming on the world (3:10). Antipas has already given his life (2:13) along with others (6:9). John has been exiled to the island of Patmos (probably the site of a Roman penal colony) for his activities as a Christian missionary (1:9). Some within the church are advocating a policy of compromise (2:14-15,20), which has to be corrected before its subtle influence can undermine the determination of believers to stand fast in the perilous days that lie ahead.
Purpose
John writes to encourage the faithful to resist staunchly the demands of emperor worship. He informs his readers that the final showdown between God and Satan is imminent. Satan will increase his persecution of believers, but they must stand fast, even to death. They are sealed against any spiritual harm and will soon be vindicated when Christ returns, when the wicked are forever destroyed, and when God's people enter an eternity of glory and blessedness.
Literary Form
For an adequate understanding of Revelation, the reader must recognize that it is a distinct kind of literature. Revelation is apocalyptic, a kind of writing that is highly symbolic. Although its visions often seem bizarre to the Western reader, fortunately the book provides a number of clues for its own interpretation (e.g., stars are angels, lampstands are churches, 1:20; "the great prostitute," 17:1, is "Babylon" [Rome?], 17:5,18; and the heavenly Jerusalem is the wife of the Lamb, 21:9-10).
Distinctive Feature
A distinctive feature is the frequent use of the number seven (52 times). There are seven beatitudes (see note on 1:3), seven churches (1:4,11), seven spirits (1:4), seven golden lampstands (1:12), seven stars (1:16), seven seals (5:1), seven horns and seven eyes (5:6), seven trumpets (8:2), seven thunders (10:3), seven signs (12:1,3; 13:13-14; 15:1; 16:14; 19:20), seven crowns (12:3), seven plagues (15:6), seven golden bowls (15:7), seven hills (17:9) and seven kings (17:10), as well as other sevens. Symbolically, the number seven stands for completeness.
Interpretation
Interpreters of Revelation normally fall into four groups:
- Preterists understand the book exclusively in terms of its first-century setting, claiming that most of its events have already taken place.
- Historicists take it as describing the long chain of events from Patmos to the end of history.
- Futurists place the book primarily in the end times.
- Idealists view it as symbolic pictures of such timeless truths as the victory of good over evil.
Fortunately, the fundamental truths of Revelation do not depend on adopting a particular point of view. They are available to anyone who will read the book for its overall message and resist the temptation to become overly enamored with the details.
Outline
- Introduction (1:1-8)
- Jesus among the Seven Churches (1:9-20)
- The Letters to the Seven Churches (chs. 2 - 3)
- The Throne, the Scroll and the Lamb (chs. 4-5)
- The Seven Seals (6:1;8:1)
- First Seal: The White Horse (6:1-2)
- Second Seal: The Red Horse (6:3-4)
- Third Seal: The Black Horse (6:5-6)
- Fourth Seal: The Pale Horse (6:7-8)
- Fifth Seal: The Souls under the Altar (6:9-11)
- Sixth Seal: The Great Earthquake (6:12-17)
- The Sealing of the 144,000 (7:1-8)
- The Great Multitude (7:9-17)
- Seventh Seal: Silence in Heaven (8:1)
- The Seven Trumpets (8:2;11:19)
- Introduction (8:2-5)
- First Trumpet: Hail and Fire Mixed with Blood (8:6-7)
- Second Trumpet: A Mountain Thrown into the Sea (8:8-9)
- Third Trumpet: The Star Wormwood (8:10-11)
- Fourth Trumpet: A Third of the Sun, Moon and Stars Struck (8:12-13)
- Fifth Trumpet: The Plague of Locusts (9:1-12)
- Sixth Trumpet: Release of the Four Angels (9:13-21)
- The Angel and the Little Scroll (ch. 10)
- The Two Witnesses (11:1-14)
- Seventh Trumpet: Judgments and Rewards (11:15-19)
- Various Personages and Events (chs. 12-14)
- The Seven Bowls (chs. 15-16)
- Introduction: The Song of Moses and the Seven Angels with the Seven Plagues (ch. 15)
- First Bowl: Ugly and Painful Sores (16:1-2)
- Second Bowl: Sea Turns to Blood (16:3)
- Third Bowl: Rivers and Springs of Water Become Blood (16:4-7)
- Fourth Bowl: Sun Scorches People with Fire (16:8-9)
- Fifth Bowl: Darkness (16:10-11)
- Sixth Bowl: Euphrates River Dries Up (16:12-16)
- Seventh Bowl: Tremendous Earthquake (16:17-21)
- Babylon: The Great Prostitute (17:1;19:5)
- Praise for the Wedding of the Lamb (19:6-10)
- The Return of Christ (19:11-21)
- The Thousand Years (20:1-6)
- Satan's Doom (20:7-10)
- Great White Throne Judgment (20:11-15)
- New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem (21:1;22:5)
- Conclusion and Benediction (22:6-21)
From the NIV Study Bible, Introductions to the Books of the Bible, Revelation
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 54
Acts 15:1-41; Acts 16
·
New International VersionToggle Dropdown
1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching
the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught
by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 This brought Paul and
Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were
appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the
apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent them on
their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how
the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4 When
they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and
elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. 5 Then
some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and
said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of
Moses." 6 The apostles and elders met to consider this
question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed
them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you
that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and
believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted
them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He
made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now
then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a
yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11 No!
We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as
they are." 12 The whole assembly became silent as they
listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders
God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they
finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon
has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the
Gentiles a people for himself. 15 The words of the prophets
are in agreement with this, as it is written: 16 " 'After
this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of men may seek the
Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these
things' 18 that have been known for ages.19 "It
is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles
who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them,
telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,
from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For
Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in
the synagogues on every Sabbath." 22Then the apostles and
elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send
them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and
Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23 With
them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To
the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24 We
have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed
you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all
agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas
and Paul-- 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas
to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed
good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the
following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food
sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from
sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. 30 The
men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church
together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and
were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who
themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. 33 After
spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing
of peace to return to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and
Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached
the word of the Lord. 36 Some time later Paul said to
Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we
preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing."37 Barnabas
wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul
did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia
and had not continued with them in the work.39 They had such a
sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for
Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the
brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria
and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple
named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father
was a Greek. 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well
of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he
circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew
that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to
town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in
Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were
strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. 6 Paul
and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia,
having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of
Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to
enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So
they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the
night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him,
"Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul
had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding
that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 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. 15When 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. 16Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we
were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future.
She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 This
girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants
of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18 She
kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned
around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you
to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her. 19 When
the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone,
they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the
authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and
said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by
advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." 22 The
crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered
them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been
severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to
guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put
them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other
prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly 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. 27 The
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.28 But
Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself ! We are all here!" 29 The
jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He
then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They
replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your
household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to
him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the
night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all
his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his
house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to
believe in God--he and his whole family. 35 When it was
daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order:
"Release those men." 36 The jailer told Paul,
"The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can
leave. Go in peace." 37 But Paul said to the officers:
"They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,
and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No!
Let them come themselves and escort us out." 38 The
officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and
Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to
appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the
city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went
to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then
they left.
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