New Testament Bible Study by John Stanko

Acts Study 34: 28:1-31

Dear Student of the Word,

Here it is: the last installment of our study of the Acts of the Apostles, which we began in January, 2011.  Thank you for your patience as we worked our way through this book; I hope you have found it helpful.  I hope to publish it, at least in ebook format, sometime in the near future.  We will begin a study of 1 Thessalonians in about two weeks.  In the meantime, this is what I wrote in part seven of this final seven-part study:

Study Thirty-Four, Part Seven

26 "'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." 27 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.  Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'   28 "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"   30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

28:26&27 – Paul quoted Isaiah 6:9 in this context, just as Jesus had quoted the same (see Matthew 13:14) when He was confronted with the Jews hardness of heart.  This prophecy was fulfilled in Isaiah’s, Jesus’ and Paul’s times.  They could not hear because their heart had become hard.  Even though they constantly sought after and talked about spiritual things, they could no longer hear or see the truth.

The Jews were zealous for the things of God, but refused to adapt to this new revelation about Jesus.  They had put God in a box, so to speak, that when God came out of the box in Jesus, they could not accept the truth.  They had become spiritually inflexible. We saw previously that some of the Jews would not believe even though Paul undoubtedly made a convincing case for Jesus.

28:28 – So Paul made his declaration that he would now turn his attention to the Gentiles, and he knew by experience that some of them would believe and turn to Jesus.  But we know that God was moving among the Gentiles with His eye still on Israel:

I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Romans 11:13-16). 

God isn’t through with Israel yet, but they can only come to God on one basis:  through the blood and atoning work of Jesus. 

28:29&30 – It almost seems like Acts ends too soon.  It would be good to know more about what Paul did, who he talked to, and what happened with his appeal to Caesar.  But Luke takes us up to Paul’s presentation to the Roman Jews and then summarizes the next two years in two sentences!  Perhaps Luke wanted to finish his work and just decided to wrap it up and send it off to Theophilus. 

Again we see that God used Paul’s a trial to provide a wonderful opportunity for him to minister in Rome, which had been one of Paul’s objectives.  Perhaps there were times before that when Paul assumed his ministry and life were over.  Yet the sovereign Lord opened many doors even after his imprisonment and many Roman officials heard the gospel through Paul’s efforts.

As we close this study, I urge you to make the most of every opportunity to fulfill your purpose, whether in large ways or small.  Be faithful like Paul was to make the most of your time and do the work that you were created to do.  Truly Paul was one of the great men and leaders of all time.  He was not a perfect man, but he was one who did great things for God. 

This book could just as easily be referred to as the Acts of the Holy Spirit instead of the Acts of the Apostles.  The focus of the book is on the apostles—first those who walked with Jesus (referred to as apostles of the Lamb) and then Paul.  But the book is also full of references and examples of the Holy Spirit initiatives that changed the course of history.  If you are a non-Jew, then you should rejoice in the truth of Acts, for here we see that God graciously opened His heart to us Gentiles as predicted in Isaiah 65:1 and quoted in Paul’s letter to the Romans:

And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." (Romans 10:20). 

As we close this study, I hope you will consider how you can add to this book.  No, I am not implying that we can write Scripture; the canon of Scripture is finished.  But we can do what Paul and the others did, and that’s carry our purpose in the power of the Spirit to a dying world that needs Jesus, the only hope.

So Lord, as we close this study, I pray that you would empower us to change our world as the apostles changed theirs.  Give us the same dynamic of the Holy Spirit to launch bold initiatives for You.  I pray that You would speak to us and lead us.  May we not harden our hearts, content to read about You and Your saints.  Help us to take our place and continue the work that the apostles began.  We don’t want to be history readers but history makers.  And we pray all this in the name of Jesus our Lord.  Amen and amen!

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.

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Acts Study 33: 27:13-44

Dear Student of the Word,

Here is the next-to-last installment from our study of Acts, which we began in January, 2011. I am glad to see it come to an end, not because I did not enjoy and learn from it, but because it means we get to move on to another book!  In this study, we are on the ship with Paul as he went to Rome, encountering a huge storm while on the way there.  You would think Paul would have had smooth sailing since he was going in God's will, but he did not. This week I wrote in part four of this seven-part study:

Study Thirty-Three, Part Four

27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.

27:27-32 – So who was no in charge of the ship?  In a sense, Paul was.  When some of the sailors tried to escape, Paul knew what they were trying to do.  How did he know and not the captain or the centurion?  Then Paul gave a simple piece of advice to the military men onboard:  if the men were successful in lowering the lifeboat and escaping, the others would die!  At this point, Paul had earned their trust and was credible, so they cut away the lifeboat.

Even though these soldiers were not believers, they had seen enough to know that they needed to heed Paul’s advice.  How did Paul get this kind of respect?

1. He shared what he knew, even though it was ignored and rejected.
2. He was on the ship with the men, sharing in the danger and uncertainty.
3. He continued to speak, even though his first advice was ignored. 
4. He did not take his rejection personally, but became a source of strength and, in some ways, salvation for those onboard.
5. He was listening for what God would say, and God sent an angel to advise him.
6. He was vigilant, even though as hungry and distressed as everyone else.
7. He was a confident man of purpose and knew he had to arrive in Rome to do God’s will.

If you want to have influence on your job, in your church or in your family, do what Paul did, as listed above.  People should seek you out for advice.  You are connected to God and should hear what He says and report the same to the people around you.

Who is listening to what you have to say?  Do you have anything to say?  Are you involved with people, living where they live, feeling what they feel?  This is symbolic of Jesus, who took on human flesh in His divinity so that He could identify in every way (except sin) with his “target audience.”

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.

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Acts Study 32: 26:16-27:12

Dear Student of the Word,

It's the night before Easter, but I will be out of town all next week, so I thought I would send along this next installment from our Acts study.  This particular study is winding down, with only three more studies left until we reach the end. This week, we focus on Paul's speech before the Roman officials before he appealed to Caesar and is sent off to Rome.  This week I wrote in part three of this seven-part study:

Study Thirty-Two, Part Three

24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you insane." 25 "I am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do."

26:24 – Festus was so convicted by the message that he had to do something to discredit it in his own mind and the minds of the listeners.  Consequently, he suggested that Paul was insane and a religious fanatic.  At some point, Paul must have impressed Festus as a learned man.  Yet Festus could not see how a man this intelligent could espouse the resurrection doctrine and be in his right mind.  One can see the similarity between Paul’s and Jesus’ journey, for at one point people thought Jesus was mad, too:

When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind” (Mark 3:21). 

If they thought Jesus was crazy, then someone will think that you are crazy to follow Him.  Who thinks you are mad?  Anyone?  Are you concerned that they would think that?  Are you crazy for Jesus? 

26:25 – Paul did not take Festus’ comment personally.  He wasn’t offended, because it wasn’t about him; it was about Jesus and the eternal fate of the listeners.  It isn’t about you and me, is it?  It’s always about Him.  If you’re dead in Him, then insults can’t hurt or affect you, can they?  Paul simply stated that what he was talking about wasn’t crazy, but sane and rational. Why would it be so incredible that God who created life, can also restore it through resurrection?

26:26 – Paul shifted the focus from him and Festus back to Agrippa, for whom the meeting was convened.  Paul tried to move Agrippa to a point of decision, or at least a point where he would acknowledge that Paul was speaking something reasonable according to the Jewish covenant.  Paul read his audience well and knew that Agrippa and Bernice were acquainted with what he said—thus Paul spoke so forthrightly.

Do you know your audience when you speak or witness?  Are you able to adjust your message to the level of the listener?  That is a critical factor in successful teaching and witnessing.

26:27 – Paul continued to try and draw out Agrippa to make a decision for Jesus, tying his message to the Old Testament prophets.  The Agrippa line had many witnesses come to them—the Magi, John the Baptist, Jesus and now Paul.  God chose to send the very best to them in His mercy and grace.  Their ultimate rejection of the gospel was not because they had not heard it or understood it.  To whom does God want to send you as a witness?  Any one group or family?  Does God want to send you to a people group?  Will you go?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.

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Acts Study 31: 25:9-26:15

Dear Student of the Word,

I am not sure how much time I will have next week while I am here in Kenya, so I thought I would send along this next study for you to review, study and hopefully learn from. I am in Kenya with a busy ministry schedule, but while here I wrote part seven of this seven-part study:

Study Thirty-One, Part Seven

12 "On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,’ Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'  15 "Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' "'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied.

26:12 – Perhaps Saul had been an “evangelist” to the Gentiles as a Pharisee.  He was already comfortable with going to the Gentiles—or at least as comfortable as a Jew could be. 

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are” (Matthew 23:15). 

The Jews were only too happy to send Saul to Damascus, since they were unwilling to go and become unclean due to the contact with Gentiles.  Saul was only to happy to go in his obsession to wipe out the followers of The Way.

26:13 – It must have been a bright light indeed that was able to outshine the noonday sun.  That is the kind of light God is able to use to reveal your purpose in life.  Of course, the companions saw the light and knew something supernatural was happening.  As far as we know, however, they never gave any testimony that would assist Saul’s testimony.  It’s just as well, however, for the Jews would not have received it!

What light has God shed on your life, your reason for living?  If you don’t know, perhaps it’s because the light is so bright that you are blinded.  Perhaps you are so familiar with yourself and what you do is so second-nature, that you can’t see it—it isn’t very special to you.  Ask God today to shine this kind of light on who you are and what you do and then be open to see yourself in a “whole new light.” 

26:14 – God speaks every language; He is a great communicator.  Saul had no problem hearing His voice or understanding what He was saying.  Notice that they all fell to the ground.  There are many who are intrigued and even offended by people falling to the ground.  It’s surprising more people don’t fall to the ground when they have an encounter with God.  Even a group of Roman soldiers fell to the ground as recorded in John’s gospel:

"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground (John 18:5-6). 

26:15 – Jesus told Saul that he was in actuality persecuting Jesus and not His followers.  How the followers feel about that?!  It sure felt to them like they were being persecuted.  Saul’s hatred at that point was really for Jesus; he was expressing it toward the followers. Paul later wrote:

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4). 

You are now in Christ.  For something to get to you, it must get through Him.  So when someone is persecuting you, God has allowed it to happen, for it must through Him first.  Since Jesus is the point of “first contact,” the persecutor is actually persecuting Jesus.  Paul also wrote:

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 (Galatians 2:20). 

How can someone persecute you, when “you” are dead and it’s Christ living in your place?   Don’t take persecution or hard times personally.  It’s not about you; it’s all about Him!  Rejoice in your persecutions and accept them as part of being in Christ.  Be strengthened in that knowledge and serve the Lord, just like Paul did.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.

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Acts Study 30: 24:5-25:8

Dear Student of the Word,

I am off to Kenya in a few hours, but thought I would get this latest Acts study out to you before I go.  This week we continue to walk with Paul as he confronted his Jewish accusers before Roman officials.  This week I wrote in part seven of this seven-part study:

Study Thirty, Part Seven

6 After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7 When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. 8 Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."

25:6 – Festus spent some time in Jerusalem getting to know the Jews. Notice again that he went “down” from Jerusalem.  Jerusalem was the pinnacle and everything else was below it.  This developed a superiority complex among those who lived there, especially the leaders, who felt they were exempt from right behavior.  Jeremiah confronted this same attitude:

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!" If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless (Jeremiah 7:3-8). 

The people believed in Jeremiah’s day that the Temple of the Lord would protect them no matter what they did.  They believed in the sanctity of a place and a building, when God wanted the holiness of His people. 

25:7 – Festus wasted no time convening a hearing and the Jews brought many serious charges against Paul.  It is safe to assume that since the charges from their first hearing two years prior didn’t get results, they intensified their case with new, more serious charges.  They probably had attorneys and had gathered some testimony from other parts of the world.  But still they could not prove their accusations and charges.

25:8 – Paul stood alone, as far as we can tell.  He had no legal representation, choosing rather to represent himself.  He was confident that his God would stand with him and help him make his case.  At the same time, Paul had lived in the truth of what God had spoken to him for the last two years

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome” (Acts 23:11).

Do you have any promises or directives that God has given you?  If so, are you living in them?  Have you put your faith in them?  The Bible teaches:

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord (Deuteronomy 8:3). 

Jesus Himself quoted this verse when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness.  Are you living according to the word that comes from God’s mouth for you?  God is a great communicator.  He speaks every language, He speaks through circumstances, He speaks through His word, He speaks through other people, both believers and non-believers.  He can even speak through a donkey as we saw in the story of Balaam in Numbers 22.  God is actively communicating with His people and with you. What is He saying?  What has He said?  Listen more carefully, in faith write down what you think God is saying, and build your life around that, just like Paul did.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!" (Psalm 29:3-9). 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.

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KENYA UPDATE:  I am still $5,000 short of my goal of $25,000 for Kenya. There is still time to help.  You can give through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882.  If you send a check, just let me know so I can front the money while I am in Kenya until April 4.

Acts Study 29: 23:9-24:4

Dear Student of the Word,

It's only been a week since your last study, but I thought I would send along the next installment of the Acts study for you to review.  In this part, Paul is taken to Caesarea where he is interrogated by the Roman authorities concerning charges brought against Paul by the Jews. This week I wrote in part six of this seven-part study:

Study Twenty-Nine, Part Six

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.

23:31&32 – When the contingent saw that there was no attack or danger, they dismissed the foot soldiers.  Only the cavalry went on to Caesarea.  Caesarea is a beautiful seaside town, a port that was the gateway to the Mediterranean from Palestine.  Paul was to spend a few years at this site, awaiting the decision of Rome concerning his alleged crimes.  We don’t have much information about how he spent his time, but it must have been hard for this traveling evangelist and apostle to stay in one place that long and not be doing something. 

How do you handle “down time?”  A period like this can be very useful to help you refocus and develop new things and initiatives in your life and development.  But a down time can be hard since you may have become so addicted to activity. If you aren’t in a down time now, you may be one day.  When that happens, don’t be in a hurry to bring it to an end.  Use that time wisely and see it as a season of life that is as important as the productive, busy times. 

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). 

What time is it for you?  What is the main emphasis of this season in your life?

23:33-35 – Paul was now in the hands of the Roman government, fulfilling the word that God gave him on the Damascus.  He would testify before kings and rulers and would end up in the Roman capital to bear witness to Jesus’ name.  You don’t ever have to work to fulfill your purpose for it usually comes to you.  In this case, the Romans were fulfilling God’s plan for Paul’s life and they did not even know He was using them to do so.

Can you relax and trust God to help you fulfill His plan for your life?  Do you see in his case how in control God was?  Can you believe He is the same for you?  

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.

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Acts Study 28: 22:10-23:8

Dear Student of the Word,

It's been a few weeks since you have heard from me, but here is my latest installment of my Acts Bible study.  This week I discuss more about your life purpose than usual, and here is a sample of the one of the seven parts from this week's study:

Study Twenty-Eight, Part Three

19 "'Lord,' I replied, 'these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.   20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen 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.'"  22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!"

22:19&20 – It’s obvious that Paul thought he understood how God was going to use him.  When the Lord said that the Jews would not accept or endorse his purpose, Paul was incredulous.  He thought it would make perfect sense to his fellow Jews.  After all, they knew of Saul’s former life and practice, which included hunting down and persecuting believers.  Certainly they would know that something radical had happened to him, or so he thought, but purpose isn’t a matter of common sense.  Yes, it would have appeared that Saul would have had an impact on the Jews, but he never did.  Why?  Because the Jews weren’t part of his assignment from God.  The Gentiles were his assignment and no amount of wishing or praying would make him effective to the Jews. 

Paul never had effective ministry to his people.  Even when he went to the synagogue, it was to find the God-fearing Gentiles that were his most successful field of labor.  You can’t pick or choose your purpose or where you will be most effective.  That is God’s decision.

So where is your most fruitful field?  Are you resisting it or have you embraced it?  Ministry and service aren’t matters of choice; they are an assignment.  Only God can grant you success; our job is to be faithful and obedient. 

22:21 – God wasn’t moved by Paul’s perspective or explanation of where Paul thought he could be more effective.  God had already been chosen that field for him, and God was sending him to the Gentiles.  This also made as much sense as going to the Jews, for an outreach to the Gentiles had been predicted throughout the Old Testament.  From this point forward, it seems that Paul embraced and understood this call.  He mentioned his purpose to the Gentiles in every one of his letters, using many different Old Testament verses to verify his purpose. 

Here is the list of Paul’s references so you can study them yourself:  Romans 1:5, 13, 16, Romans 15:7-29, 1 Corinthians 1:17,24, 1 Corinthians 3:5-15, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, 2 Corinthians 10:12-18, Galatians 1:15-16, Galatians 2:2, 7-9, Ephesians 3:1-10, 7-12, Philippians 1:12-18, Colossians 1:27-29, 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-4, 1 Timothy 2:5-7, 2 Timothy 4:17, and Titus 1:1-3.

Do you have a biblical outline or theology for what you do?  For your purpose? If not, perhaps you can begin to develop one, drawing on Bible verses and experience.  This assignment or purpose is your field, so to spak, and God wants you to work it.

He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty (Proverbs 28:19).

People all the time are chasing after what they think God wants them to do and it is simply a fantasy.  Therefore, they bear no fruit.  Where do you bear fruit? That is where you are to devote your time and energy.  God isn’t only after good intentions; He’s after results!

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name (John 15:16). 

22:22 – As soon as Paul mentioned the Gentiles, the crowd resumed their clamor for his death.  The Jews obviously had no room in their heart for what was on God’s heart.  They were religious and ethnic bigots, who attempted to preserve what they considered to be their superiority as compared to the Gentiles.  They consistently ignored what the Lord had tried to tell them:  That their choice wasn’t based on their merit, but His grace.

It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people (Deuteronomy 9:4-6). 

What is your attitude?  Do you think God’s blessings have come to you because you earned or deserved them, or because of His sovereign grace?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.

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Acts Study 27: 21:20-22:9

Dear Student of the Word,

It's been a few weeks, so it is definitely time for another installment from our Acts study series.  In this part, we see how Paul came to Jerusalem where the leaders prevailed upon him to do something to prove his love and loyalty to the traditions of the Jews. Quite frankly, this whole episode confuses me, for Paul was doing exactly what the believing Jews accused him of doing:  preaching against the way of life of legalistic Jews.  Of course, the plan did not work and Paul was soon in the midst of a riot, only to be saved by the Roman guards.  Paul's course was then set to go to Rome to appeal to Caesar.  This week I wrote in part two of this seven-part series:

Study Twenty-Seven, Part Two

24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality." 26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

21:24 – It seems that the leaders advised Paul to finance the purification rites for some men who were finishing a Nazirite vow (see Numbers 6:1-7).  Paul himself had undertaken such a vow (see Acts 18:18), but this vow had not been for “public relations.”  The leaders were trying to bolster Paul’s image among the Jewish believers who already did not like him by having him publicly identify with men who were taking such a vow. 

This whole plan is confusing.  Paul was adamantly opposed to the Law as a source of grace or right standing with God.  No doubt that Paul still maintained many of the Jewish customs since that was part of his heritage and lifestyle.  But Paul did not live in “obedience to the law” as the leaders wanted the people to believe.  This is perhaps why the Jerusalem church had become insignificant by the time that Paul arrived there for this meeting.  They were more concerned with pleasing the Jewish believers than they were in spreading the gospel beyond Israel, or so it seems to me. 

And where was Paul in all this?  What was he thinking?  Perhaps he wanted to work with the elders and agreed to their plan out of deference.  Yet he had to have reservations.  Maybe this taught Paul a lesson and helped formulate his strong denunciations of the Law as a source of righteousness that we find in some of his letters written after this incident.  Yet, his denunciations were strong even before this flawed plan.  We know that Paul had much love for his people and was willing to do almost anything to see them come to Christ, but not to preserve their Jewish customs.

21:25 – Here the council of leaders affirmed their decision to send a letter to the Gentiles, which we discussed in the study that covered Acts 15.  The Council acknowledged that the Gentiles did not have to follow the Law, but then advised Paul to appear friendly toward the Law for the sake of the church in Jerusalem. 

Leadership is a tough job, however, and we have the benefit of looking back and bringing judgment against these men.  They all gave their lives for the sake of the gospel and were undoubtedly under tremendous cultural pressure in Jerusalem, which to this day still has a difficult spiritual atmosphere in which to work or minister. 

21:26 – Paul did follow the plan.  He went to the Temple, gave notice of the duration for their Nazirite vow and publicly identified with their attempts to be purified through the rituals at the Temple.  Paul was willing to pay money into a Temple system that he knew was a bankrupt system. Paul was operating in a very charged atmosphere and it must have been difficult to sort out all the issues and think correctly. 

What lessons can you take from this story?  Have you compromised what you believed for the sake of “public relations”?  Have you tried to placate a critic who will not be placated?  If so, you may know by now that these attempts don’t work!  You must stand up for what you believe, no matter how intense the pressure.  But I also know that this is easier said than done.  Do the best you can and if you fail, learn from it and move on. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.

Download Acts Study 27

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THE BIG BLESSING UPDATE: I posted some new pictures, a video and a financial update for The Big Blessing $25,000 target raised by March 15 on my blog site.  Take a look when you have a chance and then help me reach my goal!  Thank you. 

PURPOSEQUEST ASSESSMENT:  Don't forget to take the free Purpose Assessment on my website to determine where you may be on your individual purpose journey.

Acts Study 26: 20:30-21:19

Dear Student of the Word,

Happy New Year!  I hope your holidays were restful and enjoyable and that 2012 is off to a good start for you.  I also hope that your New Year's' goals and resolutions included something that will take you deeper into God's word.  As we continue our study of Acts, this week we look at Paul's address to the Ephesian elders when he informed them that they would see him no more.  This week I wrote in part four of this seven-part installment:

Study Twenty-Six, Part Four

4 Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 But 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. 6 After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home. 7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day.

21:4 – This is an interesting verse, for it seems to say that the Spirit was warning Paul not to go to Jerusalem.  Perhaps the Spirit was simply warning Paul what was ahead in Jerusalem, and it was the disciples who were urging him not to go.  The Spirit does speak through other believers, but it is always the job of the recipient to judge the message to determine the meaning and relevance.  There are two tendencies with prophecy:  one is to accept it without judgment and the other is to reject it outright.  Both are wrong.  Prophecy is to be carefully considered and only accepted when it bears witness with the recipient’s spirit.  Here is a quick reference to Paul’s instruction on prophecy in the church:

Do not treat prophecies with contempt (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). 

Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:39-40). 

Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said (1 Corinthians 14:29). 

21:5 – The believers didn’t exist in large numbers in many of the towns mentioned in Acts.  Here we see that whole families escorted Paul out to the ship, kneeling to pray on the beach.  This probably wasn’t a large crowd.  Yet look how bold and open they were to kneel down in public to pray.  You have probably watched Muslims kneel down to pray in airports or Jews praying in public, standing and rocking back and forth from the waist up.  When you see these folks doing what they do without being self-conscious, it perhaps makes you think of what Jesus said:

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26-27). 

How bold are you to publicly demonstrate your faith in Jesus?

21:6&7 – It’s almost like Paul is on a farewell tour of the local churches as he goes to Jerusalem to face his trials and hardships.  The Spirit gave him some measure of joy to see the saints before he entered into the next chapter in his ministry, which would take him to the Roman government  It was like the Spirit wanted Paul to see firsthand the fruit of his past labors, perhaps as an encouragement for what was about to come.  It’s important at times to review what the Lord has done in your life and how He has used you.  Someone once recommended that every person have an “atta boy (or girl)” file—a place where you can put stories, reminders and letters that tell how the Lord used you for good. 

Do you have an “atta boy” file?  What do you do to encourage yourself when you’re down?  Have you done enough to warrant an “atta boy” file?  If you don’t have one, why not consider starting one, or doing something to keep track of how the Lord has used you for His purposes. 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.

Download Acts Study 26

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2012 TRIP TO ISRAEL: Time is running out for those who would like to go to Israel this coming May.  I am attaching the brochure below, but if you are even remotely interested, I need to hear now so I can have the airline save space. The dates are May 19-29.  Drop me an email at johnstanko@gmail.com or respond to this post as soon as possible, and then consider joining me for the trip of a lifetime!

Download ACAC Israel Brochure 2012

Acts Study 25: 20:1-29

Dear Student of the Word,

I am on vacation in Arizona, but I could not resist sneaking in one more update on the Acts study series we started at the beginning of 2011.  This week we go with Paul as he travels back through the churches he helped found to encourage the saints.  While he is doing so, he found it necessary to speak all night at a meeting and one young man fell out of the window after he fell asleep.  This week I wrote in part three of this seven-part study:

Study Twenty-Five, Part Three

9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!" 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

20:9 – Do you know how to remember the name of the man who fell out of the window while Paul was preaching?  “You’d have cussed, too” if you had fallen out of the window!  His name was Eutychus.  All right, enough with the bad humor.  As mentioned yesterday, this young man was at the meeting, but he was tired and fell asleep.

We know that Paul wasn’t a great speaker by his own admission:

I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way (2 Corinthians 11:5). 

 Yet we know that Jesus was a great speaker because of the insight that He shared with the people:

The large crowd listened to him with delight (Mark 12:37). 

Are you using what you have to do God’s work?  Are you working to perfect what God has given you so that you can be even more effective?  If people are “falling asleep on you,” is it a problem with them or with you and your style?  What price are you willing to pay to get better at what you do?  What is your plan to do so?

20:10 – Paul wasn’t offended when the young man fell asleep because Paul had no ministry ego.  Paul ran down and threw himself on the young man, bringing him back to life!  Are you willing as a Christian leader to throw yourself into the problems and weaknesses of those whom you serve?  Are you willing to acknowledge that your ministry style and message may not be to everyone’s liking?  Can you still love those people and help them as they struggle with their own humanity?

20:11 – A man had just fallen to his death trying to listen to Paul as he went on and on.  Paul revivds him and then went right back to resume the meeting.  What’s more, Paul spoke until sunrise.  Just another day at the office!  On one hand, that seems a bit much to put the people through.   On the other hand, why shouldn’t we engage in the work to obtain the knowledge of God even if it means losing sleep?  Are you willing to lose sleep for the cause of Christ?  Are you willing to listen to a speaker who knows Jesus but who isn’t the most dynamic speaker?

20:12 – The people certainly went home greatly comforted.  They could finish the meeting with Paul because they didn’t have to go home and prepare a funeral!  We are so frail, so weak.  Only one small step, one breath separates us from being here or being on the other side of this existence.  Are you making the most of every day?  It may be your last on earth.

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.  The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:6-8). 

O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?  Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow (Psalm 144:3-4). 

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.

Download Acts Study 25

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HELP NEEDED! This week I received a $750 matching grant toward The Big Blessing for Kenya to help feed children like those pictured here. The grant offer expires, however, on December 31 and I have received $50. The grant means for every dollar you give by December 31, you are actually giving two dollars. Don't miss this chance to be a blessing and to double your gift.  You can give through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882.  Remember to mark your contribution "Matching Grant" and I will take care of the rest. Thank you and Happy New Year!