ACTS 24
Acts 24:14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.
Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/
Acts 24 videos-
https://www.dropbox.com/s/alx0ew1c9z2i3gc/10-3-17%20Acts%2024.mp4?dl=0
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhA0ZM-WRlROFRKD_
https://mega.nz/file/jeIxBIaL#45yyjV1s84__LtjfPjfauNbcDPd24xgUngXjY_bVQE0
https://youtu.be/r48iPGZCaP0
https://ccoutreach87.com/10-3-17-acts-24/
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/10-3-17-acts-24.zip
Homeless friend https://youtu.be/Ad0VlHwxtbA [I made this video at the time with a friend and also added some notes and verses below]
Friends- https://youtu.be/Cmq_MHuGngA
https://ccoutreach87.com/10-7-17-friends/
Hebrews 13:2
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
ON VIDEOS- [Past teaching- verses below]
.Fermin’s story
.The truck
.Marriage in heaven? What will our relationship with spouses be like in heaven?
[Acts 24]
.Baby the dog
.Read the whole bible- it can be done
.They were corrupt
.Rhetoric
.Paul- the trouble maker?
.Paul’s accusation- and defense
.Felix and Drusilla
.How did her son [Agrippa] make it into the history books?
.Some event in ad 79
.Felix wanted a bribe from Paul
.Felix’s 3rd wife
.Paul sits in jail for 2 years- waiting for a decision
.Story of Black kid in NYC
.Sat in prison for 3 years- accused of stealing back pack
.No trial- he killed himself
.Italian grandma- and the painting
.Pompeii- Vesuvius- [found the lost city in 1748] http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/pompeii
.Bay of Naples
.Fossil evidence- evolution
.Catastrophism
.Lost in time
.Google Vesuvius- too many Italian restaurants!
I finished the Mark study- which I started in New Jersey- here’s the link https://ccoutreach87.com/mark-links/
PAST POSTS- [My past teaching that relates to this post- Verses below]
- ACTS 24- Paul’s accusers come down from Jerusalem. They hired a lawyer [orator] to accuse him! Tertullus gives a speech to the Governor that could be defined as the classic political ‘suck up’ speech of all time. Paul defends himself and says ‘I am not guilty of these so called accusations. But I am guilty of believing the law and the prophets. I believe that what they spoke of [the shadows] have happened! I believe in the resurrection. Jesus has fulfilled the promises of the prophets!’ I had a discussion with a good friend the other day. We have a mutual friend who is really into Messianic stuff. He has espoused the idea that the feasts and images of Israel are EXACT PICTURES that give us a detailed road map to Christ’s return. Basically the friend believes that all the shadows and images are exact descriptions of all future events. I shared with my friend that I too believe that the feasts of Israel are prophetic signs of things. Surely Passover and Pentecost have had great meaning for the people of God. Paul says ‘Christ our Passover died for us’. Some see the end time feast of the latter harvest as having future fulfillment in the ingathering of the nations to Christ. I have taught some of this on the radio before. The problem with this other stuff is it takes the feasts and shadows and tries to ‘detail’ every little thing. Paul understood the prophets and law having been fulfilled thru the present work of Christ and his resurrection. I can’t stress enough how the apostolic witness in Acts sees Jesus as the fulfillment of these things. They do not preach a heavily nationalistic [Jewish] message, though they are all Jews! [The Apostles] As Paul defends himself, the governor listens and trembles! Paul spoke of judgment and temperance and the reality of a future resurrection of the just and unjust. The basic apostolic message as seen in the classic creeds of the church. Paul will sit under house arrest for 2 years until another person takes over Felix’s position. The guy’s name is ‘Porcius festus’ [I think I would prefer the name Judas over Porcius!] We end the chapter with Paul waiting to give another witness of Jesus before another ruler. The legal problems of Paul were Gods providence to give Paul opportunity to speak the gospel all the way up the chain. The chain ends at Rome.
https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/14/mark-12/
https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-updated-2015/
https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-corinthians/
ACTS-
Acts 1
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/07/acts-1-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/07/09/acts-1-text/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1127926303727005696?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/pa5fytdcmeb_0o3k_44qcq
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-13014806
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-1-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-1
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48730326-acts-1
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104483660143238159
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-1-4e7c9783f368?source=---------1------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-1
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-1-671b63d9-ef8b-49cc-a697-b100a10b51d0
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-1-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2173932/acts-1
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/07/09/acts-1-text/
Acts 2
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/07/acts-2-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/07/14/acts-2-text/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1129736078525673472?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/hypbnm_b2ue_oonnuu63ya
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-21118886
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-2-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-2
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48756669-acts-2
https://share.par.pw/post/699c8a1bc1204d8a9402f5f00b9b131f
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104511927755326967
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-2-420ab08196be?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/@ccoutreach
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-2-91b118f5-6286-4afe-9d08-03cfc0673554
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-2-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2177771/acts-2
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/07/14/acts-2/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/07/acts-2.html
Acts 3
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/07/acts-3-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/07/16/acts-3-text/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1130467870836252672?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/uu2zfvigiofar0jl7mnkhw
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-39441566
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-3-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-3
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48768047-acts-3
https://share.par.pw/post/5b166caec11a4446b383c41943b96b31
https://mastodon.social/@ccoutreach87
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104523365507211648
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-3-8e9ab2f04b9e?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-3
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-3-ed6b4ebd-479e-48ab-a751-e00e247f03f6
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-3-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2179508/acts-3
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/07/16/acts-3/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/07/acts-3.html
Acts 4
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/07/acts-4-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/07/21/acts-4-text/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1132261735736111104?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/znv8s33jd97afgccl-1dsa
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-43647073
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-4-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-4
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48789492-acts-4
https://parler.com/post-view?q=6d605e24aea14f43b196785e961f6865
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104551399928052761
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-4-6416d610445a?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-4
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-4-a3294f11-48c1-40bf-afb4-4a113b8cf284
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2183172/acts-4
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/07/21/acts-4/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/07/acts-4.html
Acts 5
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/07/acts-5-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/07/23/acts-5-text/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1132996622881796096?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/x3dxtignx62nwtlgqq04vg
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-56177730
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-5-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-5
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48799547-acts-5
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=216193
https://share.par.pw/post/8e2452108971405dbbd1facb0e2a7fab
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104562821327350506
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-5-46295e59f39b?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-5
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-5-bdbf39cc-eec0-474c-8fc6-bbc26da0b6f5
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-5-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2185316/acts-5
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/07/23/acts-5/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/07/acts-5.html
Acts 6
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/07/acts-6-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/07/28/acts-6-8/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1134805331470696448?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/_8o4g8yelwjtw2yolfkpua
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-67909323
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-6-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-6
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48826153-acts-6
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=217068
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-6-xgdqvxq
https://parler.com/post-view?q=046c4c072de24b518c2bbbfe1c2af814
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104591120535196827
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-6-fdfa369c0555?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-6
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-6-8dafe23d-5150-41f4-aafe-fe5af3620364
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-6-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2190073/acts-6
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/07/28/acts-6/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/07/acts-6.html
Acts 7
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/07/acts-7-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/07/30/acts-7-text/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1135531300650958848?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/s64muopw0emuo8mjpu5fdg
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-73600699
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-7-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-7
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48836002-acts-7
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=217351
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-7-xmdrxgn
https://share.par.pw/post/52fe0f08d1e04e11bda084fcbdcf0d91
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104602459675522613
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-7-b5da7219ec30?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-7
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-7-56ffdde7-bc60-42d1-8435-1df52894b811
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-7-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2191777/acts-7
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/07/30/acts-7/
Acts 8
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/08/acts-8-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/08/04/acts-8-text/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1137339184075583488?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/wc-c8qfvyzjtwgdka1w7oa
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-87334430
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-8-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-8
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48857487-acts-8
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=218122
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-8-xwnkpme
https://share.par.pw/post/e300ba49c20a435789b22067bf17d63c
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104630711421301469
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-8-c6dcd2e6c34f?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-8
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-8-bc24de87-c677-45bd-84b3-e3562df948cd
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-8-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2195597/acts-8
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/08/04/acts-8/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/08/acts-8.html
Acts 9
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/08/acts-9.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/08/06/acts-9-text-2/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1138074162488729600?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/p8rod3i0onzwt7u3ub8eeq
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-91808719
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-9-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-9
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48871750-acts-9
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=218443
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-9-xpjrwov
https://parler.com/post-view?q=5142936fbcf94bd1a24f55238f8c2d22
https://share.par.pw/post/5142936fbcf94bd1a24f55238f8c2d22
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104642204681431651
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-9-1bb3b6e928ba?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-9
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-9-e1691f8d-3ef8-4c6e-89a0-ca619c51cbbf
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-9-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2197458/acts-9
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/08/06/acts-9/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/08/acts-9.html
Acts 10
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/08/acts-10-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/08/13/acts-10-text/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1140608187680903168?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/j85zth8qy_zlghuvppzi2w
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-108152647
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-10-3
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48909480-acts-10
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=219297
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-10-xmdxrzm
https://share.par.pw/post/e83c2c177d654cae8cc1a8fa44903cb7
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104681783130005580
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-10-30035b157b91?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-10
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-10-b8bd09cd-ecfa-4e3e-8519-66cc8cec2345
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-10-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2203338/acts-10
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/08/13/acts-10/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/08/acts-10.html
Acts 11
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/08/acts-11-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/08/18/acts-11-text/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1142430149605695488?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/ktygjeyojgt1rccjqr2fxa
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-116127257
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-11-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-11
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48933178-acts-11
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=219921
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-11-xmdxzoo
https://share.par.pw/post/af8d8cf8b60c46b3a378464baf93c7d0
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104710281325222346
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-11-90ce852f18ac?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-11
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-11-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2207777/acts-11
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/08/18/acts-11/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/08/acts-11.html
Acts 12
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/08/acts-12-text.html?m=0
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/u6nqm4utak7hvlad2et-nw
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-12-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-12
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/show/48943494-acts-12
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=220215
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-12-xkkvkzr
https://share.par.pw/post/6576c0c7742d49b7934bbf12ad5207ae
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-12-47ef1ece8e63?source=---------7------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-12
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-12-4773e36d-97a0-4133-aed5-60742c12bf37
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-12-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2209625/acts-12
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/08/20/acts-12-text/
Acts 13
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/08/acts-13-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/08/27/acts-13-text-2/
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1145673234190258176?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/c49vuuasg3v0v7zafyjctg
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-134087851
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-13-3
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-13
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48974390-acts-13
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=221123
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-13-xroemre
https://share.par.pw/post/9b3c55ae197e40159b08f4aa50234db7
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104760954742461039
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-13-d31a851efb53?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-13
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-13-7ed8ed7c-b8a0-4b62-9229-d9ababc5535a
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-13-2
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-13-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2216374/acts-13
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/08/27/acts-13/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/08/acts-13.html
Acts 14
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/09/acts-14-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/09/01/acts-14-text-2/
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/wixbvetizvj65ywoy_-liw
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1147500070687854592?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-14-3
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-146539612
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-14
https://wt.social/post/dn3mp595329870487441
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/48997642-acts-14
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=221776
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-14-xgdgdoo
https://share.par.pw/post/d9ce69e22f474bd9986046b8d57209a8
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104789491240088631
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-14-6cef2bf4f471?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-14
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-14-7ab37144-70e1-4564-8ad7-b8204658bea3
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-14-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2221011/acts-14
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/09/01/acts-14/
Acts 15
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/09/video-acts-15-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/09/03/acts-15-text-2/
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/8qcmcosaxfjwyndvbwzjiw
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1148218714961383424?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-15-3
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-155426422
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-15
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/09/03/acts-15-text-2/
https://wt.social/post/t4gav1i5330441776023
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/49008406-acts-15
https://snacpia.com/link/profile/51155
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-15-xjjlrqw
https://share.par.pw/post/2a93fe52edc94320ad004ba3c58583ea
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104800716235998927
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-15-91a4de8c93d2?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-15
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-15-2f3bf4c4-5d32-4868-a087-c05faaaba0da
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-15-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2223072/acts-15
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/09/03/acts-15/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/09/acts-15.html
Acts 16
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/09/acts-16-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/09/08/acts-16-text-2/
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/nnc2eos_3btrvzwanatnxa
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1150026772858339328?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-16-3
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-169479816
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-16
https://wt.social/post/ny51gb45331877778205
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/49044659-acts-16
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=222695
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-16-xjjllep
https://share.par.pw/post/506853b629d34c1ba42e697c1b22075d
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104828960434452379
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-16-faa1cb11bcf?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-16
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/add-a-blog-post-title-cba63088-d169-4836-9a80-6e8d2dfb9c06
https://www.plurk.com/p/nzv8h9
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-16-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2228235/acts-16
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/09/08/acts-16/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/09/acts-16.html
Acts 17
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/09/acts-17-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/09/15/acts-17-text/
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/vsf1bzczs17rbp_zesoxla
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1152575390267703296?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-17-3
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-172311530
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-17
https://wt.social/post/3qi49yh533390319753
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/49083122-acts-17
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=223554
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-17-xlldlgl
https://share.par.pw/post/e73966fd6530446dba250dbe128b6c0a
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104868781485823471
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-17-55250206ffee?source=---------2------------------
https://steemit.com/bible/@ccoutreach/acts-17
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-17-441dbb3a-27aa-4bbd-b026-36df5c584ea2
https://www.plurk.com/p/o087av
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-17-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2235991/acts-17
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/09/15/acts-17/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/09/acts-17.html
Acts 18
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/09/acts-18-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/09/17/acts-18-text/
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/7mkvwmhsischhrz0ye_4qw
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1153293332811915264?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-18-3
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-187827192
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-18
https://wt.social/post/6z8u4175334473464036
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/49094182-acts-18
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=223783
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-18-xromnjj
https://share.par.pw/post/fa7ff5d964234067b3954d0bca3206d1
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104879990913574245
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-18-4ade9157941b?source=---------2----------------------------
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-18-5563b921-a102-4fb9-9022-b9955241b55d
https://www.plurk.com/p/o0c2dt
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-18-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2237859/acts-18
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/09/17/acts-18-text/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/09/acts-18.html
Acts 19
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/09/acts-19-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/09/22/acts-19-text-2/
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/gxjb2ktudwf7pmf50ufexa
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1155092687069192192?referrer=ccoutreach87
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-19-3
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-196475944
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-19
https://wt.social/post/9xr4jz7533590360812
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/49128350-acts-19
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=224270
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-19-xyvzoxl
https://share.par.pw/post/a85db99bf36a43b4be10986402cac618
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104908109275431045
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-19-38025ea7be7c?source=---------2----------------------------
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-19-13305668-48d2-429d-b500-5fdace445b8d
https://www.plurk.com/p/o0kyxt
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-19-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2242807/acts-19
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/09/22/acts-19/
Acts 20
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/09/acts-20-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/09/24/acts-20-text-2/
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/zexr67ularssu4q88szhww
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-20-3
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-209724693
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-20
https://wt.social/post/wyi5chq5336479259241
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/49141836-acts-20
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=224432
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-20-xxoexrk
https://share.par.pw/post/db044e89e1ff447f9ce10c212b9f4e52
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104919429012413133
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-20-632916187d0e?source=---------2----------------------------
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-20-3b71295c-3dd8-44a0-b42e-de91aa05bbc9
https://www.plurk.com/p/o0otbo
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-20-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2244637/acts-20
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/09/24/acts-20-text/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/09/acts-20.html
Acts 21
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/09/acts-21-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/09/29/acts-21-text-2/
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/pfubjv6ncd0lhg2zidul8a
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-21-3
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-211154140
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-21
https://wt.social/post/vwnsctz5337927032076
https://sharfly.com/Ccoutreach87
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/49170495-acts-21
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=225011
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-21-xmdldoy
https://share.par.pw/post/ef36dc42340f4a88b376449aa6ee3627
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104947886524198397
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-21-727076e82a79?source=---------2----------------------------
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-21-b778ec4b-f006-40b5-9cef-924332968a29
https://www.plurk.com/p/o0y0bl
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-21-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2249446/acts-21
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/09/29/acts-21/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/09/acts-21.html
Acts 22
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/10/acts-22-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/10/06/acts-22-text-2/
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/snn0sww3aakj8dou0mxs-g
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-22-3
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-228167173
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-22
https://wt.social/post/onbpcfu5339932858829
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/49208006-acts-22
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=225891
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-22-xjjglpe
https://share.par.pw/post/1579adecefc2413292d2ee3d2407e1d4
https://gab.com/Ccoutreach87/posts/104987327576030118
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-22-e395fe663c37?source=---------2----------------------------
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-22-27275258-787f-4f9c-95d5-27c819c7715f
https://www.plurk.com/p/o1ahgu
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-22-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2265407/acts-22
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/10/06/acts-22/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/10/acts-22.html
Acts 23
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2020/10/acts-23-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/10/08/acts-23-text-2/
https://ello.co/ccoutreach87/post/krxlf1bdhlqw5rotq3bjpq
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-23-3
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-235111361
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-23
https://wt.social/post/evbm2n85340501189991
https://johnchiarello.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/49218965-acts-23
https://snacpia.com/link/feed/?idx=226159
https://www.publish0x.com/ccoutreach87/acts-23-xqopjdw
https://share.par.pw/post/46fac4fa90a841bfa2758a3ec2e5f89f
https://medium.com/@johnchiarello/acts-23-eb5806681401?source=---------2----------------------------
http://ccoutreach87.mystrikingly.com/blog/acts-23-929404b2-02df-49ba-b849-e0795a76d79b
https://www.plurk.com/p/o1e7b4
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-23-2
http://ccoutreach87-1.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2267106/acts-23
https://ccoutreach87.jimdofree.com/2020/10/08/acts-23/
http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/2020/10/acts-23.html
Hebrews 13- Once again we will see an image in this chapter that Paul will take from the Old Testament and use to describe the sacrifice of Christ. It might even be the best image yet! But let’s start with some basics. ‘Let brotherly love continue’ the other day I was shopping at Wal Mart and saw some Cowboys shirts. I have a homeless friend who I have known for 15 years who loves the Cowboys [The football team!] So I bought him a 13 dollar shirt [they had a nicer Jersey for around 40 dollars, but I am not that spiritual yet]. So I bought him the cheaper one. Sure enough he’s been wearing it ever since! Sometimes it’s the little things, the ‘brotherly love’ stuff that we need to do. We are so obsessed with doing ‘religious stuff’ and attending ‘religious meetings’ and ‘tithing’ that we really do not see the underlying reality of going out of our way for others. We will read in this chapter the 3 sacrifices God does want from us, after all the teaching Paul does on ‘no more sacrifices’ he will give us the spiritual sacrifices that God requires of us. They don’t even touch what we think is important!
‘Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them’ a regular part of my prayer life includes praying for our fellow brothers and sisters ‘in bonds’. A few years ago a brother from our area got sent to jail for stealing money from a famous Christian mission that he worked for. I met him a few times over the years. He used to go to the church I attended. I really didn’t like him to be honest with you. I loved him as a brother, but a little to ‘I am a Christian, cant you see’ type thing. I don’t want to judge him, but this was how I felt. Well many years later when he got sent to jail he became the talk of the town. I started regularly praying for him and haven’t stopped since. This has been around 5 years or so. I also recently included some other Christians who also did some public crimes and were sent to prison, a girl who was found guilty of murdering her foster child. I also pray for those around the world who are in prison for the faith. True persecution. I want to exhort you to pray for those in bonds. Paul knew how hard it was, he was in jail often. ‘Marriage is honorable in all… but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge’ Paul made it clear in all his letters that he was not preaching a gospel of grace that condoned sin. He will say this time and again thru out his writings. He was accused of preaching a sinful gospel, but he wanted to make it clear that in all of his preaching about the law and sacrifices passing away, that in Christ people by nature will do what is right [Romans]. At the end of this great treatise to the Hebrews he makes it clear ‘don’t go on sinning’.
‘Let your conversation [lifestyle] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for he hath said ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’ Paul once again deals with avoiding a materialistic mindset. He isn’t urging them to believe God for millions of dollars, or to set a goal of what you want and then to use scripture to get it. He tells them ‘you have Jesus, so be happy. Don’t be always trying to find fulfillment in things, they pass away’. You will find this mindset all thru out scripture [read 1st Timothy 6!] so many Christians today think that this mindset is ‘tradition’. But it is in scripture!
‘Remember THEM which have the rule over you’ to be fair, I have done a lot of teaching in the past against the authoritarian one man rule over believers. I want to submit to you that both here, and in every other New Testament letter that leadership is always plural. It is ‘them’ not ‘him’. Also there are a few other passages that use the term ‘rule’ you could also interpret these as ‘those who watch over you, have care for you’ and use more amicable terms. There are actual reasons why the stronger language is used, I don’t really want to get into the whole thing here, but some feel it had to do with the time that the English bibles were being translated. The kings of the time [England] wanted to maintain a strong hierarchy within their ‘nation states’ as they broke away from the Papacy of Rome, and the translators made a conscious decision to use the more authoritarian terms to keep the people under authority. A whole book has been written on this dynamic. But for now I simply want you to see that Paul is addressing a community of people and saying ‘submit to the eldership of your area, they have responsibility for your spiritual growth, they will give an account to God. So listen to them’ this is not a verse to be used to justify the present office of the singular Pastor in the Protestant church!
‘Be not carried about with diverse and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them which have been occupied therein’ I like this verse. It summarizes so much of the Christian life. The whole point of this letter is to establish people in grace. To see that in Christ we have been accepted with God. Our main message isn’t all the interesting doctrines and stuff that we like to argue about. It really is Christ and Gods grace being freely given to us thru him. A lot of the reproving I do is not for the purpose [I hope not!] of just arguing about things that don’t matter, but it is for the purpose of bringing Gods people back to a platform of grace. I teach ‘you are not under the tithe [law] but give all you can in love [grace]’ we are all living our lives openly before the face of God, we shouldn’t be running around trying to ‘one up’ the next guy. Or showing everybody how smart or spiritual we are. We are all here to become more like Jesus and to simply see our requirement as living a thankful life and doing good deeds and sharing our goods with others [the 3 sacrifices that we will see later in this chapter!] I like this verse a lot!
‘We have an altar [the Cross] whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle [those under the tabernacle system, the law!] For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp [the main area where the tabernacle and all the holy things of God were located]. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate [right outside the City of Jerusalem at the hill of Golgotha]. Let us go forth therefore unto him [leave the Old Covenant and all of its sacrifices, and move on unto perfection found only in Christ] without the camp [outside of the rules and regulations of the law and all of its shadows], bearing his reproach [those who left their Jewish heritage for Christ suffered extreme reproach and ridicule from their friends and family. It was a very unpopular thing to do for the 1st century Jew] for here we have no continuing city [natural Jerusalem], but we seek one to come [spiritual Jerusalem]’ Paul sees significance in the fact that the bodies of the animals whose blood was used for atonement were burned outside the camp. There were different types of sacrifices that took place around the system of the tabernacle. Some were totally burnt [burnt offering] others were eaten [Passover] and for the one whose blood alone was used, these bodies were taken to a place outside of the camp and were disposed of by burning. It was purely a utilitarian purpose. They had to get rid of the bodies and they burnt them. Now Paul sees this as a prophetic symbol of Christ. Paul says ‘remember that place where those bodies were burnt? It is a type of Jesus who suffered outside of the city. It was showing that there would be a day where a sacrifice would be made, outside of the law system, that would sanctify all the people’! Amazing, once again Paul sees things in scripture that no body else is seeing, until now! Paul’s mind was consumed with seeing Jesus in everything. He sees hidden shadows of Gods preplanned coming of Messiah and how God all along would require people to ‘leave the camp’ and come unto Christ. In essence Paul is saying ‘even in the tabernacle system God prefigured a once for all sacrifice that would take place outside of the law’ Bravo!
Also you will notice how Paul says ‘here we have no continuing city’ [Jerusalem] but we seek one to come [The heavenly city, the bride the Lambs wife, the church!] Paul does not do what many modern Evangelicals do. He does not exalt Israel’s natural heritage. Interesting that a first century Jewish believer [Paul] writing to a 1st century Jewish audience, downplays their ‘holy land’. If you go back and review everything in this commentary, you will see that there are no references to the prophetic significance to the land of Israel as a geographical ‘holy place’. As a matter of fact the main theme is ‘leave your dependence and cultural pride that comes from your natural heritage, and come into this ‘new city’ that all of our fore fathers were looking for’ there is this amazing lack of exalting the natural city of Jerusalem [which the New Testament calls ‘Sodom’ in a spiritual sense! Revelation] and a plea for all nations, including natural Israel, to come unto Christ.
‘By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased’ Paul gives us 3 main sacrifices that the New Covenant priest/believer can bring. Praise, doing good and giving of your goods and money to meet the needs of those around you [communicate means this here]. ‘Obey THEM that have the rule over you and submit yourselves’ again we see leadership in plurality. Every city has spiritual leadership, they are responsible before God for how they lead the people in their area. They are also responsible to bring the people to maturity and independence. A place where people are not co dependant upon leadership. I believe much of the modern system has failed in this respect. The modern system has actually taken these types of verses and used them to tell people ‘your main role is to come to church on Sunday and passively listen’ we have built this audience/ spectator mindset into people, and we have failed in this respect. ‘Pray for us’ I have found this simple request to be one of the most important things you can ask others to do for you. Enlist prayer support. Pray for me! Ask people to pray for you! We all need this desperately!
‘Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever amen’ What a great way to end this letter! It is thru the blood of Jesus Christ that we are accepted and perfected in every way. We can only live and function because of the blood! We have true forgiveness for all of our sins because of what Christ has done for us. Paul has penned 13 chapters of revelation showing us the great significance of Christ’s sacrifice. He has urged his fellow country men ‘come out from trying to make yourselves holy and acceptable, and receive the once and for all sacrifice of Christ’ he has trumpeted this theme all thru out this letter. I want to exhort you guys to see the sufficiency of the Cross. We get so caught up in what we are doing that there is a tendency to rely on ourselves and our own ability to change things [even us!] we need to re-focus on the biblical priority and necessity of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He truly is the way, the truth and the life. No man can come to the Father but by him! God bless you guys,
John.
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(961)1ST CORINTHIANS 7:1-15 Paul addresses divorce. It is interesting that Jesus himself actually raised the bar from the Old Covenant practice to the New. In most other areas he emphasized grace as opposed to law ‘the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’ but in this area Jesus said ‘Moses made an exception under the law for divorce, but from the beginning this was not Gods plan’ and Jesus restricted divorce to the cause of adultery [fornication- actually the word for pornography] only. Here Paul gives some direction. First, you shouldn’t divorce. You also shouldn’t be married to an unbeliever. Well, what should happen to those who were unbelievers when they married, but now one is a believer? Paul says if the unbeliever is ‘pleased’ to stay in the union, then that’s fine. Well what does ‘pleased’ mean? If the unbeliever is physically abusing his spouse, then that doesn’t seem ‘pleasing’ to me. Paul will say if the unbeliever departs, let them go. The believer should not feel condemned by this. He/she had no control in this case. But if there is a divorce, let the one who left remain unmarried. So what happens if you were forced into it, can you re marry? Paul does not specifically say. He does say to the one who left the marriage, they should not remarry. Divorce is a tricky issue. When attending the fundamental Baptist church they taught that if one were divorced they could never be ‘a Pastor’ [even though no one was ‘a pastor’ in this way in the first century church!]. Many teach that Paul’s instructions on Bishops/Elders said a divorced person should not be an overseer. Paul actually said ‘they should be the husband of one wife’. This most certainly could simply be saying they shouldn’t be in a plural marriage. This was common in the first century, so you could take it this way. Overall I find it strange that someone could have been a murderer [Paul] or any other type of sinner, but the divorcee’ seems to be the only sinner that is excluded. The other problem is how much of ‘a believer’ were you at the time of your divorce. There have been well known preachers who initiated the divorce from their wives, they remarried and later wanted this to be treated as any other sin, just forgive and forget. The problem is if you were wise enough in the lord to have known better, then true repentance would entail making things right. Whether that’s reconciliation or simply remaining single, but it sure seems like these types of brothers who went into the whole remarriage thing with their eyes wide open, they should be held to a higher standard. Overall, we should not be in bondage to things that were out of our control. Those who were victimized and the partner left you, you should not be condemned for something that was out of your control. Believers who initiate the divorce from someone who was willing to stay in the marriage, they should not remarry. There have been too many cases where believers divorce other believers, without biblical grounds, and then remarry someone from the church. These situations are not permitted. If the believing spouse was simply ‘difficult to live with’ then that doesn’t cut it. In situations where there was actual physical abuse, well I don’t believe the Lord wants you to stay in the house under these circumstances. But the only biblical excuse for divorce, according to Jesus, is adultery. In all of these gray areas, wisdom must be applied. The high profile ministers who have initiated their divorces and remarried, without the proper biblical grounds, should not be simply ‘forgiven’ and permitted to continue in their public role in ministry. True forgiveness and restoration would entail some sort of repentance and a public change in the situation. Like Paul says ‘to the rest speak I, not the Lord’. I am giving you my opinion on some of this stuff, but I too think I have the Spirit of Christ.
(962)1ST CORINTHIANS 7:16-24 ‘Were you circumcised when you were called into the Christian life? Then don’t become uncircumcised’ [that would be quite a feat!] ‘Were you uncircumcised when called? Don’t get circumcised’. What’s Paul saying? Basically he is keeping the decrees that were made at the Jerusalem council [Acts 15]. He is stressing the importance of Christ’s spiritual kingdom. To the Jew, he is not saying ‘keep trying to become justified by the law and sacrifices’ but he is saying ‘I am not trying to wipe out your culture and heritage, I am trying to bring you into the fullness of what the Prophets have foretold’. This is Paul’s ongoing defense in the book of Acts ‘I stand condemned because I believe that what the prophets said would happen, did!’. Paul says the thing that matters is ‘the doing of Gods commandments’. When we studied Romans I showed how Paul did say ‘the hearers of the law are not justified, but the doers shall be’. Here again Paul stresses the importance of the Christian life being one of true conversion. Those who believe are changed and become doers of Gods law by nature. The mechanism of conversion is Faith, the outworking of that conversion is obedience. So even though Paul is not putting the law on the gentile converts, yet he does teach that they will by nature keep the law [Romans again]. Now he says ‘were you a slave when called? Seek not to become free. Were you free? Don’t become a slave’ and ‘be not the servants/slaves of men’. We actually have hit on this a few times in recent months. Once again Paul says ‘don’t see this new faith as an opportunity to mount a civil disobedience campaign’ but at the same time he makes it clear ‘don’t put yourself under servitude either!’ The New Testament does not justify the institution of slavery or racism! The basic ethos of this new kingdom is freedom from bondage, it was only a matter of time before this new movement would shake the foundations of society and uproot this evil. Make no mistake about it, the anti-slavery movement was instigated by the people of God [William Wilberforce, Charles Finney and many others].
(963)1ST CORINTHIANS 7: 25-40 let’s be a little unconventional today. This passage deals with Paul’s counsel on celibacy and marriage. The historic church has had a bad rap on this issue. It is common today to say the church devalued marriage [and sex] and therefore we should exalt it. Sometimes this attempt at trying to correct the perceived imbalance puts a stumbling block in the way of those who are truly called to live the single life. Though marriage is an honorable thing, a true gift from God, yet living the celibate life can also be considered a very noble thing. It is rare in contemporary evangelicalism to leave this option open. Paul does say this option is not only available, but a noteworthy calling! He also makes it clear that only those who are called to this single lifestyle should attempt it. The church should not force celibacy on people. Now, do our catholic brothers force it upon the Priests? In a way, yes. But don’t forget that no one is ‘forced’ into the priesthood. Some feel like the scandals of catholic priests who abused children can be blamed on forced celibacy. The problem with this idea is many protestant ministers have also fallen sexually, and they were not celibate! The point being we need to be careful when we brand any Christian denomination with an accusation. Now, Paul also makes an interesting statement that we need to look at. He says ‘for the present distress I give these guidelines’. Is it possible that Paul’s seeming harshness on marriage was due to the fact of some type of distress that he saw coming? Possibly the Neronic persecutions? If so, Paul could be saying ‘because of the upcoming severe persecution I recommend everyone just laying low for the time, if married, seek not to be single and vice a versa’. This is possible, we need to keep this in mind when reading this section of scripture. But most of all I think the modern evangelical church needs to retool her message in this area. Marriage and sex are good, God ordained these things in their proper place. But living single and celibate is also considered a very noble calling, we do not normally reflect this balance in the present atmosphere. Also as an aside, a few years back it was common to teach ‘the world/public schools have taken sex and taught it to our kids. They have usurped the job of the family/church’ while there is some truth to this, the problem was some well known TV evangelists began to discuss sex in the Sunday morning setting that was improper in a way [If you local Pastors who read this have done this, be assured I am not talking about you!]. I remember watching a national minister speak openly, with grandma’s and children in the service, and say ‘now speaking about sexual climax’ Yikes!! Just because the family/church dropped the ball on these issues, this doesn’t mean there are no barriers at all while dealing with these issues. Those who do this type of stuff seem to be saying ‘sex is not a dirty thing, therefore we need to bring it out into the open’ while this is true to a degree, there are also age appropriate subjects that should be taught in a private setting. If the church feels the need to delve into these subjects, we need to be careful that we are not crossing boundaries when doing it. [Some sites- see the rest here- https://ccoutreach87.com/2020/10/13/acts-24-text/ ]
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