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Bible Adventures 2

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BIBLE ADVENTURES 2 - NEW TESTAMENT
VOLUME 1 - LOOKING AT JESUS IN THE GOSPELS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

(1) INTRODUCTION         Jump down to Introduction
        A. Israel as a sample nation to the world
        B. Prophecy concerning Christ
                (1) His 3-year ministry on the earth

(2) CHAPTER I         Jump down to Chapter I
        A. Jesus and Nicodemus
                (1) how Jesus dealt with a religious man
(3) CHAPTER II         Jump down to Chapter II
        A. Zaccheus, the Tax Collector
(4) CHAPTER III         Jump down to Chapter III
        A. Jesus and the Woman of Samaria
(5) CHAPTER IV         Jump down to Chapter IV
        A. The blind man and Jesus
(6) ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
        A. Chapter 1         Jump to Chapter 1
        B. Chapter 2         Jump to Chapter 2
        C. Chapter 3         Jump to Chapter 3
        D. Chapter 4         Jump to Chapter 4
        E. Chapter 5         Jump to Chapter 5
        F. Chapter 6         Jump to Chapter 6
        G. Chapter 7         Jump to Chapter 7
        H. Chapter 8         Jump to Chapter 8
        I. Chapter 9          Jump to Chapter 9
        J. Chapter 10        Jump to Chapter 10
        K. Chapter 11        Jump to Chapter 11
        L. Chapter 12        Jump to Chapter12
        M. Chapter 13       Jump to Chapter 13
        N. Chapter 14        Jump to Chapter 14
        O. Chapter 15        Jump to Chapter 15
(7) CHAPTER V
        A. LAZARUS         Jump to Chapter V
                1. Raised from the dead
(8) CHAPTER VI
        A. SIMON, called PETER         Jump to Chapter VI
                1. His problems with emotionalism
                2. His denial of the Lord and his repentance
                3. His ministry to the Jews

INTRODUCTION

Let's begin our adventures into God's Word as we consider the words of David in Psalm 139:17, "HOW PRECIOUS ARE THY WORDS UNTO ME, 0 GOD; HOW GREAT IS THE SUM OF THEM"

Throughout the Old Testament scriptures, people were told that One would come to pay the penalty for sin. The Lord told Adam and Eve about the eventual coming of the Savior when He spoke prophetically of that event in Genesis 3:15.

After that, the Lord told Abraham that he would be the father of the nation through which the Savior would come. Abraham passed that truth down to his son, Isaac, and Isaac told his son Jacob and his twelve sons that they would be the patriarchs of that nation which would later be called Israel.

Israel was to be a sample nation which would be used to teach the rest of the world how God deals with nations. Israel was given God's Word, teaching priests, instructions for living, instructions about how to worship the Lord and spiritual leaders like Moses, Joshua, various judges, and last of all, kings.

For hundreds of years, the Lord provided all of these for the Israelites, but they rebelled constantly against Him and distorted His Word ... they even served and worshipped idols! He told them why they were chosen and we find that explanation in Deuteronomy 7:7: "The Lord did not set His love upon you because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all people.

Finally, the Lord permitted His people Israel to be taken into captivity, and they were dispersed all over the world because of their disobedience. His last words to the Jews were a promise that He would send a herald to introduce and announce their Messiah, the annointed CHRIST.

Following that promise we find that there were 400 years of no prophecy to give God's Word to the Jews. Theologians call that period "the 400 silent years”. Then, in God's perfect timing, He sent a man the scriptures call John the Baptist, and he announced the arrival of the Messiah and pointed him out to both the religious leaders and to the common people.

Jesus Christ, the God-man, was identified with the Father's Plan at His baptism. (the word baptism is a Greek word which means identification).

Immediately following His baptism, Jesus was tempted by the Devil and was victorious over him. Then Jesus chose twelve students, called disciples, who would also be made apostles to the nation of Israel. (these are not the apostles to the church! They would be with Him during His 3-year ministry on the earth.

Jesus began to go out among the people with His disciples and His credentials (credit cards) which would prove that He was their promised Messiah. Those credentials were the Old Testament scriptures and miracles. The miracles were performed by Him so that people would be attracted to come and be exposed to the Gospel. The twelve disciples were given miracle gifts also for that very same purpose. Once the canon of Scripture was completed in 90 A.D., those miracle gifts were no longer needed or valid! Since then, God the Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgment. Then it is up to the individual hearer to decide whether or not to believe or reject the message of the Gospel.

CHAPTER I

NICODEMUS

One of Jesus' first personal contacts who challenged and questioned His authority was a religious leader by the name of Nicodemus. Nicodemus was not only a theologian, but he was also a Pharisee. He had been observing Jesus for awhile, and he had some questions. One night, he came to Jesus privately and said, "Teacher, we know that God must have sent you, because no one could do the miracles we've witnessed unless God is with him."

Jesus replied by saying, "Nicodemus, here's a point of doctrine for you to think about: Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

By now, Nicodemus must have been sitting there with his mouth open in amazement at the things Jesus was saying.

Noting that, Jesus continued and said, "Don't be so amazed when I tell you that you must be born again. The wind blows where it wants to ... you hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. That's the way it is when a person is born spiritually."

In exasperation, Nicodemus questioned further, "How can these things happen?" Jesus replied a bit sarcastically to that question when He said. "You are a theologian and a ruler of the Jews.. .do you mean to tell me you don't understand what I'm talking about? Here's another point of doctrine, Nicodemus; The Father and the Holy Spirit bear witness to My actions, and you haven't believed that truth. If I tell you of earthly things and you don't believe them, how can you understand and believe what I tell you about heavenly things?"

Nicodemus is still puzzled at what Jesus is telling him, but he considers His words. Then, suddenly he hears something that he does understand ... "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Then Jesus went on to explain why people reject the Gospel. Chapter 3:1-21 in the gospel of John should be read by each ~f you who are reading this lesson to get the rest of Jesus' answer to Nicodemus.

We know that Nicodemus became a believer either at this meeting or somewhere in between this session with Jesus and after Jesus was crucified, when he and his friend, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus so they could give it a decent burial. One other time, Nicodemus came to Jesus' defense in front of his fellow-Pharisees. The details are found in John 7:37-53.

CHAPTER II

ZACCHEAUS, the TAX COLLECTOR

(Luke 19:1-10)

There was a very rich and notable tax collector who lived in the city of Jericho. His name was Zaccheaus. One day, Jesus came to that city and Zaccheaus was very anxious to see Him, because he had heard so much about the things Jesus was teaching and doing among the people in Judea.

There was always a crowd following Jesus and his twelve disciples, and this particular day in Jericho was no exception. The people had been crowding about them, and because Zaccheaus was a very short man, he was unable to see Jesus! He ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up into a Sycamore tree which was over the pathway which he knew Jesus would be taking.

When Jesus reached the spot where Zaccheaus was, He looked up and said to him, Zaccheaus! Hurry and come down from there! I must stay in your house today!

Well, he didn't need any persuasion and Zaccheaus scrambled down from that tree in a hurry. He ran to Jesus and joyfully took Him to his home.

When the crowd saw what happened and heard the things Jesus said to Zaccheaus, they were very critical and said among themselves, "This Jesus has gone to be the guest of a man who we know is a sinner!"

Now Zaccheaus was chief among the publicans in Jericho, and he was held in very low esteem by the people because he was a tax collector. In those days, Rome appointed Jews to that position, and many of them collected more taxes than the government required, thereby making themselves rich!

Apparently, Zaccheaus became a believer, because no unbeliever would address Jesus as LORD. When they reached his house, Zaccheaus announced, "Lord, look at all my belongings! I will give half of my wealth to the poor, and if I have taken money from any man in an underhanded way, I will pay him four times the amount he says I wrongfully took from him."

Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come into your home, Zaccheaus!"

Then addressing the crowd that had followed, Jesus said to them, "This man Zaccheaus is truly a son of Abraham! He was lost, and I came here today to seek him and to save him!"

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CHAPTER III

"THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA"

Jesus and the "twelve" left Judea and were going to Galilee. It was customary for the Jews to go around Samaria rather than to travel through it because the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. The Samaritans were a mixed race of people who were brought from other lands and taken to the place called Samaria by their captors. Some Jews also had intermarried with the people there and worshipped their heathen gods.

We must understand that Jesus Christ is God and Man in one unique Person forever! Everything He ever said or did came from His humanity, His deity or what theologians call "The Hypostatic Union. When He said, "I thirst, it came from His humanity – God does not get thirsty. When He said, "Lazarus – here! outside!" it came from His deity. Only God can raise the dead. When He said, "Come unto Me all ye that labor, and I will give you rest.” It came from His hypostatic union. It helps to understand the scriptures better if you apply these principles to the things you read in the Bible.

In the fourth chapter of John, we see Jesus, weary from the long journey, and sitting down at a well outside the city of Sychar in Samaria. Many years before this the well had belonged to Jacob, and it was on a parcel of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. The Lord knew that the woman we are about to meet would be there, and He had sent the twelve into the city to buy food.

It was a very warm day, and at noon a Samaritan woman came to draw water from the well. Jesus addressed her by saying, "Please give me a drink of water."

Looking carefully at Him, the woman recognized by His clothing that He was a Jew, and she said, "Why do you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water? Usually, you Jews have nothing to do with us!"

Jesus replied, "Woman, if you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for water, you would ask Me for water, and I would give you LIVING WATER,"

The woman brushed that answer aside momentarily, but then she began to ask a series of questions, such as: "Sir, you have nothing with which to draw water for yourself, and the well is very deep, where would you get this living water of which you speak? Are you telling me that you are greater than our father Jacob who gave us this well? He drank of this water himself, and so did his children and his flocks!"

Jesus continued, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give to him will never thirst. The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life!"

Instantly, the woman said, "Sir, give me this water so I won't thirst again, and so that I won't have to come here every day to draw water from this well!"

Jesus responded to her request by saying, "Go! Call your husband and return again to this place."

The woman dropped her eyes from his face and quietly said, "I have no husband."

Then Jesus said, "You have answered truthfully in saying you have no husband. In fact, I know you have had five husbands and that now you are living with a man to whom you are not married!,"

The woman stepped back a little and remarked thoughtfully and respectfully: "Sir, I'm beginning to see that you are a prophet!"

After saying that, she attempted to change the subject entirely and tried to engage Jesus into a debate with her about another matter. She wanted to argue about where people should worship God.

To that, Jesus said, "Woman, believe me, the time will come when people will no longer worship here or in Jerusalem, because they don't understand the true meaning of worship. Salvation comes by way of the Jews. The Father knows who are the true worshippers of Him, and the time will come when they will worship Him in spirit and in truth,"

Defending herself, the woman replied, “Well, I know one thing the scriptures have told us that Messiah will come one day, and when he does, he will tell us everything there is to know about the Father."

Now, the Samaritans rejected the Old Testament scriptures with the exception of the Pentateuch, which is the first five books of the Bible, so they were acquainted with the scriptures which taught about a coming Messiah, Therefore, what she said was the result of knowing about the prophecies concerning a Savior.

Because He is OMNISCIENT, Jesus was well aware that this woman was familiar with the prophesies regarding Himself, so He startled her with this statement. "I AM THE ONE ABOUT WHOM MOSES WROTE!"

Before she could say another word, the twelve returned from the city with the provisions they had purchased. They observed Jesus and the woman deep in conversation with each other at the well, and they were shocked and speechless! This kind of friendliness toward a Samaritan just wasn't a proper attitude for a Jew to have!"

In a split second, the woman understood and believed Jesus' words. She abandoned her water pot and ran up the hill back into the city to tell her friends the wonderful news about Jesus! When she reached Sychar, she said to the men of the city, "You must come and meet a man who has told me things about myself that no one except I myself could possibly know. Do you think this is the Messiah?"

The men immediately left what they were doing and ran out of the city to find the One of whom the woman spoke!

Meanwhile, back at the well, the twelve had prepared their lunch and were seated comfortably on the ground to eat. They noticed that Jesus wasn't eating, so they tried to encourage Him to do so by saying, "Master, eat your lunch!"

Instead, Jesus replied, "I have meat to eat that you know nothing about!"

Puzzled by those words, the men began to speak quietly among themselves and asked, "Did any of you give him food before we sat down?"

Jesus interrupted their questioning of each other and explained, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work! There are now four months before the harvest. LOOK! Lift up your eyes and look at the fields before you. They are white and ready NOW for the harvest!"

The men looked up as Jesus told them to do, and they saw many men with their white robes flowing behind them as they ran down the hill toward the well. Then they understood that Jesus was talking about harvesting the souls of those who wanted to know how to have the everlasting life about which the woman had gone to report,

As they watched with amazement at that sight, Jesus went on to say to them, "The woman with whom I spoke sowed the seed in the minds of these men who are coming to us, Now you also can enter into the harvest of souls by giving them the Good News of the GOSPEL so they also may have everlasting life!"

By way of the witness of the woman and the twelve, many of those Samaritans believed in the Lord. They asked Him to stay with them so they could learn more about the Word of God. He stayed two more days in that place. As a result of His teaching many more believed in Him when they DRANK OF THE LIVING WATER OF THE WORD OF GOD!

Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe and have everlasting life. Not only because of what you told us, but also because we have heard the words of life from His own lips and we know now that He is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

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CHAPTER IV

The blind man and Jesus

A well-known blind man was begging on the street near the temple in Jerusalem when Jesus and some of His disciples passed by. When the disciples asked some of the people about the beggar and learned that he was born blind, they asked Jesus, "Master, why was this man born blind? Was it because of some sin of his own, or did his parents commit a sin which caused him to be in this condition?" Jesus answered them saying, "It was not because of any sin that either he or his parents committed, but he was born blind so that the power of God should be shown to the people who are here with us today."

After He said that, Jesus took some soil and mixed it with His own spittle to make clay. Then He placed it on the eyes of the blind man and told him to wash away the clay in a near by pool with which he was familiar. As soon as the blind man obeyed the Lord, he was able to see, and he returned quickly to the very astonished crowd which had gathered. Some of the people who knew him said to one another, "Isn't this the blind beggar we all know?" Others answered, "It certainly looks like the same man, but how is it possible?" Overhearing their discussion, the once-blind man said emphatically, "I am that same person!"

When they heard that, they began to question him about how his eyes were opened, and he told them, "A man who is called Jesus put clay on my eyes and told me to wash it off in the pool of Siloam over there. When I did that, I was able to see!!" Then they said, "Where is this man?" When he wasn't able to point Him out or to show them where to find Jesus, they took him to the Pharisees for questioning.

The Pharisees questioned the man at length, and his answers were the same as those he gave to his acquaintances. When the Pharisees heard his answers, some of them said,"This man is not from God, because he did this on the Sabbath Day! But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such miracles?" After that, there was a division among the Pharisees, and they went on questioning, "What do you think of the man who opened your eyes?" He replied, "Well, he must be a prophet from God!"

After they heard that, the religious leaders refused to believe that the man had ever been blind, so they called for his parents and questioned them saying, "Is this your son we are told was born blind? If this is true, how is it possible that he is now able to see?"

Because the parents knew that if anyone declared that Jesus was the Christ, and the Pharisees heard about it, they would be thrown out of the synagogue, and would be ostracized from their society, so they answered. "We know that this is our son, and we also know that he was born blind! We weren't present when this miracle took place, so how can we answer properly? He is old enough to answer for himself! Ask him by what means he is able to see!"

Still determined to get a more satisfactory answer, the Pharisees demanded of the man, "Give God the praise for this miracle of sight! We know that the man you speak of is a sinner!" He answered them and said, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I cannot say, but one thing I am sure of is that I was blind and now I am able to see as well as any of you standing here!"

After that, the Pharisees demanded, "What did he do to you? How did he open your blind eyes?" He answered, "I have told you already, and you apparently did not hear my words! Do you want to hear my story again so that you can become his disciples?"

That response antagonized the Pharisees, and they pushed him away from them violently as they said, "You are his disciple! We are Moses disciples! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, Jesus, we don't know from where he came or who he is!"

Then the once-blind man looked at them in amazement and said, "Those are fantastic statements coming from you who know the Law and teachings of Moses! You don't know from where this man came, and yet he opened my eyes! If this man were not from God, he would not have been able to do this wondrous thing!"

In utter disgust and contempt for him, they replied, "You were born a sinner! Are you attempting to teach us who are well-versed in the scriptures?" Then, many of them turned away from him and went their own way, and left the man standing there in the crowd speechless.

Jesus learned that the Pharisees had disgraced the former blind man, and later that day He found him and questioned him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" The man answered, "Who is he, Lord, that I might believe in him?" Jesus replied, "You have both seen Him, and you are now speaking with Him." Then the man said, "Lord! I believe that You are the Son of God", and he worshipped Him!

Jesus looked at the people standing by and remarked, "I have come into the world for judgment, that those who have good eyesight might be blinded and not understand the truth, and those who are blind might be made to see clearly."

Some of the Pharisees who had remained there were insulted by Jesus' words, and they said to him, "Are you saying that we are blind?" Jesus answered, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of the sin of unbelief. However, because you admit your unbelief of Me, you are not forgiven!"

The End

NOTE: Religious people like the Pharisees are always trying to do things in order to please God; therefore, Religion and Christianity are in total disagreement! Christianity is a relationship between man and Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ has done ONE GOOD WORK which is pleasing to God, the Father, and that is when He died on the cross of Calvary over 2,000 years ago.

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ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

ACTS - Chapter 1

"What's all the commotion outside in the street", asked a visitor in Jerusalem of his friends who had come with him from a far country. They had rented a room in the city so that they could celebrate the Passover.

The men were Jews who had been born and raised in Libya and had been taught by their parents to believe in the Lord God of Israel. Their families were taken from the land of Israel by King Nebuchadnezzar hundreds of years before. In fact, God's Word tells us that it happened fourteen generations before: "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away unto Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations." (Matthew 1:17)

It was 9:00 a.m. when these men were awakened by the sound of loud voices below their windows. They got dressed and hurried down into the street to investigate the uproar. A very amazing thing was taking place --- they heard words which were telling about the wonderful works of God, and they were hearing those words in their own language!

Amazed and shocked by what they heard, one of them turned to his friend and said, "These men who are speaking to us are uneducated Galilean fishermen! How is it possible that they know how to speak our language?"

His friend answered, "They must be drunken!"

Still another observed and then remarked, "It isn't reasonable to think that they are drunken! It is only nine o'clock in the morning!"

When they saw others who were also standing in the crowd with them, they began to question those strangers, and they learned that some had come from Parthia, Media, Egypt and Arabia. Those people were amazed that they too were hearing God's Word spoken to them in their own languages.

Suddenly Peter separated himself from the other apostles and stood up where all the crowd could see and hear him, and he said, "Men of Judea and all of you here in Jerusalem who have come to celebrate the Passover, listen to my words! What you are hearing today is the fulfillment of the words written by the prophet Joel. The Lord told him that a day would come in the future when He would send the Holy Spirit to indwell those who have put their faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross! We have been given the ability to speak to you in your own languages so that you may hear the Good News of the Gospel of God!"

Some who had been listening intently to Peter asked him, "What is this Good News about which you are speaking?"

Peter replied, "Jesus of Nazareth was here among you, and you saw the miracles which He performed with your own eyes! Those miracles were done to prove that He was truly the promised Messiah! No one but God can raise the dead and make the blind see! Our religious leaders envied His popularity with the people, so they arranged to have Him arrested and crucified, but God raised Him from the dead! It was not possible for the grave to hold Him!"

One shouted from the crowd, "What is your authority or proof regarding these things you're telling us?"

Peter replied, "You men are familiar with the Psalms written by David when he spoke of the things which have come to pass! All of this took place just a short time ago, and we who were with Him for three years saw Him in His resurrection body!"

By this time, Peter had the full attention of the crowd, so he went on and said, "Moses and all of the prophets wrote about Jesus! He was with us for forty days after He arose from the grave, and during that time our Lord opened our understanding of all the scriptures that spoke of Him. Just ten days ago, He ascended into the third heaven from the Mount of Olives, and many of you standing here today were also witnesses as He was taken up in a cloud before our eyes! The last words which Jesus spoke are still ringing in our ears! He told us we would receive power from the Holy Spirit whom He would send to indwell us. He said we would become witnesses for Him beginning in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth! Today, you are witnessing the power of God as you hear us speak to you in your own languages, and as we tell you that you may have everlasting life by believing that this very Jesus who was crucified in order to pay for your sins, has risen from the dead and has ascended into the third heaven!"

One man questioned Peter saying, "What do you mean when you say He has ascended into the third heaven?"

Peter responded to that question by saying, "Oh, yes, there are actually three heavens. When we look up into the sky we see the atmosphere which we breathe. That is the first heaven. The second heaven is where the sun, moon, stars and other planets are, and we call that outer space. The third heaven is where Jesus Christ, in His glorified resurrection body, is seated and is waiting for the next major event in the history of mankind!"

The people listened in amazement to Peter's words, and he went on to tell them, "David tells us in Psalm 115:16 that there is more than one heaven. Also, in Psalm 8:1, 3 & 4 he said, '0 Lord, our Lord --- how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who but You has set His glory above the heavens? When I consider Thy heavens and the work of Thy fingers; the moon and stars which Thou hast ordained; what is man that thou are mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou visitest him?' "

The twelve men who were with Jesus for three years had been appointed by Him to be apostles to Israel. As such, they were given special gifts of miracles which were used to identify them as having authority to present Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Judas hanged himself after betraying the Lord, and the other eleven were witnesses to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. After that, the Holy Spirit appointed those eleven men to be apostles to the Church, and to present Jesus not only to Israel, but also to the entire Gentile world. The Holy Spirit authorized miracle gifts to be given to them so that their message and their teaching would be acceptable to all who would listen.

Some in the crowd became conscience-stricken by what Peter said, and they looked around them and questioned, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

Peter answered and said, "All of you need to change your mental attitude about Jesus Christ! Believe in Him, and you will have everlasting life!"

Then Peter made the Gospel very clear to them, and the result was that about three thousand people became Christians that very day!

 

ACTS - Chapter 2

All that day, Peter and the other apostles performed miracles to get the attention of their hearers. Then they taught those who wanted to listen about Jesus and explained to them all of the things regarding His death, burial, resurrection and ascension.

When the Saducees heard that the apostles were teaching about resurrection from the dead, they were very upset, because they did not believe in physical resurrection. They immediately sent men to arrest them and put them in prison overnight.

God's purpose was accomplished that day, and the number of those who believed the message was about five thousand.

The next morning, the rulers, elders and scribes came and brought Annas, the high priest, with them. All of the religious leaders gathered together in the temple and set the apostles before them and demanded, "By what power or by what name have you done the things about which we have been told?"

In response, Peter answered, "You rulers and elders of Israel are here to question our words and our actions. Well, all of our deeds have been done in the name of Jesus of Nazareth WHOM YOU CRUCIFIED: Now God has raised Him from the dead, and we are proclaiming this message to the people!"

Annas and those who were with him were bristling at Peter's accusation toward them, but Peter went on to say, "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved!"

The rulers of the people knew that the apostles were unlearned and ignorant men, according to their own standards; nevertheless, they marveled at how boldly those Galilean fishermen spoke to them. It was obvious to them that Peter and John had been with Jesus!

After questioning them, the religious leaders sent those who had been put in prison out of the council chambers, and then they continued discussing what they would do next. One said, "What shall we do about these men? We cannot deny the miracles which they have performed among the people in Jerusalem!"

Another man spoke and said, "Let us threaten them and say they must stop speaking to the people about Jesus! Their teachings must come to an end, or the whole world will follow Jesus!"

Then they called Peter and John back into the council chambers and commanded, "Do not speak about or teach the people about Jesus!"

Peter replied, "We cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard!"

Then the council warned them and then released them, because they were unable to find anything for which to punish them.

 

ACTS - Chapter 3

The apostles continued to teach God's Word and were not afraid of the threats of the religious leaders. Their teaching resulted in hundreds more people becoming Christians, and when the high priest heard about it, he sent officers to take them by force and put them in the common prison.

During the night, the angel of the Lord came and opened the prison doors.

He said to Peter and John, "Go into the temple and tell the people how they may have everlasting life."

The men went into the temple early in the morning and taught the Word of God to those who had gathered there.

Meanwhile, that same morning, the high priest called his council together and appointed officers to get the prisoners and bring them to the council chambers. Soon after leaving, the officers returned without the prisoners. One of them said to the high priest, "Excuse me, but the men you had us put in prison yesterday are now standing in the temple teaching the people things you told them not to teach! We have them here now just outside of your chambers."

The high priest had the apostles brought in and questioned them saying, "Didn't we give you strict orders not to teach in the name of Jesus? You have not obeyed our orders, and you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine! Apparently, you are trying to blame us for that man's death!"

Peter replied, "We ought to obey God rather than men! You are all responsible for the death of Jesus, whom the God of our fathers sent to be our Savior from sin!"

When the council members heard that accusation, they were enraged, and they discussed among themselves how they would kill them. One of the members of the council was a Pharaisee by the name of Gamaliel. He was a doctor of the law and had a good reputation among the people. He stood up and said, "Set these men apart from us while I try to reason with you."

The apostles were taken out of the room, and Gamaliel said, "You men of Israel, be very careful about taking any action against these men! There have been many others like them before this who had great influence over the people, but they failed to maintain power over them! I implore you now to let these men alone! If what they are teaching is just man's viewpoint, it will come to nothing; but if their words are from God, you cannot fight against the Word of God!"

When they considered what Gamaliel said, the council members agreed that he was right. They ordered men to beat the apostles for their disobedience and warned them once again not to speak about Jesus. Then they set the men free.

As the apostles left the council chambers, they rejoiced that the Lord had allowed them to suffer because of their faithfulness to Him, and they continued teaching in the temple and also in every place where people wanted to hear the message of the Gospel.

The number of those in Jerusalem who put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ increased daily, and many of the priests also became Christians when they heard the truth of the Word of God.

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ACTS - Chapter 4

Certain men who believed God's Word when they heard the apostles' message were designated to go out among the people in Jerusalem and teach them. One of those who was chosen was a man by the name of Stephen. He had a powerful way of speaking, and when some of the Jews from the synagogue heard his words, they tried to discredit him and began to debate with him. They were unsuccessful, so they found men who would lie and say that Stephen was speaking against the teachings of Moses and that he was distorting the Word of Go

Their lies were so successful that the people became confused, and Stephen was taken by force and made to appear before the council. There, false witnesses were obtained, and they stood up and said, "This man continually speaks falsely against the temple and against the Law of Moses. We have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth would destroy this temple and change the teachings of Moses!"

The high priest spoke to Stephen directly and asked, "Are these accusations true?"

To that question, Stephen answered and said, "Men, brethren and elders, listen to my defense! All of you know how our nation was chosen to be the one through whom the Messiah would be sent! The Lord told Abraham to leave his home and his family and come to this place where we now live. God the Father told Abraham that there would be four generations after him who would live and die before that promise would be fulfilled. That promise was passed on to Isaac, to Jacob and to the twelve sons of Jacob from which all Jews are descended."

One of the scribes interrupted Stephen and said to the council members, "We are all well-versed in the writings of Moses! Why must we be lectured by this ignorant man?

The high priest spoke sternly to that scribe and said, "Let this man speak without further interruption!"

Stephen continued, "In the fourth generation, our forefathers became slaves in Egypt, and God raised up Moses to deliver them. They came out of Egypt as a powerful nation of about two million men plus their wives and their children. Moses led the people and taught them the Word of God for forty years, but they refused to listen, and most of them died in the wilderness because of their unbelief! Also, all of the prophets of old wrote about Jesus and how we would be able to recognize Him when He came. You men also refuse to believe the words of the prophets, and you have betrayed and murdered your Messiah!"

When the religious leaders heard those words and how Stephen personally accused them, they stopped their ears with their hands, and they became an angry, hysterical mob that was determined to kill him.

The Holy Spirit strengthened Stephen and gave him a preview of the glorified Son of God as the heavens were opened for only him to see.

One of the Pharisees in charge of the council hearing that day was a young man by the name of Saul of Tarsus. He also was determined to silence Stephen, and he gave an order to the mob and said, "Take this man out of the city and stone him to death!"

As he was dying, Stephen kneeled down and prayed earnestly saying, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge!"

After Stephen's death there was a great persecution against all of the Christians in Jerusalem. Except for the apostles, all of the Christians were scattered abroad throughout Judea and into Samaria as well.

Saul of Tarsus took men and went into every house in Jerusalem to find Christians and put them in prison.

 

ACTS - Chapter 5

One of those men who escaped the persecution in Jerusalem was a man by the name of Philip. He was successfully Preaching the Gospel in the villages of Samaria when Suddenly the angel of the Lord spoke to him saying, "Prepare to leave here and go down into the desert of Gaza below Jerusalem."

Philip went immediately, and when he reached Gaza he saw an Ethiopian nobleman riding in a chariot which was headed down the road back toward Ethiopia. The man in the chariot was very intent upon reading a scroll which he held in his hands. He was reading aloud, and didn't notice Philip until Philip spoke to him and questioned, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

The Ethiopian nobleman looked up and said, "How can I understand this book of Isaiah the prophet unless someone would teach me? Come up here and sit with me in the chariot and explain what is written, if you are able to do so."

Philip hastily climbed into the chariot, and when he saw the place where the Ethiopian was reading, he noted the words, "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before the shearers, so He opened not his mouth."

As Philip studied those words, the Ethiopian said, "Please tell me if the writer is Speaking about himself or about another man."

Then Philip opened his mouth,and beginning with that passage of scripture, he told the nobleman all about the Lord Jesus Christ as they travelled down the road together.

When he heard the Gospel clearly explained, the Ethiopian believed in the Lord and said to Philip, "I see water over there! Is there any reason why I cannot be baptized so that I may be identified with others who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?"

Philip replied, "If you truly believe with all of your heart, you may be identified by baptism."

To that, the Ethiopian replied, "I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God!" Then he commanded his chariot bearers to stop, and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit removed Philip from that place, and the Ethiopian never saw him again. However, he went on his way rejoicing that he had found Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

 

ACTS - Chapter 6

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, Saul continually persecuted the Christians. He went to the high priest and requested that letters be given to him which he could take to Damascus and force people in the synagogue to give him the names of any men or women who had become Christians. He planned to arrest all believers he could find in Damascus and take them back to Jerusalem for execution.

As he was nearing Damascus, a blinding light from heaven shone all around Saul, and he fell down on the earth. He covered his face with his hands in an attempt to shut out the light.

Then he heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you keep on Persecuting me?"

Saul raised his head a little and answered, "Who are you?"

The Lord answered him saying, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting!”

Saul trembled at those words, and then he said, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

The Lord replied, "Get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

The men who were with Saul Stood there speechless. They all heard the voice but they saw no man.

Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes. He was unable to see, so the men who were with him took him by the hand and led him to Damascus where he stayed for three days. During that time, he ate no food, and he remained blind.

Then the Lord revealed to Saul in a night vision a man by the name of Ananias, and told Saul that Ananias would come to him and restore his sight. Ananias was a Christian who lived in Damascus, and the Lord spoke to him also in a night vision and said, "Ananias!" Ananias awoke and replied, "Are you speaking to me, Lord?"

Then the Lord replied, "Get up and go into the street called Straight. There you will find a house belonging to a man by the name of Judas. Ask him to take you to Saul of Tarsus who is staying in his house. I have told Saul that you will come to him."

When Ananias heard those words of the Lord, he objected and said, "Lord, I have heard how this man has persecuted the Christians in Jerusalem He is a very evil man!"

The Lord answered, "Go as I have instructed you to do! I have chosen Saul of Tarsus to bear my name before the Gentiles, before kings and also before the children of Israel. Before I send him to those people, I will show him what great things he must suffer for my sake!"

After that, Ananias found Saul and said to him, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus Christ who appeared to you on the Damascus road has sent me to restore your sight."

Then the Holy Spirit indwelt Saul and restored his sight. Then the Lord trained Saul for three years in Damascus. After that, Saul went to the synagogue and told the people that Jesus is truly the Son of God.

All those who heard Saul were amazed and said among themselves, "Isn't this the man who destroyed many Christians in Jerusalem?"

Saul disregarded those words, and he spoke with authority to the Jews who lived in Damascus and proved to them that Jesus is the Christ.

After many days, the religious Jews who did not accept Jesus as their Messiah conspired to kill Saul, and they lay in wait at the city gates day and night to arrest him.

Saul heard about their plans to kill him, and his friends lowered him down from the city wall in a basket. He escaped and went back to Jerusalem where he tried to join himself to the other disciples there, but they were afraid and did not believe Saul when he told them that he was now a disciple of the Lord.

One man called Barnabas took Saul to the apostles and told them about Saul's conversion on the Damascus road and how he now spoke boldly in the name of Jesus.

The apostles accepted Saul as one of them, and he accompanied them as they went in and out of the city preaching God's Word. Saul debated with some Greeks who did not believe his teaching, and they made plans to kill him. When his friends heard about those threats on Saul's life, they took him to Caesarea and from there he went to Tarsus.

 

ACTS - Chapter 7

Persecutions against Christians continued in Jerusalem. Herod, the king, ordered the arrest and the execution of the apostle James.

When Herod saw that his action pleased the religious Jews, he had Peter arrested also, and had him put in prison. Four groups of guards were placed around the prison to make sure Peter did not escape. They intended to keep Peter in custody during the holy days and afterward bring him to trial before the people.

Inside the prison, Peter was sleeping soundly between two guards. Two chains bound him securely, and there were guards outside his prison cell to make sure there was no way he could escape.

During the night, a bright light shone in Peter's cell, and the angel of the Lord struck Peter on the side and said, "Get up quickly and do as I tell you!”

The chains fell from Peter's hands and feet, and he got up as ordered, although he was sure he was dreaming.

Then the angel said, "Put your sandals on your feet and your garment about your body and follow me!"

No one saw Peter or the angel as they passed through the first and second wards of the prison,and when they came to the iron gate which led to the city streets, it opened automatically. Peter and the angel went a short distance into the city, and the angel departed from him.

After that, Peter realized what had happened was not a dream, and he said to himself, "Now I know for sure that the Lord sent His angel to deliver me from Herod and the religious Jews who hate me and want to kill me."

Then Peter found his way to the house of the mother of John Mark who was one of Jesus' disciples. Many had gathered in that house, and they were praying for Peter's release from prison.

Peter knocked at the door of the gate, and a young girl by the name of Rhoda came to answer him. As she approached the door, Rhoda called out, "Who are you?"

Peter answered, "Rhoda, open the gate and let me in guickly!"

Rhoda knew Peter's voice and was very happy to hear him, but instead of opening the gate, she ran into the house and shouted, "Peter is standing outside the door and is at the gate!"

The people inside the house laughed at her words and said, "You must be crazy! Peter is in prison, and we all know it!"

Nevertheless, Rhoda kept on telling them she was speaking the truth, so they finally came to the conclusion that it must be Peter's angel that she heard at the door.

Peter continued knocking, and they went to the door to see for themselves. When they saw Peter standing there, they were utterly amazed. Peter motioned to them to keep quiet, and when they took him into the house, he told them how the Lord had delivered him from the prison.

When the people finally stopped questioning him, Peter said, "Go and tell John and the other apostles about this. I know Herod's soldiers will be searching for me and they will look here, so I will leave this place.

Meanwhile, the prison guards were unable to find Peter, so they reported the escape to Herod.

As soon as he heard that Peter had escaped, Herod sent soldiers out to search for Peter. Peter was not found, so Herod guestioned the guards again. He did not accept their excuses, so Herod ordered their execution. After that, Herod left Judaea and went back to his home in Caesarea.

The people of Tyre and Sidon knew that Herod was very displeased with them, so they formed a group and presented themselves to Herod in an attempt to make peace with him.

Herod set aside a certain day in which he planned to make a speech to the people, He arrayed himself in his royal apparel, sat upon his throne and delivered his speech.

When the people heard Herod's words, they shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a mere man!"

Immediately the angel of the Lord struck Herod because he would not give God the glory, and Herod was eaten by worms and he died.

After Herod's death, the Word of God multiplied greatly, and the apostles again spread God's Word throughout the area.

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ACTS - Chapter 8

Saul of Tarsus was a Jew who had inherited Roman citizenship from his father. He was also a Pharisee and a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin. When he became a Christian, he took upon himself the name "Paul", which in the Greek language, means "little". Paul wanted to be known as a "little one" in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit separated Paul and his friend Barnabas from the other apostles for special service. They went to the synagogues in Antioch and preached to the Jews. Some Gentiles heard about Paul and Barnabas and asked that they also be taught the Word of God.

The following Sabbath day, nearly the entire city gathered to hear God's Word proclaimed, and when the religious Jews saw the multitude which had gathered, they were filled with envy. They spoke against Paul's teaching by contradicting and blaspheming his words.

When he saw that his teaching was spoken against, Paul said to those unbelieving Jews, "It was necessary that the Word of God should first be spoken to you, but since you are rejecting it and consider yourselves to be unworthy to have Eternal Life, we will go to the Gentiles!"

When the Gentiles heard that, they were happy and glorified the Word of the Lord. Many of those Gentiles became Christians, and they published God's Word throughout all the region. However, the unbelieving Jews stirred up some of the prominent men and women in the city and sent Paul and Barnabas far away from Antioch.

 

ACTS - Chapter 9

Paul and Barnabas went to Iconium and taught in the synagogue. God's Word was welcomed by the people there, and many of the Jews as well as the Gentiles who heard them teach, put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, as before, the unbelieving, religious Jews stirred up the Gentile unbelievers, and the city became divided about the teaching of Paul and Barnabas. A mob gathered to stone the two apostles. Their friends heard about it, and helped Paul and Barnabas escape from the city.

After that, Paul and Barnabas travelled together, staying long enough in every place where people welcomed the Word of God, and they established churches and continued teaching the new Christians.

After two years, Paul decided to go back to visit the people they had taught on their journey. Barnabas was willing to go, but he wanted to take his nephew, John Mark, with them. Paul rejected the idea, and their disagreement became so intense that they separated and went their own ways.

Paul then chose a man named Silas to go with him, and they visited the churches which he and Barnabas had established.

When Paul and Silas reached Philippi, they caused such a commotion by their teaching, that they were arrested and dragged before the rulers of the city with the accusation, "These men are Jews, and they are troubling the city because they are teaching things that are contrary to us who are Romans! They have even been polluting the temple by bringing Gentiles into it!"

Soon the whole city was moved against Paul, and he and Silas were forcefully dragged out of the temple where they planned to kill them. But soldiers and centurions were sent by the Roman tribune in the city to stop the execution.

Then the tribune ordered that Paul and Silas be chained and beaten and then thrown into prison.

The Jailer in charge of the two apostles was warned of his responsibility to keep them locked up securely, so he threw them into an inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God, and all the other prisoners heard them. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, and the foundation of the prison was shaken so that all the prison doors were opened and everyone's chains fell off!

The jailer was awakened by the earthquake, and when he saw the prison doors open, he knew his life was in danger. He was sure that the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself!

Paul was aware of his actions, and he shouted to the prison-keeper, "Don't harm yourself! We are all still here!"

The jailer answered, trembling, "Someone bring me a light!"

Then he found Paul and Silas and fell down at their feet saying, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved from death by the authorities over me?"

Paul answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Also, all in your household may be saved also if they will believe in Jesus Christ as their Saviour!"

The jailer took Paul and Silas to his house where they taught God's Word to him and to his family as well. They all put their faith in the Lord as a result of hearing and understanding the Gospel message delivered by Paul.

When it was daylight, the magistrates came from the city and said to the jailer, "Let these men go! We have nothing for which to hold them!" Then they turned to Paul and Silas and said, "Go in peace from this place!”

Paul replied to the officers, "We have been unjustly beaten without a trial, and we were cast into prison! Both of us are Roman citizens, and your actions against us were unlawful, and now you want us to leave quietly and unnoticed! Oh no! We will wait here for our accusers to come and send us on our way!"

The officers left and reported Paul's words to their superiors, who were afraid when they learned that the two men were citizens of Rome! They went to Paul and Silas and begged them to forgive their wrong actions, and pleaded with them to leave the city. Then Paul and Silas left that place and went to Athens.

 

ACTS - Chapter 10

On their way to Athens, Paul and Silas stayed in the house of a man by the name of Jason, and for three Sabbath days, they proclaimed Christ in the synagogue near Jason's house. Some of the Jews and many Greeks which included some of the prominent women in that city, became Christians. Then, as always, the unbelieving, religious crowd gathered a mob to storm the house of Jason to take Paul and Silas, but their friends heard of the plan, and during the night sent them away.

Paul suddenly found himself alone and in Athens. As he looked about him, he saw that the city was completely given over to idolatry! This troubled Paul greatly, and he began to meet daily with people in the market place.

Some of the people to whom he spoke listened to Paul's words. Some, when they heard, pitied Paul, and others looked at him with contempt. However, they enjoyed hearing anyone who had something new to say.

After awhile, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth where he spent some time working at his trade which was tent-making. While there, he also became acquainted with Pricilla and Aquila, and he stayed as a guest in their home for a year and a half and taught in the synagogue there.

After that, Paul left Corinth and sailed to Caesarea. He was determined to go to Jerusalem and see the other apostles. When he reached Jerusalem, Paul was received happily by his friends, and he reported all that had been done in the name of the Lord since he last saw them.

Soon after his arrival, the religious leaders in Jerusalem were told that Paul was teaching Jews who lived among Gentiles in other places where he had travelled that they should not follow the teachings of Moses, and also that Paul had polluted the temple by bringing Gentiles into it!

Soon the whole city was moved against Paul, and they dragged him out of the temple. They were about to kill Paul, but a Roman tribune sent soldiers and a centurion to stop the execution. The centurion ordered the soldiers to chain Paul and take him to the authorities in Jerusalem. Then the chief captain came to Paul and demanded to know who he was and what he had done.

The crowd around them was unruly, and shouting. When the captain found it was impossible to solve the problem because of all the noise and confusion, he had Paul carried into the castle.

Some of the people followed them to the steps outside the castle with their shouts, "Away with this fellow!"

Then Paul spoke to the captain and said, "May I speak to you, sir?"

The captain questioned Paul and said, "Are you able to speak Greek? I thought you were the Egyptian who caused so much trouble here and took four thousand murderers into the wilderness!"

Paul answered, "No, I am not that Egyptian. I am a Jew from the city of Tarsus! Please let me speak to these people!"

The captain nodded and gave Paul permission to speak to the crowd. Paul motioned for them to come near and remain quiet while he spoke to them. Then he spoke to them in the Hebrew language and told them how he had been the chief persecutor of Christians and how the Lord had saved him on the Damascus Road.

The crowd listened for awhile, but they became impatient and shouted, "Away with this fellow! It is not fitting that he should live!"

Then the captain took Paul into the castle and commanded that he be beaten and made to tell why the people cried out against him. As the soldiers were stripping off Paul's clothing and binding him with leather thongs, Paul spoke to the centurion who stood by and asked, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and one who has not had a fair trial?"

The centurion reported Paul's words to the captain and said to him, "Be careful what you do to this man because he is a Roman citizen!"

The chief captain came to Paul and questioned, "Is it true that you are a Roman citizen?"

Paul replied emphatically, "Yes! I am a free-born Roman citizen!"

The captain looked at Paul in amazement as he declared to Paul, "I paid a great deal of money to become a citizen of Rome!" Then he ordered his soldiers to release Paul and sent for the chief priests and the entire council to appear the following day to question Paul.

 

ACTS - Chapter 11

As Paul stood before the Council the next morning, he spoke to them and said, "Men and brethren, I have lived all my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day."

The high priest, Ananias, commanded one standing beside Paul to slap Paul across the mouth for saying what he just did.

Paul turned to the high priest and said, "You sit there questioning me according to the Law, and at the same time you violate the Law by ordering this man to strike me!"

A bystander said to Paul, "How is it that you dare to revile the high priest?"

Paul replied, "I was not aware that he was the high priest, and I would not have spoken to him in that manner if I had known, because I know that God's Word says we are not to speak evil of a ruler of the people."

Looking about him, Paul saw that the Council was made up of a combination of Sadducees and Pharisees. Knowing that the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, or angels or the Holy Spirit, and that the Pharisees accepted all of those truths, Paul spoke again to the Council and said, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, and I am also the son of a Pharisee. I am on trial here before you because I have taught the people to have hope regarding resurrection from the dead!"

A great uproar began in the Council, and some of the Pharisees stood up and said, "We find nothing wrong with this man! What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"

Then some of the Sadducees became very angry, and they shouted even louder than before, and they also began to fight among themselves. The chief captain was afraid that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, so he ordered his troops to remove Paul by force and take him back to the soldiers' barracks.

The following night, the Lord stood at Paul's side and said to him, "Take courage, Paul! You have witnessed faithfully regarding me in Jerusalem. Now you must do the same in Rome!"

The following day, more than forty religious, unbelieving Jews took an oath among themselves that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. They went to the chief priest and told him of their vow, and they demanded of him, "You and the Council tell the chief captain to bring Paul down to you for more questioning, and we will kill him outside before he reaches these chambers!"

Paul's nephew overheard the plot to kill Paul, and he went to the barracks to tell Paul about it. Then Paul asked to be taken to the captain and he told him how those men planned to destroy him.

The captain believed Paul, and he instructed his men to tell no one that they were aware of the plot to kill Paul. Then he called two of his centurions and gave them orders. He said, "Get two hundred soldiers, plus seventy horsemen and two hundred more men with spears, and have them ready to leave for Caesarea at 3:00 a.m. Mount the prisoner on a horse, and take him to Felix, the Governor. Also take my personal letter to the governor which I have written regarding Paul.

When they reached Caesarea, they delivered the letter and Paul to Felix.

Felix read the letter and then he asked Paul, "From what province do you come?"

Paul answered, "I come from the province of Cilicia."

Felix folded the letter and then said, "I will give you a hearing after your accusers arrive here." Then he turned to the soldiers and said, "Keep this man in Herod's judgment hall until I call for him."

Three days later, Ananias, the chief priest came to Felix with some of the elders from Jerusalem. They also brought their attorney, Tertullus, with them and presented him to Felix. Tertullus explained their case against Paul.

He approached Felix and said, "Your excellency, we have found this man to be a troublesome pest who stirs up dissension throughout the whole world. He is also a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He attempted to desecrate the temple, so we arrested him. We wanted to charge him according to Jewish law, but the chief captain of the forces in Jerusalem removed him by force from our hands."

The Governor then nodded for Paul to speak in his own defense, and Paul responded, "I know that you have been a fair and impartial judge for many years, your excellency. I did nothing to make trouble or to cause a riot as my accusers have stated! They are not able to prove the charges which they have made against me. However, one thing I do admit is that I serve the God of our fathers, and I believe all that the prophets have written. These men want to destroy me because I told them about resurrection from the dead."

Felix was well aware of Christian teachings, and he said to Paul's accusers, "When Lysias, the chief captain, arrives, I will decide this man's case. Then Felix turned to the centurion and ordered, "Keep this man in custody, but allow him some freedom. Do not prevent any of his friends from ministering to him!"

Some days later, Felix came again and brought his wife, Drucilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and questioned him about his faith. Paul presented the Gospel to Felix and Drucilla, and also told them of the judgment to come for those who would not accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

Felix became frightened and said, "Go away now. When I have more time I will send for you again."

Felix also had hoped that Paul would give him money, and with that in mind, Felix sent for Paul from time to time over a two-year period.

At the end of those two years, Felix was to be replaced as Governor by another man whose name was Festus, but while still in office and wanting to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

 

ACTS - Chapter 12

Festus, the new governor, arrived in Caesarea, and after three days he went to Jerusalem.

The religious leaders in Jerusalem approached Festus with their charges against Paul, and they asked him to have Paul brought to Jerusalem to stand trial before them. (Once more, they were planning to set an ambush for Paul so that they might kill him on his way to Jerusalem.)

Festus answered the men and said, "Paul is being kept in custody in Caesarea, and I myself will go back there soon. Some of you men may accompany me, and if anything is proved to be wrong with this man, you may prosecute him yourselves."

After about eight days, Festus left Jerusalem and returned to Caesarea. The day after his return, he took his seat in the judgment hall and sent for Paul. The Jews from Jerusalem who had come with Festus brought many serious accusations against Paul, but they were unable to prove any of them.

When Paul was allowed to speak in his own defense, he said, "I have not committed any offense against the Law of the Jews or against the temple, or against Caesar.”

Festus wanted to do the Jews a favor, so he asked Paul, "Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before these men regarding the charges they have brought against you?"

Paul replied, "I am standing here before Caesar's tribunal where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, and you yourself are aware of that, your excellency. If I should be found worthy of death, I do not refuse to die, but if none of the things of which these men accuse me is proven to be true, no one can turn me over to them. Therefore, I appeal to Caesar!"

Festus conferred with his council and then said to Paul, "You have now appealed to Caesar; therefore, to Caesar shall you go."

Several days later, King Agrippa and his wife Berniece, came to visit Festus. During their stay, Festus said to the king, "We have a certain prisoner here who was left in Caesarea by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem recently, the chief priest and elders in the city brought charges against this man, and asked that he be delivered to them so that they might pronounce a death penalty upon him. I told the Jewish leaders that this man, Paul, could not be turned over to them because he is a Roman citizen. It would not be lawful for him to be tried in a court where he could not present his own defense."

Agrippa listened closely as Festus related the facts concerning Paul, and then Festus continued, "Some of the accusers came back here with me from Jerusalem, and I ordered this man, Paul, to be brought before me to face them. When the charges were made, these men did not accuse Paul of the things which I expected to hear, but the accusations involved points of disagreement which they had with him in matters of their own religion, and in particular, it was about a man named Jesus whom Paul insisted was alive. I am not capable of investigation such matters, so I asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial. Instead of agreeing to that suggestion, Paul appealed to Caesar. He is now being held here in custody until I send him to Rome."

Agrippa was most interested, and said, "I would like to hear what this man has to say for myself."

Festus replied, "Good! Tomorrow you shall hear Paul.”

The next day, Agrippa and his wife came into the auditorium. They were accompanied by the generals and the prominent men of the city.

Festus ordered, "Bring the prisoner before us!"

Paul was brought before them in his chains, and as they observed Paul, Festus turned to Agrippa and said, "I have found nothing for which I could pronounce a death penalty upon him. If, after you question him, perhaps you will be able to write a letter for me indicating the charges for which I may have a good reason to send him to Caesar."

Agrippa turned his attention upon Paul, and said, "You are permitted to speak on your own behalf, Paul."

Paul stretched out his hand and answered, "King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand here before you today. I beg you to listen patiently to my defense, because I know that you are expert in knowledge regarding the customs and the teachings among the Jewish people. My accusers know that I was formerly a devout Pharisee, and that I am standing trial because I have become a Christian and have taught the people that God has promised salvation and resurrection from the dead to those who believe in the Son of God, who is Jesus, their Messiah. It is for this reason only that these unbelieving Jews want to kill me."

Paul went on to make the Gospel clear to all those who were present, and suddenly, Festus interrupted and shouted, "Paul. You must be out of your mind. Your great knowledge has driven you mad."

Paul replied, "No, I am not out of my mind, noble Festus, but the words which I speak are true. King Agrippa, you know all about the things of which I speak, and you know they are true. I have spoken confidently about Jesus, and I'm sure that none of it has escaped your notice, because it was not done in a corner."

Then Paul looked directly at the king and said, "King Agrippa, do you believe what the prophets have written? I know you believe them."

Agrippa answered, "You have almost persuaded me to become a Christian!"

To that Paul replied, "I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me today might be just as I am, except for these chains."

The king got up and left the auditorium with his wife, the governor and all of them at the hearing. When they had gone aside, they discussed the matter of Paul among themselves, and Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar!"

 

ACTS - Chapter 13

When the time came for Paul to be taken to Rome, he and some other prisoners were put on a cargo ship which was bound for the regions along the coast of Asia. A Roman centurion by the name of Julius was placed in charge of the prisoners, and when they stopped briefly at the port of Sidon, he allowed Paul to see friends who lived there.

After that, they sailed under the protection of the island of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary to them. Finally, they made their way along the coast of Cilicia and landed at Myra where Julius found a ship that was going to Italy.

Julius transferred all his prisoners to that ship, and they sailed slowly along the coast for many days. The voyage was very difficult because of some fierce winds which they encountered, so they took the ship around the island of Crete which gave them some protection from the winds.

Then they sailed, with much difficulty, away from the protection of Crete to the city of Lasea, but much time had elapsed,and the voyage was now becoming extremely dangerous.

Paul was aware of the danger both to themselves and to the cargo which they carried, and he spoke to Julius and to the shipmaster and said, "Sirs, I can see that if we continue to sail in the direction for which we are heading, there will be a great loss of cargo and also our lives.”

Julius had more confidence in the ability of the captain of the ship to handle the winds than he did to Paul's warning, so they set out to sea in an attempt to reach a harbor on the island of Crete where they wanted to spend the winter.

As they sailed, a moderate south wind came up, and the captain became confident that they would be safe if they dropped some of their anchor and sail slowly along the shores of Crete. Suddenly, a violent wind rushed down from land, and it caught the ship. The ship was unable to face the fierce wind, so the captain stopped trying to fight it, and instead he let the wind drive the ship where it would. With tremendous difficulty, the seaman were able to get the ship under control again, but they lowered a large lifeboat in case they were forced to evacuate. Meanwhile, they ran aground in the shallow waters surrounding the island.

The following day, the winds were so strong that the ship was tossed violently. The crew began to throw some of their cargo into the sea in order to lighten the ship, but to no avail. The winds continued for many days, and they saw neither sun nor stars.

The men began to lose all hope of saving the ship, and they threw some of their cargo into the sea.

Paul had remained silent since he gave his advice not to sail from Crete, but now he spoke to all of the men and said, "Sirs, you should have listened to what I told you and you would not have encountered all of this difficulty. Nevertheless, stop worrying about your lives, because not one of you will be lost as a result of this storm."

The men looked at Paul in utter disbelief, but Paul continued and said, "The Lord God, whom I serve continually, sent His angel to advise me not to be afraid! He will surely deliver me safely and take me to Rome where I will stand before Caesar. All of you who are sailing with me will reach your destination, but this ship will be destroyed.

The men looked relieved when they heard what Paul told them, and then Paul went on to say, "Now we must run aground on a certain island, and the Lord will lead us to it."

For fourteen nights, the ship was being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, and the sailors feared that the ship would damaged by rocks. They dropped some of their anchor and lowered a lifeboat. Then they waited for daylight so that they might see a way of escape.

Paul turned to the centurion and his soldiers and said, "Unless these men remain in the ship, none of you will be able to escape!"

When the sailors heard that warning, they stopped lowering the lifeboat. Then the soldiers cut the ropes which held the small boat, and let it go away from the ship.

At dawn the next morning, Paul encouraged all of the men to eat. He said to them, "Sirs, you have been constantly on the alert and you have eaten nothing for fourteen days! You must eat now and stop worrying, because not one hair of your heads will be lost."

Then Paul took bread and gave thanks to the Lord for it as the men all watched and heard his prayer of thanks. They became encouraged, and then they also ate.

There were two hundred seventy-six persons aboard the ship, and after they had all eaten, the sailors began to throw their wheat overboard.

Daylight came at last, and they sighted an island, but they were unable to identify it by name. Then they noticed a bay and a beach onto which they might be able to drive the ship.

As they headed toward the beach, the ship struck a reef, and the ship stuck fast. The force of the waves upon the ship broke up the stern, and-they were forced to evacuate before the ship sunk.

The soldiers shouted, "Let's kill the prisoners! They may swim away and escape if we let them live, and they are our responsibility!"

The centurion wanted to protect Paul in particular, so he ordered his men and said, "Do the prisoners no harm whatsoever. All passengers will have a choice to either swim to shore if they are able, or they may take boards or parts of the broken ship to ride on and get to shore."

The centurion's orders were obeyed, and all of the men reached the shore in safety, just as Paul had told them they would.

 

ACTS - Chapter 14

When all the men reached the island, they were told it was the island of Malta. The natives received the strangers with extraordinary kindness and consideration, and because the weather was cold and damp due to recent rains, they kindled a fire for them on the beach.

Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid them on the fire, a poisonous snake came out and fastened itself on Paul's hand.

The natives saw the snake and knew it was a deadly kind of creature. One said to his friend who stood by, "Look at that! This man must be a murderer! He escaped drowning, but now he is getting punished for what he did."

Paul wasn't alarmed by the snake, but he shook it off his hand and threw it into the fire. Those who were watching expected to see Paul swell up from the snakebite or fall over dead from the poison, but when they saw that no harm came to Paul, they said, "This man must be a god!"

On the island of Malta lived a great man by the name of Publius who welcomed Julius and all who he had brought with him. Publius entertained the men courteously for three days. He told them his father was stricken with a terrible fever which no one had been able to cure. Paul offered his services and healed the elderly man. When the islanders saw that, they brought others who were sick to Paul, and he cured their illnesses.

(All of the apostles were given temporary gifts of healing the sick during the time before the canon of scripture was completed, but by 90 A.D., God had given his completed Word to us in writing, and the temporary miracle gifts were taken away. The purpose for them had been to gain an audience for the words spoken by the apostles, and to prove that they had the authority to speak dogmatically about everything pertaining to God.)

 

ACTS - Chapter 15

At the end of of three months, Julius engaged an Alexandrian ship which had been anchored at Malta during the winter. They set sail, and after about two weeks, they arrived in Rome.

Paul was given a house in which to live with a soldier who guarded him. Some Jews who lived in Rome heard that Paul was in the city and they wanted to see him.

After several days, Paul sent for the leaders of the Jews in Rome and said to them, "Brethren, although I did nothing wrong against our people or against the traditions of our forefathers, I was made a prisoner. When I was questioned by the Roman authorities, they found no reason to put me to death and wanted to release me. However, the unbelieving, religious Jews from Jerusalem objected to setting me free, so I appealed to Caesar. Now I am here in Rome, a prisoner in chains, because I represent Jesus who is the hope of Israel."

One of the Jews answered Paul saying, "We didn't receive any letters from Judea concerning you, Paul."

Another man spoke and said, "No, and none of the Jewish brethren came to us to report anything bad about you."

Still another man said, "Paul, choose a day for us to come to hear your views regarding this Christianity about which you speak. All we have been told is that it is not good."

A definite day was set, and many Jews came to hear Paul. From morning until evening, Paul proved to them that Jesus was spoken of in both the writings of Moses and also by all of the prophets.

Some of the Jews were persuaded by Paul's words, but others refused to believe him.

They began to argue among themselves and started to leave, but they were detained for awhile when Paul said, "I have some parting words for you men. They are from the prophet Isaiah regarding you and your fathers before you. Those words are: 'Go to this people and say, 'You will keep on hearing, but will not understand, and you will keep on seeing, but you will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears, they scarcely hear. They have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I should heal them.' “

Then Paul concluded by saying, "Because of your rejection of these truths, God has taken His message of salvation to the Gentiles, and they will listen and believe His Word."

When they heard those words directed at them, the Jews left Paul and disputed among themselves.

Paul remained two full years in his own quarters and welcomed all those who came to hear him speak about the Kingdom of God and, in particular, about the Lord Jesus Christ who had paid the penalty for all the sins of the world.

During his imprisonment, Paul wrote many of the New Testament epistles, and they became a part of the canon of scripture.

Paul stood before Nero, who held the office of Caesar at that time, and historians tell us that he was executed under Roman law. He died by decapitation.

Paul claimed that he was the worst sinner who ever lived, because he persecuted the Church as an unbeliever. We know, however, that he was one of the greatest servants of Jesus Christ who ever lived.

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CHAPTER V

LAZARUS - CHAPTER 1

"LAZARUS! HERE! OUTSIDE!”

Suddenly, those words jolted me out of my rest! Moments later I heard a grinding sound and realized it was the sound of the stone which covered the mouth of the cave which held me, and it was being moved away from the opening of the cave.

A flood of light came into the darkness, and the sounds of very familiar voices rang in my ears.

The sharp command calling my name then said, "Go out into the light!" That voice was easily recognized! It was the voice of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

Didn't I tell you? I was dead, and only God could bring me back to life again.

Let me tell you how and why I happened to be in that grave in the first place. My name is LAZARUS, and I live in a town called Bethany. Bethany is a small suburb just about two miles south of Jerusalem. My sisters, Mary and Martha, live there with me. The three of us have had very close association with the Lord Jesus Christ during his three-year ministry.

One day, I became very ill, and my sisters sent word to Jesus, telling Him of my illness. They asked Him to come to Bethany to prevent me from dying.

When the message of my illness reached Jesus, He and His disciples were in Galilee, which was about a two-day journey from our home. When Jesus understood how serious my condition was, He didn't leave right away. Instead, He remained in the place where He was teaching for two more days! Then He said to His disciples, "Let's go to Judea. Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I will go there to awaken him."

The disciples tried hard to change Jesus' mind, because the religious Jews in Jerusalem had tried to stone Him when He was in that area not very long before that. They argued and said, "If Lazarus is asleep, it means he will. soon be well again!"

Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead! I'm glad I wasn't there when he died, because you may not have believed what I am about to do! Let us go now and see Lazarus again!"

LAZARUS - CHAPTER 2

As soon as my sister Martha received word that Jesus was coming back to Bethany, she went to meet Him.

Mary stayed in the house with friends who had come to comfort her.

When Martha saw Jesus, she said to Him, "Lord! If you had been here, my brother would not have died!"

Jesus answered her, "Martha, your brother will rise again!"

Martha responded, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Then Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life! He who lives and believes in Me shall never die! Do you believe that, Martha?"

Martha answered, "Yes, Lord! I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world!"

After saying that, Martha went home and spoke privately to her sister Mary. She said, "Mary, the Master is here, and He is asking for you."

When Mary heard that, she got up quickly and left her friends. Then she went to the place where Jesus was, just outside of Bethany and near the tomb where my body was buried. Mary's friends thought she was going to the grave to weep, so they followed her.

When Mary saw Jesus, she said to Him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!" Those were the very same words Martha had spoken to Him!

Jesus groaned inwardly, because neither Martha nor Mary had really learned that He had the power to raise the dead! He is OMNIPOTENT! (all powerful)

Then Jesus asked the people there, "Where have you laid Lazarus' body?"

They replied, "Lord! Come and see!" They took Him to the grave. It was a cave with a large stone rolled in front of the opening.

Jesus said, "Roll away the stone from the cave."

Martha said, "Lord! That's not a good idea! He has been dead for four days now, and the smell of the decaying body will be very bad!"

Jesus looked steadily at her and said, "Martha, I have told you before that if you believe my words, you will see the glory of God!" Then He walked to the tomb and shouted the words that awakened me, which were: "Lazarus! Here! Outside!"

Of course, I awoke immediately and saw the daylight streaming into the tomb as the stone was being rolled away from the opening of my grave. I struggled to get up, and then I managed to get outside, hopping like a rabbit, as the graveclothes were wrapped tightly around my body. It was wonderful to be alive again!

My sisters were there watching while others obeyed Jesus' instructions to loose me from the bandages which covered my body. They were all amazed to see that my body was restored to life again and how completely well I was.

As a result of seeing the power of God in His ability to raise the dead, many who stood there at the scene believed He was the Messiah, and they were eternally saved. Sadly, however, many others disbelieved what they saw with their own eyes. Instead of putting their faith in the Son of God who stood before them, they went to their religious leaders, the Pharisees, and reported what Jesus had done.

This information only added to the envy and hatred which the religious leaders had for Jesus, and they tried even harder to find a way to destroy Him.


LAZARUS - CHAPTER 3

Not many days after Jesus raised me from the dead, my sisters and I were invited, along with many others, to a dinner party in the home of a neighbor of ours by the name of Simon. He was a wealthy man and had been a leper before the Lord healed him.

Simon had a son by the name of Judas. Judas was a very common name at that time, but this particular Judas was also one of the twelve disciples who accompanied Jesus during His three-year ministry on earth.

I went to Simon's dinner party without my sisters. Martha was already there, as she went early in the day to help with some of the kitchen duties. Later she would help with serving the food to the guests. Martha was always very busy in our kitchen too, and a good helper when someone was in need of her services.

Mary had told Martha and I earlier in the day that she had an errand to run and would join us later at Simon's house. Mary was a very different kind of person than Martha. We noticed that she spent many hours sitting at Jesus' feet and listened as He taught the Word of God to her. Mary had not always been so interested in spiritual things, but when she heard Jesus teach, her life was dramatically changed for the better.

When I entered Simon's home, I saw that there were already many guests who had arrived earlier. I saw Jesus, the guest-of-honor, seated at the head of one of the tables. Our host, Simon, was seated next to Him. Everyone was reclining at the tables Roman-style.

One of the servants took me to the table where Jesus and Simon were seated, and he gave me the seat on the other side of Jesus. Some of the guests stopped by our table to talk with Jesus. They told Him that one of the reasons they came to Simon's dinner party was to see me. Their curiosity had to be satisfied, and they personally wanted to look at someone who had been dead and was now alive again!

While dinner was in progress, I was curiously surprised to see my sister Mary come in quietly. She had a small box in her hand. She went directly to Jesus and opened the box. The fragrance told me immediately that it was a very expensive ointment. (Now I knew what she had in mind this morning when she told Martha and I about an errand she had to run before coming to the dinner party. She went out to buy this ointment!)

Mary began to weep softly as she applied the ointment to Jesus' feet. Then she wiped His feet with her hair.

By this time, everyone in the room was watching intently, and they wondered why Mary was doing that to Jesus. She began to put it on Jesus' head also!

Simon turned to one of his guests who sat near him and said in a low tone because it was regarding Jesus, "This man, if he were a prophet, should have known what a sinful person this woman is, and he would not have allowed her to do these things to him!"

Jesus didn't hear Simon's remarks, but He knew Simon's thoughts. He said, "Simon, I'd like to tell you a story. There was a man who was a creditor, and he loaned two men a great deal of money. When the man learned that neither of his debtors was able to repay the money they owed him, he had compassion on them and cancelled both their debts. Which of the two debtors do you think was the most grateful?"

Without any hesitation, Simon replied, "The one who owed him the most, of course!"

Jesus said, "Yes, Simon. What you have said is true. Now I want you to observe this woman whom you are criticising. When I came into your home, you gave me no water for my feet. This woman has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with her own hair. Also, you gave me no customary kiss to greet me when I entered your home, but she has not stopped kissing my feet. You didn't annoint my head with oil to indicate to your other guests that I was to be your guest-of-honor, but this woman has annointed my head and my feet with a very precious ointment. Because she loved much, her sins, which are many, are forgiven! To whom little is fo