The Hebrew prophet Hosea was used by God to reflect the heart of God to a people determined to break God’s heart. As a loving parent who dotes over their child only to have that child grow up to turn against everything true, holy and decent. In Hosea’s case it was his wife. Today we are seeing a huge increase in children raised to love the Lord Jesus only to turn against Him as they enter their teen years, especially the girls! The sodomite activity of what Satan calls transgender, in all it darkness is turning our generation into a snack bar for Satan, who loves to gobble up souls.
The Undaunted Shepherd
In the mind of Paul and the leaders of the Ephesian church gathered with him, this is the last time that they will see Paul this side of heaven. They were likely wrong. Yes, Paul will be arrested and taken to Rome, but history points to his release; to die another day at the hand of Caesar. This is one of the magnificent passages of Scripture: Paul’s dedication to ministry, his undaunted labor as a shepherd under Christ, his warnings, and the mutual passion for each other between Paul the pastor and the Ephesian lovers of Jesus.
The Undaunted Servant
As Paul makes his way to Jerusalem by sea, he called for the pastors from the church in Ephesus to meet him at Miletus. To them, in that port city, he began one of the greatest reviews of ministry in the Bible: how he labored for the Gospel among them and taught the whole word of God to them in the assembly and individually; that more trouble awaited him in Jerusalem and was no reason for him to not go to Jerusalem, for he was an undaunted servant for Christ. Yet this was only one part of what he had to say to them, which we’ll get to in the next session.
Sleeping in Church
Taking advantage of the Roman roads and shipping lanes, Paul traveled through what is today known as Greece and Turkey preaching the Gospel, establishing churches, and exhorting believers. In the coastal city of Troas, Paul poured himself into preaching the word, so much so, that Luke emphasizes this four times: encouraged them with many words … continued his message until midnight… Paul continued speaking … talked a long while, even till daybreak. At one point, a young man, overcome with sleep while listening while sitting in a window, fell three stories to his death. Paul revived him, then resumed preaching.
Ball of Confusion
The apostle Paul intended to go to Jerusalem, but first went in the opposite direction to Greece. This was because he collected offerings for the Christians in Jerusalem who were suffering economic hardship for their faith. But before he left Ephesus, a riot broke out because of the victories over Satan in that city. Conversion of the Holy Spirit caused so many people to abandon idolatry that the idol fabricating industries suffered loss of profits. This caused an outcry by a man named Demetrius, which in turn led to an uproar in the city. Their protests became very confused and large enough to draw concern. It all pictures the world’s way of thinking about the Gospel as a misguided ball of confusion.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- …
- 100
- Next Page »