Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Ephesus » Paul visits and preaches in
Then they came to Ephesus, and Paul left them there. He went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. They asked him to stay longer, but he would not consent. But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.
For Paul's plan was to sail past Ephesus, so as not to lose any time in the province of Asia; for he was eager, if possible, to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost. From Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived among you all the time from the day I first set foot in the province of Asia, and how I continued read more.
to serve the Lord with all humility and in tears, through the trials that befell me because of the plots of the Jews. I never shrank from telling you anything that was for your good, nor from teaching you in public and in private, but constantly and earnestly I urged Greeks as well as Jews to turn with repentance to God and to have faith in our Lord Jesus. And I am here now on my way to Jerusalem, because I am impelled by the Spirit to do so, though I am not aware what will befall me there, except that in town after town the Holy Spirit emphatically assures me that imprisonment and sufferings are awaiting me. But now I count as nothing the sacrifice of my life, if only I can finish my race and render the service entrusted to me by the Lord Jesus, of faithfully telling the good news of God's favor. And now I know that none of you among whom I went about preaching the kingdom will ever see my face again. I therefore protest to you today that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I never shrank from telling you God's whole plan. Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, so as to continue to be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. Because I know that after I have gone violent wolves will break in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will appear who will try, by speaking perversions of truth, to draw away the disciples after them. So ever be on your guard and always remember that for three years, night and day, I never ceased warning you one by one, and that with tears. And now I commit you to the Lord, and to the message of His favor, which is able to build you up and to give you your proper possession among all God's consecrated people. I have never coveted any man's silver or gold or clothes. You know yourselves that these hands of mine provided for my own needs and for my companions. In everything I showed you that by working hard like this we must help those who are weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It makes one happier to give than to get.'" After he had finished this speech, he fell on his knees with them all and prayed. There was loud weeping by them all, as they threw their arms around Paul's neck and kept on kissing him with affection, (44:37) because they were especially pained at his saying that they would never see his face again. Then they went down to the ship with him.
to serve the Lord with all humility and in tears, through the trials that befell me because of the plots of the Jews. I never shrank from telling you anything that was for your good, nor from teaching you in public and in private, but constantly and earnestly I urged Greeks as well as Jews to turn with repentance to God and to have faith in our Lord Jesus. And I am here now on my way to Jerusalem, because I am impelled by the Spirit to do so, though I am not aware what will befall me there, except that in town after town the Holy Spirit emphatically assures me that imprisonment and sufferings are awaiting me. But now I count as nothing the sacrifice of my life, if only I can finish my race and render the service entrusted to me by the Lord Jesus, of faithfully telling the good news of God's favor. And now I know that none of you among whom I went about preaching the kingdom will ever see my face again. I therefore protest to you today that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I never shrank from telling you God's whole plan. Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, so as to continue to be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. Because I know that after I have gone violent wolves will break in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will appear who will try, by speaking perversions of truth, to draw away the disciples after them. So ever be on your guard and always remember that for three years, night and day, I never ceased warning you one by one, and that with tears. And now I commit you to the Lord, and to the message of His favor, which is able to build you up and to give you your proper possession among all God's consecrated people. I have never coveted any man's silver or gold or clothes. You know yourselves that these hands of mine provided for my own needs and for my companions. In everything I showed you that by working hard like this we must help those who are weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It makes one happier to give than to get.'" After he had finished this speech, he fell on his knees with them all and prayed. There was loud weeping by them all, as they threw their arms around Paul's neck and kept on kissing him with affection, (44:37) because they were especially pained at his saying that they would never see his face again. Then they went down to the ship with him.
Ephesus » Apollos visits and preaches in
Now Paul stayed a considerable time longer in Corinth, and then bade the brothers goodbye and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. Then they came to Ephesus, and Paul left them there. He went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. They asked him to stay longer, but he would not consent. read more.
But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he reached Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there; then he went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he started out again, and by a definite schedule traveled all over Galatia and Phrygia, imparting new strength to all the disciples. Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was a native of Alexandria, a learned man, and skillful in the use of the Scriptures. He had been instructed about the way of the Lord, and with spiritual fervor he was speaking and was accurately teaching some details about Jesus, although he knew of no baptism but John's. He started speaking courageously in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home with them and more accurately explained the way of God to him. Because he wished to cross to Greece, the brothers wrote and urged the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival he rendered great service to those who through God's favor had believed, for he successfully refuted the Jews in public and proved by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he reached Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there; then he went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he started out again, and by a definite schedule traveled all over Galatia and Phrygia, imparting new strength to all the disciples. Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was a native of Alexandria, a learned man, and skillful in the use of the Scriptures. He had been instructed about the way of the Lord, and with spiritual fervor he was speaking and was accurately teaching some details about Jesus, although he knew of no baptism but John's. He started speaking courageously in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home with them and more accurately explained the way of God to him. Because he wished to cross to Greece, the brothers wrote and urged the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival he rendered great service to those who through God's favor had believed, for he successfully refuted the Jews in public and proved by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Feasts » Instituted by moses » Observed » By paul
After these events had been brought to a close, Paul under the guidance of the Spirit decided to pass through Macedonia and Greece on his way to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have gone there I must see Rome too."
After several years' absence I came to bring contributions of charity for my nation, and to offer sacrifices.
For Paul's plan was to sail past Ephesus, so as not to lose any time in the province of Asia; for he was eager, if possible, to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost.
while we, after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, sailed from Philippi, and five days after joined them at Troas, where we spent a week.
But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.
for you can verify the fact that not more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship,
Jerusalem » And
Our forefathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship Him."
His parents were in the habit of going to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.
After this, Jesus went on moving about in Galilee; He would not do so in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill Him. Now the Jewish feast of Dwelling in Tents was approaching. So His brothers said to Him, "You must leave here and go to Judea, to let your disciples also see the works that you are doing; read more.
for no one does anything in secret when he is trying to be known to the public. If you are going to do this, show yourself publicly to the world." For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them, "It is not yet time for me to do so, but anytime is suitable for you. It is impossible for the world to hate you; it is I whom it hates, because I continue to testify that its works are wicked. Go up to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to it yet, for it is not quite time for me to go." He told them this and stayed on in Galilee. But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He went up too, not publicly but, as it were, privately. Now the Jews at the feast were looking for Him and kept asking, "Where is He?" And there was a great deal of grumbling about Him among the crowds, some saying that He was a good man, and others that He was not, but was misleading the masses. And yet, for fear of the Jews, nobody dared to speak in public about Him. Now when the feast was already half over, Jesus went up to the temple and began to teach.
for no one does anything in secret when he is trying to be known to the public. If you are going to do this, show yourself publicly to the world." For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them, "It is not yet time for me to do so, but anytime is suitable for you. It is impossible for the world to hate you; it is I whom it hates, because I continue to testify that its works are wicked. Go up to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to it yet, for it is not quite time for me to go." He told them this and stayed on in Galilee. But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He went up too, not publicly but, as it were, privately. Now the Jews at the feast were looking for Him and kept asking, "Where is He?" And there was a great deal of grumbling about Him among the crowds, some saying that He was a good man, and others that He was not, but was misleading the masses. And yet, for fear of the Jews, nobody dared to speak in public about Him. Now when the feast was already half over, Jesus went up to the temple and began to teach.
Missionary journeys » Ac 13-14 » Second - with silas
Some days after this Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town where we preached the Lord's message, to see how they are." But Barnabas persisted in wanting to take along John who was called Mark. Paul, however, did not consider such a man fit to take along with them, the man who deserted them in Pamphylia and did not go on with them to the work. read more.
The disagreement was so sharp that they separated, and Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. But Paul selected Silas and set out, after the brothers had committed him to the favor of the Lord. He journeyed on through Syria and Cilicia and continued to strengthen the churches. Now he went to Derbe and Lystra too. At Lystra there was a disciple named Timothy, whose mother was a Christian Jewess, but his father was a Greek. He had a high reputation among the brothers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to join him in his journey; so on account of the Jews in that district he took him and had him circumcised, for everybody knew that his father was a Greek. As they journeyed on from town to town, they delivered to the brothers to keep the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches through faith continued to grow in strength and to increase in numbers from day to day. Then they crossed Phrygia and Galatia. But because they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia, they went on to Mysia and tried to get into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. There Paul had a vision one night: a man from Macedonia kept standing and pleading with him in these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" As soon as he had this vision, we laid our plans to get off to Macedonia, because we confidently concluded that God had called us to tell them the good news. So we sailed away from Troy and struck a bee line for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we went on to Philippi, a Roman colony, the leading town in that part of Macedonia. In this town we stayed some days. On the sabbath we went outside the gate, to the bank of the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to talk with the women who had met there. Among them was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods from the town of Thyatira, and she stayed to listen to us. She was already a worshiper of God, and the Lord so moved upon her heart that she accepted the message spoken by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she begged us by continuing to say, "If you have made up your mind that I am a real believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house." And she continued to insist that we do so. Once as we were on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had the gift of magical fortune-telling, and continued to make great profits for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl kept following Paul and the rest of us, shrieking, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, and they are proclaiming to you a way of salvation." She kept this up for a number of days. Because Paul was so much annoyed by her, he turned and said to the spirit in her, "In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her." And that very moment it came out. But as the owners saw that the hope of their profit-making was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square, before the authorities, and brought them to the chiefs of the police court. They said, "These men are Jews; they continue to make great disturbance in our town and to advocate practices which it is against the law for us Romans to accept or observe." The crowd also joined in the attack upon them, and the chiefs of the police court had them stripped and flogged. After flogging them severely, they put them into jail, and gave the jailer orders to keep close watch on them. Because he had such strict orders, he put them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was an earthquake so great that it shook the very foundations of the jail, the doors all flew open, and every prisoner's chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw that the jail doors were open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul at once shouted out to him, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!" Then the jailer called for lights and rushed in and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. After leading them out of the jail, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved." Then they told God's message to him and to all the members of his household. Even at that time of the night he took them and washed their wounds, and he and all the members of his household at once were baptized. Then he took them up to his house and gave them food, and he and all the members of his household were happy in their faith in God. When day broke, the chiefs of the police court sent policemen with the message to let the men go. The jailer reported this message to Paul, saying, "The chiefs of the police court have sent orders to let you go. So now you may come out and go in peace." But Paul said to them, "They beat us in public and that without a trial, and put us in jail although we are Roman citizens! Let them come here themselves and take us out!" The policemen reported this message to the chiefs of the police court, and they became alarmed when they heard that they were Roman citizens, and came and pleaded with them, and took them out and begged them to leave town. After getting out of jail, they went to Lydia's house; they saw the brothers and encouraged them, and then left town. Now they traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia until they reached Thessalonica. Here there was a Jewish synagogue. So Paul, as he usually did, went to the synagogue, and for three sabbaths discussed with them the Scriptures, explaining them and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and said, "This very Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ." So some of them were convinced, and they joined Paul and Silas; also quite a number of devout Greeks and not a few women of the first rank. But this enraged the Jews; so they got together some wicked loafers about the public square, formed a mob, and set the town in an uproar. They stopped at Jason's house and tried to bring them out to the people. So, as they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the town magistrates, shouting, "These fellows, who have turned the world topsy-turvy, have come here too, and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to the Emperor's decrees, because they claim there is another king, Jesus." Thus they wrought up to great excitement the crowd and the town magistrates, on their hearing this, and they made Jason and the other brothers give bond, and then turned them loose. That night at once the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, and on arriving there they went to the Jewish synagogue. The Jews there were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with all eagerness and carried on a daily study of the Scriptures to see if Paul's message was true. Many of them came to believe, and not a few distinguished Greek women and men. But when the Jews at Thessalonica learned that God's message had been proclaimed at Berea by Paul, they came there too to excite the masses and stir up a riot. Then the brothers at once sent Paul off to the coast, while Silas and Timothy stayed on there. The men who acted as Paul's bodyguard took him all the way to Athens, and then went back with orders for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible. While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred to its depths to see the city completely steeped in idolatry. So he kept up his discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the pagans who were worshiping there, and also day by day in the public square with any who chanced to be there. Some of the Epicurean and the Stoic philosophers began to debate with him; and some said, "What is this scraps-of-truth-picker trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities." They said so because he was telling the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. So they took him and brought him to the city auditorium and said, "May we know what this new teaching of yours is? For some of the things you bring sound startling to us; so we want to know just what they mean." (Now all the Athenians and foreign visitors in Athens used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to the latest new thing out.) So Paul stood up in the center of the auditorium and said: "Men of Athens, at every turn I make I see that you are very religious. For as I was going here and there and looking at the things you worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' So it is about the Being whom you are in ignorance already worshiping that I am telling you. The God who made the world and all that it contains, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by human hands, nor is He served by human hands as though He were in need of anything, for He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one forefather He made every nation of mankind, for living all over the face of the earth, fixing their appointed times and the limits of their lands, so that they might search for God, possibly they might grope for Him, and find Him, though He is really not far from any of us. For it is through union with Him that we live and move and exist, as some of your own poets have said, "'For we are His offspring too.' Since then we are God's offspring, we ought not to suppose that His nature is like gold or silver or stone or anything carved by man's art and thought. Though God overlooked those times of ignorance, He now commands all men everywhere to repent, since He has set a day on which He will justly judge the world through a man whom He has appointed. He has made this credible to all by raising Him from the dead." But when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some sneered, but others said, "We will hear you again on this subject." So Paul left the auditorium. Some men, however, joined him and came to believe, among them Dionysius, a member of the city council; also a woman named Damaris, and some others. After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had issued an edict for all Jews to leave Rome. So Paul paid them a visit, and as they all had the same trade, they proceeded to work together. Every sabbath it was Paul's habit to preach in the synagogue and to persuade both Jews and Greeks. By the time Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was wholly absorbed in preaching the message and was enthusiastically assuring the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But as they opposed and abused him, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads! I am not to blame for it myself. Hereafter I am going to the heathen." So he moved into the house of a pagan named Titus Justus, who worshiped the true God; his house was next to the synagogue. But Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, and so did all his family, and from time to time many of the Corinthians heard, believed, and were baptized. One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, "Stop being afraid, go on speaking, never give up; because I am with you, and no one is going to attack you so as to injure you, because I have many people in this city." So for a year and a half he settled down among them and went on teaching God's message. While Gallio was governor of Greece, the Jews unanimously attacked Paul and one day brought him before the court, and said, "This fellow is inducing people to worship God in ways that violate our laws." As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were some misdemeanor or underhanded rascality, O Jews, I would in reason listen to you; but as it is questions about words and titles and your own law, you will have to see to it yourselves. I refuse to act as judge in these matters." So he drove them away from the court. Then they all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and kept beating him right in front of the court; but Gallio paid no attention to it. Now Paul stayed a considerable time longer in Corinth, and then bade the brothers goodbye and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. Then they came to Ephesus, and Paul left them there. He went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. They asked him to stay longer, but he would not consent. But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he reached Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there; then he went down to Antioch.
The disagreement was so sharp that they separated, and Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. But Paul selected Silas and set out, after the brothers had committed him to the favor of the Lord. He journeyed on through Syria and Cilicia and continued to strengthen the churches. Now he went to Derbe and Lystra too. At Lystra there was a disciple named Timothy, whose mother was a Christian Jewess, but his father was a Greek. He had a high reputation among the brothers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to join him in his journey; so on account of the Jews in that district he took him and had him circumcised, for everybody knew that his father was a Greek. As they journeyed on from town to town, they delivered to the brothers to keep the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches through faith continued to grow in strength and to increase in numbers from day to day. Then they crossed Phrygia and Galatia. But because they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia, they went on to Mysia and tried to get into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. There Paul had a vision one night: a man from Macedonia kept standing and pleading with him in these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" As soon as he had this vision, we laid our plans to get off to Macedonia, because we confidently concluded that God had called us to tell them the good news. So we sailed away from Troy and struck a bee line for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we went on to Philippi, a Roman colony, the leading town in that part of Macedonia. In this town we stayed some days. On the sabbath we went outside the gate, to the bank of the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to talk with the women who had met there. Among them was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods from the town of Thyatira, and she stayed to listen to us. She was already a worshiper of God, and the Lord so moved upon her heart that she accepted the message spoken by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she begged us by continuing to say, "If you have made up your mind that I am a real believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house." And she continued to insist that we do so. Once as we were on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had the gift of magical fortune-telling, and continued to make great profits for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl kept following Paul and the rest of us, shrieking, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, and they are proclaiming to you a way of salvation." She kept this up for a number of days. Because Paul was so much annoyed by her, he turned and said to the spirit in her, "In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her." And that very moment it came out. But as the owners saw that the hope of their profit-making was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square, before the authorities, and brought them to the chiefs of the police court. They said, "These men are Jews; they continue to make great disturbance in our town and to advocate practices which it is against the law for us Romans to accept or observe." The crowd also joined in the attack upon them, and the chiefs of the police court had them stripped and flogged. After flogging them severely, they put them into jail, and gave the jailer orders to keep close watch on them. Because he had such strict orders, he put them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was an earthquake so great that it shook the very foundations of the jail, the doors all flew open, and every prisoner's chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw that the jail doors were open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul at once shouted out to him, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!" Then the jailer called for lights and rushed in and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. After leading them out of the jail, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved." Then they told God's message to him and to all the members of his household. Even at that time of the night he took them and washed their wounds, and he and all the members of his household at once were baptized. Then he took them up to his house and gave them food, and he and all the members of his household were happy in their faith in God. When day broke, the chiefs of the police court sent policemen with the message to let the men go. The jailer reported this message to Paul, saying, "The chiefs of the police court have sent orders to let you go. So now you may come out and go in peace." But Paul said to them, "They beat us in public and that without a trial, and put us in jail although we are Roman citizens! Let them come here themselves and take us out!" The policemen reported this message to the chiefs of the police court, and they became alarmed when they heard that they were Roman citizens, and came and pleaded with them, and took them out and begged them to leave town. After getting out of jail, they went to Lydia's house; they saw the brothers and encouraged them, and then left town. Now they traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia until they reached Thessalonica. Here there was a Jewish synagogue. So Paul, as he usually did, went to the synagogue, and for three sabbaths discussed with them the Scriptures, explaining them and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and said, "This very Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ." So some of them were convinced, and they joined Paul and Silas; also quite a number of devout Greeks and not a few women of the first rank. But this enraged the Jews; so they got together some wicked loafers about the public square, formed a mob, and set the town in an uproar. They stopped at Jason's house and tried to bring them out to the people. So, as they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the town magistrates, shouting, "These fellows, who have turned the world topsy-turvy, have come here too, and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to the Emperor's decrees, because they claim there is another king, Jesus." Thus they wrought up to great excitement the crowd and the town magistrates, on their hearing this, and they made Jason and the other brothers give bond, and then turned them loose. That night at once the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, and on arriving there they went to the Jewish synagogue. The Jews there were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with all eagerness and carried on a daily study of the Scriptures to see if Paul's message was true. Many of them came to believe, and not a few distinguished Greek women and men. But when the Jews at Thessalonica learned that God's message had been proclaimed at Berea by Paul, they came there too to excite the masses and stir up a riot. Then the brothers at once sent Paul off to the coast, while Silas and Timothy stayed on there. The men who acted as Paul's bodyguard took him all the way to Athens, and then went back with orders for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible. While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred to its depths to see the city completely steeped in idolatry. So he kept up his discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the pagans who were worshiping there, and also day by day in the public square with any who chanced to be there. Some of the Epicurean and the Stoic philosophers began to debate with him; and some said, "What is this scraps-of-truth-picker trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities." They said so because he was telling the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. So they took him and brought him to the city auditorium and said, "May we know what this new teaching of yours is? For some of the things you bring sound startling to us; so we want to know just what they mean." (Now all the Athenians and foreign visitors in Athens used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to the latest new thing out.) So Paul stood up in the center of the auditorium and said: "Men of Athens, at every turn I make I see that you are very religious. For as I was going here and there and looking at the things you worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' So it is about the Being whom you are in ignorance already worshiping that I am telling you. The God who made the world and all that it contains, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by human hands, nor is He served by human hands as though He were in need of anything, for He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one forefather He made every nation of mankind, for living all over the face of the earth, fixing their appointed times and the limits of their lands, so that they might search for God, possibly they might grope for Him, and find Him, though He is really not far from any of us. For it is through union with Him that we live and move and exist, as some of your own poets have said, "'For we are His offspring too.' Since then we are God's offspring, we ought not to suppose that His nature is like gold or silver or stone or anything carved by man's art and thought. Though God overlooked those times of ignorance, He now commands all men everywhere to repent, since He has set a day on which He will justly judge the world through a man whom He has appointed. He has made this credible to all by raising Him from the dead." But when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some sneered, but others said, "We will hear you again on this subject." So Paul left the auditorium. Some men, however, joined him and came to believe, among them Dionysius, a member of the city council; also a woman named Damaris, and some others. After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had issued an edict for all Jews to leave Rome. So Paul paid them a visit, and as they all had the same trade, they proceeded to work together. Every sabbath it was Paul's habit to preach in the synagogue and to persuade both Jews and Greeks. By the time Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was wholly absorbed in preaching the message and was enthusiastically assuring the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But as they opposed and abused him, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads! I am not to blame for it myself. Hereafter I am going to the heathen." So he moved into the house of a pagan named Titus Justus, who worshiped the true God; his house was next to the synagogue. But Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, and so did all his family, and from time to time many of the Corinthians heard, believed, and were baptized. One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, "Stop being afraid, go on speaking, never give up; because I am with you, and no one is going to attack you so as to injure you, because I have many people in this city." So for a year and a half he settled down among them and went on teaching God's message. While Gallio was governor of Greece, the Jews unanimously attacked Paul and one day brought him before the court, and said, "This fellow is inducing people to worship God in ways that violate our laws." As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were some misdemeanor or underhanded rascality, O Jews, I would in reason listen to you; but as it is questions about words and titles and your own law, you will have to see to it yourselves. I refuse to act as judge in these matters." So he drove them away from the court. Then they all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and kept beating him right in front of the court; but Gallio paid no attention to it. Now Paul stayed a considerable time longer in Corinth, and then bade the brothers goodbye and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. Then they came to Ephesus, and Paul left them there. He went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. They asked him to stay longer, but he would not consent. But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he reached Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there; then he went down to Antioch.
Paul » Visits » Ephesus
Now Paul stayed a considerable time longer in Corinth, and then bade the brothers goodbye and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. Then they came to Ephesus, and Paul left them there. He went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. They asked him to stay longer, but he would not consent. read more.
But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he reached Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there; then he went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he started out again, and by a definite schedule traveled all over Galatia and Phrygia, imparting new strength to all the disciples.
But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he reached Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there; then he went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he started out again, and by a definite schedule traveled all over Galatia and Phrygia, imparting new strength to all the disciples.
Paul's » First - with barnabas and john mark ac 13-14 » Second - with silas
Some days after this Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town where we preached the Lord's message, to see how they are." But Barnabas persisted in wanting to take along John who was called Mark. Paul, however, did not consider such a man fit to take along with them, the man who deserted them in Pamphylia and did not go on with them to the work. read more.
The disagreement was so sharp that they separated, and Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. But Paul selected Silas and set out, after the brothers had committed him to the favor of the Lord. He journeyed on through Syria and Cilicia and continued to strengthen the churches. Now he went to Derbe and Lystra too. At Lystra there was a disciple named Timothy, whose mother was a Christian Jewess, but his father was a Greek. He had a high reputation among the brothers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to join him in his journey; so on account of the Jews in that district he took him and had him circumcised, for everybody knew that his father was a Greek. As they journeyed on from town to town, they delivered to the brothers to keep the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches through faith continued to grow in strength and to increase in numbers from day to day. Then they crossed Phrygia and Galatia. But because they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia, they went on to Mysia and tried to get into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. There Paul had a vision one night: a man from Macedonia kept standing and pleading with him in these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" As soon as he had this vision, we laid our plans to get off to Macedonia, because we confidently concluded that God had called us to tell them the good news. So we sailed away from Troy and struck a bee line for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we went on to Philippi, a Roman colony, the leading town in that part of Macedonia. In this town we stayed some days. On the sabbath we went outside the gate, to the bank of the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to talk with the women who had met there. Among them was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods from the town of Thyatira, and she stayed to listen to us. She was already a worshiper of God, and the Lord so moved upon her heart that she accepted the message spoken by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she begged us by continuing to say, "If you have made up your mind that I am a real believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house." And she continued to insist that we do so. Once as we were on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had the gift of magical fortune-telling, and continued to make great profits for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl kept following Paul and the rest of us, shrieking, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, and they are proclaiming to you a way of salvation." She kept this up for a number of days. Because Paul was so much annoyed by her, he turned and said to the spirit in her, "In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her." And that very moment it came out. But as the owners saw that the hope of their profit-making was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square, before the authorities, and brought them to the chiefs of the police court. They said, "These men are Jews; they continue to make great disturbance in our town and to advocate practices which it is against the law for us Romans to accept or observe." The crowd also joined in the attack upon them, and the chiefs of the police court had them stripped and flogged. After flogging them severely, they put them into jail, and gave the jailer orders to keep close watch on them. Because he had such strict orders, he put them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was an earthquake so great that it shook the very foundations of the jail, the doors all flew open, and every prisoner's chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw that the jail doors were open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul at once shouted out to him, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!" Then the jailer called for lights and rushed in and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. After leading them out of the jail, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved." Then they told God's message to him and to all the members of his household. Even at that time of the night he took them and washed their wounds, and he and all the members of his household at once were baptized. Then he took them up to his house and gave them food, and he and all the members of his household were happy in their faith in God. When day broke, the chiefs of the police court sent policemen with the message to let the men go. The jailer reported this message to Paul, saying, "The chiefs of the police court have sent orders to let you go. So now you may come out and go in peace." But Paul said to them, "They beat us in public and that without a trial, and put us in jail although we are Roman citizens! Let them come here themselves and take us out!" The policemen reported this message to the chiefs of the police court, and they became alarmed when they heard that they were Roman citizens, and came and pleaded with them, and took them out and begged them to leave town. After getting out of jail, they went to Lydia's house; they saw the brothers and encouraged them, and then left town. Now they traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia until they reached Thessalonica. Here there was a Jewish synagogue. So Paul, as he usually did, went to the synagogue, and for three sabbaths discussed with them the Scriptures, explaining them and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and said, "This very Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ." So some of them were convinced, and they joined Paul and Silas; also quite a number of devout Greeks and not a few women of the first rank. But this enraged the Jews; so they got together some wicked loafers about the public square, formed a mob, and set the town in an uproar. They stopped at Jason's house and tried to bring them out to the people. So, as they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the town magistrates, shouting, "These fellows, who have turned the world topsy-turvy, have come here too, and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to the Emperor's decrees, because they claim there is another king, Jesus." Thus they wrought up to great excitement the crowd and the town magistrates, on their hearing this, and they made Jason and the other brothers give bond, and then turned them loose. That night at once the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, and on arriving there they went to the Jewish synagogue. The Jews there were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with all eagerness and carried on a daily study of the Scriptures to see if Paul's message was true. Many of them came to believe, and not a few distinguished Greek women and men. But when the Jews at Thessalonica learned that God's message had been proclaimed at Berea by Paul, they came there too to excite the masses and stir up a riot. Then the brothers at once sent Paul off to the coast, while Silas and Timothy stayed on there. The men who acted as Paul's bodyguard took him all the way to Athens, and then went back with orders for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible. While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred to its depths to see the city completely steeped in idolatry. So he kept up his discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the pagans who were worshiping there, and also day by day in the public square with any who chanced to be there. Some of the Epicurean and the Stoic philosophers began to debate with him; and some said, "What is this scraps-of-truth-picker trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities." They said so because he was telling the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. So they took him and brought him to the city auditorium and said, "May we know what this new teaching of yours is? For some of the things you bring sound startling to us; so we want to know just what they mean." (Now all the Athenians and foreign visitors in Athens used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to the latest new thing out.) So Paul stood up in the center of the auditorium and said: "Men of Athens, at every turn I make I see that you are very religious. For as I was going here and there and looking at the things you worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' So it is about the Being whom you are in ignorance already worshiping that I am telling you. The God who made the world and all that it contains, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by human hands, nor is He served by human hands as though He were in need of anything, for He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one forefather He made every nation of mankind, for living all over the face of the earth, fixing their appointed times and the limits of their lands, so that they might search for God, possibly they might grope for Him, and find Him, though He is really not far from any of us. For it is through union with Him that we live and move and exist, as some of your own poets have said, "'For we are His offspring too.' Since then we are God's offspring, we ought not to suppose that His nature is like gold or silver or stone or anything carved by man's art and thought. Though God overlooked those times of ignorance, He now commands all men everywhere to repent, since He has set a day on which He will justly judge the world through a man whom He has appointed. He has made this credible to all by raising Him from the dead." But when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some sneered, but others said, "We will hear you again on this subject." So Paul left the auditorium. Some men, however, joined him and came to believe, among them Dionysius, a member of the city council; also a woman named Damaris, and some others. After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had issued an edict for all Jews to leave Rome. So Paul paid them a visit, and as they all had the same trade, they proceeded to work together. Every sabbath it was Paul's habit to preach in the synagogue and to persuade both Jews and Greeks. By the time Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was wholly absorbed in preaching the message and was enthusiastically assuring the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But as they opposed and abused him, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads! I am not to blame for it myself. Hereafter I am going to the heathen." So he moved into the house of a pagan named Titus Justus, who worshiped the true God; his house was next to the synagogue. But Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, and so did all his family, and from time to time many of the Corinthians heard, believed, and were baptized. One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, "Stop being afraid, go on speaking, never give up; because I am with you, and no one is going to attack you so as to injure you, because I have many people in this city." So for a year and a half he settled down among them and went on teaching God's message. While Gallio was governor of Greece, the Jews unanimously attacked Paul and one day brought him before the court, and said, "This fellow is inducing people to worship God in ways that violate our laws." As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were some misdemeanor or underhanded rascality, O Jews, I would in reason listen to you; but as it is questions about words and titles and your own law, you will have to see to it yourselves. I refuse to act as judge in these matters." So he drove them away from the court. Then they all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and kept beating him right in front of the court; but Gallio paid no attention to it. Now Paul stayed a considerable time longer in Corinth, and then bade the brothers goodbye and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. Then they came to Ephesus, and Paul left them there. He went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. They asked him to stay longer, but he would not consent. But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he reached Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there; then he went down to Antioch.
The disagreement was so sharp that they separated, and Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. But Paul selected Silas and set out, after the brothers had committed him to the favor of the Lord. He journeyed on through Syria and Cilicia and continued to strengthen the churches. Now he went to Derbe and Lystra too. At Lystra there was a disciple named Timothy, whose mother was a Christian Jewess, but his father was a Greek. He had a high reputation among the brothers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to join him in his journey; so on account of the Jews in that district he took him and had him circumcised, for everybody knew that his father was a Greek. As they journeyed on from town to town, they delivered to the brothers to keep the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches through faith continued to grow in strength and to increase in numbers from day to day. Then they crossed Phrygia and Galatia. But because they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia, they went on to Mysia and tried to get into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. There Paul had a vision one night: a man from Macedonia kept standing and pleading with him in these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" As soon as he had this vision, we laid our plans to get off to Macedonia, because we confidently concluded that God had called us to tell them the good news. So we sailed away from Troy and struck a bee line for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we went on to Philippi, a Roman colony, the leading town in that part of Macedonia. In this town we stayed some days. On the sabbath we went outside the gate, to the bank of the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to talk with the women who had met there. Among them was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods from the town of Thyatira, and she stayed to listen to us. She was already a worshiper of God, and the Lord so moved upon her heart that she accepted the message spoken by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she begged us by continuing to say, "If you have made up your mind that I am a real believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house." And she continued to insist that we do so. Once as we were on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had the gift of magical fortune-telling, and continued to make great profits for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl kept following Paul and the rest of us, shrieking, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, and they are proclaiming to you a way of salvation." She kept this up for a number of days. Because Paul was so much annoyed by her, he turned and said to the spirit in her, "In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her." And that very moment it came out. But as the owners saw that the hope of their profit-making was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square, before the authorities, and brought them to the chiefs of the police court. They said, "These men are Jews; they continue to make great disturbance in our town and to advocate practices which it is against the law for us Romans to accept or observe." The crowd also joined in the attack upon them, and the chiefs of the police court had them stripped and flogged. After flogging them severely, they put them into jail, and gave the jailer orders to keep close watch on them. Because he had such strict orders, he put them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was an earthquake so great that it shook the very foundations of the jail, the doors all flew open, and every prisoner's chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw that the jail doors were open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul at once shouted out to him, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!" Then the jailer called for lights and rushed in and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. After leading them out of the jail, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved." Then they told God's message to him and to all the members of his household. Even at that time of the night he took them and washed their wounds, and he and all the members of his household at once were baptized. Then he took them up to his house and gave them food, and he and all the members of his household were happy in their faith in God. When day broke, the chiefs of the police court sent policemen with the message to let the men go. The jailer reported this message to Paul, saying, "The chiefs of the police court have sent orders to let you go. So now you may come out and go in peace." But Paul said to them, "They beat us in public and that without a trial, and put us in jail although we are Roman citizens! Let them come here themselves and take us out!" The policemen reported this message to the chiefs of the police court, and they became alarmed when they heard that they were Roman citizens, and came and pleaded with them, and took them out and begged them to leave town. After getting out of jail, they went to Lydia's house; they saw the brothers and encouraged them, and then left town. Now they traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia until they reached Thessalonica. Here there was a Jewish synagogue. So Paul, as he usually did, went to the synagogue, and for three sabbaths discussed with them the Scriptures, explaining them and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and said, "This very Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ." So some of them were convinced, and they joined Paul and Silas; also quite a number of devout Greeks and not a few women of the first rank. But this enraged the Jews; so they got together some wicked loafers about the public square, formed a mob, and set the town in an uproar. They stopped at Jason's house and tried to bring them out to the people. So, as they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the town magistrates, shouting, "These fellows, who have turned the world topsy-turvy, have come here too, and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to the Emperor's decrees, because they claim there is another king, Jesus." Thus they wrought up to great excitement the crowd and the town magistrates, on their hearing this, and they made Jason and the other brothers give bond, and then turned them loose. That night at once the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, and on arriving there they went to the Jewish synagogue. The Jews there were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with all eagerness and carried on a daily study of the Scriptures to see if Paul's message was true. Many of them came to believe, and not a few distinguished Greek women and men. But when the Jews at Thessalonica learned that God's message had been proclaimed at Berea by Paul, they came there too to excite the masses and stir up a riot. Then the brothers at once sent Paul off to the coast, while Silas and Timothy stayed on there. The men who acted as Paul's bodyguard took him all the way to Athens, and then went back with orders for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible. While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred to its depths to see the city completely steeped in idolatry. So he kept up his discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the pagans who were worshiping there, and also day by day in the public square with any who chanced to be there. Some of the Epicurean and the Stoic philosophers began to debate with him; and some said, "What is this scraps-of-truth-picker trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities." They said so because he was telling the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. So they took him and brought him to the city auditorium and said, "May we know what this new teaching of yours is? For some of the things you bring sound startling to us; so we want to know just what they mean." (Now all the Athenians and foreign visitors in Athens used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to the latest new thing out.) So Paul stood up in the center of the auditorium and said: "Men of Athens, at every turn I make I see that you are very religious. For as I was going here and there and looking at the things you worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' So it is about the Being whom you are in ignorance already worshiping that I am telling you. The God who made the world and all that it contains, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by human hands, nor is He served by human hands as though He were in need of anything, for He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one forefather He made every nation of mankind, for living all over the face of the earth, fixing their appointed times and the limits of their lands, so that they might search for God, possibly they might grope for Him, and find Him, though He is really not far from any of us. For it is through union with Him that we live and move and exist, as some of your own poets have said, "'For we are His offspring too.' Since then we are God's offspring, we ought not to suppose that His nature is like gold or silver or stone or anything carved by man's art and thought. Though God overlooked those times of ignorance, He now commands all men everywhere to repent, since He has set a day on which He will justly judge the world through a man whom He has appointed. He has made this credible to all by raising Him from the dead." But when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some sneered, but others said, "We will hear you again on this subject." So Paul left the auditorium. Some men, however, joined him and came to believe, among them Dionysius, a member of the city council; also a woman named Damaris, and some others. After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had issued an edict for all Jews to leave Rome. So Paul paid them a visit, and as they all had the same trade, they proceeded to work together. Every sabbath it was Paul's habit to preach in the synagogue and to persuade both Jews and Greeks. By the time Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was wholly absorbed in preaching the message and was enthusiastically assuring the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But as they opposed and abused him, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads! I am not to blame for it myself. Hereafter I am going to the heathen." So he moved into the house of a pagan named Titus Justus, who worshiped the true God; his house was next to the synagogue. But Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, and so did all his family, and from time to time many of the Corinthians heard, believed, and were baptized. One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, "Stop being afraid, go on speaking, never give up; because I am with you, and no one is going to attack you so as to injure you, because I have many people in this city." So for a year and a half he settled down among them and went on teaching God's message. While Gallio was governor of Greece, the Jews unanimously attacked Paul and one day brought him before the court, and said, "This fellow is inducing people to worship God in ways that violate our laws." As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were some misdemeanor or underhanded rascality, O Jews, I would in reason listen to you; but as it is questions about words and titles and your own law, you will have to see to it yourselves. I refuse to act as judge in these matters." So he drove them away from the court. Then they all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and kept beating him right in front of the court; but Gallio paid no attention to it. Now Paul stayed a considerable time longer in Corinth, and then bade the brothers goodbye and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. Then they came to Ephesus, and Paul left them there. He went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. They asked him to stay longer, but he would not consent. But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he reached Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church there; then he went down to Antioch.
Will » Of God, the supreme rule of duty
and He was saying, "Abba [which means 'Father'], anything is possible for you! Take this cup away from me! Yet, I pray, not what I want but what you want!"
Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work.
Then He walked on a few steps and threw Himself upon His face, and in this attitude continued to pray, and say, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass by me; and yet, I pray, not what I want but what you want."
Verse Concepts
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet, not my will but always yours be done!"
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.
So He said to them, "Whenever you pray, say: 'Father, Your name be revered; Your kingdom come;
I cannot do anything by myself. As I get orders, so I judge, and my judgment is a just one, for I am not trying to do my own will but the will of Him who has sent me.
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my mother and sister and brother."
so that, if it is God's will, I may come with a happy heart to see you and have a refreshing rest while with you.
A second time He went away and prayed, "My Father, if it cannot pass by without my drinking it, your will be done."
Stop living in accordance with the customs of this world, but by the new ideals that mold your minds continue to transform yourselves, so as to find and follow God's will; that is, what is good, well-pleasing to Him, and perfect.
Verse Concepts
God, Goodness OfBad ThoughtsConversion, nature ofFindingMetamorphosisBad LanguageBad InfluenceConformityAlcoholProblem SolvingBecoming More Like ChristCommitment, to the worldevil, victory overDiscernment, Nature OfDiscernment, Source OfAttitudes, Of Christians To The WorldSpiritual RenewalGod, Perfection OfGod, Purpose OfHealthInfluenceIntelligenceLove, Abuse OfTransformationMaturity, SpiritualPerfection, DivineReformationRenewal, Of People Of GodSelf DisciplineSelf IndulgenceSin, Avoidance OfSociety, Positive Aspects OfSpiritual Warfare, Enemies InTestingWorldlinessCarnalityWorldliness, AvoidLaw Described As
Thoughts Of The RighteousCosmeticsControlling Your ThoughtsPeer PressurePriorities In LifeThinkingChanged HeartSubmission To God's WillThoughtfulnessUnworldlinessPeople TransformedKnowing God's WillRenewedPatternsA New MindMind BattlesSocial dutiesNew Age BeliefsThe MindWorld Opposed To GodThoughtsReading The BibleRenewalAgeGod's Plan For UsChanging YourselfScripturePerspectiveSelf Imagediscriminationexploringculturebehaviorexperienceprocesswillfollowing
But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.
Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
I do not want to see you right now in a mere stop-over visit, for later I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits me.
because I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me. Now the will of Him who sent me is this, that I should lose none of all that He has given me, but should raise them to life on the last day. For it is my Father's will that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and that I shall raise him to life on the last day."
But I am coming, and coming soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out, not only what those conceited fellows say but what they can do,