11“I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions. 12A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus. 13He came and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And that very moment I could see him!
14…
1 “Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defense.” 2When they heard him speaking in their own language,a the silence was even greater.
3Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and …
Paul Is Arrested
26So Paul went to the Temple the next day with the other men. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their vows would end and sacrifices would be offered for each of them.
27The seven days were almost ended when some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple and roused a mob against him. …
Paul Arrives at Jerusalem
15After this we packed our things and left for Jerusalem. 16Some believers from Caesarea accompanied us, and they took us to the home of Mnason, a man originally from Cyprus and one of the early believers. 17When we arrived, the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem welcomed us warmly.
18The next day Paul went with us to meet with James, and all the …
Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem
1After saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, we sailed straight to the island of Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and then went to Patara. 2There we boarded a ship sailing for Phoenicia. 3We sighted the island of Cyprus, passed it on our left, and landed at the harbor of Tyre, in Syria, where the ship was to unload its cargo.
4…
9God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,c for he chose us in advance, and he makes …
Greetings from Paul1This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus,a who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
2May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Spiritual Blessings
3All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
Yep, that’s right, today I had a fight with God, and I won!
So this morning during my prayer time I came to Galatians, chapter 5, and specifically verses 19 through 23:
“19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, …
I was struck this morning by how often proud people mocked Jesus. I’ve been reading the Gospel of Matthew and reached the section about Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. I was amazed.
If we are trying to understand God, Christianity, and life, this is foundational. We have to have a choice to love or hate, or it isn’t love at all.
Let’s imagine for a second that we are God and we want companionship. Well, that turns out to be a bit too simplistic. What do we mean by companionship?
A rock, log, or doll could be considered companionship. I think we …