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Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message

  Good morning. They arrived at Antioch and delivered the letter to the congregation. The two that came with them from Jerusalem, Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. That does not mean that they had a lengthy, “thus saith the Lord…” Prophets can also give messages, just like the pastor. That becomes important later in the 14th chapter of first Corinthians. After spending some time there, they went back to Jerusalem. After some days Paul said to Barnabas, let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are. We do not know whether or not that was of the Lord, but it is normally a wise thing to do. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them and had not gone with them to the work. And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from on...
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In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

  Good morning. An admonition we all need at times: be anxious for nothing. But you don’t know my circumstances… It doesn’t matter, if we are standing firm in the Lord. When we are anxious, we’re taking all the responsibility for solving the problem upon ourselves. We think that the solution is up to us. OK smarty-pants, what should we do? In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Seriously, and that’s it? Notice that it says “with thanksgiving“. We are thanking God for the solution, even when we are in the midst of the dilemma. By the way, the Greek word for thanksgiving here is the one from which the word Eucharist is derived. Sadly our normal procedure is: we try to solve the problem in our own ability, and then scream “help!” to God when everything messes up. In the Old Testament, King Asa became severely diseased in his feet. “Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.“ It’s not that we should ...
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Therefore in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

  Good morning. And because of all that Paul just said: therefore in this way stand firm (like he talked about in the book of Ephesians) in the Lord, my beloved. If we believe all that Paul talked about the last few verses, we should fear nothing and no one. Nothing should shake us. And now the verse that was made into a song decades ago: “rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice...” We get it Paul – rejoice! We rejoice, not because everything is going the way we want it to, but in the fact that no matter what happens, God is in charge. Let your gentle spirit (King James, moderation) be known to all men (sometimes it’s hard to be gentle when we are mistreated harshly). The Lord is near. Even though Paul said that 2000 years ago, the time is nearer than it was even yesterday. We should live every day as if Jesus could reappear any instant. Father help us to stand firm no matter what happens; to rejoice whether things are good or bad; letting our gentle spirit be known to ...
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They strengthened the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying, through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God

  Good morning. After Paul was stoned, he and Barnabas returned to the cities they had come through. They strengthened the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying, through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. After what he had just gone through, Paul would know something about tribulations. When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. First notice that it had been at least some amount of time since they had brought the gospel to these cities. The believers would have matured somewhat so that those who were to be elders would have become more evident. Also notice that it was not just a matter of opinion; sometimes believers can seem mature when they really aren’t. They prayed with fasting. That is what happened when Paul and Barnabas were selected to go on the mission trip. They continued on the return trip and finally came back to Antio...
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They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

  Good morning. Remember that everyone thought that Paul and Barnabas were gods; but that didn’t last long. Jews came from the cities that had chased Paul and Barnabas out of town, and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. I believe that it was during this time while he was unconscious that the event happened where he later said he knew a man who went to the third heaven, whether in the body or out of he did not know, and this man received a great revelation. While the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe. My Bible says that this was a border town in the southeastern part of the region of Galatia. Now unless God performed a great miracle, someone who had just been stoned would show a lot of evidence of that stoning through bruises etc., even around his eyes. I think this is the event that precipitated Paul’s statement in Galatians that it was because of...
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Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.

  Good morning. Paul and Barnabas went to another city and entered the synagogue of the Jews and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both Jews and Greeks. But again the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren. Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands. Despite this, the people of the city were divided. Some were going to mistreat and stone them, but they became aware of it and fled to another city. A man who had been lame from his mother’s womb and had never walked, was listening to Paul as he spoke. When Paul saw that he had faith to be made well, he told him, stand upright on your feet. And he leaped up and began to walk. And everyone said praise God! No, they actually said the gods have become like men and have come down to us. In fact the priest of Zeus ...
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Paul and Barnabas said, it was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

  Good morning. The Jews were upset and Paul and Barnabas said, it was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. Throughout Acts Paul seemed to always go to the Jews first. It was only after they refused to listen that he went to the Gentiles. Notice that it says that they judged themselves unworthy of eternal life. When you hear the word and refuse to accept it, you are the one that judges yourself unworthy of eternal life; it is not the one giving the message of salvation that judges. Paul quotes scripture, I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, that You may bring salvation to the end of the earth. When the Jews, including the apostles, read that, they thought it meant the Gentiles would become Jews. When the Gentiles heard this, they said, shut the front door! Actually they begin rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been ...
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