Good morning. Paul leaves Athens and goes to Corinth. He
finds a couple there who had come from Italy because the emperor had commanded
all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul and the husband were both tent makers.
Remember that Paul had trained with Gamaliel, who was a very important teacher.
His father probably paid a lot of money in order for him to do that. So why
would he be a tent maker? My Bible says that it was the Jewish custom to
provide manual training for sons, whether rich or poor. He spoke in the synagogue
on the Sabbath, but worked during the week. When Silas and Timothy came, he
devoted himself to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the
Christ. As usual, the Jews resisted and blasphemed. From now on I will go to
the Gentiles. He stayed with a man whose house was next to the synagogue. How
convenient. The leader of the synagogue believed in the Lord with all his
household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being
baptized. One would think that everything was hunky-dory. However, the Lord
said to Paul in the night by a vision, do not be afraid any longer, but go on
speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in
order to harm you, for I have many people in this city. I don’t think anyone
would ever accuse Paul of being reticent about sharing the gospel. With this
kind of confirmation, I am sure he spread the word vigorously. He settled there
a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. That was a very
long time for Paul to stay in any one spot. That’s probably why he wrote two
very long letters to the Corinthians. It is very possible to get too
comfortable in one ministry when God really wants you to do something different
or to go somewhere else. Father thank You that You give us assurances when
things look stormy around us. When we follow Your will, You guide and protect
us!
Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God
Good morning. While Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. Jesus was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men. Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. It doesn’t say, but I assume it is still during this time of the Passover. This man came to Jesus by night. Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do the signs that You do unless God is with him. It just said that the people believed in His name because of the signs He was doing; yet it does not say what those signs were. Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. That is why unbelievers cannot tell what is of the kingdom of God and what is not – they’re not born again. Nicodemus doesn’t have a clue. How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he? Unless one is born of water and the Spirit ...
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