Good morning. God was performing extraordinary miracles by
the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his
body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. And
he didn’t even ask them to send in a donation 🙃 . But of course people were
wanting to capitalize on his success. Some of the Jewish exorcists, who went
from place to place, attempted to name over those who had evil spirits the name
of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches. The evil
spirit said, I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you? The man
in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them and chased them out of the house.
This became known to all; and fear fell upon them and the name of the Lord Jesus
was being magnified. Many of those who believed kept coming, confessing, and
disclosing their practices. They even burned their magic books. So the word of
the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing. Paul purposed in the spirit to go
to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia. After I have
been there, I must also see Rome. This connects us to Romans 15:25,26 where he
said, but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the Saints. For Macedonia and
Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints
in Jerusalem. That would seem to indicate that he wrote the book of Romans
around this time. Father thank You that You confirm Your word with signs
following like with Paul. Help us to share Your word with the same result.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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