King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 10 notes
1Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
5And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
6And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:
7Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8But Elymas the sorcerer ( for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
9Then Saul, ( who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
10And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
12Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
13Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
Why didn't Luke state the cause of John Mark's departure?
I believe it was to protect him. Because if it was a valid reason, why would Paul refuse to take him along?
Well, Luke was penning history and did not want to paint a brother in bad light, especially now that John Mark had become useful in the ministry work again.
Or maybe he thought 💭 it not wise to reveal some of Paul's extreme demands and standards.
If what Mark did was so bad, why was Barnabas willing to take him?
But then again Barnabas is that way, always believing and always trusting.
14But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
Who was sponsoring these trips and journeys to distant lands?
15And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
17The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
18And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
19And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.
20And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
22And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
23Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
24When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
Who told Paul about John and his sayings?
Because Paul himself was not there, likely John or the other disciples had been telling the story orally and word had gone round.
26Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
27For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
Is it possible 🙆 that the same thing is happening in our times today...
Where the reading of scriptures and preaching is going on day after day, and yet the Christians do not know the Lord nor his voice.
Indeed the same thing is happening in our times today.
28And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
29And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
30But God raised him from the dead:
31And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
32And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
36For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
Same message that Peter preached, and he used this exact same psalm.
Evidence-based preaching, more or less.
37But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
How compelling were these words.
Paul's speech of Jesus suggests word about him and the way had traveled far and wide.
That the long-awaited Messiah was Jesus, just that he is gone and will come later to liberate the people of God.
Is this teaching of being justified in Christ from things the law could not justify not the same he teaches in his writings?
What things was he making reference to?
40Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
41Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
42And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
Why were the Gentiles more responsive?
Maybe because from childhood they had not been as indoctrinated as the core Jews.
43Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
46Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
49And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
50But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
So the growth and sustenance of religion was not by some supernatural means, but men have stood and defended their religion in the name of God, and yet it seems the God of that religion has not shown himself true.
You would easily have thought the God that the Jews so vehemently fight for would also fight for his own cause.
Many religions indeed are not God-ordained but rather man-made.
To appease our own senses and fulfill our needs of prominence and self-importance, even our survival.
51But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
Ah, with joy and the Holy Ghost, meaning them that had accepted the word went through the Holy Ghost baptism and promise of the Father.
A full church ⛪ had been formed.
So Lord, what do we do now in the churches?
There is no joy; we are cold ❄; we can pray in tongues one moment whiles still in hatred and dissension towards one another.
Having the form of godliness but denying the power.