If you read this today, you will see scatterings of familiar scriptures. However, after reading these books chronologically, do unfamiliar scriptures now stand out to you? Some read the blog first, then the scriptures, some read the scriptures first. So be the blog author today. What would you have written if you were me? It’s not as easy as you think. Try it…c’mon!
If you are not willing to do that, then tell me what stood out to you today?
This is not a typical Paul letter; it will not have your customary greeting, nor does it deal with a particular problem inside or outside the church. It reads more like a sermon than a letter, focussing on the character of the church. Yesterday we read about Jesus as the Head of the Church (Colossians), well in Ephesians, we will read about the Body of the Church (Believers).
Paul will state oneness between all believers, even Jews and Gentiles. By no means does Jesus intend there to be a separate church for Judaism or Christianity. On the contrary, we are fully designed to be one church. The word Church in Greek is Ecclesia, meaning the assembly of the called-out ones. In other words, the body of believers.
The city of Ephesus was a RICH port to the Mediterranean Sea. This huge city contained an enormous theater (holding 25,000 at a time), a town square, a marketplace, public baths, libraries, and several enormous temples (mainly to the fertility goddess, Diana, also called Artemis).
This book is about “actions.” You will hear cool verses like “learn what pleases the Lord,” and you will read action words that we are to do as Christians like “put off…and put on”. Not things that we ask the Lord to change in us, but things we are to do ourselves FOR the Lord. Anyway, this might just be your new favorite book!
Here are some pictures of Ephesus of the Temple in Ephesus. It held 25,000 people. Yes, that is a lot, and the sound is incredible (I hear).
If you want to recall Paul’s trip to Ephesus and how he planted the church, click here to return to Acts 19.
(I listened to the book; I loved it when Paul said, “Get my room ready…I am coming to visit)
When you think about the letter’s purpose, don’t think of the people but think of God’s character. So what is the purpose of this book?
If you missed the “Overview” from last night, it would help to read it. It helps to know why some of these topics are being addressed. Because Paul is about to teach about false philosophies in Colossae, he begins with the reminder that Jesus is Supreme above all. So even if you let some of that false teaching “in” and believe in superstitions, reading cards, horoscopes, the ‘elements’ like fire and water, remember: Jesus is Supreme and lords over all of it.
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Chapter 2…here we go: (this will make sense if you read the overview)
Chapter 3. What is the solution to the dilemma?
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Set your HEART and your Mind on Christ.
Watch how the list of sins starts from the “outside” and works its way to the “core” and then reverses.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:
which is idolatry.
Next:
8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these:
AFTER that has been ridden (is that a word?), THEN you replace it with, Christ will replace it with the fruits of the Spirit. (You have to pull the weeds from the garden if you want the flowers to grow)
clothe yourselves with
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Ok, if I started cutting and pasting scripture, we would be here all day….such GEMS in this book!! I would love for you to tell me which one you loved (or several!).
I read the final greeting. Such LOVE. It is hard to imagine that this was the guy that asked for permission to go have people in Damascus arrested just so he could bring them to Jerusalem to stone them….for following Jesus!!
9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
That is our segway scripture to the next book….Philemon.
This one little book in the Bible may be only 25 verses, but it completely encompasses the change Christ can have on us. Have you ever read it? ( I am not even sure I know how to pronounce it)
This book is about 2 things:
So if you struggle with either/both of those, dig in.
Paul writes a letter from the Love in his heart to Philemon to accept and forgive Onesimus for running away and committing crimes. Paul not only asks for forgiveness but also for his protection.
Enjoy this wonderful personal letter that Paul writes from prison. By the way, if you ever had to defend “Slavery” in the Bible, it is important to arm yourself with what God intended slavery to be and how slaves were to be treated. Slavery was a vehicle for poor people to work to get on their feet again. This book is a beautiful reflection of how God wanted slaves to be treated. So if you were faced with “Well, God supported slavery…” here is another tool in your apologetic toolbox.
Paul established a church in Colossae on his third missionary journey. Today this area is in Turkey. There were two prominent men in Colossae, Philemon, and Epaphus, who became Christians and spread the message while Paul was in Prison. Paul wrote them this letter to be read in the Church.
The trouble in Colossae was other ideas, and philosophies from other religions were being introduced and put on the same level as Christianity. (pertinent to today or what!).
The book of Colossians describes Christ as superior to all other teachers, faiths, and philosophies.
The last chapters of Acts!!
Extra credit: Here is a cool video I stumbled upon.
This post is just for entertainment and visual support. Just a fun one to look at.
I hope these visuals help with the read. If you read it slowly, you will pick up on small details like “we,” meaning Luke traveled with him or Paul knew more about sailing than the sailors. Just some fun details.
29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 So, the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.
Why did Paul say this? Because an angel of the Lord had told him ❤️
4 anchors were found off the coast of Malta at the exact depth Paul’s ship dropped theirs. Is it from Paul’s ship? IDK, but they are dated from the 1st century.
This is an Alexandria Ship
11 After three months, we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux.
Acts ends with…
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
If you are keeping a binder of the handouts and would like the maps from Acts. Here you go. Tomorrow we finish the book of Acts.
If we recapped yesterday,
He now stands before Felix in Caesarea, the governor of Judea and Samaria. He was formerly a slave but was promoted by Caesar to be a governor. Even though he was known for hating the Jews, his beautiful wife, Druscilla, was Jewish. (see above 12 & 13)
Five days later, Ananias, the high priest, some Jewish elders, and a hired lawyer named Tertullus showed up. Once the proceedings had begun, Tertullus and the Jewish leaders accused Paul of being a troublemaker who had attempted to desecrate the Temple.
Given his turn to speak, Paul politely denied the charges against him. He also pointed out that his actual accusers, Jews from Asia, were not present and that he had not been found guilty of any crime before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, Paul sat in prison for 2 years…2 years! He was waiting for Paul to offer him a bribe!
Paul defends himself in Ceasrea and says:
8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.”
9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”
And then in verse 11, he says:
“I appeal to Caesar!”
12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar, you will go!
(Keep in the back of your head, the Caesar in Rome at this time was the one and only Ceasar NERO!
NO one wants to look like an idiot. If Fetus had brought Paul to Rome before Caesar without a charge, he would have looked incompetent. So let’s have another trial…clearly, I am missing something, right? Let’s bring him before King Agrippa! Look at his genealogy!
His Father has James killed.
His Grandfather killed John the Baptist. CLEARLY, if anyone can find fault in “the way,” it will be Agrippa!
Now ANOTHER trial. Attempting to handle matters locally, King Agrippa hears Paul’s defense. Look at the chart again. Who is King Agrippa rumored to be in love with??
24 Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome.
Paul had already played his hand. As a Roman citizen, he had a legal right to be tried in Rome.
Paul continues with the BEST possible defense one can give for proving Truth:
YOUR TESTIMONY!
24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”
and Agrippa says:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”
29 Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”
30 The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. 31 After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”
32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
To be continued…
The beginning of this read cracked me up! You could imagine me coming into work-purse still on the shoulder, coffee spilling out of my cup, no makeup on yet, and begin with “Wait till you hear what Paul wrote today!” So when the guy at the beginning of the story FELL ASLEEP because Paul talked on and on and on…he fell out of the window! “Dear Lord, Thank you for putting my classroom on the first floor of a building so that my co-workers will never fall out of the window as I go on and on and on” 😴.
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
Chapter 21
4 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way.
10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'”
That is THREE times people pleaded with Paul NOT to go to Jerusalem. But here is the deal…Have you ever said the Lord’s prayer?
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Paul knew it was God’s will for him to go to Jerusalem, even if it meant beatings, hardships, and prison.
24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
When Paul arrives in Jerusalem, it doesn’t take long for false accusations to begin:
“You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you.
Paul did not tell them they could not circumcise, BUT Paul did not water down the Gospel either. In a letter to Galatians, he plainly states:
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
If the Jewish people wanted to rely on circumcision as their salvation, they needed to keep ALL the laws. Paul, however, even circumcised Timothy, who was 1/2 Jew 1/2 Gentile, so that it did not become an obstacle to his teaching during Timothy’s ministry. It was no longer meant to be physical; it was intended to be spiritual.
So then, the Jewish leaders made Paul take a vow and perform purification rites and pay their own expenses.
THEN…
Paul was falsely accused of bringing Gentiles into the Temple. I will tell you this was a huge accusation. When the Romans took the authority of capital punishment over from the Jews, the only request the Jewish leaders made was “the one thing we cannot tolerate is a dirty Gentile in our Holy Temple, can we be allowed to give them the death penalty for that and only that”?
YES, says Caesar. What does he care…he was making Pizza. (who gets it??)
THEN…30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
Why? What just happened? We know that each region governor reported back to Rome. The report was always to be “yes, things are peaceful and quiet…I am a wonderful governor”. This was a BIG part of Jesus’ trial too. The Jewish leaders were left alone ONLY if the Jews remained “not an issue”. I would say a riot is an issue!
THEN….Paul speaks to the crowd. Why did the soldiers even let him? Because they probably panicked when they realized a Roman Citizen was just beaten! Lord have Mercy….not good!!
What does Paul say??? And we all know Paul can drone on and on…He says the most powerful thing anyone could say then and still now. YOUR TESTIMONY IN CHRIST. Why? No one can argue it!
THEN… They flogged him. (are you seeing the parallel yet in the whole story??) Jesus
THEN… Paul played his Poker hand!
27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
28 Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
29 Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
SO…they handed him over to the Sanhedrin to deal with it. (they washed their hands of it) Oh, how I love Paul- he knows Ananias is the High Priest! But he says “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'”
He also knows that the one thing that would divide the Sanhedrin was the one topic they disagreed about…The Resurrection! 6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the Resurrection of the dead.”
It worked! When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
Paul always wanted to go to Rome: (just not like this)
11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
Reading the Bible - 2021 
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A large portion of the letter addresses the Roman practice of slavery, specifically in the life of a man named Onesimus. This man was a runaway slave of Philemon, a church leader in Colossae.
Paul’s letter to Philemon includes five main parts: