James 1:1 is stunning. James became His brother’s slave/servant and lived to write about it. He’s owned by God and the Lord Christ to serve them and their people who are scattered. James also wished the people the best. Jesus chose this unbelieving sibling and made him a leader.
@philipnation Acts 28:11-16. Tracing God’s Hand on Our Lives. A new couple is joining our couples group. Pray for a man to train to replace me in ministry at the local state prison. Thank you. How can I pray for you?
My wife and I watched The Odyssey this afternoon. I liked it. The movie helped me revisit the plot. The acting is good as is the action. Waiting for Odysseus to return reminded me of waiting for Jesus to come again. I was reminded our Lord died to save sinners. I’m glad he did.
In Acts 28:17-31, Paul fulfilled part of the Lord’s assignment. He testified of Jesus and the kingdom of God to Jewish leaders in Rome. Luke’s account ends without telling about him standing before Caesar. (27:24) The NT doesn’t give definitive information it.
Paul finally arrived in Roman. (Acts 26:16) This fulfilled his desire (Romans 16:22ff). It fulfilled Jesus Christ’s will for him (Acts 23:11) and the Angel’s message on the ship. (Acts27:24) Just arriving wasn’t the goal. Testifying of Jesus Christ was the goal, and it still is.
In Acts 27:31, we find Paul applying the angelic message, “the lives of all who sail with you” (23-26) to the escape attempt of some of the sailors. Paul believed all 276 were to be saved, not 276 minus some. His application saved all the people on the ship. Glory to God.
@ferrismattic I appreciate the source texts you give. The closest I see of affirming the keeping of the Sabbath is in Romans 14, this is about the fact that people felt obligated to observe certain days. I especially like your #1 point.
@NotThatRBaxter I found it interesting in reading Acts 21-26 that Paul lived in the Kingdom of God and the realm of Rome. He used Roman citizen rights; he proclaimed the news of Jesus to Jewish leaders and Roman ones.