Snoopy Approaches Acts

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1 Corinthians 13:8 isn't necessarily about God's love in particular. Not if the entire chapter is a treatise on the way of love in our lives.

Verses 1-8(a) are often read at weddings. It was part of our wedding ceremony. But I believe it is a mistake to think romantic love is being singled out here.

What makes you think it is not God's love that is talked about in verse 8 -----
 
What makes you think it is not God's love that is talked about in verse 8 -----
That's not exactly what I said.

Some people think all love is God's love.

Some people think God and love are the same thing.

Some people think God inspires all love.

Some people think God is the source of all love.

It gets kinda complicated. I just find it limiting to say verse 8 is only about God's love. God's love has some pretty narrow definitions in some people's minds.
 
Some people think all love is God's love.

Some people think God and love are the same thing.

Some people think God inspires all love.

Some people think God is the source of all love.

It gets kinda complicated. I just find it limiting to say verse 8 is only about God's love. God's love has some pretty narrow definitions in some people's minds.
WOW ! I guess I would say all that does sound complicated -----had no idea that people were so confused about Scriptural Love --and that they had so many different ways they apply it to God ----so weird ----

This is what happens ---we complicate scripture -----all by ourselves -----because of ignorance ----that is why it is so important to research love and clear up any confusion one has about it ----especially in Scripture ----

But verse 8 says --Love never fails -----so that is pretty clear ----that should clear up what love it is in this scripture ----

People have to know that there is a Love that does fail

Anyway ---thanks for your replay -----which is very confusing for sure ----

I think the love that is used in a wedding ceremony is a feeling of strong attraction, affection, emotional attachment to the person -----I say this cause many divorce so this love is not stable or secure ----it is human worldly love and can fail and fluctuates from time to time ----it is not from or attached to God at all ----- just my view ------
 
Acts 20:13-36
Paul travels on, hoping to arrive in Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost. He feels compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to him there.

But the Holy Spirit has been warning him in town after town that imprisonment and persecution await.

He bids the believers farewell and states that none of them will see him again. He asks them to watch out for themselves and their flock. Fierce wolves are to be expected when Paul is gone.

Paul anticipates internal problems too.

He kneels and prays. The people weep.
 
Today's reading alerts us to trouble ahead both for Paul and the early church. Interesting that he predicts distortion of the truth in the church.

Does Paul anticipate martyrdom? Does he welcome it or is he resigned to it?
 
So we see that the Disciples were heading to the ship to sail to Assos ---Paul was going by land taking a shorter rout --and was intending on getting aboard the ship at Assos ----they meet Paul there and he boarded the ship and the sailed on to several places but bypassed Ephesus as he wanted to get to Jerusalem for Pentecost ----

But Paul has a mind change and does go the Ephesus ----and says to the church there ----that they know well how he lived and spoke God's word and all that came upon me from the Jews who plotted against me and I did not shrink back in fear from telling you anything that was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public meetings, and from house to house

I say -------So he went from house to house Preaching ---this tells us the in Ephesus there was not a central church building that they all assembled at ----they held church in their homes ==
Apparently in Canada there are quite a few House Churches going on -----you can google it

Paul testified to both the Jews and the Greeks telling them to repent to God and have God's Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ -----Paul tells them he is compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem not knowing what will happen when he gets there -----He tells them that the Holy Spirit solemnly affirms to him that in city after city that imprisonment and suffering await him

Verse 24 ---speaks for itself ------AMP

24 But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy] finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious, undeserved] grace [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life].

I say -----this takes big courage and major deep rooted and grounded Faith ----Folks ----So Paul seems to be willing to take what comes to him -----as he has as known from the start that he would be persecuted and beaten etc ---for preaching the Gospel ---and whatever came against him he accepted and dealt with the issues at hand and he always knew God was with him -----

Jesus said

John 15:18 AMP​

Disciples’ Relation to the World​

18 ;“If the world hates you [and it does], know that it has hated Me before it hated you.


I say ----Psalms 16 verse 8 seems fitting for what Paul is saying in verse 24

Psalm 16:8 AMP​

8 I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Paul says in the first of verse 24 -----
But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me,-----

I say ------Here is the thing with Born Again people ---they know that this physical life is temporary and in physical death comes eternal life ---so there is no fear in giving up this Physical existence as it is just a transition from death to Spiritual life to reign with Christ ---

So Paul tells them that none of them will see him again and tells them and so he is
testifying to them that on this day that he parts from them that he is innocent of the blood of all people.

Paul is telling them that his heart is clear he could leave this church in God's hands with a clear conscience Knowing he had told them the whole truth about God's purpose and plan -even to the future events ----and he didn't shrink and back down out of fear -----

I say ---this is important to read and get ----what Paul is saying here is not done today and many Ministers will leave this world with a seared conscience ---and a heart that is not clear as Many in the Pulpits today do not tell the truth about God;s purpose and plan --and they definitely don't tell them about Spiritual separation from God ----and where that leads them in their end ----Many today just use the Bible as launching pad and then preach False Doctrine ---they preach what they want and what the people want to hear ---not what the people should here ----and most times it is because they havent got the right person living on the inside of them to Spiritually understand the Word or it's meaning -----

verse 28 --speaks for itself -----

28 Take care and be on guard for yourselves and for the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd (tend, feed, guide) the church of God which He bought with His own blood.

Paul tells them that they need to be on guard as False Prophets will come like
ferocious wolves among you, not sparing the flock; so he places them in God's hands and His protection and His Grace is able to build you up and give the church the right inheritance among those who are Set apart for God ----Paul tells them that he showed them by example and didn't go after expensive clothes or silver or gold ----He told them they must work hard and help the week and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed [and brings greater joy] to give than to receive.’”

36 ;When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

I say --well Paul did all he could do before he left them on their own ------

He Preached Truth to them ----he inspired and encouraged them ----he warned them of danger and false Prophets ---and he prayed with them ----- :angel:
 
Paul seems to be warning that the church can be threatened from outside or from within itself.

Does this ring true for our experience of church today?
 
Paul seems to be warning that the church can be threatened from outside or from within itself.

Does this ring true for our experience of church today?
I would say it does ring true for the churches today ------

In the USA man ran his truck into the Church in Michigan and started shooting the people and then set the church on fire ----

Satan is running loose all over the place these days -----
 
My mind was going more to the internal discord I have seen in congregational life. Always very hard on those involved.
 
My mind was going more to the internal discord I have seen in congregational life.
OK ---so internal discord in the church setting would stem from people who may call themselves Christians (they are False Christians ) who still have their sin nature who fostering conflict --gossip ---and division over leadership and doctrine -----these people are being influenced by Satan to cause havoc in the Church ----inside and outside the Church

2 Corinthians 11:13-14 AMP​

13 For such men are counterfeit apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.


Paul says get rid of the old yeast -----1 Corinthians 5:6-7

Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are.

Today most leaders of the church themselves are old yeast -----so if you got rid of all the old yeast in most churches ---you would have no church ------

No many Holy Spirit indwelled people in Churches today ---and that includes higher -hierarchy down ---I say -----

Satan is alive and well in most Churches today ----Folks
 
Acts 21
Paul travels towards Jerusalem and has a few stopovers along the way. He is warned repeatedly that trouble awaits him at his destination.

But Paul is determined to continue. He says he is prepared to die in Jerusalem for the name of Lord Jesus.

The brothers welcome him gladly In Jerusalem. He meets with James and the elders. They praise God when they hear what Paul has been able to do among the Gentiles.

But the Jews who follow the Law are most displeased. They think that Paul is telling them to abandon Moses. Jews from the province of Asia stir up the whole crowd.

Paul is seized and the crowds try to kill him. A report is sent to the commanding officer of the cohort that the whole city is in confusion.

Paul is arrested and there is a great disturbance. The commanding officer orders that Paul be taken to the barracks.

Permission is granted for Paul to address the people. He gestures for silence and speaks to them in Aramaic.
 
Yesterday, I posed the question:
Does Paul anticipate martyrdom? Does he welcome it or is he resigned to it?
It sure looks like he expects to die and even welcomes the prospect. But he has the opportunity to address the crowd.

Tomorrow we will see what he has to say in his own defense.
 
Today ---we see Paul and his companions are travelling to different areas and verse 4 says that Paul and his companions come to Tyre they looked up the Disciples and stayed with them for a bit ----

They warn Paul ----and Notice --- it says -----By the Holy Spirit----- that he should not go to Jerusalem.---- when Paul departs the Disciples and their children meet them outside the city on the beach Paul prays with them and he departs ---

Paul stays with believers fro one day in Ptolemais and leaves ---he goes and stays with Philip in Caesarea who's 4 daughters have the gift of Prophecy ----a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea and goes to where Paul is--------he took Paul’s [wide]band (belt, sash) and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this same way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this band, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles (pagans).’”

So when they heard this ---they tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem ----and Paul says this to them ---posting the verse
Verse 13 AMP
13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart [like this]? For I am ready not only to be bound and imprisoned, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

I say ----So Paul is willing to be martyred for Preaching in the name of Jesus Christ and doing God's will ----

They realize that Paul will not stay away from Jerusalem so they responds by saying -----

“The Lord’s will be done!”


I say -----So we see that Paul has been warned by these Disciples by and through the Holy Spirit ----so why is Paul not adhering to these warnings and is he actually Disobeying the Holy Spirit by going ---?

Were these warning to Prepare Paul or stop Him ?

We see that some of the Disciples from Caesarea went with Paul to Jerusalem
and they go to see James ---and the elders of the church were there also -----Paul tells the group what success they had with the Gentiles and the Praise and Glorify God ----

They tell Paul that there are many Jews who are strong supporters of the Laws and they know Paul is coming ----so they wonder what should be done ? they tell Paul to do as they say ----

They tell Paul there are 4 Men who have taken a Vow -----this Vow is called the Nazarite Vow talked about in Numbers 6:1-21 ----

They Tell Paul ---Verse -
24 take these men and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses [for the temple offerings] so that they may shave their heads.---do this so that
everyone knows that you are following the Law just like they are ----Paul could have refused to be purified but he doesn't this shows that he has nothing against the Jewish Laws ---The Gentiles were exempt from these rituals -----

So the next day Paul goes with the 4 men and purifies himself along with them and then goes into the Temple ---
Verse 26 -------
to give notice of [the time] when the days of purification [ending each vow] would be fulfilled and the usual offering could be presented on behalf of each one.

Apparently the purification ritual takes a few days to be completed ---and the Jews from
Asia saw him and started kicking up a big fuss -----they are shouting to the people about Paul and his teachings and say that he has brought Gentiles into the Temple and defiled it ----

It was Prohibited for the Gentiles to enter beyond the outer court of the temple -----and Paul was now allowing the Gentiles to enter the temple itself -----

From Bible Hub ---
The Court of the Gentiles

The outermost court of the Temple was known as the Court of the Gentiles. This area was accessible to all people, including Gentiles, and served as a place where they could come to pray and learn about the God of Israel. However, Gentiles were not permitted to enter beyond this court into the more sacred areas of the Temple.

I say -----So the whole city was angered and confused and they seized Paul and dragged him out of the Temple and while they are trying to kill him ---the commander of the Roman garrison brought his soldiers and centurions and ran down among them and took Paul to the barracks which the Crowd was shouting ---“Away with him! [Kill him!]”

Paul ask to speak to the Commander and after he knew he could speak Greek ---he knew he was not the Egyptian who had stirred a while back ----so Paul tells him who he is and he asks to speak to the people ---and the Commander gives him the OK to speak -------

So my thoughts on did Paul disobey the Holy Spirit when these folks were telling him the Spirit gave them the warning that Paul would be in danger in Jerusalem -----

I say ------No he didn't disobey the Holy Spirit ---------

I believe that the Holy Spirit was giving the Disciples the knowledge of the danger thet was looming for Paul to prepare them for what was coming ----Paul already knew what was coming to him and was already prepared to accept his fate whenever that was ---they needed to be prepared not Paul ----Paul being martyred was in God's plan from the Start and I believe Paul knew this already -

and again Folks ----when you know that your life only ends Physically and your Spirit and soul will live with God for eternity when your His Child --there is no fear in death ----there is only a transition --from this physical life to the Spiritual eternal life -----:angel:


Spiritual Eternal separation from God would be fearful I would think ---o_O---but that is just my view -----
 
Preparation is a possible theme of this passage, yes.

Does it creep anyone out that Paul sees himself as a Christ-like figure?

There is a theory about Paul that he suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy. This could explain his various ecstatic experiences of God and the Holy Spirit.
 
There is a theory about Paul that he suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy. This could explain his various ecstatic experiences of God and the Holy Spirit.
All I can do with this------- is Just

Baby Lol GIF by MOODMAN



And -----WELL ---We know who is Pushing This Theory ---Folks ---

His Number IS ---666 and His Name is

1759269299686.png

Just My View OF course -------:angel:
 
Acts 22:1-21
Paul addresses the people in Aramaic and they quiet down even more.

He speaks of his conversion on the road to Damascus. He acknowledges his previous persecution of Christians and his part in the execution of Stephen.

While he was in a trace, the Lord told him to get out of Jerusalem and to go far away to the Gentiles.
 
Interesting how well Paul is able to handle an unruly crowd. He must have been a compelling speaker.
 
So we are now hearing Paul's defense

And He addresses them in their Native Hebrew tongue (Arabic )---

This was a very smart move on Paul's part ----because he quickly establishes common ground with the Jewish Nation here ----- which was important for him to bring his case before them -right away this shows he has respect for them and this captures their attention -----as the scripture points out --

here in verse 2 AMP

2 When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet.

I say ------This is a very important Point for today ---in my view -------as Capturing and keeping the Attention of your Flock in the pews is critical for them hearing and paying attention to what the hopefully True Christian Minister is speaking -----It has to be Holy Spirit Driven --

I say -----Giving my summary of his speech ------AMP B being used here ---

Paul tells them --who he is ---where he came from ---who educated him in the Jewish Laws a man maned Gamaliel ----How Passionate he was for God -----how he persecuted the Followers of the WAY -----Notice -----he uses the Way ---and not the Religion of Christianity ------
He tells them of his conversion ----and that God instructed him on what his mission was to be---and that he was blind for a time and was taken to a man named
Ananias who said to me
‘Brother Saul, receive your sight! ---and he regained his sight -----and was told that God had appointed him to know His will and to see the Righteous one and hear His Message and understand His Plan with Clarity and Powder-----and he was then Baptised and had his sins washed away by calling upon His name ----

Acts 5 --tells us who Gamaliel is -----

34 ;But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people


Paul goes on to witnessing to them what happened in Jerusalem ----- where he had a vision and was told to get out of there quickly as his message of Jesus would not be received by them -----and Paul goes on to say to God that he persecuted and imprisoned people who believed in you ---and he was there when Stephen's blood was shed and protected the coats of those killing him -----and God spoke to him and said ------‘Go, I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

I say ---not sure this is the right thing to say to this Jewish crowd ?? Folks -----

So ----Paul's Conversion was a Supernatural event -----not an event caused by a medical condition ---as some Dr may think -----
anyone who has had the Born Again experience will testify that they become a different person in their Character and thinking and behaviour -----If they are not changed in their Character ---thinking and behaviour then they are not Born Again in their Spirit -----

AI agrees ----
Yes, the born-again experience fundamentally changes a person by providing a new spiritual nature, a different identity in Christ, and a shift in desires and motivations, leading to transformed behavior, a deeper connection with God, and a greater capacity for love and peace. This transformative process, often described as becoming a "new creation," involves receiving the Holy Spirit and a renewed ability to live in accordance with God's teachings.

Here's a breakdown of the changes:
  • A New Identity and Spiritual Nature:
    The experience provides a completely new spiritual self, moving away from an old, sinful nature toward a new identity in Christ.

  • Transformed Desires:
    Old sinful interests and harmful behaviors lose their appeal, while new desires for love, peace, and God's will emerge.

  • New Perspective and Mindset:
    A born-again person experiences a "reset of mentality," leading to a completely different way of thinking about life and priorities.

  • Indwelling of the Holy Spirit:
    The Holy Spirit resides within the person, providing power, guidance, and the ability to change desires and live a new life.

  • Enhanced Capacity for Love and Peace:
    Individuals often feel a deeper sense of love, peace, and a genuine connection to others, characterized by empathy and grief when others suffer.

  • Shift from Sin to Obedience:
    A fundamental change occurs in the heart and mind, moving away from sin and toward a desire to live according to God's teachings.

  • Spiritual Growth and Transformation:
    The born-again experience isn't just a singular event but the beginning of a process of growth and transformation into the likeness of Christ.
 
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