A Plot To Kill Paul

Acts 23:21  

"But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, 

which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink 

till they have killed him: and now are they ready, 

looking for a promise from thee."   

   Here we see two things. First, we see the lengths to which the Jews would go to kill Paul. Under certain circumstances the Jews regarded murder as justifiable. So forty men put themselves under a vow. The vow was called A cherem, which means destroy, and it is also referred to as the ban. When a man took such a vow he said, "May God curse me if I fail to do this." These men vowed neither to eat nor drink, and put themselves under the ban of God, until they had assassinated Paul.
   Second we see the lengths to which the Roman government would go in order to administrate impartial justice. Paul was a prisoner; but he was a Roman citizen. God has all things at His disposal. A nephew of Paul's, never mentioned elsewhere, hears of an ambush laid for him and warns him of it. Paul sends him to the chief captain, who expedites the departure of Paul under a guard to Caesarea. Therefore a Roman Commander quickly removes Paul that very night to Caesarea, protected by 470 armed soldiers. He sends a letter ahead to Felix in Caesarea, explaining why Paul is being sent to him. 
  My Friends, We are on different ground here. God watched over him, but all is on the level of human divine foresight an opportune ways. There is not the angel as in Peter's case, nor the earthquake as at Philippi. 
Amen!

Reading: Acts 23: 12-30
Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Paul's Farewell Visit To Troas

Acts 20:7  

"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came 

together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready 

to depart on the morrow; and continued 

his speech until midnight."

   At Troas a young man named Eutychus accidentally falls to his death from an upper balcony after falling asleep during a midnight sermon preached by Paul. To a great relief to all, Paul raises him from the dead and continues his sermon. At dawn Paul leaves for Jerusalem.

   Although Paul was in Troas seven days (v. 6), apparently neither he or the local church met for breaking of bread until the first day of the week (v. 7). The fact that Paul and others sometimes attended Sabbath services in Jewish Synagogues (17:1-3) does not prove that the apostolic Church kept the seventh day as a special day of worship. It only shows that the early missionaries took the Gospel message wherever and whenever they found people gathered together. This fact can be seen in all Paul's Missionary Journeys.

   This witness was carried on daily in every possible way. (cf. 1 Cor. 9:19-22). The early churches were specifically warned against submitting themselves to the bondage of any legalistic observance of Sabbath days, (Col. 2:16, cf. Gal. 4:9-11). These same churches voluntarily chose the first day of the week as an appropriate time for fellowship and worship (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 16:2), the day on which the Lord arose and repeatedly appeared to His disciples, (John 20:19-24, 25-29). 

   My Friends, It was a new day for a new people belonging to a new creation, a day of commemoration, joy, service and spiritual rest. What the disciples had and felt that day, we as believers have all of it, all day every day, because of that same Jesus that died on Calvary for the world.

Amen!

Reading: Acts 20:7:16

Ref: HG SB  

May God Bless you

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

The Sons Of Sceva

Acts 19:11-12  

"And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from 

his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, 

and the diseases departed from them, and the 

evil spirits went out of them." 

   A family of vagabond Jews composed of  Sceva, a chief  priest, and his seven sons had been watching Paul do his mighty miracles and decided to attempt a little exorcism on their own. They seen a demon possessed man, so they cried out over him the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth,"(Acts 19:13b.) 

   What followed would be amusing if it were not so tragic. " And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded," (Acts 19:15-16).

   Exorcism is a dangerous thing unless the exorcist is anointed by the Holy Spirit. This story quickly spread throughout the city and resulted in a great revival. Many believers who had been practicing black magic confessed their deeds. Over $10,000 worth of occult books and magic charms were then burned at a public bonfire.

   My Friends, there are still evil spirits working all around us today. But there is no spirits like Paul's around today. Most of us is just sinners saved by grace and trying to walk the straight and narrow to make it through the gates of Heaven. We might not be Paul but if  you are a child of God, and anointed by the Holy Spirit there is no limit, because God is in charge! "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you, " (Prov. 1:23). 

Amen!

Reading: Acts 19: 11-22

Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Incomplete Christianity

Acts 19:2  

"He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost 

since ye believed? And they said unto him, We 

have not so much as heard whether 

there be any Holy Ghost." 

   In Ephesus Paul met some men who were incomplete Christians. They had received the baptism of John but they did not even know of the Holy Spirit in the Christian sense of the term. What was the difference between the baptism of John and baptism in the name of Jesus? The accounts of the preaching of John Matt. 3:7-12; Luke 3:3-11 reveal one radical difference between it and the preaching of Jesus. The preaching of John was a threat; the preaching of Jesus was good news, John's preaching was a stage on the way. He himself knew that he only pointed to one still to come, (Luke 3:16). 
   John's preaching was a necessary stage because there are two stages in the religious life. First, there is the stage in which we awaken to our own inadequacy and our deserving of condemnation at the hand of God. That stage is closely allied to an endeavor to do better that inevitably fails because we try in our own strength. Second, there is the stage when we come to see that through the grace of Jesus Christ our condemnation may be taken away. Closely allied with that stage is the time when we find that all our efforts to do better are strengthened by the work of the Holy Spirit, through whom we can do what we could never do ourselves.
   These incomplete Christians knew the condemnation and the moral duty of being better; but the grace of Christ and the help of the Holy Spirit they did not know. Their religion was inevitably a thing of struggle and had not reached the stage of being a thing of peace. 
   My Friends, This incident shows us one great truth; that without the Holy Spirit there can be no such thing as complete Christianity. Even when we see the error of our ways and repent and determine to change them we can never make the change without the help which the Spirit alone can give. 
Amen!

Reading: Acts: 19:1-7
Ref: HG SB, BDSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

The Vision Of The Man In Macedonia

Acts 16:10

"And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured 

to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord

 had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." 

   For a time all doors seemed shut to Paul. It must have seemed strange to him that he was barred from the Roman province of Asia by the Holy Spirit; which contained Ephesus and all the recipients of the letters to the seven churches in the book of the Revelation. Bithynia, too, was shut to him. How did the Holy Spirit send his message to Paul? It may have been by the word of a prophet; it may have been by a vision; it may have been by some inner and inescapable conviction. But there is the possibility that what kept Paul from journeying into these provinces was ill-health, "the consequence of that thorn in his flesh."
   What makes that quite likely is that in Act. 16:10, suddenly and without warning, there emerges a "we" passage. The story begins to be told not in the third person but in the first person. That tells us that Luke was there, an eye-witness and a companion of Paul. Why should he so suddenly emerge on the scene? Luke was a doctor. What is more likely than that, he met Paul then because Paul needed his professional services, having fallen ill and so being barred from making the journeys he would like to make? If this is so, it is suggestive to reflect that Paul took even his weakness and his pain as a messenger from God. 
   My Friends, It was the sight of a man from Macedonia which finally gave Paul his guidance. Who was this man Paul saw in the vision? Some think it was Luke himself, for Luke may have been a Macedonian. However, I believe that we must never question God on what He calls us to do in a vision or by His voice. 
Amen!

Reading: Acts: 16:5-10
HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

The Courage Of Paul

Acts 14:19  

"And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, 

who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, 

drew him out of the city, supposing 

he had been dead."

    Paul heals a man who had been born crippled and the amazed crowd looks upon the gospel team as gods, calling Barnabas "Jupiter," and  Paul "Mercury." In the midst of all the excitement at Lystra certain Jews arrived. They may have been there for one of two reasons. They may have been deliberately following Paul and Barnabas in a set attempt to undo the work that they were doing. Or they may have been corn merchants. The region round Lystra was a great corn growing area and they may have come to buy corn for the cities of Iconium and Antioch. If so, they would be shocked and angry to find Paul still preaching and would very naturally stir up the people against him.

   Lystra was a Roman colony; but it was an outpost. Nevertheless, when the people saw what they had done they were afraid. That is why they dragged what they thought was Paul's dead body out of the city. They were afraid of the strong hand of Roman justice and they were trying to get rid of Paul's body in order to escape the consequences of their riot, (v.19). 

   My Friends, The most notable thing about this story is the sheer courage of Paul. When he came to his senses, his first act was to go right back into the city where he had been stoned. There could be no braver thing than Paul's going straight back among those who had tried to murder him. A deed like that would have more effect than a hundred sermons. Men were bound to ask themselves where a man got the courage to act in such a way. All I can say is, "Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit of God!!" 
Amen!

Reading: Acts 14:1-20
HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

A Transforming Vision (PT-2)

Acts 9:10-12  

"And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him 

said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 

And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is 

called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one 

called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And 

hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias 

coming in, and putting his hand on him,

that he might receive his sight. 

   Finally Saul was approached by a man named Ananias, a devout Jew who was also of the new faith. Through Ananias, Saul's blindness was healed; he was baptized and experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. Immediately, Saul began to proclaim his new faith in Jesus with some of the same vigor he had used before to defend the Law. He startled Jews and Christians in Damascus by entering their debates on the opposite side from the one they expected.

   When The Situation became dangerous, Saul did not return directly to Jerusalem but traveled south into Arabia, than a part of the Kingdom of Nabatea, and remained there two or three years, preaching and teaching. By the time he went back to Damascus, he had evidently become the object of such antagonism that King Aretas of Nabatea had the city guarded to prevent Saul's escape, (cf. Cor. 11:32). "But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket, (Acts 9:24-25).

   Paul  returned to Jerusalem, were many Christians had formerly suffered persecution at his hands. At that time he met only two of the church's leaders, Peter whom he called Cephas and James, the Lord's brother, (cf. Gal. 1:19), who was becoming the major voice of the Jerusalem community. Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus was one of the original members of the Christian community in Jerusalem, he vouched for Paul and helped overcome the suspicion about him.

   Paul's very presence in Jerusalem was a conflict, however, he soon departed for Tarsus and spent the next several years working in Cilicia and Syria. Note: Acts 13:12, Is the event that marks the point at which time Saul becomes the leader of the missionary enterprise and begins to be called Paul and his company, instead of Barnabas and Saul. 

Amen!

Reading: Acts Chap. 9-13

Ref: HG SB

Devotional Notes And Scriptures

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry