From the desk of Pastor Edd

  Scripture: Acts 23: 11 The next evening, Jesus appeared to Paul and said, "Be encouraged. You have boldly spoken to others about me here in Jerusalem. I need you to also go to Rome with the good news."   Title: I Am Always with You   This chapter begins with Paul standing in the midst of the Sanhedrin. Sometimes referred to as the Council, the Sanhedrin was the seat of both religious and political authority for the nation of Israel. The make-up was reported to be 71 rabbis from the nation and as such there were people of a variety of religious groups including the Pharisees and the Sadducees. One of the members of this group was Gamaliel, a rabbi with a school in Jerusalem where Saul had studied to gain his training in Judaism. He probably accompanied his teacher to the Council often and might well have known many of the men who served. The timing of this visit is probably 15-20 years after this Council gave Saul authority to go to Damascus to bring back anyone ...

  Scripture: Acts 21: 29 They had made the assumption when they saw Trophimus from Ephesus with Paul, that he had also brought him into the temple. Title: Make Decisions based on Truth and not Assumptions   Acts 21:1 We sailed to Cos and then to Rhodes and on to Patara. 2 There we boarded a ship on its way to Phoenicia and continued our journey. 3 The ship sailed around the western side of Cyprus and then headed east, landing at the port of Tyre, where the ship unloaded its cargo. 4 We stayed in the city for seven days with some followers of Jesus. During that time, they regularly told Paul not to continue his journey to Jerusalem. 5 When our time came to leave the whole group along with their families walked with us until we were outside of the city. We all knelt down on the beach and spent some time in prayer before we said goodbye. We get a city-by-city tour of Paul’s itinerary as he made the return trip to Antioch. Everywhere he went he received a caution about what ...

  Scripture: Acts 22: 5 "Ask the Council and the high priest, they know who I am. They gave me letters of authority so I could go to Damascus and bring these people back to the city as prisoners to be punished."   Title: How Pride and Prejudice get in the way of Love.   Paul is standing before the crowd, at the door to the prison and asks the commander if he can speak to the mob that has followed them to this point. The mob wants Paul to die, plain and simple.   1 "I address you as my brothers and fathers. Please hear me out." 2 Since he was speaking to them in Aramaic, they quieted down quickly. Paul continued, 3 "I was born in Tarsus of Cilicia and am a Jew. I grew up in this city and have been taught the ways of our Law by Gamaliel. I have lived a life of zealousness for God. 4 "I have brought many men and women to prison because they chose to follow the Way. 5 "Ask the Council and the high priest, they know who I am. They gave me letters of author...

  Scripture: Acts 20:35 "Remember how Jesus taught us you gain more blessing in life by giving than by receiving"   Title: Guided by God's Generous Grace   Acts 20: 1 After the crowd disbursed, Paul gathered the disciples together and encouraged them. Afterward, he set off for Macedonia. 2 He continued through the cities where he had been before, teaching the believers, as he made his way to Greece. 3 After three months, he planned to sail off to Syria, but some Jews were plotting to harm him, so he returned through Macedonia. 4 Those traveling with him included, Sopater of Berea, son of Pyrrhus, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus from Asia. 5 They went on ahead to Troas. 6 After the feast of Unleavened Bread we sailed from Philippi to Troas and stayed with the brethren for seven days. The feast of Unleavened Bread is also the feast of Passover. After celebrating the feast with the disciples in Philippi...