Jesus had just left Samaria where many had put their faith in him. On his way to Cana, he met an unnamed man. The text says the man was an “official,” a member of King Herod’s court. Herod was considered by most Jews to be a poser “King of Israel” installed by the pagan Romans. This man came and asked Jesus to heal his dying son.
Read More faith, miracles @en, gentiles, outsidersJesus had just left Samaria where many had put their faith in him. On his way to Cana, he met an unnamed man. The text says the man was an “official,” a member of King Herod’s court. Herod was considered by most Jews to be a poser “King of Israel” installed by the pagan Romans. This man came and asked Jesus to heal his dying son.
Read More faith, gentiles, outsidersSaul’s transformation from a man who persecuted Jesus’s followers to being counted one of them is blindingly swift. After the short period of several days with the Lord’s followers in Damascus, he is publicly preaching the same message he had sought to stop. Soon after, he does the same thing in Jerusalem, and he attempts to join the followers.
Read More gentiles, encouragement, gospelIn Acts 1:8, Jesus had told the disciples that the Holy Spirit would come upon them and give them power to fulfill the great commission, beginning first in Jerusalem, then in all Judea and Samaria, and finally everywhere in the world.
Saul (Paul) has just been sent out informally to the Gentiles from Jerusalem.
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From the beginning, the spread of the faith came at God’s initiative, and although the church leaders have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, the signs of God’s leading precede and exceed their plans. Just as was the case at the cross, it is clearly evident that as the faith spreads, the work of the gospel remains God’s work.
Read More Holy Spirit, kingdom, gentiles, ordinary peopleRead Reflect Luke is telling us about how the early church was led to resolve a major crisis in God’s Story of salvation. A meeting takes place in Jerusalem. Peter, Paul and Barnabas share the exciting news about how God has been saving Gentiles, winning them to faith in Jesus as Messiah and Lord, giving […]
Read More gentiles, inclusion, God’s plan, ethnicityThe Jews traced their ancestry back to Abraham, a man who first came to Israel from Ur of the Chaldees (in present day Iraq) to settle in the Promised Land. They put a lot of stock in the fact that they were God’s chosen people, They were circumcised as a mark of this. When the Christian gospel came to people outside the Jewish faith, this raised a burning issue for the Jews.
Read More Jews, gentiles, circumcision, acceptance with God, faithWhen my father died several years ago, it was quite unexpected: he was vacationing with my mother in Jamaica. As it turned out, he died of what was a very treatable condition; but because he received the poorest of treatment in a very low-level hospital he had no chance.
Read More rejection, good, Jews, gentilesPaul paints an incredible picture in this passage. We see a master builder at work: demolishing, laying foundations, putting in a cornerstone and building up walls to produce the grandest design of grand designs! The result is the most amazing temple, in which God dwells.
Read More gentiles, the ChurchPaul had been commissioned by Jesus to perform a task he regarded as an immense privilege, despite the suffering it brought – he had been set apart to evangelize the Gentiles!
The problem was that most of the Christian community were converted Jews, and they failed to understand Paul’s calling.
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