“All roads lead to Rome”

Part 6
The Mission of Paul


“All roads lead to Rome”

Note: The Study of Scripture for me encompasses a restudy of everything that I have learned before just to make sure that what has been learned is and fits with the new enlightenment. God provides new truth as we grow in grace. It is as we begin to understand deeper truth that we follow the leading of the Spirit of God. Sometimes it comes as a flash of intuitive knowledge other times it comes through the exhaustive study of hard subjects. But rest assured it will come as you are ready and prepared.

Dear Gentle readers,

I had a deacon one time who ask me after I had finished a study and told the group “check me out!” “Pastor, Don’t you know what you believe?” I replied “Yes, but you need to know and learn from God what you believe. ” So much of the time many take what someone else teaches and never question the truth of what is taught. I want you to check out everything I teach and if you are able try to find a flaw or an inconsistency in what I present. If you do let me know so that I my adjust my thinking. That will make us both better Christians and students of God’s most Holy Word. What I teach I believe is 99% correct but I leave 1% for the possibility of error.

One expects that at some point there will be disagreement remember “You get 6 Jews together and you’ll have 12 opinions”! This part of our mini study has caused many a pastor to stomp out of the hall, cancel their subscription to “boys life” and run home to hide under the blanket! Why you may ask? Go ahead, I’ll wait! Because Gentle Reader, when one begins to deep in history and deep in Scripture it’s a wee more that a child’s prayer before eating “Rub, a dub, dub thanks from the grub”.
My contention is that the closer you get to the original languages, and the deeper you go in your studies ( the meaning is rather like peeling an onion, it has layers) and other times there are gems hidden in plain sight!.

The mission of Paul is so clear to me that I am amazed that more Pastors/Bible teachers have not picked up on what seems to me to be an obvious truth. Paul was chosen to reach not only his own people but those of a non Jewish persuasion {i.e. Gentiles} and so he had not one but two commission. And when we begin to read in the book of Acts. We can see some of this when we recognize when Paul wrote to the various groups for example “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. “ [Romans 1:16 written around A.D. 58 From Corinth Paul had never been to Rome when he wrote this epistle (1:11-15). He intended to go to Rome after visiting Jerusalem (15:23-28). This was his purpose in Acts 19:21. This gives us a time setting. He was going to bear a collection of alms from Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem (15:26, 31). He carried the collection from Corinth to Jerusalem at the close of this three months' visit (Acts 24:17). When Paul wrote this epistle, Timotheus, Sosipater, Gaius and Erastus were with him (16:21-23). Out of these four, Luke mentions three in the Acts as being with him at Corinth during the three months' visit (Acts 20:4).]

The first record of Paul’s public witness is given in Acts Chapter 9 where we read: And immediately he preached Christ in the synagogues, [ Note: always to the Jew first ]that he is the Son of God. But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ [verse 20, 22] Incidentally these last references show that, to a Jew acquainted with the Scriptures, the fact that Jesus was the Christ would also prove that He was the Son of God ( John 20:31, Matt 16:16 ), although to the untaught mind such a connection would be neither necessary or obvious. Later in Acts 17 we learn that this was his usual procedure “And Paul, as his manner was, went in to them, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that it was needful that Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach to you, is Christ. [verses 2-3]

Please Note: the following that at Antioch the Jews withstood the gospel and were stricken with judicial blindness “Be it known to you therefore, men, brethren, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;
And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken in the prophets;
Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye will in no wise believe, though a man declare it to you.
And when the Jews had gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
And the next sabbath came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spoke against those things which were uttered by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Then Paul and Barnabas became bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you: but seeing ye reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldst be for salvation to the ends of the earth.
And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed. ( Acts 13: 38:48 ).

Notice also that Paul’s first miracle contrasts with Peter’s first miracle. Peter heals a Jew; Paul blinds a Jew. This Jew withstands the truth, and a Gentile, [ Paulus] who bears the same name as the apostle believes. Resulting from the opposition of the Jews at Antioch, there is a local turning from the Jew to the Gentile and Paul utters that word of warning which anticipates that dreadful quotation of Isaiah 6 with which the Jew was to be finely set aside as we can so easily see and read in Acts Chapter 28 “ And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
For the heart of this people [The Jewish leaders] is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.”

When the Jewish leaders representing the nation refused, Paul turned to us (Gentiles) as God had foretold hundreds of years before. (see the book of Hosea where Israel became Lo-ammi = "not my people") Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. [Hosea Chapter 1 verse 9].
Establishing Paul an Apostle with an independent ministry. Paul was an apostle but not one of the 12.

Note:
This is just a mini study many things and concepts have been deliberately by virtue of necessity left out. I hope to provide a jumping off place for those who want more than "Sunday go to meeting Christianity"
Establishing Paul an Apostle with an independent ministry.

To be continued. ..

Love,
Denis a remark:
This is just a mini study, many things and concepts have been deliberately by virtue of necessity left out. I hope to provide a jumping off place for those who want more than "Sunday go to meeting Christianity"