We often talk about the conversion of Saul – later known as the apostle Paul – because of the important lessons to be found in it about how one becomes a Christian. But what about what happened after Saul’s conversion? There are important lessons here as well. Let us look at what Saul did following his conversion.
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While the Jews were in Babylonian captivity, King Nebuchadnezzar made a huge, golden statue and commanded the people of every nation and language to fall down and worship the image when they would hear the sound of the music. Those who refused would be cast into a furnace of fire (Daniel 3:1-6).
Most of the people complied with the king’s order and worshiped the image at the prescribed times (Daniel 3:7). However, three young men – Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego – did not (Daniel 3:12). These men were among the Jews who had been taken captive and were companions of Daniel (Daniel 1:6-7). They now found themselves before an angry king:
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The President just signed health care reform legislation that will greatly expand the power of the federal government. In this article, I do not intend to praise or condemn this new set of laws and regulations. This is not a political article at all. Instead, I want to use the Bible to address the potential impact of a powerful, centralized government on our lives as Christians.
The word of God contains warnings of the dangers that are presented by a strong national government. It also contains teachings that will help us deal with this. Currently in our country, an expanding government is a reality. Let us turn to God’s word for wisdom and instruction in dealing with this present condition.
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A new report from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has found that approximately 1.57 billion people are now Muslim. This means that nearly 1 in 4 people in the world practice Islam.
To have this kind of growth, the religion is obviously spreading beyond the countries already dominated by Islam. The report noted that “more than 300 million Muslims, or one-fifth of the world’s Muslim population, live in countries where Islam is not the majority religion. These minority Muslim populations are often quite large.”
Should this rapid growth of Islam be of any concern to Christians? The answer to that is a resounding yes!
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The book of Revelation was written to encourage Christians to endure the sufferings and persecutions ahead of them in order to receive their reward from God. Generally, the sufferings we face today are much different – often less severe – than what they faced near the close of the first century. But one thing remains the same – we must overcome Satan and his devices in order to be rewarded by God in the end.
So how do we overcome? The letter to the seven churches helps answer that question. John recorded, “And they overcome him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (Revelation 12:11). This verse mentioned three things they did, and that we must also do, to overcome the devil and his schemes.
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Writing from prison, Paul told the brethren in Philippi, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). This instruction was so important that Paul repeated it. He also gave a similar command to the church in Thessalonica when he wrote, “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
Whenever we see a command like this, we ought to take note of it. We do not have the option to either rejoice or not rejoice depending on our circumstances. We are to “rejoice always.” The reason why this command must be given is because it is sometimes difficult or unnatural to rejoice in certain circumstances. Our lives here are filled with trials. Job lamented, “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil” (Job 14:1). The wise man noted the difficult nature of our existence here: “Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest” (Ecclesiastes 2:23). It is sometimes difficult to rejoice. But as Christians we must do so.
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There is an interesting description of the Lord’s people in the book of Acts. In a few places, the Lord’s church is called, “The Way.”
Saul went to Damascus “so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:2).
Later, after Saul (then Paul) became a follower of Christ, he was preaching in Ephesus. “But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples” (Acts 19:9).
Answering his accusers before Felix, Paul said, “But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our Fathers” (Acts 24:14).
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What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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