To see how the new believers are doing

[Matthias]

What Jesus himself (and, by extension, the apostles - all of them) is teaching and preaching is the Messianic hope of Israel. It has serious ramifications for Jews and for gentiles.

The disciples of the Messiah are to have that same hope.

 

[Matthias]

Good old X / Twitter bots. From my “For you” feed this afternoon -

“To be a disciple of Jesus means to learn from Him, to follow Him. …”

(Billy Graham)

https://x.com/billygraham/status/1943718051087548463?s=61

Jew and gentile, learning from Jesus and following him - becoming his disciple - depends upon hearing Jesus himself teach and preach the gospel of the kingdom. That is why every apostle evangelized their audiences with the word of the kingdom (Matthew 13:19).

 

[Matthias]

“Now when they had travelled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.”

(Acts 17:1-4, NASB)

Paul only preached one gospel, and that one gospel he preached to both Jews and gentiles.

There is only one gospel. “My gospel,” as Paul spoke of the gospel which he preached, is the gospel preached by the Messiah.

 

[Matthias]

“The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synanagogue of the Jews.”

(Acts 17:10, NASB)

What is the “apostle to the gentiles” (Romans 11:13) going to do in “the synagogue of the Jews“? Preach.

Preach what? Something other than what he calls “the gospel” (Romans 1:16) / my gospel” (Romans 2:16; 16:25)?

 

[Matthias]

“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men”

(Acts 17:11-12, NASB)

As we read this and remember the Messiah we should be thinking, “The sower went out to sow his seed, the word.”

Who are these who were more noble-minded? Unbelieving Jews who were receptive to hearing the gospel. Unbelieving Jews only? No, unbelieving gentiles also.

Paul and the others were preaching the gospel to Jews and gentiles which the Messiah preached to Jews.

What did they do when the heard? They searched the scriptures to evaluate the content of what Paul was preaching to them; Paul’s “word” is Paul’s gospel message.

What scriptures did they search? The Hebrew Bible / Old Testament. (The New Testament hadn’t been written at the time.)

What happened when they searched the scriptures? Many of them, not all of them, believed; the making of new disciples.

 

[Matthias]

The devil didn’t want the unbelieving Jews and gentiles to hear the Messiah preaching the gospel / the word through Paul and others. In Acts 17:13-14 we see his effort, his counter, to put a stop to it. Paul departed for Athens, leaving Silas and Timothy behind.

”Now while Paul was waiting for them [Silas and Timothy] at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present.”

(Acts 17:16-17, NASB)

Was Paul doing anything different in Athens than what he had done in Berea, Thessalonica, and the other places where he had gone to make new disciples for Jesus? Was he preaching or not preaching the very same gospel to both Jews and to gentiles everywhere that he went?

 

[Matthias]

When the gospel / word of the kingdom is preached, inevitably people show up who say that it shouldn’t be believed. “Jews, don’t you believe the gospel / word of the kingdom. Gentiles, don’t you believe the gospel / word of the kingdom.”

Newbies, if you are approached by someone who tells you that Paul didn’t have any knowledge about what the Messiah himself preached, will you believe him or her?

Newbies, if you are approached by someone who tells you that Paul knew but didn’t care what the Messiah himself preached, will you believe him or her?

Newbies, if you are approached by someone who tells you that Paul knew what the Messiah himself preached but that Paul himself didn’t preach what the Messiah himself (and all of the other apostles) preached, will you believe him or her?

 

[Matthias]

“… remember the words of the Lord Jesus …”

(Acts 20:35, NASB)

Newbies, when you think of Paul let there always be this unsevered connection in your mind:

The apostle Paul -> remember the words of the Lord Jesus.

 

[Matthias]

“You can’t get far without a railroad
You can’t get far without a railroad
You gotta have an engine and you gotta have a track
Oh, you can’t get far without a railroad”

(Ned Washington, lyrics for the song “You Can’t Get Far Without A Railroad”)

The song was made popular in the 1957 movie, Night Passage, starring James Stewart, Audie Murphy, and Dan Duryea.

I’ve been humming the tune and singing this lyric in the shower every morning for a week now. I haven’t seen the movie in years, so why is it coming into my mind now?

I think I figured out why this morning : a thread attacking the gospel of the kingdom and those who preach it appeared on the forum yesterday afternoon. The thread is titled: There is no “Paul’s Gospel”, until Jesus died on The Cross.

Having become equipped to handle such assaults, I now encourage newbies to read that thread.

It should come as no surprise - and it mustn’t shake your faith - that such attacks are made on “the railroad“.The devil doesn’t want anyone to listen to and believe the gospel that Jesus and all of the apostles (including Paul) preached. You can’t get far without it.

The gospel that Jesus and the apostles preached is the railroad that takes us to the promised land. Board that train and you are bound for glory.

No wonder the devil wants you to think it is “nonsense” and “heresy”. The gospel of the kingdom, as we have seen, is God’s gospel.

”Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

(James 4:7, WEB)

***

You can’t get far without a railroad
You can’t get far without a railroad
You gotta have an engine and you gotta have a track
Oh, you can’t get far without a railroad

 

[soberxp]

Satan, the devil, is the accuser of the brethren.

Jesus' disciples were those who forgave.

 

[Matthias]

Jesus' disciples were those who forgave.

Have you thought about starting a thread on forgiving the devil?

 

[soberxp]

Have you thought about starting a thread on forgiving the devil?

I have forgiven him for letting Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit and for letting me fall into the trap of death, but if he does not admit his fault, I don't think God will forgive it.

 

[Matthias]

New believers are in trouble.

 

[Stumpmaster]

Have you thought about starting a thread on forgiving the devil?

What?

 

[Matthias]

What?

Thread is in danger of being hijacked.

 

[soberxp]

Thread is in danger of being hijacked.

Haha,sorry...... If you think so..

 

[Matthias]

Haha,sorry...... If you think so..

Thanks. I know so.

 

[Hiddenthings]

I have forgiven him for letting Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit and for letting me fall into the trap of death, but if he does not admit his fault, I don't think God will forgive it.

This is wrong on so many levels - where to start!

 

[soberxp]

This is wrong on so many levels - where to start!

Start anywhere if you want to "blablabla"

 

[Matthias]

Start anywhere if you want to "blablabla"

That would be great, as long as it is out of my thread.