Philemon 1:1-7 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother… (v. 1a) Paul’s intro in this letter – writing with Timothy – is exactly the same as his intro to Philippians. Back when we started Philippians The Chronological Study Bible had Paul writing Philippians from Caesarea and they have him writing Philemon from …
Author Archives: Fred
August 15 / Acts 28:17-31
Acts 28:17-31 So today we finish the Book of Acts, on the 218th day after we read Acts 1:1. What a wonderful journey it has been, interspersing the Epistles with Paul’s traveling, preaching, and teaching. But we’re not through with Paul just yet; we’ve still got six more of his Epistles to read – Philemon, …
August 14 / Acts 28:11-16
Acts 28:11-16 …and on the second day we came to Puteoli. There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. (vv. 13b-14a) Puteoli was on the Bay of Naples on the mainland of Italy and (according to my Study Bible) the chief port for Rome, some 75 miles to the …
August 13 / Acts 28:1-10
Acts 28:1-10 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. (v. 7) I wonder who the “us” is in this sentence. Was it only Paul and Luke and Julius? …or the soldiers or the …
August 12 / Acts 27:39-44
Acts 27:39-44 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. (v. 40a) I was Army, not Navy, so I can’t presume to know much about ships. However, my Study Bible guided me a bit. Presumably there were two rudders on …
August 11 / Acts 27:27-38
Acts 27:27-38 Paul speaking to people on board the ship: Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. (v. 33b) Going two weeks without food, all the while being tossed about in a storm – I’m amazed that Luke did not report some sickness or death …
August 10 / Acts 27:13-26
Acts 27:13-26 Again, Luke’s “we” passages – verses 15, 16, 18, 20. It’s completely intriguing to me to be reading these words from Luke’s own hand, having been through it all personally. Certainly he had the same fears for his own safety as all the others on board, but he could look to Paul for …
August 9 / Acts 27:1-12
Acts 27:1-12 Luke is back to his “we” and “us” writings. It’s intriguing to have this first-hand account of Paul’s ministry. As we begin the trip to Rome in today’s reading, I recall my first time reading through Acts and feeling like I was on board ship with Paul and Luke. Sweet…! And Julius treated …
August 8 / Acts 26:24-32
And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” (v. 24) I have long remembered this verse. (See below.) It’s a small item, but what surprised me in reading this verse …
August 7 / Acts 26:12-23
Acts 26:12-23 …that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. (v. 20b) In our world today there are discussions about salvation by grace alone vs. working one’s way to heaven. And often imbedded therein is a sub-topic discussion of works in general. Why do we perform works? What …