Spiritual Nuggets For
01-25-2009
126. Manaen is a person who is only mentioned once in the Bible and with very little details:
In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. (Acts 13:1)
He had been raised with Herod the tetrarch, but at that point he was not only just an ordinary Christian, he was a spiritual leader in the church at Antioch. To be brought up with Herod could suggest a very prominent heritage. So, who was Herod the tetrarch:
But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison. (Luke 3:19,20)
In brief, Herod the tetrarch was the adulterous king who had John the Baptist and James murdered, among other evil things, before God killed him. Somehow Manaen was brought up with Herod and came to salvation. Manaen is one of a handful, who are examples of amazing conversions to Christianity.
127. Paul often went inside synagogues to spread the gospel when he entered a new town. In Acts 13, we have one of his recorded sermons on salvation preached from such a location. One of the outstanding segments of it is the following:
Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38,39)
Paul told them what justified and what did not justify in the clearest possible way. Since the law of Moses was what they were stumbling over then he, therefore, told them clearly that would not save them. Telling people what doesn’t get sins forgiven, helps them to understand what believing in Jesus means. Paul’s teaching of believing in Jesus to get forgiven is the same essential teaching that Peter gave Cornelius:
All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (Acts 10:43)
Both Paul and Peter preached the same message and souls got saved. Neither taught the law to convict the unsaved of their sins before they got saved.
128. Epaphras was a mighty man of God, yet too few have mentioned this servant of the Lord. Among other things he apparently was responsible for winning the souls which formed the church at Colosse:
All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, (Col 1:6, 7)
He continued to fervently pray for the saints at Colosse:
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. (Col 4:12)
He spent time in prison with Paul:
Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. (Phile 1:23)
129. The same Greek word translated saved in reference to the soul, is also used for one’s physical healing:
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)
Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment. (Mat 9:22)
Another similarity to that is how some people have gotten saved and healed by virtually praying the same way asking for mercy:
Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:10-14)
He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” (Luke 18:38-42)
130. Were the Pharisees holy people? No, they just looked that way to man. They were instead very sinful, though outwardly religious:
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Mat 23:27,28)
Jesus called the Pharisees blind guides, blind fools, blind men, snakes, hypocrites, etc.
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