Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES
a Christian Church
…
in reference to your former manner of life, you (believers in Christ) lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit…
…and that you be renewed (by God) in the spirit of your mind…
…and (that you) put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
TODAY’S STUDY
Romans 1 - Paul’s Resume: A Persecutor of the Church
THE OFFERING
Deacon Caleb Alburn
Barah Ministries Financial Policy No price appears on any material from Barah Ministries so that anyone who desires biblical teaching may have it free of charge.
b
Always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you…
Remember to give with the motivation suggested in Scripture
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful (grace oriented) giver.
OFFERING SONG
No Other Name
TODAY’S STUDY
Romans 1 - Paul’s Resume: A Persecutor of the Church
Paul, a bond-servant (slave) of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart (by God) for the (dissemination of the) gospel (message) of God…
Who is Paul?
He has a Jewish name (Saul of Tarsus).
He has a Roman name (Paul).
a
But Saul, who was also known as Paul…
What is an apostle?
And when day came, He (the Lord Jesus Christ) called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles…
Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew…
…and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot…
Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, (and) various kinds of tongues.
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers…
…for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ…
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in (union with) Christ before me (before I, Paul, was).
Am I (Paul) not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
BREAK
When I Think About Home
But Paul said, “I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia (where he learned Greek), a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.”
When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect (Aramaic), saying…
“Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”
And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect (Aramaic), they became even more quiet; and he said…
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the (Mosaic) law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.”
"I persecuted this Way (Christians) to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons…”
…as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there (out of our jurisdiction) to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.
“But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me…”
“…and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’”
“And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’”
“And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the (Righteous) One who was speaking to me.”
“And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord (the Righteous One) said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’ “
“But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus.”
“A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the (Mosaic) Law, and (a man who was) well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there (in Damascus)…”
“…came to me, and standing near said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very time I looked up at him.”
“And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth.’”
“‘For you will be a witness for Him (the Lord Jesus Christ…the Righteous One) to all men of what you have seen and heard.’”
‘Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’”
“It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance…”
“…and I saw Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) saying to me, ‘Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’”
“And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You.’”
“‘And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.’”
“And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”
And as they were crying out and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air…
…the commander ordered him (Saul) to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way.
But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman (citizen) and uncondemned?”
When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.”
The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he (Saul) said, “Yes.”
The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.”
Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately let go of him; and the commander also was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had put him in chains (unlawfully).
But on the next day, wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
Finally, my brethren (believers in Christ), rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again (in repetition) is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision (Jewish unbelivers)…
…for we (believers in Christ) are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in (union with) Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh (the Old Self)…
…although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh (the Old Self). If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I (should have confidence) far more (than them)…
…(I was) circumcised the eighth day, (I am) of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee…
…as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the (Mosaic) Law, found blameless.
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish (human excrement…skubala) so that I may gain Christ…
…and may be found in (union with) Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), not having a (self) righteousness of my own derived from (adherence to) the (Mosaic) Law, but that (absolute righteousness imputed) which is (given) through faith (alone) in Christ (alone for salvation), the (absolute) righteousness which comes from God (the Father) on the basis of faith (in Christ)…
…that I may know Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…
…in order that I may (also) attain to the (exit) resurrection from the dead (the Rapture).
Not that I have already obtained it (spiritual maturity) or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…
I
press on (DIOKO) toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in (union with) Christ Jesus.
CLOSING SONG
Your Word Takes Me
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for listening!
www.barahministries.com
