Offense Defense > Farrell's Bible Notes

Day 121: 1 Kings 10-11; Acts 19

.1 Kings 10:1 | (Mar.30.2012) six hundred threescore and six talents is 666 talents. I thought that was a strange that the gold measured up to that particular number, especially since it's the number of the beast, as told in Revelation 13:18, which refers to it as a number that is able to be counted. By the way, "talent" here is not what singers and musicians have, but it's the weight measurement of gold. But I suppose you could still say Solomon was talented (bad joke alert). A score is twenty, so threescore is sixty (3x20). This 666 is said to roughly equate to $104 trillion.

.1 Kings 10:23 | (Mar.30.2012) In Ecclesiastes 2:4-11, Solomon looks back on all this that he did and says what he later thinks about it all. He says it was vanity and vexation of spirit.

.1 Kings 10:26-29 | (Mar.30.2012) 2 Chronicles 1:14-17 has the same text, almost verbatim (word for word). What is said in 1 Kings 10:25 is not said there in 2 Chronicles 1, and what is said in 2 Chronicles 1:13 is not said here in 1 Kings 10.

.1 Kings 10:27 | (Mar.30.2012) When it says he "made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones" it means as plenteous/plentiful as stones, 2 Chronicles 1:15 tells us.

.1 Kings 11:3 | (Mar.30.2012) 700?! Oh how greedy! Before Pat Robertson, Solomon had his own type of 700 club. But seriously, Solomon, that's not wisdom, but you'll find out the hard way. I'd say Solomon's wives were not just a handful, but two hands full. And to that he says "Better is an handful with quietness, then both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit (Ecclesiastes 4:4). I think he comes to the conclusion that by taking so many wives, he neglects other men of the chance to be married. Four verses later, in Ecclesiastes 4:8, he says "there is one alone, and there is not a second" speaking about a hard-working man with no wife or family or children or brother. In Ecclesiastes 2:10 he says he had whatever his eyes desired. In that, he robbed other people of opportunities and their portion.

.1 Kings 11:41 | (Mar.30.2012) "the book of the acts of Solomon" - This may be a book in the Bible that we call by another name, such as Ecclesiastes or 2 Chronicles for example. However, I haven't studied to be able to affirm that yet, only speculate.

.Acts 19 | (Mar.30.2012 pictures)

and 9 more pics to be uploaded (or written about) later

Day 122: 1 Kings 12-13; Acts 20

.Acts 20:3 | (Mar.31.2012) Acts 19:8 says he taught in the synagogue for this three months. Being that the Jews laid wait for him, and it appears that he was really not very welcome there, yet he still taught in the synagogue for three months (the whole time he was there), it seems that the synagogue was open for anyone to use, not strictly controlled like today's church houses. Let's keep our eye open for other such scriptures that may indicate this or otherwise.

.Acts 20:16 | (Mar.31.2012) Acts 18:21 tells us that he had to be in Jerusalem to keep the feast on the day of Pentecost.

.Acts 20:19 | (Mar.31.2012) "with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:" - I wonder what his temptations were? When he says they were lying in wait, it sounds like they were trying to purposely tempt him to get him to fall.

.Acts 20:22 | (Mar.31.2012) Paul didn't know what would happen to him.

.Acts 20:23 | (Mar.31.2012) The word "save" in this verse means "except" when he says "Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me." The word "abide" means "await." So He's saying that all he knew is that the Holy Ghost witnessed in every city saying that bonds and afflictions awaited him.

.Acts 20:24 | (Mar.31.2012) So he knew something unpleasant would happen to him, he says in verse 23, he just didn't know what, but in verse 24 he says that he's not moved by it because he didn't count his life dear to him. His life wasn't all that important to him. I know I'm pretty much saying exactly what he says in the text, but what he's saying can easily be overlooked. It lines up with what he's saying in Philippians 1:21, that for him "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." You might imagine a person who sees the world around them, and doesn't like what they see, and they are so depressed that they don't even care about living anymore, but that's not the picture of Paul. He has something very different than a deeply depressed person has; he has joy and a reason to live. He continues here in verse 24 saying that he looks at it like this so that he might finish his course with joy, and the ministry that he received from the Lord Jesus. He was taught by Jesus Christ. It is also interesting to note that this also appears to be the first time that he refers to his work as ministry. The picture of Paul that we begin to see here is not a depressed man, but one who has learned not to care too much. Oh, he cares. He's not careless, but he is not full of care either; not filled up with care. Remember, this is the man who says to the brethren in Philippi "Be careful for nothing..." careful, meaning "full of care" (Philippians 4:6). It's like he's saying "Whatever happens happens. You can't stop it anyway, and you can't let it stop you, so why worry about it? Take it to God in prayer and let it be God's concern."

.Acts 20:26-27 | (Mar.31.2012) The word "shunned" here in verse 27 is said to mean "to avoid habitually or escape," so essentially he's saying that he hasn't neglected to declare unto them "all the counsel of God." This is why he says in verse 26 that he is "pure from the blood of all men." God appointed him to preach the gospel to help save others, and from what Paul understood, if he didn't do it, then their blood would be on his hands. He mentions something telling of this in Acts 18:6 when he says "your blood be upon your own heads" after the Jews opposed themselves and blasphemed after he testified to them that Jesus was Christ.

.Acts 20:28 | (Mar.31.2012) highlighted "he hath purchased with his own blood."

Day 123: 1 Kings 14-15; Acts 21

.Acts 21:4 | (Apr.1.2012) Way back before Google came out with gmail, I called this "G-mail," which was short for God mail. This is when you communicate to another person by sending a message to someone through God. It went like this: I was praying one day in my college dorm room, and my friend Frank knocked on my door. I don't think Frank had ever seen me pray before aside from praying over my food before eating, and I don't know how he'd even know I was even in the room when he knocked. It was the middle of the school day. I continued praying and asked God, "could you send this message to Frank. 'Frank, I'm praying right now, come back later please.'" Then about a second or two later Frank said through the door "you must be praying, I'll come back later." I was shocked, because I think that was the first time I'd tried it, and I knew there was no other way he'd know that. And a person who's guessing would be likely to guess that the person was either not in their room, or either sleep, you know, the usual reasons why someone wouldn't answer their door. Here in this verse, it says the disciples said to Paul through the Spirit that he shouldn't go up to Jerusalem. Sounds like G-mail to me! However, as we look at the dialogue that takes place and their response in verses 12-14, this speaking to him through the spirit may likely signify that they were speaking to him directly, but signifying that they were under the influence of the Holy Spirit in their speaking with him.

.Acts 21:8 | (Apr.1.2012) "Philip the evangelist" - Philip, is the only named evangelist in the Bible, but we may also count Timothy who Paul tells to "do the work of an evangelist" in 2 Timothy 4:5. I'm pretty sure there are other evangelists that we know of in the Bible who we are just not specifically told held the title "evangelist." And there certainly other evangelists among us today. Paul also mentions evangelists in Ephesians 4:11 when he says that Christ "gave some, apostles, and some, prophets, and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.."

.Acts 21:10-11 | (Apr.1.2012) The "he" who took Paul's girdle in verse 11 is referring to Agabus, who is mentioned at the end of verse 10. What Agabus says here is in accord with the warning given to Paul through the Spirit in verse 4. And verse 12 speaks of them carrying out that mentioned in verse 4.

.Acts 21:13 | (Apr.1.2012) Paul answers "for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus," unlike Elijah in 1 Kings 19:10 who ran for his life.

.Acts 21:15 | (Apr.1.2012) The word "carriages" here is said to mean "baggage."

.Acts 21:21 | (Apr.9.2012) highlighted "to forsake Moses" - they are told that this is what Paul was doing, so they would see him as an enemy. Paul does not teach people to forsake Moses, but to embrace Jesus. In fact, at the end of Acts, in 28:23, we see that he even used the law of Moses to persuade people concerning Jesus.

.Acts 21:23 | (Apr.1.2012) have they taken a vow to kill him?

.Acts 21:24 | (Apr.1.2012) This is in accordance with what is taught in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. It doesn't say he's told to become one of them, but to show himself "as" one of them, that he does not appear in discord.

.Acts 21:25 | (Apr.1.2012) Acts 15:20 touches on this.

.Acts 21:32 | (Apr.1.2012) Paul's life is spared.

.Acts 21:33 | (Apr.1.2012) I believe there's a significance of these "two chains" here. Ordinarily, it would likely just say he was bound with chains, but I believe there's a reason that the number of chains is mentioned here. I believe these two chains represent 1) Jew 2) Gentile, and 1) Old Testament 2) New Testament.

.Acts 21:34 | (Apr.1.2012) "And some cried one thing, some another" - the highlights are my emphasis, and I believe represented Jews and Gentiles, and Old and New Testament.

.Acts 21:39-40 | (Apr.1.2012) Paul was multilingual, or bilingual at least. This is Paul's reward, spoken of in 1 Corinthians 9:18, that he may preach the gospel. And in the verses following 9:18, he does likewise and speaks their language to relate to them, and show himself to be like one of them, which was in stark contrast to the picture that had been painted of him as some rogue rebel outsider.

Day 124: 1 Kings 16-18; Acts 22

.Acts 22:9 | (Apr.2.2012) Did the men with Paul hear Jesus' voice or not? Some have looked at what Luke says in Acts 9:7 and questioned whether it's in conflict with what Paul says in 22:9.

Jesus spoke twice. In 22:9, when Paul says "they heard not the voice" it must be in reference to the first time, when He said "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest: It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." Paul responds with the question, "What shall I do, Lord?" Jesus responds (speaking the second time), with specific instructions for him.

Paul doesn't say that they didn't hear Him the second time. It is the first time that they didn't hear Him. And also, they may have just heard a voice (the second time Jesus spoke), and not actually what He said. Neither Paul or those with him claimed to have seen a man (no contradiction there either). They all saw a light, but they must not have seen it like Paul saw it, because they weren't left blind (Acts 22:11). Perhaps that was like as if someone shined a flashlight into your eyes, it would blind you at least temporarily, but not if you saw that same light being shined into someone else's eyes.

I drew this random picture when I was in high school (almost 20 years ago), before I had read through the Bible, and likely before I had read this story about Paul. It was just something I saw in my mind that I wanted to draw. Unlike many of my other drawings, it wasn't drawn from a picture, neither did I likely have any intention of what it meant, and for sure I didn't mean as a reference to Paul. I hadn't ever really shared this picture with others, but about 3 years ago, I saw a similar picture by a different artist hanging up on my cousin's wall. It was a man down in this same position (I believe also with one hand on the ground, on one knee), and if I can recall, he also had a light shining on his back. I still haven't shown my cousin the picture I drew yet. I thought it was odd that there was another picture like mine that someone had drawn, but just today I realize that it's because the Lord had put this image into each of our minds, of Paul's conversion. In my mind, I was probably just trying to see if I could draw a picture showing light in 3D. I drew it using pencil and a green color pencil, and kneeling down myself to see what a kneeling man would look like. The light rays shining down are 12 inches, I don't know whether that could be any reference to what some believe: that Paul was God's choice as the twelfth apostle (after Judas), although the other eleven apostles had apparently taken it upon themselves to vote in another (Matthias, who is never again mentioned).

Acts 26:14 tells more of what Jesus said to Paul at this time. However, Paul says here that they all fell to the earth. I don't know what Paul saw or heard (he was blinded). He might have heard those around him fall down to the ground or maybe he assumed they did. Maybe the demons of this evil man fell down in Jesus' presence. Who knows? Maybe they got down on the ground to help him up afterwards and he thought they were all on the ground, because that's where they were when they were helping him up, because we know he couldn't see anybody and a blind man who has never been blind before would probably not just try to stand up on his own. Acts 9:7 says "the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man." I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the word "stood" here, to think that it literally means they were standing. It may be used in a less literal sense, like when we are driving in our cars, but we say we are in "standing still" in traffic or when we defend ourselves we "stand up" for ourselves.

Here's another response to Acts 9:7 & 22:9 by Gleason L. Archer and William Arnold III: www.onenesspentecostal.com/acts97.htm

Day 125: 1 Kings 19-20; Acts 23

.1 Kings 19:1-2 | (Apr.4.2012) (highlighted)

.1 Kings 19:4 | (Apr.4.2012) What he says here, "I am not better than my fathers" ties in with verse 10.

.1 Kings 19:10 | (Apr.4.2012) In verses 2-4, when he fled for his life, it's not that he was doubting God's abilities, but had known (or seen) how God's prophets before him were indeed slain, even with God on their side, and supposing himself not to be better than them, didn't see why his life should or would be spared when theirs weren't. He didn't have the same mental resolve that Paul had in Acts 21:4,12-14. Or perhaps, he feared for the extinction of God's faithful.

.1 Kings 19:11 | (Apr.4.2012) As a poet, this always stood out as an exceptional piece of writing to me: "...but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire..."

.1 Kings 19:12 | (Apr.4.2012) "a still small voice" is one of the many ways God speaks.

.1 Kings 19:16 | (Apr.4.2012) Enters Elisha to accompany Elijah. Now this is interesting; I don't recall anyone else in the Bible ever being anointed by a man to be a prophet. It may have happened, but to my recollection, the other prophets were anointed directly by God. Or perhaps other were anointed but not appointed by man. And even though is it Elijah who is anointing here, it is still God who is appointing.

.1 Kings 19:18 | (Apr.4.2012) God letting Elijah know that he wasn't the last and only one,.

.1 Kings 19:19 | (Apr.4.2012) Now I'm not an expert on farming, but plowing with twelve oxen sounds like a lot to be handling at one time. I wonder if this number could have any significance to the 12 tribes of Israel or the 12 apostles in the New Testament. So here Elijah finds Elisha. The company of a fellow prophet must have been most of what his heart desired, seeing that Elisha was the last of the three God told him to anoint, but the first one that he found (or possibly sought after). It's possible that he wasn't actively seeing out Elisha, but just stumbled upon him first. The other two were Hazael for King of Syria (v.15) and Jehu for King of Israel (v.16).

.1 Kings 20:1 | (Apr.4.2012) "Ben-hadad the king of Syria" - This is Where Hazael would rule, according to God in 19:15.

.1 Kings 20:6 | (Apr.4.2012) "...whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away." Sounds like they're purposely picking on him.

.1 Kings 20:11 | (Apr.4.2012) He that puts off his harness at the end of the day can boast that he that has survived the battle.

.1 Kings 20:15 | (Apr.4.2012) The 7,000 from 19:18?

.1 Kings 20:16 | (Apr.4.2012) drinking himself drunk like Elah in 16:9.

.1 Kings 20:23 | (Apr.4.2012) They really don't get the idea. They know there's a higher power, but don't know who He is (not a god, but God and Lord, and Creator of all.)

.1 Kings 20:28 | (Apr.4.2012) They say "The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys..." - Back to what I said in verse 23, the Syrians don't know who they're dealing with.

Day 126: 1 Kings 21-22; Acts 24

.1 Kings 21:5 | (Apr.5.2012) Here it says "Jezebel his wife" speaking of Ahab's wife.

.1 Kings 21:10 | (Apr.5.2012) Jezebel is treacherous

.1 Kings 21:19 | (Apr.5.2012) Although Ahab didn't order it, he was still consenting since he still went to take the vineyard after the deed was done.

.1 Kings 21:23 | (Apr.5.2012) "The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel."

.1 Kings 22 | (Apr.5.2012) 2 Chronicles 18

.1 Kings 22:2-3 | (Apr.5.2012) So these two kings are considering going to war together (plural; two kings), but Micaiah the prophet answers in 22:15 that "the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king" (singular; one king). The problem is that they were trying to compel Micaiah to give them good news, but Micaiah doesn't operate like that. He speaks the word of the Lord. If they would have set aside their own desires for what they wanted to hear, they would have easily seen that he said "king" not "kings" and realized that they shouldn't join forces to go to battle, or that one of the kings wasn't going to make it through the battle.

.1 Kings 22:6 | (Apr.5.2012) the first 450 false prophets were slain (1 Kings 18:22-40).

Day 127: 2 Kings 1-3; Acts 25

.2 Kings 1:2 | (Apr.6.2012) "Baal-zebub" Ekron's god, is Satan. Jesus refers to him as Satan, or at least an ambassador of Satan in Mark 3:22-23 when they accuse Jesus of being possessed by Beelzebub/Baal-zebub, and Jesus responds "How can Satan cast out Satan?" Here and in Matthew 12:24, Baal-zebub/Beelzebub is called "the prince of the devils."

.2 Kings 1:3 | (Apr.6.2012) Elijah follows through with this in verse 6.

.2 Kings 1:4 | (Apr.6.2012) This is retold in verses 6 and 16, and in 17 it happens.

.2 Kings 1:5 | (Apr.6.2012) These were the messengers of Ahaziah.

.2 Kings 1:6 | (Apr.6.2012) Elijah does as God tells him to in verse 3.

.2 Kings 1:8 | (Apr.6.2012) Elijah's description "he was an hairy man" sounds like the description Jacob gives of Esau, saying "Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:" (Genesis 27:11). Since we're in Genesis, look at 3:21, and see where this leather girdle originated. That's right, fashionistas! All hail the first real clothes Designer, God Almighty. You should have Him, the inventor of clothes on your wall of fashion fame. It's only right to give credit where credit is due.

.2 Kings 1:9 | (Apr.6.2012) "fifty" (2:17)

.2 Kings 1:10 | (Apr.6.2012) "Oops! Hmm... I guess I am a man of God. Who would have thought." This part where he says "if I be a man of God" as they called him, reminds me of when Jesus asked the rich young ruler "Why callest thou me good?" in Luke 18:18-19. In both cases, someone refers to the person as something they don't actually believe they are. In the previous verse here, the king calls Elijah a man of God, but he doesn't really believe Elijah is a man of God. In fact, the king didn't believe there was a God there in the first place. His sent his men, based on the idea of there being no God.

.2 Kings 1:12 | (Apr.6.2012) What's the plot here? This is the second set of fifty men consumed with fire. I'm starting to see a trend.

.2 Kings 1:13 | (Apr.6.2012) Third set of fifty. Okay, they're starting to catch on now. Now they really mean it when they call him "man of God."

.2 Kings 1:14 | (Apr.6.2012) Ol' boy is scared, ain't he? lol. I'm sorry, that's just kind of funny to me. Everybody was so brave and arrogant at first.

.2 Kings 1:15 | (Apr.6.2012) "the angel of the Lord" (verse 3).

.2 Kings 1:17 | (Apr.6.2012) verse 4

.2 Kings 1:18 | (Apr.6.2012) "the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel" mentioned again.

Day 128: 2 Kings 4-6; Acts 26

.Acts 26:5 | (Nov.15,2011) Paul was a Pharisee "after the most straitest sect of our religion," he says in reference to Judaism.

.Acts 26:10 | (Nov.15,2011) Notice how he refers to them as "saints" here at this crucial time as he testifies for himself to be judged, although referring to them as "saints" may get him in more trouble with the men judging him, although not with God, his true Judge.
(Nov.23,2011) It's also interesting to note that he got his authority from the chief priests; the same one's that paid Judas to betray Jesus and compelled the people to turn against Jesus (Matthew 27:20).

.Acts 26:12 | (Nov.23,2011) Not only did he receive authority from the chief priests of the Jews to persecute the Christians, but he was commissioned by them. This means he was ordered by them to do it, not just given permission as if he had went to them and begged "Sirs, can I persecute them please?" So he was already in such a leadership type of position, and was, in essence drafted over to the opposite team by Jesus Christ himself. But the Christians are not actually in opposition to the Jews, but are the byproduct of the fulfilling of the Jewish law and the fulfilling of prophecy, and the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The problem was and is that the leaders didn't accept Him as the Messiah.

.Acts 26:14 | (Nov.15,2011) Notice here he says "we were all fallen to the earth." He's telling of the event that happened in Acts 9:4. Except in 9:4 it's reported that Saul fell to the earth, and says nothing about the others. It doesn't say that others didn't fall to the earth, but it doesn't say that they did. And it seems from the text in 9:4, that he was the only one there in that company that fell to the earth. However, that report was by someone else. This report in 26:14 is by Paul. We don't know what and who Paul saw or felt at that moment, and it's possible, perhaps likely, that who he witnessed fall to the earth were other saints, not those physically around him there. I question whether these were living saints or saints who had be martyred (I just realized "martyred" sounds like "murdered"), such as Stephen in Acts 7:58-60 who was kneeled down and cried with a loud voice to the Lord when killed. Verse 58 there says the witnesses laid down their clothes at Saul's feet, and 8:1 says Saul was consenting unto Stephens death. Paul is Saul (13:9). (Mar.20.2014) It may have been other Jews or Gentiles that Paul witnessed falling to the earth with him, or through him, because he was having a supernatural experience, after all. There are many others, who in their own way, during their own time, fell down before God, being brought to the realization of the life they have been living and experiencing the weight of the truth. These people could have even been after Paul's life here on earth. It could have been me or you. Or when Saul, who was a leader, fell to the earth, all of his people standing closest to him, fell down on the ground with him to check on him, as anyone would do if someone standing next to them just fell to the ground, especially a leader. If you care anything about them, you're going to hit the ground right after they do, so you can check on them. You're not just going to look at them dramatically fall to the ground and continue going on about your business. Paul is having a soul-shocking experience with the Lord. If that's what happened, all he knows is that there's a bunch of people on the ground with him, with their hands on his shoulder, asking him questions about if he's alright (which he can't answer) and they're probably making some big commotion, while he's focused on what the Lord is saying to him. He was blind, he could see all of who was on the ground or not (if he was saying those around him were the ones who fell to the ground, not other people elsewhere, as I had speculated previously). Ultimately, I don't think the scriptures give us enough detail to know exactly who all fell to the earth, as Paul mentions here, but I did want to explore some possibilities of what exactly may have happened so this is not misunderstood to be considered conflicting reports of the truth.

.Acts 26:16 | (Nov.23,2011) Notice how Jesus immediately calls him to place his faith in Him, by commanding him to do something against his own instinct that would require a small amount of faith in Jesus. He tells him here to rise and stand upon his feet. If I just went blind, the last thing I would be about to do is to stand up on my feet. I'm not going to want to stand up on my own two feet until my eyesight comes back. It doesn't say here whether he stood up on his feet, but it does say in Acts 9:8 that he did, indeed, stand up on his feet. He obeyed. He chose to follow the leadership of Jesus Christ.

.Acts 26:17 | (Nov.15,2011) Paul is notified here by God that he is being sent to the Gentiles.
(Nov.25,2011) Just as importantly, he is notified that God is delivering him from them. It could be that His sending him to them is a deliverance itself, if perhaps they were later going to kill him, but I really doubt that's what God is saying here for two reasons. He says He's delivering him "from the people, and from the gentiles." First of all, that's two groups of people, and it's not likely that he'll be killed or held captive by both of those groups of people while he is a non-Christian, because he's not offending both of those groups. The second reason is that he is later delivered by God from the hands of both of these groups, which prepares me to say that God is not saying here that He's delivering him by sending him to them, but that He will later deliver him from them. As a Christian (follower of Christ), and even a minister of Jesus Christ, Paul's message is completely offensive to both of those groups (Jews & Gentiles). So that would mean this is a prophecy; one that we don't see him ever mention to anyone else except here, but we can be sure he didn't forget. I'm pretty sure he thought back on this prophecy when he was thrown into prison and when he was beaten and left for dead, only to arise and return to that same place to preach again, despite the threat to his life. There are times when God tells us things, and we forget, like when Peter forgot that Jesus told him he would deny Him three times before the cock crows, but we know Paul has remembered because he's repeating these words from God here in Acts 26, while detained for his walk with Christ. However, it was in Acts 9 when he first would come to Christ that Jesus told him this; so we know he remembers it well.

.Acts 26:18 | (Nov.15,2011) Paul is told God's purpose for sending him to the Gentiles. This word used here "inheritance," is a powerful word, and signifies that God is not going to regard these Gentiles as strangers or outsiders like the Levites were in the Old Testament who had no inheritance, but as His own people, His own children.

.Acts 26:22-23 | (Nov.15,2011) Paul being a Pharisee knew the prophecies of the prophets and God's word from Moses. He's pointing out that he's not saying anything new, but that these are the Jews' beliefs, as they are supposed to believe their prophets. This "light" that he speaks of here, saying "...and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles" seems to refer to the light that shined on him from heaven in 9:3. Paul mentions Christ, according to the prophets, "should be the first to rise from the dead," but there is something more to this than just a person being physically brought back to life, because we know from 2 Kings 4:35 and Lazarus, and that other girl, that there were others raised from the dead before Jesus is even crucified.

.Acts 26:28 | (Nov.15,2011) "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." In Isaiah 65:15 the Lord speaks saying "And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: For the Lord God shall slay thee, and call His servants by another name". This is one of a few times (possibly only two) where we see that actual name "Christian" used here in the Bible. Some have said it means "Christ-like," but I believe it's more biblically accurate to say it means a member of Christ; a member being a body part of Christ. So we are not simply like Christ, but a part of Him, just as a man's finger is part of him, and if you were to afflict his finger, you are actually afflicting him. And just as you believe that a man would feel it if you smash his finger, there is no reason for us to think Christ does not feel what is done to His members (His body parts). This is how the Lord comes to Saul saying "why persecutest thou me?" in verse 14 (Acts 9:4).

.Acts 26:32 | (Nov.15,2011) If we look at 25:11-12 we see that Paul chose to appeal to Caesar, feeling like he would be more likely to get a fair trial, because earlier in verse 25 we see that the Jews, his alternative, were trying to set him up to be killed. So his alternative wasn't good either. And we have to remember that just because Agrippa says to Festus "this man might have been set at liberty" does not mean that it's true. We can't take everyone's words in the Bible as truth. We can take God's word in the Bible as truth, but there are many things said by non-believers and evil people in the Bible that are not true, although they are reported to us correctly by the Bible. An example of this is when the serpent said to Eve, "thou shall not surely die." We don't just believe what the serpent said is true, just because the words are contained in the Bible, because we know the serpent lies and deceives. We know that these words we are hearing are between a non-believer, King Agrippa, and a man who's against believers, Festus. Then on top of that, he uses the word "might." We know from Acts 25:1-3, the Jews were trying to kill him, and from Acts 25:9 that Festus wanted to do the Jews a pleasure, regarding Paul. We can't just agree and say "aw man, Paul shouldn't have appealed to Caesar," because regardless of going to Caesar, at least Paul is still alive and still ministering instead of dead in a ditch somewhere.

Day 129: 2 Kings 7-9; Acts 27

.2 Kings 7:2 | (Apr.8.2012) Notice this says "a lord" on whose hand the king leaned, not "the lord." Verse 17 says "the lord," but we know from this that it's not talking about The Lord God. The king gets killed in verse 17, and verses 18-20 essentially say "I told you so" so I'm not going be redundant to say it here. I assume you've read it or will read it.

.2 Kings 7:16 | (Apr.8.2012) "And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians." The end of this verse says "according to the Word of the Lord." The Word of the Lord was spoken about this in verse one. When the Lord speaks a thing to come, one can generally assume that some smaller incidences will occur, which will lead up to causing the main event to occur, although the Lord usually only mentions the outcome, not the smaller incidences.

.2 Kings 7:17 | (Apr.8.2012) Although this says "the lord on whose hand he leaned" we see from verse 2 that this is not talking about The Lord God. It's talking about "a lord" as verse 2 says; a man who holds the title of lord, and has power and authority over others, but not all others; think of a landlord. However, there are many definitions of "lord," but none with the meaning and magnitude we mean when we say "Jesus is Lord" or "The Lord is Jesus."

.2 Kings 7:19 | (Apr.8.2012) This was said in verse 2.

.2 Kings 7:20 | (Apr.8.2012) This happened in verse 17.

.2 Kings 8:1 | (Apr.8.2012) Elisha brought her son back to life in 2 Kings 4:35.

.2 Kings 8:7 | (Apr.8.2012; May.21.2017 correction) Notice at the end of the verse, King Ben-hadad says "The man of God is come hither." It's not that Elisha was the only man of God in the world, but probably the only obvious one they were dealing with. I'm sure they were familiar with what happened in 1:10-13, when those people learned the hard way to respect a man of God.

.2 Kings 9:6 | (Apr.8.2012) Notice that here he says "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel," but in verse three God didn't say to say "God of Israel." Perhaps this is because he's seeing Him as the God of Israel, when God knows Himself to be Lord of all, even outside of Israel. What God says reminds me of Psalm 23:5 where it says "Thou anointest my head with oil" and Psalm 89:20 where the Lord said in a vision that He anointed His servant David with His holy oil.

.2 Kings 9:8 | (Apr.8.2012) Didn't we just talk about this "pissing against the wall" stuff in 1 Samuel 25? I'm starting to wonder how commonly this term was used. Being a guy, I'm not sure how I feel about being referred to as a wall pisser. I'm imagining I'm a retail sales associate again and a lady points to me and tells her child to "go ask that wall pisser over there where the checkout counter is." I might feel a little bit offended. I mean, it was cool when I first heard it, like something to brag about saying "yeah, I'm a warrior! I can piss against the wall and women can't", but now it's starting to feel a little derogatory. I'm not 5 anymore. I'm a grown man, and I have other things going for me than that. I really don't want to be referred to by how I might (if I choose) use the "bathroom." You wouldn't want to be referred to as a squat dropper would you? No! It's a bit awkward isn't it? Exactly my point. Anyway, enough about that; I'm over it. This incident spoken of here in 2 Kings 9:8 happens in 10:7 when the king's sons are slain (Sorry, I hope I didn't ruin the story for you, but you were going to find out anyway).

.2 Kings 9:23-24 | (Apr.8.2012) It sounds as if Joram and Jehoram is the same person here, just spelled differently, but probably pronounced the same. Similar things have happened with Abram called Abraham, Jacob called Israel, and Saul called Paul, (Mar.20.2014) although it doesn't appear in scripture that Saul's name wasn't ever actually changed to Paul, but that he was called by both names. Most often the name change signified a drastic change or declaration God made on their life. Sometimes the Bible appears to call them by both names interchangeably. I'm not sure if that's the case here with Joram, but the answer may be nearby if you care to search.

.Acts 27:14 | (Apr.8.2012) This storm was named like we do with hurricanes.

.Acts 27:33-34 | (Apr.8.2012) This is an example that health concerns should be taken into consideration when fasting.

Day 130: 2 Kings 10-12; Acts 28

.2 Kings 10:7 | (Apr.9.2012) This was prophesied in 9:8.

.2 Kings 10:31 | (Apr.9.2012) So looking at verse 29, it appears that he did half right, still holding on to the sins of Jeroboam. God requires our full hearts.

.2 Kings 10:34 | (Apr.9.2012) "the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel" is mentioned again.

.2 Kings 12:11 | (Apr.9.2012) Contrary to the belief of some people today, this shows that people back then did receive monetary wages for their work. This topic is usually brought up when some people attempt to justify the change made in regard to what is tithed. Today people tithe money instead of the other things the Bible mentioned. Back then, money was not tithed. People say the reason it's done now is because our income now is money and that's how we operate, and that beforetimes people just bartered and traded the things they farmed. But this verse is one of several references that shows that people back then were also on a monetary system, but still did not tithe money.

.Acts 28:20-22 | (Apr.9.2012) Sounds like Paul sent letters that weren't received.

.Acts 28:23 | (Apr.9.2012) Paul has what we now call a "house church," as it says here, "there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening." Note that it says he used the law of Moses also to persuade them concerning Jesus, although people had before accused him of forsaking Moses.

.Acts 28:24 | (Apr.9.2012) This is how it is. It happened with Jesus, it happened with John the Baptist. This is a part of ministering the gospel and speaking the truth. "...some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not." You can't make everybody believe; you can't make everybody happy, because not everybody is willing to accept the truth.

.Acts 28:28-31 | (Apr.9.2012) Sounds like Mr. Trav-A-Lot spends time preaching within four walls, except these four walls are a little different. This is where he sleeps. To have people come into your "lodging" as we're told in verse 23 is a new level of boldness, especially for someone who's life had been so threatened by haters.

Day 131: 2 Kings 13-14; Romans 1

.Romans 1:18-23 | Not only were the Jews to receive salvation first, but also tribulation and anguish (Rom 2:9) for their evildoing (judged by God).

.Romans 1:18-23 | This is one reason why people, in good conscience, can't rightfully claim that there is no God. In verse 19, Paul says God has shown it to them. In verse 20, he says they have no excuse since God's creation is clearly seen and His power and Godhead manifested. From the microscopic and the nanoscale to the whales, oceans, trees, and land, we'd have to deeply embrace deception to think that this was all an accident. This goes for the agnostics as well, who only believe in a "higher power" but will not believe who or what that "higher power" is, although He's already declared it. If we remember back in Acts 17:23-24, when Paul was in Mars' hill speaking to the men of Athens, he said that when he saw their devotions, he found an altar with the inscription "To the Unknown God" who they ignorantly worshipped. So he declared to them who God is. Also mentioning here God's creation of the world, and that He doesn't dwell in temples made with hands.

.Romans 1:22 | This is explained in Galatians 6:3, "For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself."

.Romans 1:24 | 1 Corinthians 6:18

.Romans 1:25 | See an example of this on my video at http://www.vimeo.com/3159106, and presently there is someone there also who has stood up to identify himself as an example of this changing the truth of God into a lie, and worshipping the creature more than the Creator. I can't think of any better way to help him than for you and I to pray that God will continue to reach out to him and open his eyes.

.Romans 1:26-32 | (updated May.21.2017) The real issue is that some people don't believe that God the creator really truly actually exists, and that this real being, really truly actually did speak to us humans about this. They think that those who believe it have created this God in their imagination, and should have created God differently, or choose a different creator to believe in, or agree to change His words or His instructions to us, or change which messengers He sent to us. They do not consider that in reality there is no other choice. He who created us is our creator, and what He has declared, He has declared, and we have no power to change it, even if we all chose to disagree and walk away from Him.
Concerning this scripture, tThe following verses are so important, especially this day in age. This is speaking of the gay and lesbian community. So far, it's been made to look like it's just the harsh opinion of mean Christians saying that the gay lifestyle is wrong. Everyone from politicians to preachers, artists to actors have all said "I think it's wrong, I think it's okay, I think... I believe... it's just not right... etc." but few have mentioned what the Bible actually says about it all. Well, here it is. After all, it's not man's opinion that matters.
Verse 26 identifies that they are vile affections and that women have a changed use to that which is against nature.
Verse 27 identifies specifically homosexuality, and men with men, lusting for one another, and the consequence from their error.
Verse 28 testifies that they refused God and even rejected Him from their thinking, so God gave them over to a reprobate mind, and that the things they do are not convenient. Reprobate means wicked, disapproved, rejected, excluded by God from salvation, condemned (Living Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1975).
Verse 29 identifies their unrighteousness, obvious fornication (sex outside of marriage), wickedness, covetousness. Coveting is to eagerly desire to have that which one has no right to have; especially disregarding someone else's right to have what they have a right to. A woman has a right to have a man; a man to have a woman, but when men start wanting men, they are actually coveting that which they have no right to; that which belongs to women. The same goes for when women start coveting women. Maliciousness/malice is the desire to inflict injury or suffering on another; active or vindictive ill will; law, evil intent... (Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1975). This is seen when the gay and lesbian community tries to purposely punish people for not supporting their agenda. They have used any power they have to cause them to lose jobs, companies, get sued, get kicked off the team, lose pageants (recently in the news), get chastised, blackballed/blacklisted, labeled as "homophobic" even if they do not have a phobia, etc. Full of envy, verse 29 says. The men envy women and try to be like them, changing their voices and mannerism, desiring to have men as the women do. The women envy men, dressing like men, trying to purposely wear their hair like men to look masculine, having girlfriends and trying to have wives, etc. Debate, malignity (increasing in danger and size, as a tumor). Malign means to speak evil of; defame; slander; tending to injure.
Verse 30 identifies them as backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud and boastful (which may include rainbow flags, parades, etc.), and the list goes on. Now, some say that they do not hate God and are as much Christian as anyone else, but I don't know what they say to the Biblical account of God burning down Sodom and Gomorrah because they were wicked, evidenced by their men trying to have sex with the angels (in the form of men) that God sent down among them as a witness to it (Gen 13:13; Gen 19:1-13).
Verse 31 says implacable, which means stubborn or not able to be appeased or pacified; constant in enmity (Rom 2:5). V.30 also says unmerciful, which I've witnessed in the news time and time again (not that the news is the best source of information). If you're speaking against homosexuality and you have a position of influence or may gain a position of influence (Miss California), they're going to come down on you hard and you can expect NO MERCY. Of course, I don't believe everyone of them are unmerciful or malicious, but they are people who have been hurt, done wrong, treated like they're not human, and so they probably feel they're just fighting back. But either way, it is what it is, and this is God's word on it. The Bible says honor all men, but does not say honor everything that all men do.
Verse 32 mentions that they already know God's judgment about this, not only do it, but have pleasure in them that do them. Now I'm not sure if this is specifically speaking of having pleasure in homosexuality or having pleasure in the homosexuals who do commit hateful, unmerciful, malicious acts, and envy against others, but either one is not good.
As an intro into Romans Chapter 2, it mentions what we call this day "intolerance," and how they preach intolerance, but yet they themselves are intolerant of others who refuse to support to their lifestyle. If the indictment is intolerance, some of them are guilty of it and condemn themselves by proving that they will not tolerate God's way or others' belief in the the Bible if they do not agree with them.
Some other scriptures about this are Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

Day 132: 2 Kings 15-16; Romans 2

.2 Kings 15:3 | (Apr.10.2012) "And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord" - Notice that doing what's right in the Lord is what's noted, not doing right in the sight of man. Doing right by the Lord is what really matters.

.2 Kings 15:9 | (Apr.10.2012) "And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord" - It's always noted who did good or evil in the sight of the Lord.

.Romans 2:1 | (May.12.2009) This chapters starts with the word "Therefore." A thought doesn't begin with "therefore," so we know that although this is a new chapter, it's a continuing thought from chapter 1. Therefore, we know that this is speaking of those mentioned before; both the homosexuals and the idolaters, and whoever has pleasure in living or supporting ungodly lifestyles.

.Romans 2:14 | (Apr.10.2012) It may be possible that these are people who never heard of Christ. We do know that the Gentiles didn't have the law (of Moses) to follow. However, this does not excuse them from any sort of law. It says here they are a law unto themselves. Although they don't have the law, they aren't completely void of knowing right from wrong and holding each other accountable.

.Romans 2:15 | (Apr.10.2012) "Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts..." coincides with what's said in Romans 10:8. With or without the law, people have some basic knowledge about what's right or wrong in their heart. Even Adam and Eve hid after they did their thing. Verse 15 continues "their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;" So we see that those that are ignorant of the law will be judged by their own hearts and collective conscience.

.Romans 2:28-29 | (Apr.10.2012) Jews speaks of people from the line of Judah (Ju/Jew). A person can be a Jew by family lineage (I don't know if you'd call that race) but that's something that can't be changed. What can be changed and is more important to God is what's on the inside of a person. This is who a person is, not merely what a person is or what a person does. It's not simply about what a person does, but why they do what they do.

Day 133: 2 Kings 17-18; Romans 3

.2 Kings 17:3 | (Nov.13.2011) One king serves another.

.2 Kings 17:7-12 | (Nov.13.2011) It would not be wise for descendents of these people to look back to this time and say "our ancestors served these gods and someone came and took them away from us. Therefore, let us return to our heritage and serve these idols of our ancestors." See verse 13; The Lord testified against Israel and Judah. Likewise, it is not wise for us to look back on those before us who did wrong in their time in God's eyes, and desire to return to their ways, simply because we came from their loins.

.2 Kings 17:17 | (Nov.13.2011) Sold their souls to Devil

.2 Kings 17:29 | (Nov.13.2011) Now, this is not because they didn't know any better. The Lord has already come to them through prophets, telling them to turn from these evil ways (verse 13).

.2 Kings 18:4 | (Nov.13.2011) Finally! They had perverted the use of something that was put there for good.

.2 Kings 18:21-22 | (Nov.13.2011) In reference to what Hezekiah did in verse 4, Rab-shakeh is either intentionally perverting the truth about what really happened, or he just doesn't understand what happened, because what he says here is not correct.

.2 Kings 18:25 | (Nov.13.2011) Did God really say this? In 19:6, God says that the servents of the King of Assyria (blasphemed Him).

.2 Kings 18:26 | (Nov.13.2011) 18:28

.2 Kings 18:28 | (Nov.13.2011) 18:26

.Romans 3 | (Nov.14,2011) If Hebrews 11 is "the faith chapter," then Romans 3 is the other faith chapter.

.Romans 3:2 | (Nov.14,2011) ...unto them were committed the oracles of God. Looking back to a 1975 dictionary, an "oracle" is defined as "A place where hidden knowledge is believed to be revealed, often in ambiguous terms..." it also says "the agency that does the revealing, or what is revealed; a revelation or divine utterance for the guidance of man, or one who does such revealing; a person whose judgments have great weight. Biblical: the inner part of the Temple of Solomon; the wisdom of the prophets." It says Oracle is from Latin derived word "oraculum" (pronounced like "o-ray-culum") which is derived from "oro," which means to speak or to pray; derived from os, oris, which means the mouth. So in Spanish, the word "oracion" means oration, but is commonly used by Spanish speakers to mean a spoken prayer, and we generally use the term "oration" to mean giving a speech, or an orator as a public speaker, or someone who gives an oration. So for this use of the word, we can get a better idea of what this scripture is referring to that had been committed to the Jews. We know that God sent prophets and prophecy to the Jews, and even spoke His Word among and to them directly. They even had these words inscribed in books, referred to as "the prophets" or "the law and the prophets," which they could refer to. They were entrusted with these Words of God. In this, they also had plenty of historical documentation of where God spoke, such as the time when God spoke through Moses, through angels, and even allowed His own voice to thunder through the sky, which scared the people. These oracles that were committed to the Jews were an advantage to them. Even when God called the original twelve apostles, they were sent specifically to the Jews. Jesus Christ, Himself, went to the Jews when He walked the earth. Because of compassion, He spoke to others, but He came to speak to the Jews. I, at first, thought of the "oracles of God" to mean the miracles of God, but with this understanding of how the word is formed, can understand that the oracles were something spoken, while the miracles were something shown. Similar to the word "oraculum," "miracle" is said to come from the Latin word "miraculum." The dictionary doesn't mention about the word miraculum being tied to sight, seeing, or showing optically, but we do know some words that begin in "mir" that mean that, such as mirror. Mirror is derived from the French word "miroir, derived from mirer, which means "to look at." Used as a verb, the word mirror means to reflect, or to provide a true image of. A mirage is an optical illusion. A mirador is a feature of a building such as a window or balcony, intended to provide a view. And "mirar" in Spanish means to look, to observe, or to watch.

.Romans 3:3 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:4 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:5-8 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:10 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:12 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:13 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:14 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:15 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:17 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:18 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:19 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:20 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:21 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:22 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:23 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:24 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:25 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:27 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:28 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:29-30 | (Nov.13.2011)

.Romans 3:21 | (Nov.13.2011)

Day 134: 2 Kings 19-21; Romans 4

.2 Kings 21:20 | (Apr.12.2012) As is the case here, inheriting a religion or way of life from one's father does not make it justifiable for that person to continue in that.

.Romans 4:1 | (Apr.12.2012) highlighted "our father, as pertaining to the flesh"

.Romans 4:2 | (Apr.12.2012) In other words, if Abraham was justified by his own works, then that wouldn't give much glory to God. It would glorify Abraham and his great doing.

.Romans 4:3 | (Apr.12.2012) In Romans 10:8 Paul asks "What saith it?" instead of "What saith the scripture?" like he says here. When we get to that part, or whenever else he asks "What saith it?" we know he's talking about the scripture, even though he may not spell it out every time.
Hebrews 11:8 tells us a little more about this faith of Abraham being spoken of here in verse 3. (Mar.30.2014) In John 20:29, Jesus says "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." It's conceivable that Jesus was not simply speaking about believing in his own resurrection, but also making a general statement about faith; and although these words hadn't yet been spoken, the principle would still apply to Abraham.

.Romans 4:4 | (Apr.12.2012) In other words, if someone works for something, then their reward (pay) is received because it was owed to them, not because the giver of the reward was showing grace to them. The giver of the reward, in that case, would not be seen by the receiver as having been gracious. Reward from God would be received either because God owed or because God chose to reward.

.Romans 4:5 | (Apr.12.2012) (highlighted to further the point)

.Romans 4:6 | (Apr.12.2012) verse 11 talks about God imputing righteousness to Abraham. Read also Ephesians 6:14. It speaks of a breastplate of righteousness. I'm not sure if I wrote of it yet in my notes there, but when we look back into the breastplates of the old testament priests, we see that they have 12 jewels on their breastplates, which were bestowed upon them (not worked for).

.Romans 4:10 | (Apr.12.2012) God governed by faith, not just law as people do now. This explains how Abraham, being uncircumcised could receive something that one would ordinarily have to be circumcised to receive.

.Romans 4:22-23 | (Apr.12.2012) Psalm 23:3

.Romans 4:23-24 | (Apr.12.2012) Leviticus 7:18

Day 135: 2 Kings 22-23; Romans 5

.2 Kings 22:11 | (Apr.13.2012) Like us, they learned of their unrighteousness from a book containing God's Word.

.2 Kings 22:13 | (Apr.13.2012) However, instead of ignoring it, or denying it, he does something wise, and inquires of the Lord what to do about it.

.2 Kings 22:16 | (Apr.13.2012 | Apr.8.2014) Now that they know better, God is going to hold them accountable for not doing better. But in response, the King stands up in 23:3 and makes a covenant with God that they will do better. And all the people stood to the covenant.

.2 Kings 23:3 | (Apr.13.2012) Their covenant was together among them as they stood there as each others witnesses, but it was not to them, it was to God.

.2 Kings 23:25 | (Apr.13.2012) "no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to the law of Moses..." This is commanded in Deuteronomy 6:5 and 11:13,18. Deuteronomy 13:3 even says that the Lord our God proves you to know whether you love God with all your heart and will all your soul. 2 Kings continues, saying "neither after him arose there any like him." There were some who attended to the things of God, but I suppose they were half-hearted. We have to remember too that the writer is not saying that there would never be another again, but between the time of Josiah's reign and the time that this account was written. This commandment that he followed is the same commandment we see Jesus command in Mark 12:30.

.Romans 5:13 | (Apr.13.2012) There was sin in the world before man was given the law, but it wasn't imputed because there was no law. It's kind of like a child doing something wrong, but not getting in trouble from the parent because the child was never told that what they were doing was wrong. To impute means to charge a person with, as a fault, or to attribute vicariously, as righteousness or guilt. If you remember in chapter 4:11, it spoke of righteousness being imputed. As righteousness can be imputed, so can sin, but God doesn't do it. God gave it to us good, both ways. He counted us as being in righteousness when we didn't yet deserve it, and he didn't charge us for being sinful, although we did deserve it.

.Romans 5:17 | (Apr.13.2012) (highlighted) will expound on this later.

.Romans 5:20 | (Apr.13.2012) Without the law, there would have been no need for Jesus. If God would have never told man, "hey little buddy, what you're doing is wrong. Don't do that." and never charge man for doing what He told him not to, then... we would have tore the whole world apart like little children running around the house with no consequences. We would have all gone to heaven, but then we would have probably gotten up there and eternally tore that all to pieces too, being a misery to each other both in heaven and earth. And God would probably be sitting there stressed out, shaking His head the whole time. Instead, He said something like this "I've already made animals, now let me make man to be something more... in fact, I'll make him so he can rule over the animals. He'll be sort of like a miniature version of Me, and We can work together and grow closer than We could have otherwise." (Apr.8.2014) (Although I do not capitalize a pronoun for man, since God is dominant, I capitalized "We" because adding man to God, does not cause God to lose any reverence. Capitalizing God's pronouns isn't required, but something I personally do to show reverence, deference, and at times to show differentiation about who is being referred to. For example, if I said "So He told him," you know I'm saying that God told man.)

Day 136: 2 Kings 24-25; Romans 6

.2 Kings 24:5 | (Apr.16.2012) "Chronicles of the kings of Judah" mentioned again.

.2 Kings 24:12 | (Apr.16.2012) Verse 15 says they took him captive, and 25:27 tells what ends up happening.

.2 Kings 24:15 | (Apr.16.2012) 2 Kings 24:12 and 25:27

.2 Kings 25:1 | (Apr.16.2012) This is the day the children of Israel were supposed to do no work. It was a day of atonement and holy convocation for them as was the tenth day of the seventh month (Leviticus 23:27-28; 16:29). Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar knew this and chose this day specifically because of that.

.2 Kings 25:7 | (Apr.16.2012) So that was the last thing he saw.

.2 Kings 25:8 | (Apr.16.2012) This is ten years later from verse 1.

.2 Kings 25:18 | (Apr.16.2012) Zephaniah mentioned.

.2 Kings 25:27 | (Apr.16.2012) Evil-merodach? Poor guy, is that this king's name? Evil? Parents, please don't name your child Evil. But at least he turned out to be kind. 24:12,15 is where Jehoiachin got taken captive.

.Romans 6:3 | (Apr.16.2012) Galatians 3:27 speaks of being baptized into Christ and Acts 8:16 speaks of being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

.Romans 6:9 | (Apr.16.2012) This resurrection was more than just a physical resurrection, but a resurrection from the state of Adam's death on us all.

.Romans 6:11-14 | (Apr.16.2012) Romans 7:1-6; 8; 8:1-2; Galatians 2:17; 4:4-5,9

.Romans 6:21 | (Apr.16.2012) James 1:15

Day 137: 1 Chronicles 1-3; Romans 7

.Romans 7:1-5 | (Apr.17.2012) Galatians 2:19; 1 Corinthians 9:21 clarifies that Paul is not speaking of being completely without any law at all with God, but not under that Old Testament law which he was freed from. Although the work of Christ made them free, many did not know they were free from it, so in that regard, they still had to be freed from feeling obligated to still try to follow it. It's like a person trying to pay off the mortgage on their house, when someone has come along and paid it for them. That's pretty unbelievable to them, so they're still trying to scrap together their dollars and keep trying to pay off that mortgage on that mansion (which they'd never finish paying anyway, by the way). It may take quite a bit to get through to them "Hey, stop. Seriously, you're taken care of. It's been paid in full. Accept the payment. You don't owe anybody anything... well, except this Jesus guy over here who paid it. He wants to have a relationship with you. He says He's your husband. You do know Him, right?" Yes, our eternal mansions in heaven are paid in full. And guess what, it was paid with the same payment that paid our way out of being in eternal prison for the sins we committed. Count it all a gift, because God knows we couldn't pay for it on our own. In fact, in Romans 6:23 (the verse before Romans 7:1), Paul says "the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

.Romans 7:3-4 | (Apr.17.2012) Here's a pretty good analogy of being dead to the law. In Ephesians 2:15, Paul also tells those in Ephesus that Christ abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances.

.Romans 7:8 | (Apr.17.2012) Paul says sin wrought in him all manner of concupiscence. Concupiscence is defined as lust; ardent (burning) sexual longing; physical desire or violent sexual desire (The Living Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, 1975). Paul speaks again about concupiscence in 1 Thessalonians 4:5.

Day 138: 1 Chronicles 4-6; Romans 8

.1 Chronicles 4:9 | (Apr.19.2012) The name Hazalelponi may be where the name Hazel originated. Of course there may have been other females unmentioned with the name (or a similar name). There were others named similar names that were men, such as King Hazael (1 Kings 19:15), and Hazaiah (Nehemiah 11:5), Haziel (1 Chronicles 23:9), and Hazo (Genesis 22:22).

.1 Chronicles 4:9 | (Apr.19.2012) Jabez was more honorable than his brethren.

.1 Chronicles 4:21 | (Apr.19.2012) Er is mentioned in 2:3 and Genesis 38:7. He's the one God killed for being evil.

.1 Chronicles 4:27 | (Apr.18.2012) Having a bunch of kids doesn't guarantee that a family will multiply.

.1 Chronicles 4:36 | (Apr.19.2012) Asaiah (Isaiah?)

.1 Chronicles 5:2 | (Apr.19.2012) This is interesting that the birthright was Joseph's, because Joseph was the youngest. Well, he had a younger brother later after he got separated from his family. Remember Joseph was the dreamer, whose brothers sold him into slavery, and ended up being the leader of Pharoah in Egypt.

.1 Chronicles 5:20 | (Apr.19.2012) "they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him."

.1 Chronicles 5:25 | (Apr.19.2012) 1 Corinthians 6:16 says he who is joined to a harlot is one body; the two become one flesh. So if they're joining themselves to other gods (which are not gods), they are becoming one with them, and are not at the same time one with God.

.1 Chronicles 6:10 | (Apr.19.2012) Azariah is named after his grandfather, mentioned in verse 9.

.Romans 8:1-6 | (Apr.19.2012) Therefore, I expect believers in Christ to walk after the Spirit, but I don't have the same expectation of those who are not in Christ. I expect them to be carnally minded, not minding the things of the Spirit.

.Romans 8:1-8 | (Apr.19.2012) raw notes:

.Romans 8:8-18 | (Apr.19.2012) raw notes:

.Romans 8:19-22 | (Apr.19.2012) raw notes:

.Romans 8:22-32 | (Apr.19.2012) raw notes:

.Romans 8:27-35 | (Apr.19.2012) raw notes:

.Romans 8:31-39 | (Apr.19.2012) raw notes:

Day 139: 1 Chronicles 7-9; Romans 9

.Romans 9:6 | (Apr.19.2012) "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:" - What I'm hearing here is that just because they are physically born in the lineage of Israel doesn't automatically gain them the promise.

.Romans 9:7 | (Apr.19.2012) This verse says "Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children, but 'In Isaac thy seed shall be called."

.Romans 9:8 | (Apr.19.2012) Verse 8 clarifies, saying "That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." He says the children of promise are counted for the seed; he doesn't say the children of seed are all counted for the promise. If you'll remember, back in Moses time, all of them in the family didn't make it into the promised land (which God promised Israel/Jacob - Deuteronomy 30:20). People in the family did make it in, but some of them, because of their disobedience or disbelief in God, didn't make it in (Deuteronomy 11:26-28,31). Moses didn't make it in either, but Joshua did. Moses and God ended up on good terms, but he still didn't make it in because he didn't believe in God in Numbers 20:8-12. Jesus corrected the evil people who thought they were privileged in John 8:37, saying, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father." In verse 44, Jesus reveals who their father is, when He says "ye are of your father, the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." In John 8:39, they tried to rebut what he was saying by claiming their physical ancestry, saying "Abraham is our father." and Jesus corrects them again, saying "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." Concerning the testimony of the blind man who was healed by Jesus Christ, John 9:22 says "the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue."

Day 140: 1 Chronicles 10-12; Romans 10

.Romans 10:1 | (Apr.23.2012) Looking back at Romans 1:6-7, we see that Paul is speaking to everyone in Rome that has been called of Jesus Christ to be saints. He takes care to place much emphasis on Jesus Christ in Romans 1:6-9, saying "...called of Jesus Christ.... the Lord Jesus Christ.... I think my God through Jesus Christ.... God is my witness...my spirit in the gospel of his Son..." In the verses before this, he also makes much mention of Jesus Christ, who Jesus Christ is, including Jesus' relationship to David and Jesus' relationship to our Father in heaven. It is clear that Paul is ministering to them about who Jesus Christ is in his own life, and who Jesus is in their life. Then here in Romans 10:1, he begins by calling them "Brethren." From my view, he's doing two things here. He's letting them know that he is one of them, and he's also letting them know that he sees them as being eligible to be one of what he is, and he is a saint and follower of Jesus Christ, and through Jesus Christ, a son of God. He does not present himself as being separate from them. Biologically he is one of them, referring both to their common ancestry of Abraham in 4:1, saying "Abraham our father" and in 11:1, saying "I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin." Now at the same time, he does not tell them that they are already saved, just because they are Israelites. He starts verse 10:1 saying "Brethren," and immediately ends it saying "my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." He uses the word "might" here. He does not say that they will automatically be saved because they are Israel. They still need to be saved, which is in accordance with what he's saying in Romans 9:6-8; and going forward here in chapter 10, he's going to explain how they can attain that salvation.

.Romans 10:2 | (Apr.24.2012) Somewhere around Romans 9:3 to 9:6, Paul appears to switch from saying "us/we/our" to speaking of the Israelites in the third person, saying "they/their" when referring to his "brethren/kinsmen" in the flesh. The answer to why he does this is in Romans 9:6, when he says "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel" and Romans 2:28 which speaks about one being a Jew outwardly (in the flesh), but not inwardly (in one's heart). He makes it clear in Romans 1:6-8 that he has written this to those in Rome who have been called to be saints in Jesus Christ, and have a faith in Jesus Christ. One may wonder, if he's writing to the Israelites who have faith in Jesus, then why does he say 'they' when referring to Israelites instead of saying 'you' or 'you all'? As we see in 9:6, however, when he uses "they," he says "they are not all Israel, which are of Israel" allowing us to see two different subsets of Israelites. There are those who have faith in Christ, and a knowledge of God, and there are those who don't. Those who do believe are the product of Jesus sending the twelve to minister to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," as He calls them in Matthew 10:6. These remaining non-believers are apparently those who the first twelve didn't reach or didn't convince. Here in his letter to the Romans, when Paul says "they" he is usually speaking to the Israelites who believe in Christ, about those Israelites who don't currently believe or have proper knowledge of Jesus Christ and God. Let's take a look in a concordance to see all of the references of "they" in Romans (http://www.abibleconcordance.com/t25145.htm#t25145). Below, we see there are 58 uses of the word "they" in Romans. Of those 58 times "they" is used, it is speaking of non-believers, all except for about 10 times (in Romans 4:6, 4:17, 8:5b, 8:14, 9:26, 10:15a, 10:15b, 10:18b, 13:6?, and 15:27). In other words, about 85% of the time he says "they" in the book of Romans, he's referring to non-believers who aren't following Christ. Take a look below.

ROMANS

1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

3:12 they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

3:17 And the way of peace have they not known:

4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

5:17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

9:8 That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

9:26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

9:32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

10:18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

11:3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

11:10 Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

11:23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.

11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.

11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

13:6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

15:21 But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.

15:27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.

16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

(Sidenote: Since I quoted Romans 2, I'll say that I do recognize however, that there is a difference between simply referring to Jews (outwardly/in the flesh) and Israelites, being that Jews are those of the tribe of Judah (Ju's) and Judah was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, which is the lineage of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Israel. The tribe of Benjamin (Israel's youngest son), is the tribe Paul is from (Romans 11:1). Jesus is from the tribe of Judah, and it is in Jesus we find our salvation and our way to our Father in Heaven. I'll probably delve deeper into that thought at another time.)

Now looking at the rest of the text of Romans 10:2, Paul says these people have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. They are not atheists, they are not trying to be non-believers, but for one reason or another, they lack proper knowledge of God and His Word. Romans 1:28 says about certain people "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind..." There is a saying now that says "knowledge is power," so we may think that the consequences of lacking knowledge is that we lack power, and are just not as powerful. So we shrug our shoulders and say "eh, so I'm not as powerful as I could be... no big deal. I don't really need to be that powerful anyway." But the consequences of lacking in knowledge, as we're learning here today, is much greater than that. In Hosea 4:6, God says "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:" That's a pretty big deal. He continues, saying "Because thou has rejected knowledge, I also reject thee..." and He continues on. Please read more of Hosea 4 for a more thorough understanding of what God is saying to the children of Israel. But the point I wanted to highlight is how serious of a thing it is to lack knowledge, especially of God's Word. Not only should we make sure we don't neglect God's Word of the chance to take root in our heart, knowing the consequences, we should chase after It, and seek desperately to understand It.

.Romans 10:9 | (Apr.24.2012) Many of us have long held this verse to be the key verse to use to bring all sorts of people to a saving confession of Jesus Christ. And it may be used for that, however, we should remember that Paul used these words were primarily to target the non-believing Israelites, who he describes in 10:2 as having a zeal of God, but lacking proper knowledge. While this scripture may be used for anyone, it will be most effective with those who fit a similar description, those who already have a zeal of God. While it remains true that those who confess with their mouth that Jesus is the Lord, and believe that in their heart shall be saved, Romans 10 may not be the most effective in helping souls win Christ who do not already have a zeal for God. They may not even have the necessary motivation to first even want salvation, and may not even know the significance of confessing Jesus to be Lord. They may not even have a sufficient understanding of what "Lord" means. To illustrate my point, imagine going to an untouched indigenous tribe in a remote jungle of West Forgottensomewhere and telling them that if they call you their CEO, you'll give them a mansion. They don't know what a mansion is or what it even means to not have one, although it sounds good. And they definitely don't know what it means for you to be their CEO. So after looking at you funny, some of them may say "okay fine, you're the CEO, now finish digging your hole before the chief comes back and gets mad because we haven't finished our work." To which you respond, "but don't you really believe in your heart that I'm the CEO now?" Then you try to order them to stop digging holes because you want them to go help you find a place to build their mansion and they all laugh at you and tell you to shut up and keep working and that they only take orders from the chief, which of course is not you. Then you realize they do not even understand what you've been talking about the whole time. And after that they just think you're crazy. I know that was a drastic example, but should help understand how some people we're dealing with today may not understand what we mean if we're talking to them as if they are Israelites in Rome. Before they understand this, they may first need a history lesson, a vocabulary lesson, a math lesson, and a geography lesson, and even a lesson on physics.

History (God as the creator, man as the created, sin and salvation, prophecy and the messiah, Jesus fulfilling prophecy)

Vocabulary (Lord, confess, mouth, believe, heart, dead, raised, saved)

Math (One Lord, One God, One baptism; 1 Lord + 1 lord = (error); man + sin = death; man + Jesus = life; faith - works = 0; 1 man / 2 masters = error; 1+1+1=1 )

Geography (Heaven, Earth, Hell, broad road, narrow road, and directions)

Physics (What are the laws of physics, the difference between natural and supernatural laws of physics i.e. walking on water, being dead for three days and being raised from the dead, how dead men cannot eat fish, ascending up into the sky)

Chemistry (water being turned into wine)

Romans 10:9 is tied to some other scriptures in the old and new testament. I'll cover them later, Lord willing. One of them is Psalm 118:27.

Day 141: 1 Chronicles 13-15; Romans 11

.Romans 11:1 | (Apr.25.2012) Paul tells us his lineage here. He is from the tribe of Benjamin (a Benjamite). Benjamin is the twelfth son of Israel (Genesis 44), who was born after Joseph was sold away by all of the older brothers (they are all named in Genesis 46). The one that Jesus is from is Judah (called "Judas" in the New Testament).

.Romans 11:3 | (Apr.25.2012) Elias says "I am left alone, and they seek my life." And Elias, a great prophet, makes a wrong assumption here. Yes, even prophets are capable of seeing things wrongly when they are using their own sight and reason.

.Romans 11:4 | (Apr.25.2012) I don't recall precisely what verse this was or all of what God said to him aside from this, but notice that according to what Paul points out, what was most important was God's Word going forth, not necessarily each man's life. It's not said here that God responded to comfort Esias about his life, assuring him whether his life would be safe or not. Instead, God assures him that His (God's) Word is safe and can be carried forth. There's 7,000 others who, like you, have not bowed to that idol. And this same goes for some of us, who at times feel like we're the only one who's adhering to God's Word, not blindly following the crowd, not doing the popular. If you're one who feels alone, rest assured that you're not. But the question is whether or not you're more concerned about the work of God going forth, or about your own life going forth. I can't speak for your life, but rest assured that God has preserved enough people, set aside to carry forth His Word, should the enemy seek your life and gain permission to send you to Heaven.
Notice that this does not say the people bowed their knee to Baal, but to "the image of Baal." Pay attention to this word "image" because it comes up later. It comes up in Colossians 1:15 and also in Revelations 13:15 and 14:9. Search a concordance to find all of the uses of the word "image" and see what you learn (you can use the link from yesterday that we used to find all of the uses for "they" - that's a helpful concordance you can use if you're online on the Internet.)

.Romans 11:23 | (Apr.25.2012) This is interesting. It says "if they abide not still in unbelief" that "God is able to graff them in again." First of all, we know that in order to even be in the status of being able to be graffed in again that they were first cut out, which is spoken of in the previous verses. They were once part of God's tree, but as branches were broken off, verse 19 says, but are able to come back to God.

Day 142: 1 Chronicles 16-18; Romans 12

.Romans 12 | (Apr.30.2012) This chapter has been largely ignored by many in the church today.

.Romans 12:2 | (Apr.30.2012) "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." | According to this scripture, we believers are not supposed to be conforming to the world's ways, whether it's to appear relevant or to try to attract them, or to try to appease them, or to try to show them "hey, we're just like you, we just call on Jesus as our strength." No, we are not supposed to be just like them, because we do have a relationship with Christ, and they know that. It is not their job to encourage us to be different, but if they saw that we did not conform to the world, then many of them would respect it and find it refreshing, although many would hate us for it. The scripture says here that we have something to prove. The burden of proof is on us in regard to what the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God is.

.Romans 12:3 | (Apr.30.2012) "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think: but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." | Paul is not claiming to be perfect here, as many of us cannot claim. However, he has recognized, as we should recognize, that he is in the position that he is in because of grace. We should remember, as we are reminded here, not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. And how highly should we think of ourselves? We should remember that our gift of salvation and reconciliation to God through Christ is just that... a gift. It is by God's grace that we are where we are, and what we are. It is not something that we've earned. None of us have earned it. We have no right to act like it. We would be like cars picked up off the side of the road by a tow truck and carried across the finish line, and then boasting that we finished the race. Even our faith is not something we made. It was given to us, it says here. We may have a big ol' tree sized faith now, but it was God who gave us the faith to grow in the first place, though it may have only been the size of a mustard seed. We didn't manufacture it, and we didn't earn it. It was a gift to us. And God gave it to us because we needed it. We were needy. Spiritually, we were like those children in Africa that we see on the Feed the Children infomercials. We had no hope on our own. We could do nothing for ourselves. We should not be sitting and looking proud, like we're the savior of somebody when we couldn't even save our own self. And I see many of us sitting on high horses as if so. Have we forgotten Romans 12:3, and Proverbs 6:17? It is no secret that God hates a proud look.

.Romans 12:4 | (Apr.30.2012) "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:" | The scripture doesn't say we have many members in many bodies. Nor does it say that Pastor Johnson has many members, or that such and such local church has many members. Brethren, it says what it says, that we have many members in one body. Neither is any other membership spoken of. Is a man in Christ who fellowships in the building down the street any less a member with a brother who fellowships in this building up here? Are the two brethren who fellowship up here in this building, more members one with another than with the brother who fellowships down the street? Is the brother in the next city any less a brother than the two sitting beside each other? No, he is not. Neither is it justifiable to treat one as a family member, and the other as an outsider, because if he is a member of the body of Christ, then what is it that he is outside of?

.Romans 12:5 | (Apr.30.2012) "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." | This does not say that we are members of some organization. It says that every one of us are members of each other. How is there such thing as a "lone-ranger Christian" as I hear the term used today? I'm not saying that if a person is a lone ranger that they cannot be a Christian. I'm saying that if a person is a Christian, meaning in the body of Christ, then by definition they are not alone. To see a brother and refer to them as alone, or see them as being lone is wrong. Such thinking or behavior is not in accord with Romans 12:4-5. I see some these days that try to use the "local church" to replace the role of Jesus, and will even be bold enough to say that it is mandatory for believers to be members of a local church, when this is not spoken of anywhere in scripture. And then those who are members of the body of Christ but do not join membership of a local church (by whatever means that organization requires), then they are treated as outcasts. Such is evil. What is required is that one be a member of the body of Jesus Christ; the same Jesus, who in Matthew 18, speaks of leaving the 99 sheep to go after the one. In that same chapter, Jesus says where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is among us (Matthew 18:20). This means that should one see a brother in Christ, and refuse fellowship with them because they are not a member of a local church, then they are violating Hebrews 10:25, which says that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. It does not take 200 to assemble together, it only takes two. Just as it would be wrong for the one to say the 99 could not assemble together, it would likewise be wrong for the 99 to say the one could not assemble with them. It would be equally as wrong for one of the 99 to refuse to assemble with the one, because the one does not assemble with the 99. To be more exact, the term used in Hebrews 10:25 is "forsake" - not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. The word "Forsake" hints at a more permanent decision. It is not one refusing to assemble with brethren at the moment, but that one has decided to never assemble with them, and that to do so is forsaken. This would be like someone saying that a Christian that is not a member of a "local church" organization is not a real Christian, and not a real follower of Jesus Christ. That would not be true. Furthermore, as it says in Ephesians 5:21, it is to one another that we are to submit ourselves. It is not only to apostles, pastors, bishops, elders, etc. that we are to submit ourselves, but to one another, and to do so in the fear of God. Of course we are to still remember what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 about not keeping company with brothers who are fornicators, covetous, idolaters, railers, drunkards, or extortioners, but to put them out from among us, and that they are wicked. But that's not what we're talking about here. Those are people fitting a similar description of the unrighteous who will not inherit the Kingdom of God, spoken of in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

Day 143: 1 Chronicles 19-21; Romans 13

.Romans 13:1-7 | (May.1.2012) When I read the chapter summary that was written by the people who printed my Bible, I noticed that it said something that the actual text didn't say. The caption above the chapter (which is not part of the Bible) said this chapter was about "Christians' obedience to the government" leading one to believe it is speaking of the secular government of the land. However, I noticed in verse 3 it actually says "rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil." Well, it's plainly seen in many countries that the secular governments of the lands have proven themselves to be a terror to good works. There are followers of Christ being killed and in prison right now for doing good. They are awaiting execution simply because they follow Jesus Christ. Surely, they cannot be for God if they are violently opposed to Jesus Christ. Jesus said that a house divided against itself would fall. Verse 4 says these "rulers" (does not say government) are ministers of God for good. If it was speaking of secular anti-Christ world governments, then that would mean they were both against God and for God at the same time, and would immediately fall because that means they would be against themselves. Paul escaped from prison, so Paul would be a hypocrite if that's what he meant here. God sent angels to help the apostle Peter to escape from prison, and he did leave. Moses and the people escaped from their slavery in Egypt. Black people escaped from slave plantations right here in America, because it wasn't right, and it was't Godly. So I wanted to hear what some other brethren had to say about it. I'd like to share this commentary with you from EmbassyofHeaven.com: http://romans13.embassyofheaven.com/understanding.htm.
Yet, remembering what Jesus says in Matthew 5:25, which begins "Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him..."
(June.24.2012) Remember also what Hebrews 13:7,17 says about rulers, and see who fits this description and who doesn't.

Day 144: 1 Chronicles 22-24; Romans 14

.Romans 14:4-6 | (May.2.2012) I wanted to highlight this because I see a lot of this talk going on today, especially in regard to whether people observe the Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday. We have divisions of the body of Christ (if possible for there to be such a thing) over whether a person regards Saturday or Sunday. That group says Saturday, and this group says Sunday, and one group says the other is wrong and will separate themselves and have no dealings with them. This also in regard to holidays. There are some people who don't regard Saturday or Sunday, but regard every day to the Lord. Whatever the case, verse 5 and 6 here are very clear that people should not be judging each other based on that. I'm not sure how the Bibles you guys are all reading word it, but what I'm reading makes it pretty obvious that what's important is that the person regards the Lord moreso than the day. And we are especially not supposed to be making groups and divisions because of it, as it says here to "let every man be fully persuaded of his own mind." This is not supposed to be a groupthink type of decision. This same goes for what one eats. Some say a person can't eat a certain type of meat, and some say it's perfectly fine as long as you thank God for it and you're not being a glutton. Then they form groups and say that everyone must join their group and believe as they believe or else they are against God. Yet both groups (or however many groups there are) claim to follow the Bible. How is that justifiable? This is what the Bible says:

4) Who are thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
5) One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6) He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

Day 145: 1 Chronicles 25-27; Romans 15

.Romans 15:24 | (May.3.2012) The Spanish were taught Jesus by Paul.

.Romans 15:30 | (May.3.2012) Hey, don't be too ashamed to beg people to pray for you. In fact, if you're going to beg for something, that's probably the best thing to beg for. I wonder what would happen if people in need of prayer stood on street corners with signs begged passers by to pray for them.

Day 146: 1 Chronicles 28-29; Romans 16

.Romans 16:1 | (May.8.2012) Paul is sending to them a sister in Christ named Phebe, who serves in the church. He says she "is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:" Perhaps the wording here is not as important as I think it is, but when I look at this, I don't see "Cenchrean Church"; I see "the church which is at Cenchrea," meaning that Cenchrea doesn't have it's own church. Rather, there is essentially one church, the church, and the people that make up that church are identified by what city they are in. Cenchrea is right there below Corinth, which is above Sparta and a little west of Athens, and a boat ride from Italy. It doesn't say 1st Missionary Church of Cenchreae, owned by the Reverend Pastor Smithers (or any other arbitrary name one might think of). I'd imagine there were different locations in Cenchrea where believers gathered together, but we are given no indication that they are formalized and individualized local churches. Furthermore, I don't recall that we are given any indication in scripture that there are many local churches in that city that go by their own name, which are each soverign, owned, and incorporated by an individual man who has an office in an individual building, wherein they hold complete authority. I see the church, which is the body of Christ, which is comprised of the followers of Jesus Christ (the head), who reside in that particular city. This is similar to me saying "the followers of Jesus Christ, who live in Washington DC." Colossians 4:15 gives another example, which is a little different. It speaks of the believers in Laodicea, but also of the believers in the house of Nymphas. Most likely it's speaking of the believers who meet in his house and not just his family that lives in his house. But still, we see that they do not have their own name, and are not treated as separated and sovereign. Am I saying that it is wrong for a congregation of believers to name themselves? Currently, I'm not saying that it's wrong or right, because I haven't yet done an in-depth study on this particular matter. However, from my general studies of the Bible, I have noticed that scripture never gives us indication that believers during that time ever did it. They didn't have different churches with different names, and different affiliations. Furthermore, it didn't appear to be a problem that they didn't divide and name themselves, one group apart from another. And we definitely don't see believers separated by different doctrinal beliefs or denominations.

.Romans 16:2 | (May.8.2012) "...receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints..." | Paul uses the same wording when writing in Ephesians 5:3, when he says "let it not once be named among you, as becometh saints;" There is similar wording that is nearer to our understanding, which is when someone says that something is becoming, or is not becoming. For example, we may have heard someone say "it's not becoming for a young lady to (fill in the blank)" meaning that it's not good, it doesn't look good, or is not an attractive thing for a young lady to do. Similarly, to say that something becometh saints (or becomes saints), would be like saying that it is attractive, or looks good for saints to do or behave that way. It's becoming of you that you are reading this, and seeking to learn more about God's Word.

Day 147: 2 Chronicles 1-3; 1 Corinthians 1

.1 Corinthians 1:3-4 | (May.21.2012) This grace of God which is given us by Jesus Christ is spoken of in Ephesians 4:7 and it says unto every one of us is given this grace. This "us" is likely speaking specifically of believers in Christ here in Ephesians 4:7, but non-believers are also certainly given a measure of grace as well, because it was grace that allowed us as non-believers to become believers and join Jesus Christ. Spiritually speaking, we were not fit for a King, and especially not a King of Christ's magnitude. We were not without blemish as it calls for in Ephesians 5:27. We know as a woman should keep herself unspotted from men, and men likewise, that we should have also kept ourselves unspotted, in preparation for our joining with Christ, spoken of in Ephesians 5:25-27. It was due to grace that Christ was willing to wash us off because we were filthy. A person had every right to turn down a potential marriage partner if they found out that the person was not a virgin. Just like it wasn't good enough for the person to wait until they met their spouse to begin practicing abstinence and fidelity, it wasn't good enough for us to abstain from evil and be faithful to Christ only after we met Christ. We should have abstained from evil and been faithful all along. The woman or man should have kept themselves pure before marriage, even if they didn't yet know who their spouse was going to be, or if they would find a marriage partner at all in life. They were to remain a virgin, even in uncertainty; and such is still the case today. Likewise, we were to remain pure until we became one with Christ. But we did not. Faithfulness does not begin only after you meet the person and agree to be together. One is supposed to keep oneself clean, preparing for them, before they even meet them. The fact that Jesus even touched us to pick us up and wash us off was grace. He wasn't obligated to do that. He could have just let us go on our way, because we were not even eligible to be with Him. Because of that, we had to humble ourselves when coming to Him, repent of our ways, acknowledge our error, and ask His forgiveness and for Him to give us another chance. He didn't have to give us another chance, but He did.
Nowadays you see many single women who are known fornicators walking around strutting their stuff with no humility or realization that they are not worthy of even being taken for marriage. The fact that any man is even willing to consider looking at them seriously is an act of grace. But it is a shame that they seem not to even know what grace is, or that they need it. And many men are walking around the same way. People have gotten so accustomed to their filth and accompanied by so many other filthy people that they can't even smell how filthy they are. They have just become accustomed to the smell of their own funk that they think it's normal and that all people everywhere smell like that. And they stand there in the mirror, all made up and pretty, and reeking of the garbage dump they've become so comfortable sleeping in. If their nose ever did twitch at the stench emanating from their pores, they would think the smell is coming from someone else. "No, not me. Not as good as I look," they'd say. After all, they know they remembered to sprinkle their perfume or cologne on. They are ignorantly arrogant. Spiritually, they are dumpster divas. In their culture people don't wash, and their rotten smell has become to them an accent. It used to be an accident, but they lost their ID and now it's an accent; their filth to them is a compliment. In losing their ID, they can't even look and see what their original identity was supposed to be. The way they are now, they see it as normal. Everybody smells like this now. Where have you been? You need to keep up with the times. Smelling like soap is for old fashioned, self-righteous old prudes. You should consider yourself privileged that they even allow you to be in their presence. And don't you dare become judgemental and actually tell them they need to wash. Who are you?! As if you don't have sores and infections also. Everybody has them, as far as they're concerned. You just hide yours because you're self-righteous, and you want to stand on your soapbox and pretend you have the answer to everyone's problems. You're extending grace to them, but they think they are extending grace to you by allowing you to be around them. This spiritual stench I'm speaking of is not really a metaphor. We may not all be able to smell it, but man's spirit and the things we do have a smell, just as our physical body and the gas we pass has a smell. And I would imagine that a person who has not been washed by Christ would smell pretty rotten and raunchy. That doesn't mean they are not welcome in the presence of God or those who have been washed clean. It only means they need to be humble enough to accept grace, and be willing to be washed and perhaps change their clothes, realizing that they haven't been so great and wonderful as they though they had been. Ephesians 5:2 speaks of Christ, a sacrifice for us, being a sweetsmelling savour to God. Psalms 115:6 speaks of the heathen having noses, but not being able to smell. Look at Isaiah 3 and in verse 24, how their sweet smell had turned to a stink, then in 4:4 how God washed away the filth. There's a scripture that speaks of man's prayers having a smell. This all I say for us all to recognize our need for God's grace and be accepting of God's grace, thankful that it is even offered to us, along with new clothes, because we were like the man in Matthew 22:11-13 who came in to the wedding without a wedding garment. As He clothed us first in Genesis 3:21, now He clothes us in His righteousness.

.1 Corinthians 1:10 | (Jan.20.2014) Philippians 3:15-19; 1 Corinthians 2:16

.1 Corinthians 1:30 | (May.5.2014) Christ Jesus is our righteousness, which relates to the breastplate of righteousness, spoken of in Ephesians 6:14. Highlighted "sanctification" here in verse 30. Verse 24, as in verse 30, speaks of this wisdom of God.

Day 148: 2 Chronicles 4-6; 1 Corinthians 2

.1 Corinthians 2:1 | (May.9.2012) highlighted "...when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God."

.1 Corinthians 2:2 | (May.9.2012) I know we like to get fancy and deep and all of that, but not only does Paul show that it is not necessary for all of that, he also shows here that it isn't necessary to be a scholar, and know all of the history of everyone and have a degree in somethingology in order to speak the truth of Jesus Christ. Paul says "I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." That's about all you need to know. Know Jesus Christ, and that He was crucified, and why He was crucified. I'd also say it's important to know His resurrection. I also highlighted the words "among you" when Paul says he determined not to know anything else among them. This "among them" could either be in reference to their history or current affairs, or Paul could be saying that while being among them, he determined not to know anything else. "Is that all Paul knows anything about? That's all he talks about is Jesus Christ." I know about that basketball game last night, but while I'm here with you, I "determine" that all I know is Christ. That's all I'm here to talk about right now. It's not that Paul was completely ignorant of other things. Being that he remembers where he came from, we know he had a life before he joined Christ, so Christ is not all the knowledge that he has.

.1 Corinthians 2:4 | (May.9.2012) It is not meant for us to try to trick people into giving their life to Christ or living for Christ. There are several books, techniques, and things like that about how people's minds work, and how you can get them to do what you want them to do. But all of that is basically manipulation, and being manipulated in not what a life in Christ is about. Yes, someone can preach with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in regards to their life in Christ, what results will that really achieve in someone's life? Paul says instead of that, his speech and preaching was in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. We may be tempted to think, "But that was Paul. I'm not powerful like Paul was." But we must remember that this power is not something a man earns, it is something given to us in Christ. Remember 2 Timothy 1:7 that says "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." It is these things that Paul put to use in order to minister to others, which also are available to you and I. And it is sufficient for the work that needs to be done.

.1 Corinthians 2:16 | (Jan.20.2014) Philippians 3:15-19; 1 Corinthians 1:10

Day 149: 2 Chronicles 7-9; 1 Corinthians 3

.1 Corinthians 3:16-17 | (May.9.2012 by Lynnelle Harrell) | 16) "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" | Here in the New Testament of the Word of God we are informed that we are the "temple" of God, that the Spirit of God lives inside of us. Now this should spark our curiosity and cause us to ask questions such as: What does that mean for us as followers of Christ, that we are the temple of God? How significant is that? How are we to carry ourselves if we are the "house" that God lives in? We can catch of glimpse of just how important the "temple" of God is if we look back into the Old Testament during which times God resided in a physical structure such as a temple. You can read about this in 1 Chronicles 28:6 as David says: And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. Earlier in the chapter David mentions that he had it in his heart to build the house of God but because he had been a man of war God prohibited him from being able to build His house but allowed for Solomon to take on the quest. David then assists Solomon with the "preparation" of building God’s house. Building the Temple of God was not a task that David or Solomon took lightly. Great preparation and work went into building the physical structure of the Temple of God. We can see this in 1 Chronicles 28:12 "And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:" and in the verse 19 it reads, "All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern." Here we see that the Spirit of God gave David the ability to know how to instruct Solomon concerning how to build the temple and that he did not do it in his own strength. David further instructs his son Solomon as we read in verse 20, "And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD." In Joshua 1:9 God also communicated this to Joshua, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." The place where God inhabits changed after Christ rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven. God still chose to live in the lives of followers of Christ rather than a physical building. Again we read that God lives in us through His Spirit in 1 Corinthians 3:16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" In I Corinthians 6:19 we read, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" And Hebrews 3:6 reads, "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." During the Old Testament times, the priests were the only ones allowed to go in and perform duties in the temple. These priests were to carry out carefully instructed duties, and faced harsh consequences even death if they weren’t kept. We, as followers of Christ, are the temple where God now dwells, and we should be intentional about being obedient in our bodies to the Word of God. In Romans 12:1 we read, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service." We no longer need to perform sacrifices in a physical temple building as during the Old Testament times, but we are to live and offer ourselves as a living sacrifice unto God. Just as David and Solomon, by the power of the Spirit of God, took great care in how they prepared and built the temple of God, and the priests in how they served in the House of God, we as followers of Christ who now are the physical temple which God through His Spirit dwells in, should prepare and maintain our bodies through faith, obedience and dependence on God that shows Him and others how great our God is. And through God’s Spirit He enables us to do so!

Day 150: 2 Chronicles 10-12; 1 Corinthians 4

.1 Corinthians 4:1 | This chapter speaks about the life and purpose of the apostles, and also Paul as an apostle. It says, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. First, let's see that this "us" is tied in with verse 9, which is the next time Paul uses the word when specifically saying "us the apostles," giving us reference to who "us" means. By the way, there were other apostles in the Bible even beyond Paul and the twelve apostles. When he says "ministers of Christ," this lets us know that "us" is not just speaking of the people in general, but particularly of these ministers of Christ. He says "stewards of the mysteries of God." Romans 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Colossians 1:26-27, 2:2 and 4:3-4; Ephesians 1:9 and 3:3 speak of mystery, or the mystery of God/mystery of Christ and I'm sure those aren't the only places in the Bible mentioning mysteries. Ephesians 2:20 also gives us a better idea of the purpose of apostles and ties them in with the prophets. Considering how prophets were established first in the Old Testament and the nature of a prophet's calling, it's possible that what Paul was saying here was for them to account of them, the apostles, as they accounted of the prophets. (note to self: find and regard the scripture that says "but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory" and study it with Daniel 2:19-24, and regard how this may apply with the other scriptures' talk about mystery, wisdom, and how apostles and prophets were regarded by kings and others, including Jesus.)

.1 Corinthians 4:8-13 | Paul thinks that God has set forth the apostles last "as it were appointed to death." I ~~wanto~~ (<- that's the best typo I've ever made. Maybe I'll start using that "wanto")... I want to look at this in two ways. Paul may be making a reference to how apostles are among the last positions added to the ministry, although they're set in place first in the church, being part of its foundation. He references "death," saying "as it were appointed to death." Death comes at the end, even if we're looking at death as him that comes riding on the pale horse in the book of Revelation (Rev 6:8). In the Old Testament, there were already prophets, pastors and teachers (note: the prophet Jeremiah is the only pastor actually identified in the Bible | Jer 3:15). Along with apostles, evangelists were not mentioned in the Old Testament (Philip, being the only identified evangelist in the Bible | Acts 21:8). So you may ask, "well, apostles were still put in place 2000 years ago. How is 2000 years ago, considered to be the end or last?" I saw a man trying to refute the Bible ask a similar question about why people believe this is the end times if people have been saying for hundreds of years, even back to Jesus' time that this is the end or see signs of the end times, yet it still hasn't happened. Looking at genealogy, we can conclude that Adam and Eve were about 6000 - 10,000 years ago (I haven't done the math yet myself). My point is, if there's 8 hours in your work day and you're in the last hour, you're at the end of your work day, no matter how slow that last hour seems to go by. Even in your last two hours, you're still pretty much at the end of your day, and you'll probably see some signs of that.
The other way I'd like to look at this "set forth as last" thing that Paul says is to regard what Jesus commanded of the apostles when they first began their work (Matt 7:10). They had nothing. They had nowhere to sleep. They had to depend on the Lord through others. They received last. People gave them to eat and gave them a place to sleep as they went on their journey. Everyone else had to be blessed first before the apostles were even able to receive anything. Even if the apostles wanted to be selfish, knowing their only provisions came from others abundance, their desire would be that others are blessed first so they themselves could be blessed. This is drastically different from the priests and pastors of the Old Testament who often received while the people went hungry (Ezekiel 34:2). The apostles were positioned to have the people's best interest in mind, which you can imagine, to an apostle who travels ministering also to multitudes of poor people, the idea of actually having anything themselves is pretty hopeless. Even looking at 1 Cor 4:11, we see that they were hungry, thirsty, naked, buffeted (dictionary), and had no certain dwellingplace, despised. The apostle who tried to live another life and take for himself first was Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, for 30 pieces of silver (chump change). "We are fools for Christ's sake" the apostle says. We could be out working and making money, instead of trying to help some people spiritually who don't halfway even care for the things of God. Getting hanged, crucified, beat, thrown in jail, hanged on crosses, all for some people who don't even appreciate it, and even look down on you for it.

.1 Corinthians 4:12 | reviled means to be spoken evil of.

.1 Corinthians 4:17 | There are local assemblies or congregations that we call churches, but the church is the body of Christ (Col. 1:24). Church is not to be confused with religion (James 1:27).

.1 Corinthians 4:20 | 2:5

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