In Acts 17, we see Paul in three cities: Thessalonica (verses 1-9), Berea (verses 10-14), and Athens (verses 15-34). We’ve already discussed the major figures in the chapter, including Silas and Timothy as well as Paul. We also covered some minor "players." We still need to consider two more minor…
During the last two weeks I wrote about Silas and Timothy, and before that I devoted three posts to Paul. That covers all the major figures who appear in Acts 17. Today we’ll spend our time looking at two individuals who play lesser roles in the chapter – Jason and…
In my last post I wrote about Silas, and before that I devoted three posts to Paul. There’s one more major figure who appears in Acts 17, and that individual is Timothy. Today we’ll take a look at him, “reading between the lines” a bit to gain some insight into…
Today we’ll finally resume our study of Acts 17. As always, the best way to understand a passage of Scripture is to study its context. For my last three posts pertaining to this study, I wrote about the person and character of the apostle Paul. Now we’ll briefly examine one…
I have something wonderful to share today, so I’ll interrupt our study of the Berean incident in Acts 17. For this post, I'm delivering my news – my blog is now part of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid! I'll tell you more about this grid later, but first let me…
In my last blog post, I wrote about Paul’s former life as Saul, the strict Pharisee who saw the fledgling Christian movement as a threat to the way of life he held so dear. As a consequence of that perceived threat, Saul had sought to destroy anyone who taught what…
To understand what happened when Paul visited Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17), we must understand more about the man himself. Paul was a seemingly tireless pioneer of the faith taking the gospel message to the Gentile world. Before we can understand Paul's contributions, we must understand his former life. We…
Anyone who reads the New Testament knows something about the apostle Paul. After all, 13 of the epistles bear his name. And Luke devotes fully three-quarters of the book of Acts to the story of this man’s life and work. Even so, this post and two subsequent posts will cover,…
Even though I asked you (in my last post) to begin researching the people of Acts 17, I’ve decided to postpone the next part of our study of the Bereans. That's because of what happened to me as I began looking at the apostle Paul. For this post, then, let’s…
In my last blog post I asked that you read Acts 17 in preparation for an inductive study about the Bereans. Today we launch our new Bible study aimed at understanding these more noble-minded Jews. I’ll share some of my observations and questions, just as I did when we began…
What would you consider to be your most important Bible study tool? I believe the answer is a good study Bible. I do not mean one that has been labeled a study Bible because of additional material, such as chapter summaries and maps. What I mean is a Bible that…
Although I love to study the Bible every morning, I have to admit that I’m a bit like Dug. He is the speaking dog in the 2009 animated movie Up. He often stopped in the middle of conversations, jerking his head to one side or the other and announcing “Squirrel!”…
[Application is the last stage of the Inductive Method. By its very nature it is subjective, and it should be quite personal. My purpose in today’s post is not to preach to you. On the contrary, I am sharing my thoughts about how to apply Christ’s teaching to my life…
In the last blog post, we diverted from our intention to move into the interpretation stage of our study. Finally, the moment has arrived. We are ready to ponder what it was that Christ was telling the lawyer who asked, "Who is my neighbor?" This question, as we have already…
In my last blog post, I indicated that this post would continue the interpretation phase of the inductive method. However, I realized that we had neglected to consider one crucial element. That element is the lawyer whose question prompted Christ to tell the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Who is…