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I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. (I Kings 3:13) |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Paul in Rome [3] Bible Verse:Acts 28:30-31 (ESV) "He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. " Message:
And so ends the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, with Paul freely teaching the Gospel to the people of Rome, while awaiting trial.
There was no contemporary written account of what befell him thereafter, but non-Biblical sources indicate that Paul was tried and released. This would make sense. Paul was not accused of anything that would offend Rome (at that time), and his enemies did not have any political pull there. We also know that the people involved who did have political pull in Rome — Herod Agrippa II and Festus Porcius, the procurator (governor) of Judea — seemed favorably disposed towards him.
Paul and Silvanus in Rome
Paul and Silas
Paul then (according to the non-Biblical writings) took a fifth missionary journey, traveling as far as Spain. This is also a credible story, because Spain was an enormously important part of the Roman Empire; travel to Spain by either ship or land was reasonably easy and safe, for that time. There were also early Christian churches in Spain. James (the Greater), the patron saint of Spain, is believed to have traveled to Spain in a very early mission, before he was martyred in Jerusalem (Acts 12:1-2). Philip the Apostle was also credited with a mission to Spain.
In fact, numerous scholars believe that Paul’s mission in Rome was part of a plan. While establishing a solid and active church in Rome was an end in itself, there was a secondary purpose behind it: creating an anchor to support the Spanish churches, which were isolated from Antioch and Ephesus by the Italian peninsula.
Years later, when he had visited Spain, Paul was arrested again, after Nero began his erratic persecution against Christians. He returned to Rome for trial and was beheaded there.
The secular writings about Paul seem credible. Particularly well-attested is a letter written by Clement of Rome in 95 AD. (Clement was a close successor of Peter as bishop of Rome and is listed by the Catholic Church as the fourth pope. He took office just 25 years after Peter’s execution.) Clement wrote that Paul “reached the farthest limits of the West” which would include Spain, without doubt. A number of other second-century fragmentary documents mention Paul in Spain. And Paul was promised in Acts 27:24 that he would “stand in front of Caesar,” consistent with a trial in front of Nero.
Meditation : Prayer : Heavenly Father, there are people praying with me, right now, whom I will never meet. I don’t know their names, or what country they live in, or what they may look like, but I will know their souls, for we are brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that we might be united in the Holy Spirit, and that I will know and feel the kinship and love, in my spirit, of those who share these prayers with me.............Amen |
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