God's Kingdoms
Volume 4, Number 29“Believe” in Acts: Part 12: God’s Kingdom/s:God the Father “... hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” Colossians 1:13 & 14. The Apostle Paul wrote this blessed assurance to believers almost 2000 years ago and it still applies. Today we will compare the Kingdom of His Dear Son with others mentioned in the New Testament (NT), i.e., The Kingdoms of Heaven, of God, of David and of Christ.A Kingdom is an area or sphere where... Continue reading →
The Signs of Paul's Apostleship
Volume 4, Number 28“Believe” in Acts: Part 11:For those new to these studies, my basic methodology has been to trace the subject of faith, along with related words such as believe, etc., through the Bible. We are presently in Acts and having already examined the 16 occasions of “faith” we continue here with the word believe, found 39 times in Acts.Our last study found Paul and Barnabas in Antioch, the Capital of the Roman colony Pisidia where Paul successfully ministered on two Sabbath days but then when a group of Jews turned against the Word and blasphemed, he announced that although it was... Continue reading →
Ordained - Predestinated - Appointed
Volume 4, Number 27“Believe” in Acts: Part 10: What is it to be Ordained, Determined, Appointed, Addicted or Disposed to Believe?:In Faith Study Vol 4, No 25 we examined the 14th occasion of the word “believe” in Acts when the Apostle Paul pronouncing temporary blindness on the Jewish false prophet/ magician Barjesus, or Elymas, who was associated with Sergius Paulus, the Roman Governor of the Island of Crete. Sergius Paulus was a prudent man who called for Barnabas and Saul to tell him about the Word of God but Barjesus Elymas withstood Barnabas and Saul, trying to turn Sergious Paulus away from the... Continue reading →
Satan - The Biggest Scammer in History - sermon
Volume 4, Number 26Your browser does not support the audio element.Today’s study is a message I presented at the West Valley Grace Fellowship on Sunday, October 8, 2017. The following link should take you to the recording on our church’s web site:https://soundcloud.com/user-854534204/the-biggest-scammer-in-history-eph-21-3If this link will not work by clicking on it, try copying and pasting it in your browser. Or, you can go to our church website, http://www.westvalleygf.com/Home_Page.php and go to the “listen to sermons” section and click on the October 8, 2017 message.Please let me know if you have any trouble finding and/or listening to this recording, or if you have any... Continue reading →
Peter's Kingdom Gospel To Paul and Barnabas Gospel of Grace
Volume 4, Number 25“Believe” in Acts - Part 9 - Occasions 13 & 14:Our last study examined a series of four events in Acts that picture the transition from the Gospel of the Kingdom that God promised Israel in the Old Testament, taught by Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry and presented by Peter and the 12 Apostles at Pentecost --- to the Gospel of the Grace of God that the Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven committed to the Apostle Paul for Gentiles as well as Jews. The last of the four events we examined in the last study involved the Jewish leaders... Continue reading →
Micacles By Peter to the Saving of Cornelius
Volume 4, Number 24Believe in Acts, Part 8 - the Gospels of the Kingdom Then & Future & the Grace of God for almost 2000 years:Our last study referenced the 10th occasion of the word “believe” in the book of Acts, i.e., 9:36 - 42 where many believed in the Lord in the area around Joppa after the Apostle Peter was used to raise from the dead a Jewish woman named Tabitha, also known as Dorcas. Today we’ll visit that incident again, but this time consider it in relation to the miracle recorded immediately prior to it and what is recorded immediately after... Continue reading →
Men & Women Named In Acts - List of those raised from Dead
Volume 4, Number 23Believe in Acts, Part 7 - The Three women in Acts 1 - 9:In the first nine chapters of Acts the Apostle Peter stands out prominently as God’s representative to the Jews in the Pentecostal church in Jerusalem. Many men are mentioned by name in these chapters while only three women are named. None of the women preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and only four men are named as doing so:•Peter is named 12 times in the first nine chapters of Acts as having preached, judged, used to the heal the sick and blessed people with the Holy Spirit,•John... Continue reading →
Numbers in Acts - Peter & Paul
Volume 4, Number 22Believe in Acts, Part 6 - Significant Numbers:Continuing our study of the Greek word “Pisteuo,” normally translated “believe” in the New Testament (NT), found most frequently in the Gospel of John (100) and second most often in Acts (39). Why 39? We’ve studied the first 8 occurrences in Acts and found they reference Jews who believed the Gospel of the Kingdom preached by Christ’s 12 Apostles. That Gospel is encapsulated in Peter’s sermon to the Jews in the Temple: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from... Continue reading →
The Etheopian Eunich & the Gospel of the Kingdom
Volume 4, Number 21Believe in Acts, Part 5 - The Gospel of the Kingdom Proclaimed:We’ve been studying the use of the Greek word “Pisteuo” in the book of Acts where it is translated “believe” 38 times and “believer” once and so far have observed that the believers alluded to in the first chapters of Acts were Jews who believed Jesus was their Messiah. From Jesus’ teaching, they understood the next thing to happen would be the Tribulation period, followed by Jesus Christ’s Second Coming, i.e., His return to establish His Kingdom on earth, Matthew 24:3 - 44; Mark 13:3 - 37; Luke 21:7... Continue reading →
The vain belief of Simon
Volume 4, Number 20Vol 4 - No 20, March 27, 2017Believe in Acts, Part 4 - Vain Belief:We’ve been studying each occurrence of the Greek word “pisteuo,” translated “believe” in the book of Acts and now arrive at the 5th and 6th occurrences thereof in chapter 8, about a man who believed - but he really didn’t. Chapter 8 begins with Saul giving consent to the stoning death of Stephen and generally creating havoc by entering the homes of Jews who believed Jesus was their Messiah and carrying them away to prison, Acts 8:1 - 3. But God had a purpose even in... Continue reading →