The Power to Change (5 of 10)
Tim Melton
Series: Acts
Acts 9
Is change possible? Can a person go from being bad to being good?
Sometimes it is so difficult to break free from our negative attitudes, our prejudices, our wounds, and our habitual sins.
In today's scripture we encounter a man named Paul. It is a dramatic story of change, but before we fully appreciate the change we need to understand the person.
In various passages in the New Testament, we can put together Paul's background as he recounts it. He was a man of promise with such potential. Amongst the Jews he was an up-and-coming star, a future leader of his people. This is how Paul described himself in his own words.
3 "I am a Jew. . . I was circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. . . Born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in Jerusalem. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. . . I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. In regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless."
For the Jews, Paul's resume was spectacular. He was committed to the law from birth. He was from a respected tribe. He was raised in Jerusalem, the center of Judaism. He studied under the wise and acclaimed teacher Gamaliel. He was well-versed in and committed to Jewish tradition and the ancient laws. . . and he was a Pharisee.
The Pharisees had great influence within Judaism during this time of the early church. They were known for being very spiritual people who meticulously obeyed the religious laws.
They believed in God's written law found in the Old Testament, but also gave the same authority to religious traditions that had been passed down through the centuries. This added more than 600 religious laws in addition to the laws that were foun ...
Tim Melton
Series: Acts
Acts 9
Is change possible? Can a person go from being bad to being good?
Sometimes it is so difficult to break free from our negative attitudes, our prejudices, our wounds, and our habitual sins.
In today's scripture we encounter a man named Paul. It is a dramatic story of change, but before we fully appreciate the change we need to understand the person.
In various passages in the New Testament, we can put together Paul's background as he recounts it. He was a man of promise with such potential. Amongst the Jews he was an up-and-coming star, a future leader of his people. This is how Paul described himself in his own words.
3 "I am a Jew. . . I was circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. . . Born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in Jerusalem. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. . . I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. In regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless."
For the Jews, Paul's resume was spectacular. He was committed to the law from birth. He was from a respected tribe. He was raised in Jerusalem, the center of Judaism. He studied under the wise and acclaimed teacher Gamaliel. He was well-versed in and committed to Jewish tradition and the ancient laws. . . and he was a Pharisee.
The Pharisees had great influence within Judaism during this time of the early church. They were known for being very spiritual people who meticulously obeyed the religious laws.
They believed in God's written law found in the Old Testament, but also gave the same authority to religious traditions that had been passed down through the centuries. This added more than 600 religious laws in addition to the laws that were foun ...
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