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Lessons on Romans

In this next series of lessons, I would like to share with you a study of the epistle, letter, of Paul to the Romans. This will take a few weeks or months to accomplish so I pray you will take the time to study alongside me and see what wonderful blessings God has for us. We begin with an introduction and will go through a look at Paul's three missionary journeys for our time today. So let's begin.

Part 1

The Book of Romans is considered to be one of the greatest letters Paul wrote. Some have said that it contains the heartbeat of Christianity. Alexander Campbell said the message of Romans becomes a key to all of Paul's letters. A man by the name of John R. W. Stott describes Romans this way:

"The Epistle to the Romans is the fullest and most coherent manifesto of the Christian gospel in the New Testament. In it the apostle Paul unfolds "the whole counsel of God."...There is a grandeur, a comprehensiveness, a logic about his exposition which has commanded the admiration and compelled the study of all succeeding generations."

Many more quotes could be made that all talk about how great this letter is. It is also the longest letter that Paul wrote. Though this was the 6th letter Paul wrote, you will notice that it is the first letter of his in the New Testament right after the Book of Acts. Some think maybe the reason it was put first was that it was the longest and because this letter is considered his masterpiece.

Paul did not write the letter with his own hands but dictated it to Tertius (Tur-shee-uhs) who added his own greeting near the end of the letter (Romans 16:22). Of course, if you want to get technical, the Holy Spirit is the true author of Romans. It is implied that Phoebe was the one who delivered this letter to Rome (Romans 16:1). Most believe that Paul wrote this letter while he was at Corinth for 3 months on his third missionary journey around A.D. 57-58.

Since Paul is the author of this letter, I want to take a quick look at his life by looking at his timeline.

3 BC-AD 34

Paul was born an Israelite in Tarsus around the same time as Jesus and John the Baptist were born (Acts 22:3, Phil 3:5).

He was a Roman citizen by birthright (Acts 22:28).

He started school at age 6 or 7, and the Old Testament would be the focus of his study.

At age 13, he would go through Bar Mitzvah (assuming the full obligation of the law).

In Jerusalem, Paul studies and trains under the famous teacher Gamaliel (Acts 22:3).

 

AD 35 – AD 43

Paul watches and consents to Stephen's death (Acts 7:58, 8:1).

He helps to inflict great persecution on Christians, those of what was called "The Way." (Acts 8:1-3; 26:10-11; Phil. 3:6).

On the road to Damascus, Paul comes face-to-face with Jesus Christ and is later converted and baptized as a result of his faith. (Acts 9).

At some point over the next 3 years, Paul goes to Arabia and then returns to Damascus (Gal. 1:17).

Paul's life is in danger, and he escapes Damascus by being lowered down the outside wall through a window in a big basket (Acts 9:24; 2 Cor 11:32-33).

Paul makes his way to Jerusalem and Barnabas brings him to the apostles (Acts 9:26-29; Gal. 1:18).

Once again, Paul's life is in danger and he travels to Tarsus (Acts 9:30).

Later, Barnabas goes to Tarsus and finds Paul, and they go to Antioch and teach a great number of people over the next year (Acts 11:25-26).

Paul and Barnabas deliver aid to the brethren in Jerusalem (Acts 11:29-30).

When they complete their mission, they return to Antioch with Mark (Acts 12:25).

 

First Missionary Journey AD 44 – AD 49

The Holy Spirit separates Paul and Barnabas out for this particular Journey (Acts 13:2-3).

They travel to Seleucia and set sail to the island of Cyprus (Acts 13:4).

They preach in the Synagogues at Salamis and Mark assists them (Acts 13:5).

At Paphos, they encounter a false prophet named Bar-Jesus who tries to keep the proconsul, Sergius Paulis, from hearing the word of God. Paul strikes Bar-Jesus blind by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the proconsul believes (Acts 13:6-12).

When they arrived at Perga, Mark leaves them and returns to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13).

Paul and Barnabas continue on to Antioch in Pisidia. Paul preaches his first and longest recorded sermon in the synagogue (Acts 13:14-49).

They are driven out of Antioch and they go to Iconium where they stay for a long time boldly speaking the word of God (Acts 13:50 - 14:3).

Their lives are threatened so they leave and head toward Lystra and Derbe (Acts 14:4-7).

In Lystra, Paul heals a crippled man and the crowds try to worship them (Acts 14:8-18).

Paul is stoned and dragged outside the city, presumed dead, but he gets up and goes back into the city, and the next day, Paul and Barnabas go to Derbe (Acts 14:19-20).

At Derbe, they make many disciples. They return to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch to strengthen the churches and to appoint elders (Acts 14:21-23).

They preach at Perga and return to Antioch in Syria where they report to the church everything that happened on their journey (Acts 14:24-28).

Paul and Barnabas are sent to Jerusalem to ask the apostles and the elders if the Gentiles must be circumcised. They decide that Gentiles don't have to be circumcised, and they send Paul and Barnabas and other men back to Antioch with a letter explaining this (Acts 15:1-34; Gal. 2:1).

They preach and teach at Antioch (Acts 15:35).

It's possible that Paul writes the letter to the Galatians from Antioch.

2nd Missionary Journey AD 50 – AD 54

Paul and Barnabas separate from one another over a sharp dispute with Mark (Acts 15:36-39).

Paul and Silas join forces and go through Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches (Acts 15:40-41).

They go to Derbe and Lystra, and Timothy now joins in the journey (Acts 16:1-5).

They go to Troas, and Paul has a vision of a Macedonian man asking for help (Acts 16:6-10).

They sail to Neapolis and travel to Philippi where they meet Lydia and she is converted along with her household (Acts 16:11-15).

Paul and Silas are thrown into jail after Paul cast a demon out of a slave girl (Acts 16:16-25).

A great earthquake opens the jail doors and loosens the chains holding the prisoners. Paul and Silas convert the Philippian jailer and his household (Acts 16:25-34).

They preach the word of God in the synagogue at Thessalonica and convert men and women (Acts 17:1-10).

They flee to Berea, converting more people. Paul goes to Athens while Timothy and Silas stay behind. Paul sends word for them to come and join him (Acts 17:10-15).

Paul preaches to the people at Athens converting men and women (Acts 17:16-34).

Paul goes to Corinth and Timothy and Silas join him there. They teach the Word of God for a year and six months there (Acts 18:1-17).

Here, Paul writes 1st and 2nd Thessalonians.

Paul returns to Antioch of Syria after stopping at Ephesus, Caesarea, and Jerusalem (Acts 18:18-22).

3rd Missionary Journey AD 54 – AD 58

Paul travels through Galatia and Phrygia strengthening the disciples (Acts 18:23).

At Ephesus, Paul baptizes some disciples in the name of Jesus who had only heard of John's baptism (Acts 19:1-7).

Timothy is sent to Corinth (1 Cor. 4:17). He returns to Ephesus later (1 Cor. 16:10-11).

Paul writes 1st Corinthians.

Paul preaches in the synagogue for 3 months and then at the school of Tyrannus for 2 years (Acts 19:8-10).

He sends Timothy and Erastus into Macedonia (Acts 19:21). 

On his way to Macedonia, Paul stops at Troas to meet up with Titus, but he never shows up (Acts 20:1; 2 Cor. 2:13).

Paul meets up with Titus possible in Philippi and writes 2 Corinthians sending Titus with the letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 7:6, 8:6; Acts 20:2).

He goes to Greece for 3 months and there writes the book of Romans (Acts 20:2-3).

From Greece, Timothy and other brethren go ahead of Paul to meet him later at Troas (Acts 20:4-6).

Paul stays 7 days at Troas and partakes of The Lord's Supper on The Lord's Day (Acts 20:7-12).

He travels to Assos by foot and sails to Mitylene, Chios, Samos, Trogyllium, and stops at Miletus (Acts 20:13-16).

Paul sends for the Ephesians elders, and he strongly encourages them (Acts 20:17-38).

From there, he sails to Cos, Rhodes, and Patara, and they stop at Tyre for 7 days (Acts 21:3-6).

Next, he stays at Ptolemais for one day (Acts 21:7).

At Caesarea. Paul stays with Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8-14).

We will pick this up next time. May God bless, Mark

Restoring True Biblical Christianity Part #2

 Welcome back. Let's continue our thoughts from our previous lesson.

Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."

 

The only way that we can be prepared to deal with false teachings and the influence of the world is by being students (disciples) of God's Word, The Bible. Far to many 'Christians' are ignorant when it comes to God's Word. I am sure you have heard that phrase "ignorance is bliss", but when it comes to ignorance of God's Word, your ignorance can cost you your soul and cause you to face the torments of hell.

As Hosea said:

Hosea 4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children."

As Jesus said in Jn. 8:32, "...the truth will set you free...", but if we continue to neglect God's Word and The Truth it holds and live in ignorance, we will be destroyed, and we will have no idea when something false is being taught. So, we must never stop teaching the basic principles of God's Word so that the faithful will remain faithful, and so that next generations will be properly trained in the way of God.

We have a great challenge before us, but we must never relent on emphasizing 'The Truth' about God and how we must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. One of the most important places that we must begin in training the next generation of Christians is in the home. Far too many 'Christian' parents have become lazy at the job that God has given them.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Ephesians 6:4 "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."

Parents I want you to understand that if you do not get involved with teaching your children about God by your example and through God's Word, then you are going to lose your children to the world. Recent statistics I have come cross says that more than 7 out every 10 children raised up in the church will leave the church by their 2nd year of college.

If a congregation has 30 children in worship on Sunday morning that would be wonderful, but if those numbers hold true, only 9 of that 30 will remain faithful to God. Only 9 will most likely make it to heaven. Those numbers should upset every parent reading this, but I can promise you this, we do not have to let these number remain true. We can defy this trend and take action starting today and make sure that we keep the majority of our children faithful to Lord Jesus Christ!

We can do this by training them at home. We should not expect our children to get all their education about God at church because it is not enough. Your children are being influenced by the world in so many ways. For example, when you send your children to public school, not only do they get taught the fundamentals of education, often they are also taught about evolution, as well as how we should accept everyone no matter what they believe or how they live or their sexual orientation.

The language in the text books is being changed and some text books starting at the youngest grades are teaching how its normal for a child to have two moms or two dads. They are teaching that truth is relative and many other things contrary to God's Word.

The world understands that if they train our children with information like this, that they can change our nation. Adolf Hitler understood this, which is why he said:

"Let me control the textbooks and I will control the state..." Adolf Hitler

During a speech he delivered on November 6, 1939 Hitler said:

"When an opponent declares, 'I will not come over to your side,' I calmly say, 'Your child belongs to us already...What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community,'" unquote.

If we do not combat the worldly views our children are being taught in their textbooks, then we will lose our children without even knowing it.

I heard of a man on the radio from Dallas, Texas who got fired because he had was asking his fellow teacher what she thought about Obama. She complained, and his boss told him did not have freedom of speech at school and he also has been written up earlier for saying 'Merry Christmas' to one of students.

I also read an article about teacher in Florida that might have to go jail for saying prayer before she ate her lunch at school. Stories like these show how things have changed in the school system in last 20-30 years.

Of course, our children are also being influenced by their friends and by what other kids their age are telling them. Many times they will start thinking and behaving like those around them because they don't want to be different or bullied, they want to be popular.

If that doesn't make our jobs hard enough, we have to combat what Hollywood and the internet is teaching our children. If we are going to save our children from all these worldly influences, we must take time out of our busy lives to teach our children about God, and why some things are right and some things are wrong. We need to teach them that God's Word is our only guide, and that there is no reason to doubt God's absolute truth.

Before you can ever begin to train up your child in the admonition of the Lord, you must be committed to serving God. You cannot teach your child with mere words on how they should live their lives and expect them to remain faithful because, they must see you living the life of a Christian. They must see your dedication to God because your example is the greatest influence on your child because if you do not practice what you preach, then your children are not going to listen.

For example, if you tell your children how important it is that they attend all the church services because Christ purchased The Church with His own blood, but they see you only attending when you feel like it, or they see you missing church because you want to watch some game on TV or pursue a hobby, do you really think they are going to consider that attending church is important when you do not do it.

Many other examples could be given, but the simple message is, practice what you preach. You are the first in their lives to set the standard, so don't be surprised when you child follows your example, instead of your empty words.

Once you have made the commitment to serve the Lord and you are being a Christ-like example, then you can be effective at training your child up in the way of the Lord, but you must make time to do this. We don't seem to mind to make the time to get involved in our children's activities such as sports, choir, band, or some hobby, but many times we cannot seem to find the time to have Bible study or to talk about God.

Which is more important? I hope that you agree that God is more important. So, if you examine yourself and you realize that you are neglecting opportunities to train your child in the way of the Lord, I hope you start making time for it and I would suggest that you pray to God for guidance in this area because the fate of our children, and the fate of Christ's Church rests in your hands.

I hope this lesson will open your eyes to how important it is that we train this next generation so they will not compromise God's truth and will in turn teach their children the same message, so that the Lord's Church will remain strong and faithful to The Lord for generations to come.

So, may we never grow weary of doing our part to restore true Christianity by teaching God's Holy Word to future generations and teaching them to live by it so they will not compromise God's Truth or turn to the world.

God bless untill our next time, Mark