Atos 9
Alexander Maclaren · Citado em PreceptAustin
Atos 9
Maclaren - A Bird's-Eye View of the Early Church Kistemaker comments that Luke "uses the word church in the singular to indicate the unity of the body of Christ. Jewish Christians from the south (Judea) and the north (Galilee) lived in perfect harmony with Samaritan Christians." (Ibid) Enjoyed peace - Enjoyed is the Greek verb echo which means "had," so they "had peace" or "possessed peace." NET Bible has "experienced peace." And since Church is the subject and is in the singular Luke's point is that the entire Church in Palestine enjoyed peace. Timothy Beougher - Notice that the verse begins with the word then. The context of this verse is the conversion of Saul and the resulting decrease of external persecution on the church. However, peace involves much more than the absence of persecution. A church can have peace outwardly and not inwardly. Peace involves absence of conflict, both outwardly and inwardly, and the presence of harmony. A church filled with division will not see multiplication. The climate of peace naturally produces an atmosphere of unity. Are you helping to unify your congregation or do you create divisions? A church filled with division will not see multiplication!
Atos 9
Maclaren - Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? - Bring your plans, your purposes to God’s throne. Test them by praying about them. Do nothing large or new—nothing small or old either, for that matter—till you have asked there, in the silence of the secret place, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” J R Miller - Duty’s path always opens for us as we go on—not before we start, but as we obey and move forward. Yet we must not expect there will never be any difficulties to meet or obstacles to surmount. God never has promised that. Too easy a path is often a bane in life, not a blessing. The difficulties and obstacles that remain may be made stepping-stones by which we shall rise to higher things. ILLUSTRATION - D L Moody - A MAN at sea was once very seasick. If there is a time when a man feels that he cannot do any work it is then. But he heard that a man had fallen overboard. He couldn’t do much, but he laid hold of a light and held it up to the porthole. The light fell on the drowning man’s hand, and a man caught him, and pulled him into the lifeboat. It seemed a small thing to do to hold up the light; yet it saved the man’s life. We can do as much as that. If we cannot do some great thing we can hold the light for some poor, perishing soul, who is out in the dark waters of sin. Bruce Barton - RELIGION VS. RELATIONSHIP - Paul referred to his encounter on the road to Damascus as the start of his new life in Christ (1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8; Galatians 1:15-16). At the center of this wonderful experience was Jesus Christ. Paul did not see a vision; he saw the risen Christ himself (9:17). Paul did not "get religion" (he was already a very religious man!); he found a relationship with Jesus. Paul acknowledged Jesus as Lord, confessed his own sin, surrendered his life to Christ, and resolved to obey him. True conversion comes from a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and leads to a new life in relationship with him. (Borrow Life Application Bible Commentary page ) Steven
Atos 9
Maclaren - Working Like Christ Downame - See the marvelous difference between a man left to his own pathetic strength (as he was when he denied Christ) and the same confirmed by the power of the Holy Spirit, as Peter now was when he confidently told Aeneas, “Jesus Christ heals you,” and in full confidence of a cure beyond all human ability or creaturally power asks him to rise and make his bed. Steven