What I always found fascinating is just how amazing the conversion of Paul was. A modern day example of Paul coming to Christ would be Osama Binladin coming to Christ. And the fact that God changed him so much that he willingly suffered "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2 Corinthians 11:24-27 NIV)"
This week's reading was very interesting. The Jews were not bad, but their treatment of the Romans was not suprising. I think that they needed to learn that the Romans were their for a purpose and that Jesus was not coming to set them free from the Roman rule. By the way, where in the world did you learn that Osama Bin-laden was a Christian?
This is Alicia. I think it is really cool how God could change someones life like Paul's completly around. Paul was someone who persecuted the christions and then God changed his life and he became such a big influence on the spreading of the gospel. It is also really cool how God used the persecution of the church to spread the gospel farther.
This is Alicia. Also Caleb I think Chris was just using Osama Bin-laden as an example of what the convertion of Paul was like. It is not actually true.
What I thought was most interesting about this weeks reading was that the moral decay in the Roman empire caused them to neglect other religions and not be satisfied with them. This is much alike our world today. Our world is becoming corrupt and will soon neglect Christianity forever because people will think they know what's best for them rather than listen to a religion to tell them what to do. Also alike the Romans, people will not have satisfaction or peace like Christ can give them. DeTocque Ville once said "America is great because America is good, when America ceases to be good, She will cease to be great" (good=Believing in God) Once the world forgets God, people won't have peace.
Although the Roman Empire's rule must have seemed like a punishment from God to the Jews, in hindsight it is pretty clear that it was actually God's providence. Because the Roman Empire was so widespread, it was very easy for Christianity to travel within it (especially because of the roads). Paul's and the other early evangelists' words would not have had nearly the spreading impact on the world if they had not lived during the Roman rule. Another example of God's providence that may have seemed like a punishment at the time was the destruction of Jerusalem. That forced both Jews and Christians to spread out across the Roman world proclaiming the Gospel.
What I found interesting about this weeks reading was the irony of the Jew's decisions. Most Jewish people did not accept Jesus as the Messiah because they thought the messiah would free them from Roman control. When they delivered Jesus to be crucified part of their accusation was that he claimed to be a king and was therefore a threat to Caesar. Because they had such strong expectations, the Jews could not see how Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of the messiah.
What really amazed me about this week's readings was the total reversal of Paul's actions. He used to persecute the very people he ended up helping. I find it quite ironic really. When God chooses to touch a person's heart, something unexpected may happen. This just goes to show that Christ can do anything and change anyone. Even among the worst of people, God can turn a life around.
The very first sentence in the reading caught my eye. "God directed the affairs of men and civilizations in ancient times to make the world ready for the coming of His Son and the spread of the gospel." I thought about it and realized how true it was true. The first example I thought up was the Punic Wars. I realized that had the Carthaginians won those wars, Rome would have been no more. And had Rome been defeated so much of the story of Jesus may have been altered, or may not have come to pass at all. Also, whereas the Romans were tolerant of other religions, the Carthaginians were not. That also would have a major effect on the life of Christ. Overall I can easily see how God had been preparing the way for His Son since the very beginning.
I found it interesting that the jews shunned Jesus even when he told them that he was the messiah but at the same time I could see why they did. They were expecting a person who was higher ranked to release them from the bondage of the Romans but that wasn't the goal to begin with. another fact would be that other men might have lied and proclaim that they were the messiah and then get found out. so their trust might have been trampled. You have to think if there wasn't any hardships in Rome than Jesus might never have been crucified and therefore he wouldn't have been able to save us.
Mr. Parker you didn't have a place to post this weeks comments so I'm using this page and I also accidentally posted last weeks comment on the wednesday page. Rachel Over the course of this weeks readings you can really detect a personality change in Nero. At first he is a kinda nice guy giving large quantities of birds to people and large sums of money for no definable reason. But then he goes crazy over theatrics and gets really into that. He starts trying to bump off competition and when he returns from Greece he treats his return as if he were a general, showing off his prizes as if they were spoils of war etc. From about hear on he seems to become paranoid and hostile to everyone and his indulgence in wealth increases. Nero openly abuses executes citizens, politicians, and family members alike. He continues to live in a lavish lifestyle though the Rome can not afford his expenses.
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12 comments:
What I always found fascinating is just how amazing the conversion of Paul was. A modern day example of Paul coming to Christ would be Osama Binladin coming to Christ. And the fact that God changed him so much that he willingly suffered "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2 Corinthians 11:24-27 NIV)"
This week's reading was very interesting. The Jews were not bad, but their treatment of the Romans was not suprising. I think that they needed to learn that the Romans were their for a purpose and that Jesus was not coming to set them free from the Roman rule. By the way, where in the world did you learn that Osama Bin-laden was a Christian?
This is Alicia. I think it is really cool how God could change someones life like Paul's completly around. Paul was someone who persecuted the christions and then God changed his life and he became such a big influence on the spreading of the gospel. It is also really cool how God used the persecution of the church to spread the gospel farther.
This is Alicia.
Also Caleb I think Chris was just using Osama Bin-laden as an example of what the convertion of Paul was like. It is not actually true.
What I thought was most interesting about this weeks reading was that the moral decay in the Roman empire caused them to neglect other religions and not be satisfied with them. This is much alike our world today. Our world is becoming corrupt and will soon neglect Christianity forever because people will think they know what's best for them rather than listen to a religion to tell them what to do. Also alike the Romans, people will not have satisfaction or peace like Christ can give them. DeTocque Ville once said "America is great because America is good, when America ceases to be good, She will cease to be great" (good=Believing in God) Once the world forgets God, people won't have peace.
Although the Roman Empire's rule must have seemed like a punishment from God to the Jews, in hindsight it is pretty clear that it was actually God's providence. Because the Roman Empire was so widespread, it was very easy for Christianity to travel within it (especially because of the roads). Paul's and the other early evangelists' words would not have had nearly the spreading impact on the world if they had not lived during the Roman rule. Another example of God's providence that may have seemed like a punishment at the time was the destruction of Jerusalem. That forced both Jews and Christians to spread out across the Roman world proclaiming the Gospel.
What I found interesting about this weeks reading was the irony of the Jew's decisions. Most Jewish people did not accept Jesus as the Messiah because they thought the messiah would free them from Roman control. When they delivered Jesus to be crucified part of their accusation was that he claimed to be a king and was therefore a threat to Caesar. Because they had such strong expectations, the Jews could not see how Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of the messiah.
What really amazed me about this week's readings was the total reversal of Paul's actions. He used to persecute the very people he ended up helping. I find it quite ironic really. When God chooses to touch a person's heart, something unexpected may happen. This just goes to show that Christ can do anything and change anyone. Even among the worst of people, God can turn a life around.
The very first sentence in the reading caught my eye. "God directed the affairs of men and civilizations in ancient times to make the world ready for the coming of His Son and the spread of the gospel." I thought about it and realized how true it was true. The first example I thought up was the Punic Wars. I realized that had the Carthaginians won those wars, Rome would have been no more. And had Rome been defeated so much of the story of Jesus may have been altered, or may not have come to pass at all. Also, whereas the Romans were tolerant of other religions, the Carthaginians were not. That also would have a major effect on the life of Christ. Overall I can easily see how God had been preparing the way for His Son since the very beginning.
THanks Alicia. That makes a lot more sense. I just was confused and just making sure that it wasn't a fact.
I found it interesting that the jews shunned Jesus even when he told them that he was the messiah but at the same time I could see why they did. They were expecting a person who was higher ranked to release them from the bondage of the Romans but that wasn't the goal to begin with. another fact would be that other men might have lied and proclaim that they were the messiah and then get found out. so their trust might have been trampled. You have to think if there wasn't any hardships in Rome than Jesus might never have been crucified and therefore he wouldn't have been able to save us.
Mr. Parker you didn't have a place to post this weeks comments so I'm using this page and I also accidentally posted last weeks comment on the wednesday page.
Rachel
Over the course of this weeks readings you can really detect a personality change in Nero. At first he is a kinda nice guy giving large quantities of birds to people and large sums of money for no definable reason. But then he goes crazy over theatrics and gets really into that. He starts trying to bump off competition and when he returns from Greece he treats his return as if he were a general, showing off his prizes as if they were spoils of war etc. From about hear on he seems to become paranoid and hostile to everyone and his indulgence in wealth increases. Nero openly abuses executes citizens, politicians, and family members alike. He continues to live in a lavish lifestyle though the Rome can not afford his expenses.
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