<html><head></head><body><div><div><div>Acts 25;23-27<div><br></div><div><b>23. &nbsp;So on the morrow Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. &nbsp;Then by command of Festus Paul was brought in.</b></div><div><b>24. &nbsp;And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.</b></div><div><b>25. &nbsp;But I found that he had done nothing deserving death; and as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him.</b></div><div><b>26. &nbsp;But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. &nbsp;Therefore I have brought him before you, King Agrippa, that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write.</b></div><div><b>27. &nbsp;For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b>The Lord Jesus in a vision(s) told Paul long before in Damascus, when he was first called, that he would&nbsp;be a,&nbsp;<i>“chosen instrument of mine, to carry my&nbsp;name before the Gentiles and kings and the sins of Israel.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</i><span>(Acts 9;15). Now, Paul is appearing before king Agrippa. &nbsp;The plans and purposes of God are about completed, but not entirely.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>From a purely worldly perspective, Paul’s appealing to&nbsp;emperor Caesar was a very foolish thing to do. &nbsp;His particular case was confused,&nbsp;political, and troublesome for the Roman authorities. &nbsp;As is always the case for the Romans.&nbsp;Dealing with the Jews was a headache. &nbsp;The&nbsp;Roman legal system was not set up to settle theological conflicts. &nbsp;Yet, at the heart of this matter was indeed the question which Jesus first asked: <i>“Who do you say that I am?” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 16;13–16)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Is it not wonderful, that our God can make&nbsp;great empires to do his bidding? &nbsp;The name of ‘Jesus’</span></div><div><span>was indeed being carried throughout the Gentile and Jewish world, even to the heights of political&nbsp;authority. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>When considering this, we are reminded that we too have been called to, <i>“Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 28;18-20). Our purpose remains the same as Paul’s, we are to carry the name of Jesus before all nations. &nbsp;<b></b></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>We proclaim the name of Jesus not only by the verbal proclamation of the Gospel. &nbsp;We proclaim the name of Jesus through lives of love and good works. &nbsp;Christ indwells us, so that we have power to be his witnesses.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, bless us to always be ‘going,’ carrying the&nbsp;name in Word and deed into this world, as light into the darkness, as life into death. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,&nbsp;</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively,&nbsp;be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>

Acts 25;23-27
23.  So on the morrow Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city.  Then by command of Festus Paul was brought in.24.  And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.25.  But I found that he had done nothing deserving death; and as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him.26.  But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him.  Therefore I have brought him before you, King Agrippa, that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write.27.  For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.”

The Lord Jesus in a vision(s) told Paul long before in Damascus, when he was first called, that he would be a, “chosen instrument of mine, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sins of Israel.”   (Acts 9;15). Now, Paul is appearing before king Agrippa.  The plans and purposes of God are about completed, but not entirely.
From a purely worldly perspective, Paul’s appealing to emperor Caesar was a very foolish thing to do.  His particular case was confused, political, and troublesome for the Roman authorities.  As is always the case for the Romans. Dealing with the Jews was a headache.  The Roman legal system was not set up to settle theological conflicts.  Yet, at the heart of this matter was indeed the question which Jesus first asked: “Who do you say that I am?”  (Matthew 16;13–16)
Is it not wonderful, that our God can make great empires to do his bidding?  The name of ‘Jesus’was indeed being carried throughout the Gentile and Jewish world, even to the heights of political authority.  
When considering this, we are reminded that we too have been called to, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations.”  (Matthew 28;18-20). Our purpose remains the same as Paul’s, we are to carry the name of Jesus before all nations.  
We proclaim the name of Jesus not only by the verbal proclamation of the Gospel.  We proclaim the name of Jesus through lives of love and good works.  Christ indwells us, so that we have power to be his witnesses.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, bless us to always be ‘going,’ carrying the name in Word and deed into this world, as light into the darkness, as life into death.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.

Love, Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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