Daily Bread 4-27-17

Acts 18:28

For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

ref. - Lk 24:26,46 - Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, snd to enter into his glory? And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

1Cor 15:3,4 - For I delivered unto you first that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

Gen 49:10 - The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Dt 18:15 - The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet fro the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him shall ye hearken;

Ps 16:9,10 - Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Isa 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Mic 5:2 - But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Mal 3:1 - Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

We have heard the scripture that Paul planted and Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. This lesson scripture that we study today is a testimony of Apollos. He was a very eloquent man, he knew the scriptures, and he could easily communicate with everyone, but he lacked the knowledge of Christ that he needed. Instead of becoming haughty and arrogant when Priscilla and Aquila taught him, he listened and reasoned within himself and was convinced of a more perfect way to give the gospel. In this he was able to convince the Jews openly, through the scriptures, that Jesus was the Christ. Today, we face a dilemma. We have prideful ministers and congregation who will not accept correction or knowledge in order to further their walk in God's will. Not all, but through their lack of knowledge and ignorance they usually make the loudest noise. Rather than listen carefully to what is being taught or said, they wait their turn to show all how much they know or to negate or debate what is being taught. This is not a way to learn to water as it will not nourish a seed that is planted in Christ. You see, we serve a God that is a God of progress. Not one of us is exempt from listening and learning from a God sent man filled with the Holy Ghost to help us. It starts with the minister and goes all the way through to the tiniest person. Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. This man was intelligent. Why? Because he had listened when people spoke and absorbed the knowledge that he was hearing. This, and the fact that he was also a man called of God, provided him with the humility to continue learning and listening when God sent him mannah from above. The final point in this lesson is this; he did not use cunningly devised fables, nor did he play on the emotions or ignorance of them that were without, he used their own scriptures to prove that Jesus was Christ. Their own writings and their own prophets were the proof that Christ was the one they had been waiting for. Today many go around looking for scientific proof, searching for answers in world places and seeking out knowledge in guidebooks and writings of men when all the while the Bible, all the proof we need as we live by faith and not by sight, that Jesus is Christ. So, today, our challenge is this; If we want to become more knowledgeable in the will of God, and we want to help others to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, let us call on God and rely solely on the only book that we know was not written with false intentions, it does not mislead or misguide with the ideas and interpretations of men, and it is the true, infallible, undeniable truth. This book is the word of God. The Holy Bible. Apollos convinced the toughest opposers of Christ when he convinced the Jews that Jesus was Christ, but only when he allowed himself to be sharpened in his own knowledge. So the word of God is our sword, it is our defense, it is our offense, and when God sends someone to show us a better way, be careful how much of our old ways we hold onto without accepting the new. The two combined are the best tools we have. Keep listening, keep learning, keep reading the Bible, and keep fulfilling God's calling in your life!! Because he is a good God and a mighty God capable of all things!! Have a great day and don't forget to give God the glory!!!