The Apostle Paul's Life is Spared by the Romans [Acts chapter 23, verses 12-24] by Minister Paul J Bern Last week as we left off at verse 12 of Acts 23, Paul had continued to be in the custody of Roman troops, who doubled as the police force throughout the Middle East at that time. This had resulted in the riot in Jerusalem back in chapter 21, which Paul had found himself in the middle of, whether he objected or not. As soon as the Roman enforcement troops found out about the great disturbance in Jerusalem, they were were dispatched to the scene. Upon their arrival a great disturbance was under way that was religious in nature – a worst case scenario for the Romans. Since the well-established Jews who had started the whole thing bore false witness against Paul by convincing the Romans of Paul's alleged culpability, this was why Paul was in custody. That, and to keep him from being murdered by rogue elements in the crowd. This week as we continue ...

What I Learned From My Recent Brush With Death by Minister Paul J. Bern For anyone who may have missed my announcement this past Tuesday May 21 st , I was in a very bad car accident on the morning of Friday May 17 th . Indeed, I am quite fortunate to be able to sit and type this today, 8 days later. I had just gotten a gig as a Lyft driver. I don't own a vehicle as of right now, so I was driving a rental, a Hyundai Sonata. It was Friday 8AM, and I had just received my first pick-up of the day. Lucky for me, it was close by too, or so I thought. So I accepted the call on Lyft's Android app, but soon after my phone rings. It's my passenger, and he's telling me I just passed him. This makes no sense, since Lyft's 'app' had just given his address as 399 Joseph Lowery Blvd. (Atlanta), and I was in the 500 block with the addresses going downward while driving northbound. So I turned right, followed by another, and then all I needed wa...

The Bible, the Battle Over Abortion, and Common Sense by Web Minister Paul J. Bern First, allow me to make this disclaimer: this is not an anti-abortion sermon, nor is it a treatise on women's rights. This week's commentary is simply to point out the errors on both sides. I am, if nothing else, an equal opportunity preacher, and pointing out error is part of my job description. Undoubtedly you are aware that Georgia governor Brian Kemp has just signed into law a bill that will not allow an abortion for any pregnancy more than 6 weeks old, or until a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Although I will decline to comment about that, both sides throughout the US have only themselves to blame for all the disunity that I'm seeing. They fail to realize that those in power in high places – sometimes called the “Deep State” – are playing one side off against the other for their own benefit. Stop allowing yourselves to be manipulated so easily! To the ...

The Apostle Paul Addresses the Sanhedrin [Acts chapter 23, verses 1-12] by Minister Paul J. Bern   This week as we continue the apostle Luke's narrative of the apostle Paul's arrival in Jerusalem after a years-long absence from that city, we find Paul in the custody of Roman troops. He has done his best to explain his actions, and particularly how he had found salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. But it was to no avail, and Paul found himself being forcibly removed from that place to keep him from being killed by the angry mob that surrounded him. It is now the following morning, and Paul finds himself being brought before the Sanhedrin to face charges of inciting a riot, and especially facing the ire of his former peers, since Paul was a former member of that Jewish governing body. So let's start this week's lesson there, beginning at verse 1 of chapter 23. “ 1) Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, 'My brothers, I ...

Some of the The Most Offensive Things Jesus Ever Said by Web Minister Paul J. Bern We remember the grace-filled and loving things Jesus said. But there's an other side of Jesus that we often ignore. In fact, Jesus has to be one of the most controversial people to have ever lived. Take away His divinity for a minute (Just a few seconds, I promise) and look at his life. Whether you identify as a Jesus follower and believer or not, you have to admit that his life was utterly fascinating. The words he said, the stories he told, and the way he told them had this polarizing effect on people. Today we often like to focus on the grace and the love that he showed others as he taught them. We seem particularly drawn to the instances where Jesus condemned the actions of those who were ostracizing others. I get it, I’m drawn to those stories too. I love it when Jesus turns the temple upside down and throws those taking advantage of the poor out. I love that Jesus make...

Paul's Captors Discover Their Serious Mistake [Acts chapter 22, verses 21-30] by Web Minister Paul J. Bern Last week as we left off at verse 21 of Acts 22, the apostle Paul had obtained permission from the Roman commander to speak to the crowd. Having done this, he began what amounted to a two or three minute speech explaining his actions, with particular emphasis on Paul's own conversion experience. Paul gave what amounted to a testimony about how Christ had transformed him, and for a short while the crowd listened with rapt attention. But that was before Paul then said he had been sent to “the Gentiles” to preach the Word about Jesus. When Paul, a Jewish man, told the crowd God had assigned himself to them, and that this was the very reason he was there, people took offense at him. They probably mistook Paul's zeal and good intentions as condescending behavior towards them. Here, they probably reasoned, is this ex-Sanhedrin member who has been ousted...