By the time Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was completely engrossed with preaching, earnestly arguing and testifying to the Jews that Jesus [is] the Christ. But since they kept opposing and abusing and reviling him, he shook out his clothing [against them] and said to them, Your blood be upon your [own] heads! I am innocent [of it]. From now on I will go to the Gentiles (the heathen). He then left there and went to the house of a man named Titus Justus, who worshiped God and whose house was next door to the synagogue. But Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed [that Jesus is the Messiah and acknowledged Him with joyful trust as Savior and Lord], together with his entire household; and many of the Corinthians who listened [to Paul also] believed and were baptized. And one night the Lord said to Paul in a vision,
Have no fear, but speak and do not keep silent;
For I am with you, and no man shall assault you to harm you,
for I have many people in this city.
So he settled down among them for a year and six months, teaching the Word of God [concerning the [a]attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God].
The Apostle Luke records a monumental achievement
in the Kingdom of God through these verses,
where this well-known leader of the local synagogue, a man by the name of Crispus,
believed in Christ and was baptized into Faith and without any hesitation I must say,
received Holy Spirit as God's deposit of both manifestation and revelation of 'TRUTH'.
I have reckoned this, it takes much less Faith to believe in Christ,
than it does to refute or deny
HIM as God's Son, the Holy One of heaven,
who came and became sin in our place of Judgement,
redeeming us from the curse of death,
that we might have Eternal Life in the Presence of God.
I can only imagine the ultimate outpouring of God's Spirit in these 'Last Days', which have been prophesied by the Prophets of God for centuries.
God's WORD, that which HE meticuously watches over, 'That it performs according to HIS WILL', is unfolding before my very eyes, yet there are so many who like those in that synagogue, are rigidly opposed to not only Christ Jesus as Lord, but as Savior and King as well.
Where those 1st century Apostles, Peter, James, John, Paul and others,
faced such severe and increasing persecution,
it is as I see a MIRACLE of God that HIS WORD has survived and thrived for 2000 years,
with not even 1 recorded instance in history
where it has ever been successfully refuted as 'TRUTH for Life'.
One other point that I received as 'TRUTH', was the Apostle Paul was now directed by Holy Spirit,
to preach and teach the Gospel of Christ outside the boundaries of the organized
and recognized structure of religion,
being that it should have been the very first to joyfully embrace Christ,
for that had been for centuries their underlying reason for
HOPE in God for a Savior, Deliverer and King.
Messengers of Salvation through Christ Jesus, while not the most popular teaching in their day or this day present,
when viewed from the onlooking eyes of Believers in Christ today,
it was the committment and dedication of men like Paul, Luke, Timothy and Silas
who have afforded me this great pleasure to also preach and teach Christ Jesus.
Then, it is every Believer in Christ, who must have Holy Spirit who reveals the very nature and eternal desire of God,
that all men know HIS Son, and HIS Grace and Mercy which demands a decision
about HIM who died in my place 2000 years ago on a hill called Calvary.
May it be said of me after serving HIM Obediently and Faithfully as possible,
being empowered and strengthened by Holy Spirit,
having learned HIS TRUTH, and choosing each day
to live, grow and understand, then I must be willing to
