There are many places in the world today where it is dangerous to be a Christian. But how did Paul respond to danger? There were instances, like when Paul was in Ephesus, where he had to flee for his life. But in this story his response was different.
In Acts 18 we get introduced to a man named Apollos. He was a well educated man and he knew about Jesus, but his information was incomplete. Fortunately for him, there were people listening to his message and willing to share more about Jesus.
I was recently in Asia and there were several instances when I saw people bringing sacrifices and incense to lay before their idols. When I saw that I could not help but think of Paul in Athens as he looked on the idols of that city.
To say that the Bible is inerrant is to say that there are no errors or mistakes in the Bible. The doctrine of inerrancy is inseparable from the doctrine of inspiration. It’s quite simple actually. If God told Moses to write something down and God is the author, then there can be no mistake because God is perfect.
In John 16:8-9 Jesus spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit and he said, “when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me.” So even before someone has the indwelling of the Spirit, the Spirit is already working in their life. The first thing the Spirit does is convict someone of their sin.
As people in the New Testament (prior to the ministry of Jesus) came to John the Baptist they heard his message of repentance and participated in baptism. This single immersion into the water represented their repentance from their old life and their desire to follow after God. John, speaking of Jesus said in Matthew 3:11, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
In Romans 8:9 Paul writes, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” Therefore anyone who belongs to Christ has the Spirit of God within them. How then do we belong to Christ?
