1. (Act 26:1-3) Paul's introductory words. a. Then Agrippa said to Paul: Remember Paul stands before the man whose great-grandfather had tried to kill Jesus as a baby; his grandfather had John the Baptist beheaded; his father had martyred the first apostle, James. This was a man whose family history made him unlikely to receive Paul warmly!
The Judaizers were the primary center of Paul’s dispute and it was centered on the works of the law. The specific law was the circumcision of males, Jewish festivals participation, and the eating of kosher food (Asumang, 2012, 2). The occasion of Paul’s letters from prison in Colossians was false teaching and his purpose was combat false teaching with the sovereignty and sufficiency of Christ. Scholars have debated issue of the distinguishing marks of the false teaching (KKQ, 605). I. K. Smith stated that many scholars disagreed over the occasion still agree on Paul’s response.
Jesus is often faced by faithless opponents who do not believe anything can be done to save these people. This leads to Jesus becoming angry at this generation in an attempt to show that people, even his disciples, need to have enhance their faith. The importance of having faith is shown why Jesus heals the boy with a demon. In this exchange, the father asked Jesus’ disciples to get the demon out of his son, but they could not. The father asks Jesus if there is anything he can do to help.
Through her noble actions, she brought much respect to the church and demonstrated a great example of how the people should aspire to act. In contrast, the Parson did not put on any airs with his actions or in how he conducted himself. His philosophy on how to act was simply that a priest should be the example of the purity that he asks his flock to demonstrate (505-506). However, unlike the Prioress, he did not do this through courtly manner. He instead demonstrated mercy and kindness towards others and was not scornful, even to sinners (516).
Despite being held in a prison and practically sentenced to death, Paul the Apostle did not feel anger towards God for not saving him. Paul continued to write and use positive words including “joy” and “rejoice” (159) because he felt gratitude for all his experiences and his life to that point, even though not all of his experiences were pleasant. God gave Paul the opportunity to experience both wealth and poverty. Paul not only gives thanks for his wealth, but also for the times of poverty. Furthermore, Paul describes wealth and poverty as the “secret of being well-fed and of going hungry” (159).
2:5-11 Paul gives us a very clear picture of Jesus’ deity “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage…” (NLT). Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry He gave clues about His deity when he said things like, “Your sins are forgiven” or calling the angels
There are four major views on these verses. The first view is that Paul’s statements reflect his life prior to conversion. The second view is that the text addresses the experience of any man, whether saved or unsaved, who seeks to obey the law. The third view says that Paul speaks of his early converted state as he struggled to live under the law before learning to live by the power of the indwelling Spirit. The fourth view is that Paul is speaking of himself in a regenerate state as one progressing in sanctification, while in the process becoming more and more aware of the depth and gravity of indwelling sin.
The boys he worked with knew that there was something different about Paul, and they made it known by calling him crazy. However, there was one young actor by the name of Charley Edwards, who seemed not to mind Paul’s company. It is evident that Paul may have looked to him in admiration and someone to confide in. Nonetheless, the hall continued to be all he could think about because to him it was an escape to the realms of his fantasy and he could be himself. The first sound of the instruments supplied him some relief, one that he could not find
Paul requires nurturing and praise for his unique personality, yet his father, like everyone else, tries to force Paul to become someone he is not. His father’s attitude forces Paul to find happiness only at times he is distanced from the real world. He enjoys nothing more then working as an usher at Carnegie Hall, where he is able to escape reality. As Paul cannot obtain happiness in his true world, he rebels against those around him. His rebellion against society is not one of hate, rather a rebellion of anger towards those who do not accept him.
Disciples preach what they learn from Christ’s example to others. Even though Simon didn’t really preach Christ-like things to the boys on the island, his example of service and kindness portrays discipleship. In the Bible, Simon (Peter) is a disciple of Christ. Simon was the chief apostle of his day and performed many miracles healing the sick and first opened the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10 &11). Furthermore, “The Lord of the Flies” Simon sort of prophesied to Ralph.