Study Desk

God had said he wouldn't leave his boy in a grave on boot hill to rot. He said, 'I'm passing along to you the blessings I promised to David.'

"When David's ride for God was done, he fell asleep and was buried with his granddaddies. His body has decayed.

So Paul hollered at him and told him to get up. The man jumped to his feet and started walking for the first time.

All the believers gathered around him after the crowd left and Paul got to his feet and went right back in the city like a boss. The next day, Paul and Barnabas struck a long trot for Derbe.

When they got back to Antioch, they called all the cowboys in the outfit there together and told them about everything that had happened. They were especially excited about telling them how God opened the gate to his outfit and let mavericks in too.

Everyone spoke for a long time and then Pete stood up and said, "Brothers, you all know God chose me a long time ago to go out and gather the unbranded Gentiles. He was pulling them into his herd, and they believed in him.

Pete talked to you about how God first decided he was going to bring the unbranded mavericks into his herd for himself.

but Paul didn't want to have anything to do with him after he'd turned his back on them the last time.

Paul headed north to Derbe and then on to nearby Lystra. There was a young cowboy there named, Timothy. His momma was a Jewish believer, but his daddy was a Greek.

Paul saw something in the young man too and invited Timothy to saddle up and ride with them. Paul took Timothy aside and told him they would be around a lot of Jews, and it would probably be better if Timothy had his pickle clipped. This wasn't for salvation, but to be able to reach more people who might be narrow-minded at first because of his daddy being Greek.

Then Paul and his little crew worked through all the countryside of Phrygia and Galatia. They would have kept going, but the Holy Spirit kept them from heading into Asia.

All the commotion woke the jailer. He stumbled downstairs and saw all the doors were open. He assumed everyone had fled and he took out his knife to slit his throat.

They put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and said, "Believe in Jesus who died in your place. Then you and your whole family will be saved."

Then they told him, and all of his family who had gathered there also, the story of Jesus.

Even though it was the middle of the night, the jailer cleaned up their wounds. Then the jailer and his whole family were baptized.

The jailer invited them into his house, which was part of the jail, and laid before them a fine feast of a meal. This was the best day of the man's life because he and his whole family were now saved and believed in God.

Paul and his crew passed through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia before arriving in Thessalonica. There was a Jewish church there, so they stopped to say hello.

This cowboy here, Jason, has welcomed them into his home and wants to help them destroy us. They are all guilty of treason against Rome. They tell everyone not to listen to Caesar, but worship a cowboy named Jesus."

Paul waited on his pards to get to Athens. He strolled the city and was torn-up inside with all the idols of other gods he saw there.

Listen, we owe everything to him. Even some of your own bards have said, 'We are his kiddos.'