Study Desk

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.

When the reined up at the border of Mysia, they wanted to continue north and go into Bithynia, but once again the Holy Spirit kept them from going.

It was the middle of the night, and Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Other prisoners couldn't help but listen to them.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking something fierce, and the whole jail seemed to be coming apart. But the only things that came apart were every prisoner's chains and all the doors to the cells.

But out of the darkness, Paul yelled, "Whoa, fellow! Put the blade away. We're still here."

But Paul wasn't having any of it. He said, "We were beaten and imprisoned without a trial. We are Roman citizens and what happened here is against the law. And now they want us to just go away like nothing happened? I don't think so! Let them come here and release us themselves."

The two cowboys didn't say anything but headed straight for Lady Lydia's house. They met with everyone who had believed in Jesus and encouraged them to never give up the faith. Then they saddled up and rode away.

But there were those hard-hearted Jews who wouldn't believe. They became so jealous of Paul that they rounded up some shady characters and convinced them to run through town and shoot out the lights and windows. These fellows tore up the town and then headed toward the home of Jason. They kicked the door down looking for Paul and Silas in order to lynch them.

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."

But the folks in this town were different than those in Thessalonica. They listened to what Paul had to say. But the best part was that they themselves looked at the passages in the Good Book to see if what Paul and Silas said was the truth.

But as luck would have it, the Jews in Thessalonica heard Paul and Silas were in Berea preaching the good word. They rounded up a lynch mob and thundered down there with blood in their eyes.

The new Berean cowboys smuggled Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed behind.

As I walked, I saw many statues and idols that y'all worship. There was even an altar with an inscription that said, 'To the Unknown God.' Y'all don't even know the God you worship, but I'm fixing to introduce you to him. He has a name.

As a matter of fact, he doesn't need us for anything. But here's the cool part, he doesn't need anything from us, yet he gives us the air we breathe and the heart that beats in our chest.

"But man can be pretty ignorant sometimes and choose things like idols over the real God. He let y'all get away with this for a while, but he's finally said enough is enough. He is telling you right now to turn from your sorry ways and set your eyes on him and only him.

When Paul talked about people being raised from the dead, that's when some people started making fun of him. But a few said, "Tell us more, later."

but some folks saddled up to ride for Jesus. Among these new cowboys were Dionysius (a fellow with some clout in the city), a lady named Damaris, and a few others.