The Scriptures.

Paul a pattern for us of the longsuffering of Jesus Christ our Lord. Let's not lose sight of this as we continue to study more of Paul's ministry.

Chosen by the Lord specifically to bring the good news of salvation to others, Paul lived to this end. Recovering from his whipping and imprisonment, Paul traveled onwards.  It was Paul's manner to enter the Jewish synagogue when he went to a new city. He'd enter on the Sabbath days and he would talk with the Jews there. Paul knew the scriptures very well, he'd studied them from his youth. He would reason with the men OUT OF THE SCRIPTURES. Paul didn't just go in and tell the story of Jesus Christ, he presented facts from the very scriptures these men believed and followed.  The only scriptures Paul had were what we call the old testament.  Do you remember these verses-

Luk 24:15  And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 

Luk 24:25  Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 

Luk 24:26  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 

Luk 24:27  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 

The prophet spoke- and it was recorded in the scriptures.  Jesus himself began at MOSES and ALL the PROPHETS and expounded to them in ALL the scriptures the things concerning HIMSELF.

Eye opening revelations for so many to be able to hear exactly where the scriptures they held to be HOLY, to be TRUTH, to be GOD'S WORD to them- revealed Jesus Christ to be their MESSIAH. 

Paul would go to the SCRIPTURES to REASON with these men. Paul didn't hold up some scroll written by an apostle, he didn't tell them what he thought, he went to the SCRIPTURES.  Do we go to the scriptures? Are they relevant to us today? We get so focused on the newer scriptures we may seem to neglect the older scriptures but it is in the older scriptures where Paul found the Savior, in it in the older scriptures Jesus Himself revealed the prophecies of His coming. The gospel was preached with a mingling of the prophecies and the revelation of the fulfillment of those prophecies. The new scriptures are the writings of those fulfilled prophecies and prophecies for the future.  The scriptures- old and new- are both HOLY, given to us by the HOLY SPIRIT.  Paul used, them and we NEED to use them as well.   All by the grace and mercy, the will of our Lord and Savior now and forever! All in His most amazing LOVE.

Act 17:1  Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 

Act 17:2  And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures