Acts 14:3
by Don Costello

Acts 14:3

Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

1. "Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord"

a. boldly [3955 * parresiazomai] [Zodhiates: to speak openly, boldly and without constraint.

b. Paul asked the church at Ephesus to pray for him to preach boldly.

1). Ephesians 6:18-20 "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
For which I am an ambassador in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."

c. Paul wrote that the gospel was the power of God unto salvation.

1). Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

a). salvation [4991 * solteria] [Zodhiates: Safety, deliverance, preservation from danger.] [Scofield: The Hebrew and Greek words for salvation imply the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and soundness. Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes"]

2. "which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands."

a. testimony [3140 * martureo] [Zodhiates: to be a witness, [English: martyr, to testify in favor of whom or what one bears testimony.

b. In a court of law if I testify, I am giving my side of the story, I am supporting or contradicting what someone else has said.

c. In this verse it says that God was giving testimony concerning what Paul and Barnabas were speaking boldly about the word of his grace.

d. Concerning the "word of his grace" Paul said something very powerful to the elders of Ephesus in the book of Acts.

1). Acts 20:32 And now brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

2). In the salvation of Christ we have an inheritance, an inheritance of deliverance, healing, soundness, preservation, and safety. It is only by hungering and thirsting, eating and drinking of the word of his grace and allowing him to build us up in faith that we will receive the inheritance.

3. "and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands."

a. As previously stated, God's testimony concerning what Paul and Barnabas were preaching was "granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands."

c. This is further established by a verse in the gospel of Mark.

Mark 16:20 "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.


My name is Don Costello. Ever since I received Christ in November of 1976 I have had a passion to study and know God's word.My wife Melissa and I have 5 children.

My e-mail address is [email protected]

I have a blog located at:
www.theophilus-loverofgodsword.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com







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