Ruth 3:1-5 Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? 2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. 3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. 4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. 5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.

Romans 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

The gospel message was first published by the written testimony of the prophets in the Old Testament consisting of 5 books of the Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy), 12 historical books (Joshua to Esther), 5 wisdom books (Job to Son of Solomon), 5 books of Major Prophets (Isaiah to Daniel) and 12 books of the Minor Prophets (Hosea to Malachi). The theme was concerning God’s Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus confirmed this in Luke 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Romans 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

The Gospel of God declares Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, made of the seed of David according to the flesh. He is the Saviour of the world. He was of the seed of David. It is Jesus Christ who gave David life, who brought David into existence. Jesus Christ is the Giver of all human life (John 1:3-4). And yet Jesus Christ is the offspring, the descendant of David, according to the flesh. How could Jesus Christ be both the Giver of David’s life and yet He is the offspring of David? Except He be the living and true God, the Christ!

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Paul was a man chosen by God to bring forth everlasting fruit in ushering men and women into God’s eternal kingdom. Paul’s calling like prophet Jeremiah’s was part of God’s eternal plan of redemption conceived before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).

Matthew 23:27-33 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Today, we begin a daily bible-study series beginning with the Book of Romans. I shall endeavour to provide daily refreshing from God’s Word to encourage your heart in the things of God for a new day.

Paul, the author, introduced himself, firstly as a servant of Jesus Christ, secondly, as one called by Jesus Christ and thirdly, an apostle sent by Jesus Christ. His life has been entirely given to one mission – the work of the gospel. He was “separated”, being set apart, for the gospel of God.

(1) Marks of True Faith

Abraham’s faith was characterized by obedience and patience.

(a) Obedience

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Abraham submitted to God’s instruction. He complied and acted upon God’s call. He willingly ventured into the unknown. Despite the uncertainty, he embarked on a spiritual pilgrimage of faith, led by God. Abraham did not go alone. His entire family went with him. He was the spiritual leader of his family and he led his family as God led him. He was already 75 years old at that time. Abraham affirmed his faith by his obedience.

Ruth 3:1-5 Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? 2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. 3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. 4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. 5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.

Matthew 23:16-26 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

Evangelism at the Beautiful Gate

A lame man above 40 years old sought alms from Peter and John at the gate of the temple called Beautiful (Acts 3:2; 4:22). The man’s limbs were without strength and he could not walk from birth. It was no fault of his. It was sad, but it was for the glory of God.

The Beautiful gate was the main gate at the eastern part of Herod’s Temple. It was the ninth gate and the principal entrance into the Temple. The ascent to the Temple was by 12 easy steps. The gate itself was made of dazzling Corinthian brass, richly ornamented and so massive were its double doors that they needed the united strength of 20 men to open and close them. It was at 3pm, the 9th hour (Acts 3:1). The Jews observed daily three stipulated hours of prayer. These were the 3rd, 6th and 9th hour. It was when Peter and John observed the appointed time of communion with God that they met the lame man.