The Nugget:
Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
My Comment:
Paul received his “marching orders” directly from the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul did not let anyone or anything turn him away from his appointed task. To him, his greatest joy was to fulfill the task given him. That task he summed up in the words “to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Paul wrote something to the effect of “Be ye followers of me, even as I am of Christ Jesus.” Paul lived a life that was a model for others to follow. I once encountered a couple of individuals who were very much against the Apostle Paul. They said Paul was a liar, because the account of his conversion in the book of Acts in chapter 9 did not match the account as he retold it later on another occasion. They claimed Paul was a heretical and renegade rabbi who should not be followed. The two individuals were not fazed by the fact that Paul wrote much of the New Testament! They were in shocked unbelief when I proved from Scripture that Peter sanctioned Paul’s writings as inspired Scripture. They complained that Paul whose original name was Saul had changed his name, they supposed for nefarious reasons. They were of the opinion that Paul was not really an apostle, but proclaimed himself to be what he was not. My wife silenced that claim most effectively by reading aloud to the Bible study group from Acts 9:15-16, “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Paul had a Divine calling. Paul had a miraculous conversion to Christ on the Damascus Road. That conversion, considered by itself, is sufficient to prove the divine origin and authority of true, Biblical Christianity. Some of the folks that follow the “Hebrew Roots Movement” like the two visitors to the Bible study need to get their Bibles out and study them for themselves, instead of following the Siren song of the leaders of a false cult.
For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:
(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on pages 1257-1258 for Acts 20:24.
(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on pages 1277-1278 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Acts 20:24.
(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:
Acts 20:24. none. Ac *+21:13. Ps 112:7. 119:51, 157. Da 3:17. *6:10. Mt +*10:28. Lk 12:4, 5. Ro **8:18, 35-39. 1 C **15:58. 2 C *4:1, 8, 9, 16-18. 6:4-10. 7:4. 12:10. Ep 3:13. Col +*1:23. 1 Th 2:2. 3:3. 2 T 1:7, 12. 3:11. 3:11. 4:17. He 10:34. 12:1-3. 2 P +*1:10. neither. Jg 11:36. 16:30. Ru 1:17. 1 S 19:5. 2 S 23:16. 1 Ch 11:18. Ne 6:11. Est 4:16. Ps 137:6. SS 8:6. Mt 16:25. Lk 9:24. 22:33. Jn 11:8. Ro 14:8. 1 C 9:15. 2 C 4:12. 5:8. Ga 6:14. Ph +*1:20-24. *2:17, 30. 3:8. Col 1:24. 1 Th 2:8. 1 J 3:16. Re **12:11. life. Gr. psychē, FS121A7, Mt +2:20. Mt 16:25. Mk 8:35. Lk 9:24. 14:26. Jn 12:25. 13:37. dear. or, precious. Ac 5:34. 15:26. Jg 5:18. 2 S 19:30. 2 K 1:14. Mt 13:46. 1 C 15:31. Ga *6:14. Ph 1:20, 21. 2:30. 3:7-10. 1 Th 2:8. Re *12:11. I might finish. Ac 13:25. Jn 17:4. 1 C +9:24-27. Ph 3:13-15. 2 T **4:6-8. He **12:1, 2. Re 2:10. 11:7. my course. Ac 13:25. 1 C 9:24-27. Ph 3:13, 14. 2 T 4:7, 8. with joy. Jn 16:22. and the ministry. Ac +1:17. 6:4. **9:15. 21:19. 22:21. *26:16-18. Ex 17:5. Is 6:8. Mt 25:20. Ro 15:16. 1 C 9:17, 18. 2 C *3:6. *4:1. *5:18, 19. Ga 1:1. Ep 4:12. 1 T **1:12. T 1:3. He 13:17. received of. Ac **9:15. 26:16-18. Jn 16:4. Ga *1:1, 11, 12, 15-17. 1 Th 2:4. 2 T *1:9-12. T 1:3. the Lord Jesus. ver. 35. Ac +1:21. Lk *2:10, 11. to testify. ver. +21, 23. Ac 2:40. Jn 15:27. 1 C 1:6. 9:16. He 2:3, 4. the gospel. Ac 14:3. 15:7. Lk 2:10, 11. Ro 1:1. 3:24-26. 4:4. 5:20, 21. 11:6. 2 C 10:14. Ep 1:6. 2:4-10. 1 Th 2:9. T 2:11. 3:4-7. 1 P 5:12. grace. T#305, T#586. ver. 32. Ac *+11:23. 13:43. 20:32. Ro 3:24. 5:8, 15-17, 21. 9:16. 11:5, 6. 1 C +4:7 (T#668). +**15:10. Ep 1:2, 5-7. 2:4-10. 3:2, 7, 8. 4:7, 29. 6:24. 1 T 1:14. 2 T +*1:9. T 3:5-7. 1 P 1:10.
acts 20.24 but none of these things move me, neither count i my
life dear unto myself, so that i might finish my course with joy, and
the ministry, which i received of the lord jesus, to testify the gospel
of the grace of god.
encouraging cross refs. “neh 8.10 the joy of the lord is our strength”
1. 1 co 15.58 therefore, my beloved brethren,be ye steadfast,unmovable,
always abounding in the work of the lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the lord.
2. heb 12.2″ looking unto Jesus” the author and finisher of our faith; who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3. ph 1.23 for i am in a strait betwixt two, havin a desire to depart, and to be
with christ; which is far better.
4. jn 17.4 i have glorified thee on the earth; i have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do.
5. ac 26.18 to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and
from the power of satan unto god, that they might receive forgiveness of sins,
and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
6. jn 15.27 and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me
from the beginning.
7. rom 3.24-26 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
is in christ jesus:
8. rom 3.25 whom god hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his
blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forebearance of god;
9. rom 3.26 to declare, i say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be
the just, and justifier of him which believeth in jesus.
10. rom 3.28 therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law.