Ironworks

                          The book of Acts tells of the infancy of the church of Christ. In this record, we will find certain individuals who were not Christians that interact with members of the church. Gamaliel is one such character that we come across as we study Acts. He is in reality a very minor character who had an impact on Apostles as they stood before the Jewish council in Acts 5. Who Was Gamaliel? Gamaliel is described as a Pharisee and doctor of the law. He was a man with a good, and respected reputation (cf. Acts 5:34). We are told later that His influence and teaching helped to develop a young Saul of Tarsus. “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as ye all are this day” (Acts 22:3). What we can gather is that Gamaliel influenced many. Wha...

  Have you ever been in a discussion with someone and no matter how much proof you offer to validate your Biblical claims they still reject them? When a religious person is confronted with Scripture that contradicts their traditions, they may call a New Testament Christian a Pharisee. No one wants to be called that, but how do you respond to such an accusation? Moreover, has it ever made you think, “What if I am being a Pharisee?” It is certainly Scriptural for each of us to test our actions against the Word of God (John 12:48; 2 Cor 13:5; James 1:25). So how can we know if we are speaking where God speaks or if we are speaking in the spirit of the sectarian Pharisees? In order to make a fair assessment, we can consider New Testament examples of the spirit of the Pharisees.  The Pharisees Were Self-Righteous The Pharisees were very self-righteous. Consider the prayer of one Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12,  “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee...