August 3, 2025 – CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 03RD 2025, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

I’m looking forward to returning to my home church this morning after being away last Sunday. I’ll be leading #CommunionSunday from 1 John 5:1-6. Later this week it’s Mens’ Fellowship on Tuesday night and Friday Night Bible Study. I love my church family !

Last month here on #SundayScripture I began transcribing my original sermon that I preached to my church family in Homestead Florida on Sunday October 16TH 2022. The title of the sermon is “Blessings & Benedictions”, and it’s my 50TH sermon as identified on my SERMONS page.

Here’s Part 5:

You know the Apostle Paul – he wrote Romans. He wrote almost half of the New Testament. He wrote 13 out of the 27 books of the New Testament. He wrote most of them during the final years of his life and ministry – just before he was martyred in Rome. Now his 13 books of the New Testament are all consecutive in the modern Bible – starting with Romans (right after Acts) and concluding with Philemon. The next book after Philemon is Hebrews – which some Bible scholars consider to be Paul’s 14TH book of the Bible. But many Bible scholars believe that Hebrews was actually not written by Paul, but by an unknown author who wrote in the style of Paul. (More on that later.)

A couple of books of the Bible – the Apostle Paul wrote early on in his ministry. His letter to the Galatians was his first letter – some 14 years after his conversion on the road to Damascus. So what did Paul do for 14 years after he was converted into a Christ believer and follower. Well he did a lot of preaching in the region. He testified about Christ in Arabia and back in Damascus – and also in Syria and Cilicia. That’s where Tarsus is – Paul’s hometown.

Now in Galatians – Paul introduces himself as an apostle – not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ Himself and by God the Father – who raised Jesus from the dead. (1:1)

After that Paul greeted the Galatian church by writing – “This is the day that our LORD has made ! Let us re …” (No – he didn’t write that.)

This is what he wrote:

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Jesus gave His life for our sins – just as God our Father planned – in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever ! Amen. (1:3-5)

It’s like a 3-part greeting at the start of his first letter. He wishes the new church God’s grace and peace. That’s greetings and shalom. He’s welcoming both Jewish and Gentile Christians. In the middle part of his greeting Paul gives a preview of what he will be writing about next in his letter – and that’s God’s Good News. And then finally he concludes his greeting by giving God all the glory – all glory to God forever and ever. It is His work alone that we are rescued and saved.

So Paul did a lot of preaching after he was rescued and saved, and then he did a lot of letter-writing to the various churches in the region. And his letters to the Romans, and the Corinthians, and the Galatians, and the Ephesians, and the Philippians, and the Colossians, and the Thessalonians, and the others – they played out like written sermons.

(To be continued next week.)

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord – and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.