<t /><p class="bodytext">From Paul,<n id="1" /> a prisoner of Christ Jesus,<n id="2" /> and Timothy our<n id="3" /> brother, to Philemon, our dear friend<n id="4" /> and colaborer,

I would rather appeal<n id="1" /> to you on the basis of love &#8211; I, Paul, an old man<n id="2" /> and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus<n id="3" /> &#8211;

So Paul stood up,<n id="1" /> gestured<n id="2" /> with his hand and said,p> <p class="bodytext">&#8220;Men of Israel,<n id="3" /> and you Gentiles who fear God,<n id="4" /> listen:

So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted<n id="1" /> in the Lycaonian language,<n id="2" /> &#8220;The gods have come down to us in human form!&#8221;<n id="3" />

But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch,<n id="1" /> teaching and proclaiming (along with many others)<n id="2" /> the word of the Lord.<n id="3" />p>

but Paul insisted<n id="1" /> that they should not take along this one who had left them in Pamphylia<n id="2" /> and had not accompanied them in the work.

<p class="bodytext">So Paul stood<n id="1" /> before the Areopagus and said, &#8220;Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious<n id="2" /> in all respects.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging<n id="1" /> them and saying farewell,<n id="2" /> he left to go to Macedonia.<n id="3" />

But Paul went down,<n id="1" /> threw himself<n id="2" /> on the young man,<n id="3" /> put his arms around him,<n id="4" /> and said, &#8220;Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!&#8221;<n id="5" />

(For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and<n id="1" /> they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.)<n id="2" />

When they had stretched him out for the lash,<n id="1" /> Paul said to the centurion<n id="2" /> standing nearby, &#8220;Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen<n id="3" /> without a proper trial?&#8221;<n id="4" />

The commanding officer<n id="1" /> answered, &#8220;I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.&#8221;<n id="2" /> &#8220;But I was even<n id="3" /> born a citizen,&#8221;<n id="4" /> Paul replied.<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">Paul looked directly<n id="1" /> at the council<n id="2" /> and said, &#8220;Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience<n id="3" /> before God to this day.&#8221;

Paul replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I did not realize,<n id="2" /> brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, &#8216;<b><i>You must not speak evil about a ruler of your peoplei>b>.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

Paul called<n id="1" /> one of the centurions<n id="2" /> and said, &#8220;Take this young man to the commanding officer,<n id="3" /> for he has something to report to him.&#8221;

Rather they had several points of disagreement<n id="1" /> with him about their own religion<n id="2" /> and about a man named Jesus<n id="3" /> who was dead, whom Paul claimed<n id="4" /> to be alive.

<t /><p class="bodytext">So Agrippa<n id="1" /> said to Paul, &#8220;You have permission<n id="2" /> to speak for yourself.&#8221; Then Paul held out his hand<n id="3" /> and began his defense:<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous<n id="1" /> because the fast<n id="2" /> was already over,<n id="3" /> Paul advised them,<n id="4" />

Paul said to the centurion<n id="1" /> and the soldiers, &#8220;Unless these men stay with the ship, you<n id="2" /> cannot be saved.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us.<n id="1" />