ILLEGALS & IMMIGRANTS need your TAXES!!!

 

YHWH IDENTIFIED AS ISRAEL'S & CHRIST'S FATHER

 

OLD TESTAMENT

 

1.     Isaiah 63:16  But you are OUR FATHER, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, Lord, are OUR FATHER, our Redeemer from of old is your name.

 

2.     Isaiah 64:8  Yet you, Lord, are OUR FATHER. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

 

3.     Malachi 2:10  Do we not all have ONE FATHER? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?

 

 

NEW TESTAMENT

1. Matthew 6:9  “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘OUR FATHER in heaven, hallowed be your name,

 

2. John 14:23  Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. MY FATHER will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

 

3. Romans 1:7  To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from GOD OUR FATHER and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

4. Romans 15:6  so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify THE GOD AND FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

5. 1 Corinthians 1:3  Grace and peace to you from GOD OUR FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

6. 2 Corinthians 1:2  Grace and peace to you from GOD OUR FATHER  and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

7. 2 Corinthians 1:3  Praise be to THE GOD OUR FATHER  of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

 

8. Galatians 1:3  Grace and peace to you from GOD OUR FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ,

 

9. Galatians 1:4  who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of GOD OUR AND FATHER ,

 

10. Galatians 4:6  Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, FATHER .”

 

11. Ephesians 1:2  Grace and peace to you from GOD OUR FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

12. Ephesians 1:3  Praise be to the GOD OUR FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

 

13. Ephesians 1:17  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious FATHER , may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

 

14. Ephesians 5:20  always giving thanks to GOD THE FATHER for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

15. Philippians 1:2  Grace and peace to you from GOD OUR FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

16. Philippians 4:20  TO OUR GOD AND FATHER be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 

17. Colossians 1:2  To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from GOD OUR FATHER.

 

18. Colossians 1:3  We always thank God, THE FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

 

19. 1 Thessalonians 1:3  We remember before OUR GOD AND FATHER your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in ourLord Jesus Christ.

 

20. 1 Thessalonians 3:11  Now may OUR GOD AND FATHER himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.

 

21. 1 Thessalonians 3:13  May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of OUR GOD AND FATHER when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

 

22. 2 Thessalonians 1:1  Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in GOD OUR FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ:

 

23. 2 Thessalonians 2:16  May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and GOD OUR FATHER, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,

 

24. 1 Timothy 1:2  To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from GOD THE FATHER and Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

25. 2 Timothy 1:2  To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from GOD THE FATHER and Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

26. Titus 1:4  To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from GOD THE FATHER and Christ Jesus our Savior.

 

27. Philemon 1:3  Grace and peace to you from GOD OUR FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

28. James 1:27  Religion that GOD OUR FATHER accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

 

29. James 3:9  With the tongue we praise OUR LORD AND FATHER, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.

 

30. 1 Peter 1:3  Praise be to THE GOD AND FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

 

31. 1 John 1:3  We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with THE FATHER and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

ACTS 13 GENTILES Michael Bradley

 

Michael Bradley

The setting of Acts 13 is the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, where the Law and the Prophets are being read (Acts 13:15). That alone places the audience within a Torah-centered environment, not a pagan one. As Craig S. Keener explains:

“Synagogues in the Diaspora attracted not only Jews but also Gentiles who were interested in Jewish monotheism and ethics.”

(SOURCE: Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, Vol. 2, Baker Academic, 2013, p. 1998)

Paul then addresses the crowd with deliberate distinction: “Men of Israel, and you who fear God” (13:16), and again, “sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God” (13:26). This shows two groups present in the same synagogue—Jews and non-Jews who revere the God of Israel. That category, “those who fear God,” is used throughout Acts for Gentiles already participating in Israel’s religious life. As F. F. Bruce writes:

“The God-fearers were Gentiles who attended the synagogue and worshipped the God of Israel, though they had not fully submitted to the law by circumcision.”

(SOURCE: The Book of the Acts, NICNT, Eerdmans, 1988, p. 264)

Similarly, Louis H. Feldman documents:

“There is abundant evidence that many Gentiles were attracted to Judaism, attended synagogues, and observed certain Jewish practices without becoming full proselytes.”

(SOURCE: Jew and Gentile in the Ancient World, Princeton University Press, 1993, p. 342)

Their behavior reinforces this. They are present in the synagogue, hearing the Scriptures, and responding in a way that fits that environment. When Paul and Barnabas leave, the people urge them to speak again the next Sabbath (Acts 13:42), reflecting familiarity with Sabbath gatherings and ongoing instruction—not the reaction of people with no prior exposure. The text also mentions “devout proselytes” (Acts 13:43), showing that alongside Jews there were converts and other attached Gentiles in the audience. As Darrell L. Bock notes:

“The synagogue setting typically included Jews, proselytes, and God-fearing Gentiles who were drawn to Israel’s God and Scriptures.”

(SOURCE: Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Baker Academic, 2007, p. 451)

Taken together, this paints a clear picture: these Gentiles are not random pagans with no connection to Israel, but individuals already situated within Israel’s covenantal world—attending synagogue, revering Israel’s God, and engaging with the Scriptures. As James D. G. Dunn summarizes Paul’s consistent pattern:

“Paul’s missionary practice was to begin in the synagogue, where he could address both Jews and Gentiles already attracted to Judaism.”

(SOURCE: The Theology of Paul the Apostle, Eerdmans, 1998, p. 560)

In that context, their inclusion without full proselyte conversion makes sense, and it aligns with the broader pattern seen throughout Acts. The Gentiles Paul was seeking wasn’t all Gentiles everywhere. They were God-fearers (like Cornelius) and proselytes (like Nicholas), people already part of Israel’s covenantal structure.

Christ DIED for the Elect Covenant World of ISRAEL ONLY and NOT the World of HUMANITY like Samoans, Filipinos, Irish, Mexicans....LOL

tbc