text:
Top CMO Award for Mr. Krishna Srivastava, Whole time Director – Zuari Cement
13 Feb, 2013, 05:13 GMT
BANGALORE, February 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
Recognition for Zuari Cement
We are happy to share information on our WTD Mr. Krishna Srivastava winning an award from the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) council Asia, being amongst the '50 Most Talented CMO's of India. The prestigious award was presented at a recent event held at the Taj Lands, Mumbai. The award recipient was chosen by a joint think tank from CMO council and CMO Asia based on an overall ranking on leadership in the marketing area.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130213/594613)
Info on CMO Asia: The CMO Asia is dedicated to high level knowledge exchange through leadership and networking amongst senior CMOs and brand decision makers across industry segments.
About Zuari Cement:
Zuari Cement is part of the Italcementi Group, the fifth largest cement producer in the world and the biggest in the Mediterranean region. Zuari Cement's steady growth has seen the company emerge as a leader in the cement industry with a capacity of 6.2 million tons. The company has 3 plants, which include 2 manufacturing units at Sitapuram and Yerraguntla, and a grinding centre at Chennai. A Captive power plant with a capacity of 43 MW is also set up at the company's cement manufacturing facility at Sitapuram. Inline with the Groups' global focus on quality and environment, Zuari Cement's manufacturing units are ISO: 9001 certified and ISO:14000 certified.
Zuari Cement on the Internet: www.zuaricements.com
Italcementi Group on the Internet: www.italcementigroup.com
Primary Media Contact: Jacob Mathew (Head Image & Communication), firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com, 91-80-41194408
SOURCE Zuari Cement Limited

subset: commoncrawl


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Despite dominating the enterprise server market, Microsoft is struggling to maintain a large presence in the world of Web servers and is seeing its market share decline.
Netcraft, which surveyed more than 485 million websites this month, credits Apache with 65.05 percent of Web servers compared to 15.73 percent for Microsoft's IIS (Internet Information Services). This is down from 15.86 percent in August and 16.82 percent in July, but the more striking decline has occurred since June 2010 when Microsoft accounted for more than 26 percent of Web servers surveyed by Netcraft.
It's a different story entirely for Microsoft in the enterprise server market, where businesses gobble up Windows Server to host Exchange, SharePoint and numerous other applications built both by Microsoft and software companies like Oracle. According to IDC, Windows Server accounted for 71 percent of all second quarter server shipments, with revenue of $5.9 billion representing 45.5 percent of worldwide revenue. The rest of the market is split among Linux, mainframes, Unix and others.
Clearly, Microsoft isn't struggling for cash. But it is struggling to unseat open source alternatives when it comes to running large public websites. W3Techs, another survey company that analyzes the top million websites, credits Apache with 68.2 percent of the market compared to Microsoft's 18.8 percent.
Netcraft and W3Techs surveys aren't completely exhaustive. For example, they wouldn't include Web servers used for private intranets. And the struggle for the Web server market isn't causing a big financial hit for Microsoft today, Pund-IT analyst Charles King tells Ars. But if the future is "defined by cloud computing and an ever broader, more interconnected, networked world, seeing its position in Web servers decline is not a good thing," he says.
Microsoft's revamped Windows Server 8, along with the Hyper-V virtualization technology, may well guarantee continued success for Microsoft in enterprise IT and the growing market for building so-called private cloud networks. But while Microsoft has its own public cloud in Windows Azure, the more popular Amazon and Rackspace public cloud services are using open source Xen virtualization instead of Hyper-V.
"The danger for Microsoft at the data center level is that they really haven't been able to stop the proliferation of Linux," King says. "When you see what the big cloud service providers are doing, the vast majority are not deploying Windows, they're going after Linux."
Toppling the competition in Web servers will be difficult for Microsoft because "Apache on Linux is spectacular," says Wes Miller, a former Microsoft Windows program manager who is now research vice president at the analyst firm Directions on Microsoft. "It's the Web server that runs a huge chunk of the Web."
When cost containment is the main objective, the price is right with open source software. But at the risk of upsetting Linux fans, Miller argues that Microsoft provides a better developer experience. "Microsoft started as a developer company," Miller says. "I think that there is better tooling, better debugging capability. The overall developer experience is more capable.... To be fair, Eclipse and a lot of the open source tools have gotten a lot better over time, but Visual Studio has been evolving at an incredible pace."
Linux and related technologies allow customers to pick the tools for their own stack, which can be a benefit or a curse depending upon one's viewpoint, Miller tells Ars. Microsoft has done well in the enterprise market in large part because it provides all the pieces from databases and development tools to Web servers and operating systems along with robust customer support. "It's a known quantity," Miller says. "You know when you buy software from Microsoft what support you're going to get, that the technology will integrate with the rest of the stack."
If Microsoft can convince large businesses to build private clouds using Windows Server and Hyper-V, the revenue gains could be so large that any Web server market struggles wouldn't be too concerning. Microsoft is also treating every Windows Server customer as a potential user of Azure, providing tools to shift applications from internal data centers to Microsoft's cloud. While it doesn't seem likely Microsoft will ever dominate the Web server market as it does desktops and enterprise servers, the question may be how much it really matters.


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I have a template that is used for many different sections of my site (About, News, etc.). The nav bar needs to show a little graphic arrow below the section you're in. I was passing this via the template:
$page = 'about';
...but then I realized that won't work since the template file I was editing is used for a bunch of different sections, not just 'about'.
So I need something on the
'page' interface screen where I can somehow indicate the page that the user is on. Some ideas for solutions:
- Idea #1: does WordPress would set some kind of class on the 'body' tag to indicate the page you're on (like if it generated a slug based on the page name and added that as a class to the body tag)? Then just do everything I need to do in CSS without complicating things.
- Idea #2: some kind of built-in field on WordPress's 'page' admin that would let my header know what page it is on.
- Idea #3: I could make copies of my template for each major section. Very stupid way to go about it.
I would REALLY prefer to not go the whole extra-fields route, manually adding a metadata field to my pages, pulling it from the db on page load, etc. That seems like super overkill for just having a way to let my template code identify what page it is being used on.


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Did anyone other than Mark see "The Collector"? Follow up question, did anyone see it and like it? Didn't think so. Well news today that there's going to be a "Collector 3D" and it's going to be in.. well, 3D. You probably guessed that from the title though.
"She Wolf Rising" is not going to be a good movie but here's some pictures of Tiffany Shepis who stars in it rolling around. There's really not much news here but I think you'll appreciate it nonetheless. So uh, how's your week going? Some weather we're having huh?
So that whole unrated thing kind of backfired didn't it? Not to be outdone by Canada, "Hatchet II" has now been pulled from US theaters. But man those 2 days that it was showing sure were special weren't they? Did anyone get to see it? Tell me what it's like to love.
Take a look at this new picture from "Scream 4" and try to tell me you don't feel a little bad for Ghostface. It's him and a bunch of his other Ghostface friends riding a bus to school. But look, they're all sitting alone, none of them are friends. My heart is breaking.
Mark it on your calendars folks, today PETA did something I may actually agree with. A California restaurant has pulled the "Dancing Shrimp" off of their menu after complaints from the animal rights group. What's the dancing shrimp your might ask? Well it's a live prawn that has it's shell ripped off and then you get to squeeze lemon on it and watch it "dance" AKA jump in ungodly pain until it dies. Adorable.
1968 – Police take batons to civil rights demonstrators in Derry, Northern Ireland – considered to mark the beginning of The Troubles.


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B-sides: Why I hate my records
Rolling Stone recently published a list of the "100 greatest records of all time," as voted by their readers. "All time" is stretching it. In reality, it's the 100 greatest records the mostly white, mostly under 35 readership of Rolling Stone has heard.
Despite the number of pages the magazine devotes each issue to hip-hop artists, and except for a nod to white rapper Eminem at No. 24 and No. 37, the readers couldn't care less about hip-hop. And how does Eminem even rate two spots on an "all time" list anyway, when Frank Sinatra has zero? Elvis Presley has none. No one prior to 1960 makes the chart except Miles Davis' Kind of Blue from 1959.
Are there no other great albums before The Beatles' Rubber Soul and Revolver both 1965 releases that came in at No. 23 and No. 1?
My musical memory of great albums, granted, doesn't predate Rubber Soul by much. I bought Meet the Beatles in 1964, my first purchase for my first record player. The look and feel, even the smell, of that album still hold a curious magic.
But even I vaguely recall there was music before I met the Beatles. There were the Chipmunks and Ricky Nelson, Allan Sherman and Bobby Darin. Who throws out their Sinatra records? No one, I bet. I still have a vinyl Come Fly With Me, and Songs for Swinging Lovers. They never get old.
If No. 3 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) and No. 11 Dark Side of the Moon (1973) are albums that define my generation, surely the generation before us has favorites they would list as "all time" greats, but I can't think of a pre-1955 album that became an icon of its time. Maybe the readers of Rolling Stone couldn't either.
Things were different back then. Instead of albums, individual songs defined a time because people bought sheet music and played them themselves. Then there was the long, glorious period of singles when you paid only for that one good song. Now you pay six times as much to get that one good song, along with a pile of boring ones you never listen to.
That's what bugs me about the record industry, the way they sparsely distribute the few good songs a band has over several albums in order to suck the maximum amount of sales. And when the band is washed up and you finally get the greatest hits album, even that has some losers on it. I recently bought the Lovin' Spoonful Encore Collection, and out of 10 songs, they still put four pieces of dreck on it.
We accepted this status rip-off for two decades, from the death of the 45 rpm record to the Napster revolution, when you could get that one good song again... for free! Post-Napster, it's hard to stomach what the record industry expects us to resume paying for.
Looking over the 100 greatest records of ... cough ... all time, I bought 13. And of those, only the Beatles and the Nirvana albums were keepers. More than half of the songs on those albums are good. That's probably why Kurt Cobain shot himself. He realized he couldn't write a bad song and thus would never be able to make a living putting out crap albums carried along by one radio hit.
I have a CD player in my car now, and for the last several weeks I've been going through my entire record collection, actually listening to every song. In my house, the albums are background noise while I do other things. When the radio hit queues up, I'll sing along, and then the background noise resumes. Like dogs who hear only their names and then meaningless mumble, I hear only the good song, and the rest is blubber.
In the car, I am a captive audience, being tortured by my own record collection, enduring every song and becoming more and more irritated. Why did I ever buy this CD when there are only two songs on it I can abide, and the rest I'll always fast-forward?
The obvious solution is to rip the two bearable tracks onto my computer and burn my own album, then sell the original CDs on eBay or at the local used record store and recoup at least some of my money.
So now my record collection is evolving from CDs of 80 percent crap to a few homemade mixes of all good songs. My homemade albums have 18 to 20 songs on them, compared to the 10 or 12 you get from the labels. Not only does the record industry sell me mostly crap, they sell me half-empty CDs.
Not surprisingly, the record industry hates me and defunct Napster, blank CDs, computers... anything that stands in the way of their making that $18.99 sale of 80 percent crap on a 50 percent empty sliver of metal. They sit up nights trying to devise ways to outlaw Internet sites that provide music. They want to tax blank CDs to cigarette pack levels and put copy-protection codes on releases, even if it makes it difficult to play the CD at all.
And they've always been this way. Even when they sold you a single on a little black piece of vinyl with a great big hole in the middle for $1.99, they couldn't bear to give you two good songs. There was the A side, and then some horrid worthless junk on the B side. Did you ever turn your stack over and play all the B sides? It's like the Bizarro World version of your record collection.
A good B side was so rare that I can remember the very few times I got one. Not surprisingly, both times it was the Beatles. Turn over "I Feel Fine" and you have "She's a Woman." Turn over "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and there's "I Saw Her Standing There," which actually should have been the A side.
But that was early in their career when the record industry wasn't hip to the realization that most of the Beatles' songs were going to be good. Eventually they made an effort to find a "Baby's in Black" to put on the back, or maybe the Beatles figured out they needed to write some B sides, or become total B side bands like Wings, Plastic Ono, Traveling Wilburys, or All-Stars.
The White Album, which is No. 5 on the Rolling Stone chart, is a greatest hits of B sides, and nearly a third of one side of the second album (when you bought the vinyl version, you got two platters) is "Revolution No. 9," which is where B sides go to die. It's a C side, as in Crap. I won't be buying it for my car stereo, but I do have a ripped copy of "Blackbird" on my mixed album, thank you.
Mariane Matera, whose essays appear in several publications, lives in Richmond with her husband and her turntable.


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Airlie Beach is at the heart of the Whitsundays mainland and the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. It's a vibrant coastal nook where everyone feels like they're on holidays 24-7.
Feel the sand between your toes at Cannonvale, Shingley, Airlie or Boathaven Beaches or meander along the Bicentennial Boardwalks. You can step it up with hiking or mountain biking in Conway National Park, including the Conway Circuit.
Try stand-up-paddleboarding or pick up the pace and hop on board a jet-ski tour. Back on land, jump on a Segway or bike and ride along the water front.
Looking to get wet? Board a day trip, overnight cruise or private charter to the Whitsunday Islands from Abell Point Marina, the Port of Airlie or Shute Harbour. And, within minutes you'll be snorkelling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
Prefer to stay on the mainland? Hire a car and explore inland to discover the flowing waters of Cedar Creek Falls.
From backpacker and budget hostels to luxury five-star resorts, you'll be able to find the right place to call home during your stay in Airlie Beach. Show me more accommodation options.
Fly with major commercial airlines like Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Tiger Air to Proserpine Airport, just a 10-minute drive from the township of Proserpine and a 30-minute drive from Airlie Beach.
Proserpine Airport receives direct flights from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. So, getting to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays Coast couldn't be any easier.
Prefer a road trip? Drive south from Cairns and through Townsville and smaller coastal towns. It's a 7.5-hour drive, but the coastal scenery is absolutely stunning along the Pacific Coast way.


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LA, LA Land
Sticky, hot, wet feelings of fame and illusion hang heavy in the air. There is something deceptively titillating about this place. Everything shines even through the smog and grim cover it with a protective film. Maybe there is a need for things to be hidden under layers of dust. This is what protects the original dream of shinning lights and real life fantasies.
I remember looking down and seeing the city of LA burning like a bed of embers in a black void. The lights of houses, the lights of dreams, the lights of misery, the lights of mystery… they were sparks in my dead of night, sending chills through my body and soul, they made my heart stop a little.
Coming here has been a pilgrimage. Maybe even a coming of age. I always find myself in new places. I am a nomad. There is always a new experience to be had; a new place to explore. I am uncovering facets of who I am. I am finding pieces of my destiny. This place is part of my destiny.
Being here has ignited a candle that has waited patiently to burn within me. I am taking the hand of destiny and allowing myself to float away. Things will come to me. Things come to those who are willing to be brave. I am praying to be brave enough to see what's next. I am praying to be strong enough to do what I am called to do.
The time is almost up and I will return home, I know this place will be another home in my heart….though I know gypsies never really have homes, only places that make them feel safe and alive for awhile. I'm in no rush to be anywhere. But I am anxious to get back to the things that really feed my inner being.
It's clear to me now how much we know about our destiny if we only stand still for a few moments, silence our fears and listen to the voice within. I have known things my whole life, maybe not in their entirety, but at least as a little seed, a feeling. Now that I trust these morsel of truth, doors are opening.
I came here to be a story-teller. I'm not always sure how I will tell the story, or whose story it will be… but I trust in the wind and where it takes me. So I am standing here on the edge of something greater than we can ever know, I am spreading my arms and letting myself fall into unseen wings.


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| 9.9°C Belfast
Alan Pardew has admitted Newcastle decided to sell skipper Kevin Nolan because they did not believe he had another five years in him at the top level.
The 29-year-old left for relegated West Ham in a £4million move last month after failing to win the long-term contract he was looking for, much to the horror of Magpies fans who saw their team's inspirational captain contribute 12 goals to the cause last season.
Pardew was disappointed to lose Nolan, who had two years remaining on his existing deal, but insisted there would have been little point in keeping a disgruntled player, and told BBC Radio Newcastle: "Kevin didn't want to stay, that's the end of the debate. Kevin couldn't get a contract for four or five years."
He added: "My opinion is that we couldn't give Kevin a five-year contract because if Kevin isn't playing first-team football, he isn't going to be the leader that we want, I am convinced of that.
"Kevin is so full-on as the captain of a football club and at the level he has gone to now, he will easily cope with that and he will come back to the Premier League.
"But in four or five years' time, Kevin needs to be doing the business in the first team, and we couldn't and I couldn't see that possibly happening here at Newcastle, and we had to make a decision on that."
Pardew also has a decision to make with his goalkeepers with veteran Steve Harper, Holland international Tim Krul and Fraser Forster, who enjoyed a successful spell on loan at Celtic last season, all vying for the number one spot.
Indeed, one of the three is likely to be playing his football elsewhere during the next campaign rather than operating as number three at St James' Park.
Asked if he would keep all three, the manager said: "Probably not, actually, and that's a situation we have to be very careful of.
"They have all got a genuine, genuine chance to be number one, so when you suddenly become number three, that's a major issue and that will be a major issue for one of them."


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Taking the fast track
Find out more
W wybranym przez Państwa języku nie są dostępne wszystkie treści. Czy chcieliby Państwo poznać cały świat Kolei Retyckiej? Zmień na angielski.
Simply climb on board: the GA travelcard lets you enjoy unlimited travel throughout Switzerland by rail, bus and boat, thus making everyday life less complicated and turning travel into a relaxing experience.
Hop on and off as often as you like with the GA travelcard – on all Rhaetian Railway and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) lines as well as most other railways throughout Switzerland. The GA travelcard is also valid on post buses and boats, buses, trams, and selected mountain railways. Night owls beware: the night supplements are not included in the GA travelcard.
Simple choose the GA travelcard that's right for you: child, young person, senior citizen, family or partner.
Buy or extend your existing GA travelcard from RhB and get the SwissPass:
• Using the GA travelcard order form*
• At all staffed Rhaetian Railway stations
• By calling Railservice on +41 81 288 65 65
*If you are purchasing a GA Familia or GA Duo Partner travelcard, please also complete the confirmation of residence form.
Basic GA travelcard:
The basic GA travelcard can be purchased by adults aged 25 to 64 (women) / 65 (men), senior citizens, who have reached age 64/65, young people aged 16 to 25, children aged 6 to 16 and disabled passengers (see "Passengers with a disability").
GA-Plus Duo Partner:
If your partner already holds a basic GA travelcard, choosing the GA-Plus Duo Partner will let you benefit from a reduction. Provided you live together in the same household.
GA travelcard for families:
Children aged 6 to 16 and young persons aged 16 to 25 benefit from discounts, provided at least one parent has a basic GA travelcard. Children and young people can use the GA-Plus Familia travelcard for children or GA-Plus Familia travelcard for young people, provided they live in the same household as their parents.
GA-Plus Familia Partner:
As a mother or father, you can save almost 50 per cent of the price of the basic GA travelcard if your partner holds a basic GA travelcard and at least one child owns a GA travelcard for children.
Class upgrades with GA-Plus:
If you have chosen the basic GA for 1st-class travel, you can buy a GA-Plus travelcard for 1st or 2nd class. If you have chosen the basic GA for 2nd-class travel, you can only buy a 2nd-class GA-Plus travelcard. Class upgrades for children aged between 6 and 16 are free of charge, provided they are accompanied by a parent holding a valid 1st class GA travelcard.
GA travelcard for dogs:
You can take your four-legged friend with you for CHF 805.00 per year – in 1st or 2nd class.
GA – Travelcard
|Annual price
|Price by subscription
(per month)
|1. Kl.
|2. Kl.
|1. Kl.
|2. Kl.
|GA Adults
25-64/65 years
|6 300.00
|3 860.00
|GA Senior
From 64/65 years
|4 840.00
|2 880.00
|GA Junior/Student
16-25 years
|4 520.00
|2 650.00
|GA disabled people
|4 050.00
|2 480.00
|GA Child
6-16 years
|2 760.00
|1 645.00
|GA Duo Partner
|4 340.00
|2 700.00
|GA Familia Child
6-16 years
|2 760.00
|GA Familia Youth
16-25 years
|2 790.00
|GA Familia Partner
|3 520.00
|2 180.00
|GA for dogs
I've forgotten my GA travelcard: Can I still travel?
If you do not have your GA with you, buy a standard ticket for your journey at the ticket office and ask to have it noted on the ticket that you have forgotten your GA. Following your journey, present your ticket and GA travelcard at any ticket office. The price of the ticket will be refunded – minus an administration fee of CHF 5.00.
Alternatively, notify the train guard that you have forgotten your GA travelcard. The guard will carry out an online check to verify the validity of your GA travelcard or issue you with a provisional ticket, which you should take to a ticket office within ten days in order to claim your refund – minus an administration fee of CHF 5.00. Lost your GA travelcard: What happens next? Take the purchase receipt for your GA travelcard and a valid ID document to a station ticket office. For a CHF 30.00 fee you will be issued with a provisional GA travel card that is valid for ten days. During this time, a replacement GA travelcard will be sent to you by post. The same applies in the event of loss or theft. Please note that the replacement GA travelcard cannot be deposited or cancelled, and the price cannot be refunded.
Lost your GA travelcard: What happens next?
Take the purchase receipt for your GA travelcard and a valid ID document to a station ticket office. For a CHF 30.00 fee you will be issued with a provisional GA travel card that is valid for ten days. During this time, a replacement GA travelcard will be sent to you by post. The same applies in the event of loss or theft. Please note that the replacement GA travelcard cannot be deposited or cancelled, and the price cannot be refunded.
If you will not be needing your GA travelcard for a lengthy period of time, you can deposit it at any ticket office for CHF 10.00, for a maximum of 30 days and minimum of 7 consecutive days and up to 7 days before it expires. This does not apply to the GA-Plus Familia for children/young people, transferable GA travelcards and the GA-Plus for dogs.
Alternatively, you can also deposit your GA travelcard free of charge with SBB using the online form.
On the day on which you deposit and reclaim it, you can use the deposit card as a ticket – for instance, to travel to the airport and back.
You will a receive a credit for the number of days it has been deposited, which you can use as a voucher – for example, towards the purchase of your next GA travelcard. The amount will be credited to you on your next monthly invoice.
A fascinatingly different gift.
Looking for the perfect gift for your loved ones? Why not give them an unforgettable experience with the Rhaetian Railway!


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Google+ Gets a Feature Update Center
In response to user feedback, Google has launched a new section of the Google+ center dedicated to Google+ feature updates.
The "What's new in Google+" section is essentially a list of release notes for the Google+ Project. The updates are smaller than Google's traditional blog posts, but longer than most of its Help Center pages. It's a centralized location for finding out what new features Google has added to its social network.
Most of the "posts" include YouTube video explanations about the feature updates (recorded by Googlers), along with a link to the Google+ post where the feature was announced. The search giant is clearly trying to eat its own dog food when it comes to Google+.
While we appreciate the centralized location for getting updates about Google+ features, we believe the company would be better served setting up a blog for the Google+ project and updating that on a regular basis. At least that way we could subscribe to the updates in our Google Readers (which still counts as the big G eating its own dog food).
Check out the video explanation of the "What's new in Google+" section from Google+ Community Manager Natalie Villalobos below:


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Panasonic caused a splash in the blogosphere yesterday when it announced the world's first consumer 3D camera, the HDC-SDT750, for the American market (release in October). The device was announced [JP] today in Japan as well, but Panasonic made some changes. And it showed another model, too, the HDC-TM650 (pictured), which hasn't been announced for other markets thus far.
The Japanese version of the SDT750 (shown on the right in the pic below) comes with a whopping 96GB of internal memory, but on the flipside, Panasonic decided to sell the 3D lens separately in its home market. It will cost $1,800 ($400 more than the American model with the lens) and go on sale two months earlier, in late August. The 3D lens will set Japanese buyers back another $430.
The HDC-TM650 is very similar to the SDT750 but comes with just 64GB of internal memory (instead of 96GB), a 2.7-inch screen (instead of 3 inches), and a stereo mic (instead of a 5.1 mic). At 388g, it's lighter than its bigger brother (440g/including battery). It will hit Japanese stores in August, too (price: $1,480).
Via AV Watch [JP]


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Q&A: How hybrid fraud detection cut losses by 98%
Special Tax Inspectorate has nearly eradicated carousel fraud in Belgium
Thieves steal an estimated 100 billion euros (US$132 billion) a year from governments across Europe in a scheme known as carousel fraud. This high-return, hard-to-prove crime involves multinational networks whose members conspire to exploit weaknesses in the value-added tax (VAT) system.
Here's how it typically works:
A conspirator in one country sells goods to an accomplice in a tax-free country - a business-to-business transaction. The accomplice sells the goods to a new buyer and collects the VAT, but does not give it to the government. The new buyer eventually sells the goods tax-free – usually to the original conspirator – and then asks for a refund on the VAT the government never received in the first place.
In Belgium though, carousel fraud is under control thanks to an advanced analytics technique called the hybrid detection model. This innovative method uses multiple analytical techniques to expose even the hardest to find fraudsters. With this approach, the Belgian government saves nearly 1 billion euros each year.
Tens of billions of euros are lost every year through fraud carousels .... Not implementing this solution in this difficult budgetary period would be almost criminal.
Yannic Hulot
Can you tell us how you uncover the fraud?
We're looking for the very essence of the fraud – for example, someone who has certain characteristics, is known for other acts, for whom we received information from abroad, has put into place a company, and engages in transactions that are not declared. So it takes a bundle of elements to identify. Even if these characterizations are well-defined, the difficulty remains in managing and verifying this information. So we are facing a huge amount of information.
What's the magnitude of VAT carousel fraud?
In Europe, the VAT gap is estimated at nearly 100 billion euros a year. One-third can be attributed to missing traders intracommunity fraud [a form of carousel fraud that claims tax refunds for an unidentified or missing trader somewhere in the export chain]. The major difficulty is in finding the fraudulent transactions quickly from among a huge number of transactions. One company in 10,000 participates in these fraudulent transactions, and there are hundreds of millions of transactions within the European Union annually.
The problem of VAT carousels is now under control in Belgium. How was that achieved?
Risk analysis using advanced analytics helps us quickly identify companies at risk so we can take action before significant damage has been done. With the hybrid detection model, we really have the tools that are in line with our needs. The results are so good that we can now restart some old projects that were originally evaluated with traditional techniques.
Social network analysis is used in the hybrid detection model. Is it an adequate tool for the detection of VAT carousels?
With the amount of data we have from intracommunity transactions, company data, unstructured data, etc., we have a cluster of data that is totally unreadable because of the large number of links. The challenge is to extract from this chaos the data that is relevant. This is exactly what we can do with social network analysis and other methods of the hybrid detection model. But key in all this is to also combine business knowledge during the analysis.
Is this approach applied to all companies or is it limited to areas at risk?
It's a holistic approach and not confined to one area. We focus on certain transaction profiles rather than particular sectors. And it's not limited to specific types of transactions. It's very important to have a comprehensive approach. If we focused on a specific area, the fraudster would simply change tactics.
What is the current situation for the rest of Europe?
The situation varies greatly from one country to another. It's not widely known, but European taxpayers lose billions of euros. Some member states, and in particular the large countries, have difficulty managing the massive amount of information. A solution such as the hybrid detection model is the answer. It lets you view the essential, prioritize cases and then allocate resources. Today, in the 28 EU member states, the data available for analysis is the same. This means that the Belgian experience is completely transferable.
So we can dream that one day there will be a common approach at the European level?
A common analysis is the ideal solution. But some member states consider it a loss of sovereignty to entrust the analysis to others. Centralized analysis could be entrusted to Eurofisc, which is already well-structured and has a lot of business knowledge. A common cross-border analysis would make it possible for governments to save enormous amounts of money. Tens of billions of euros are lost every year through fraud carousels .... Not implementing this solution in this difficult budgetary period would be almost criminal.
- Combat loss of Value Added Tax (VAT) by criminals (estimated at €100 billion/year).
- Detect, prevent hard-to-prove carousel fraud.
- Stop crime rings from exploiting weaknesses in VAT system.
- Prioritize investigations of organized fraud.
- In 2002, losses in Belgium from VAT fraud amounted to €1.1 billion.
- In 2012, the losses were a negligible €18.5 million – a reduction of 98%.


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7 From Awareness to Intervention 8 Elements of the Process 12 Raise or Hold 14 How to Raise 20 Intervention by a Team Leader 26 Stimulation ... and Terror 26 Suggested Readings 27 Background 27 Key Point Summary
This series of guidebooks draws on the practical knowledge that the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) has generated, since its inception in 1970, through its research and educational activity conducted in partnership with hundreds of thousands of managers and executives. Much of this knowledge is shared-in a way that is distinct from the typical university department, professional association, or consultancy. CCL is not simply a collection of individual experts, although the individual credentials of its staff are impressive; rather it is a community, with its members holding certain principles in common and working together to understand and generate practical responses to today's leadership and organizational challenges. The purpose of the series is to provide managers with specific advice on how to complete a developmental task or solve a leadership challenge. In doing that, the series carries out CCL's mission to advance the understanding, practice, and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. We think you will find the Ideas Into Action Guidebooks an important addition to your leadership toolkit. Dennis Lindoerfer is an enterprise associate at the Colorado Springs campus of the Center for Creative Leadership. He is a trainer in the Leadership and High-Performance Teams program and the Leadership Development Program (LDP). He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Texas and a B.A. in pyschology from Northwester University.


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APD may lose 200 officers soon
Albuquerque's chief of police said a public safety crisis is brewing in the Duke City because hundreds of police officers could turn in their badges all at once thanks to proposed changes to their state retirement funds.
The Albuquerque Police Department has upwards of 200 retirement ready employees. APD Chief Ray Schultz said the city could lose all of them within the next few months. The department's already dwindling workforce would be dashed to around 800.
"The effects on public safety across the state could be pretty significant," Schultz said. "This is a big decision a lot of employees have to make."
Twenty-two officers have confirmed their exits already. No matter which way you slice it, that means fewer officers will be available when you call 911.
"Those life safety events, there will be somebody there. Somebody spray-painted the wall on the side of your house may take longer for us to get there for that kind of call," Schultz said.
The state's Public Employees Retirement Association, or PERA, is in peril.
"We have $6.2 billion unfunded liability," PERA Executive Director Wayne Propst said.
That $6.2 billion unfunded hole in its retirement fund has to be filled or benefits could be cut, but the agency's idea on how to fix it has some officers scared. Part of the proposal could delay the cost of living adjustments, or COLA, for current employees if they put off their retirement.
Schultz said the threat has countless officers asking about retirement.
"Everybody's talking about it, everyone's watching it closely. Some people are saying I don't even want to take a chance," Schultz said.
Target 7 took those concerns to Propst.
"No, I'm not. I'm not worried it'll jeopardize public safety. We take the concerns of public safety very seriously," Propst said.
To prove it, they've already amended the proposal. It would phase in the COLA changes, giving officers more time to make the decision.
Now, those particular proposed pension changes aren't set in stone yet, but Propst said no matter how much local law enforcement might not like the idea, something needs to be done quickly.
"If we don't do something now, what we're proposing today will seem pretty mild compared to what we're going to have to do down the road," Propst said.
In the end, it's up to lawmakers like state Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino to make the final call on PERA's problems.
"The people affected are going to scream bloody murder, you're changing the rules of the game after we started playing," Ortiz y Pino said.
Ortiz y Pino doesn't like the current proposal, but that doesn't mean he won't vote for it.
"I'm not ruling it out. I think we can avoid it, but I'm not ruling it out," he said.
That said, Ortiz y Pino isn't buying the police department's claim that the PERA proposal is fueling the retirement fire. He thinks whatever retirements occur in the coming months would happen regardless.
"I think part of this is scare tactics. It's a ploy," Ortiz y Pino said.
There's another issue compounding the potential personnel problems at APD; new recruits are coming in at a snail's pace. Information obtained by Target 7 shows the newest cadet class is only bringing 10 new officers into the ranks.
In the meantime, specialized units may be left taking routine calls.
"We just want to make sure everybody knows, worst case scenario, there will be an impact," Schultz said.


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"AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL" � (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET)
"Put Your Best Face Forward" (CONTENT RATING TBD)
THE GIRLS STEP BACK IN TIME AT ELLIS ISLAND � Cycle three contestant and model Tocarra drops by to host a slumber party & teaches the girls some helpful hints for a career in the modeling business. The girls get their fierce on when they go head-to-head in a posing challenge under the watchful eye of Benny Ninja. This week's challenge takes the girls to Ellis Island where they strike poses inspired by historical images of immigrants from the early 1900s (#1205).


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Notes & Outlines ACTS "By Dr. J. Vernon McGee © Thru the Bible Radio Network,http://www.ttb.org. "
ACTS (Sometimes called the 5th Gospel, it is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke.)
Last recorded fact about Jesus in the Gospels: Matthew Mark Luke John — Resurrection — Ascension — Promise of the Holy Spirit — Promise of the Second Coming } Acts 1 brings all 4 together.
The great missionary commission given in the 4 Gospels is confirmed in Acts. Acts furnishes a ladder on which to place the Epistles. Acts is a bridge between the Gospels and the Epistles. The New Testament without Acts leaves a great, yawning gap. "If the Book of Acts were gone, there would be nothing to replace it" (Howson).
WRITER: Dr. Luke, who also wrote the third Gospel kjv@Acts:1:1). Sir William Ramsay says that Luke is the greatest of all historians, ancient or modern (The Church in the Roman Empire before A.D. 170; St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen).
DATE: About A.D. 63 Acts covers a period of approximately 30 years. This is the inspired record of the beginnings of the church. While Genesis records the origin of the physical universe, Acts records the origin of the spiritual body.
KEY VERSE: But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. kjv@Acts:1:8)
1. Prominence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Prominence of the Holy Spirit. Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit kjv@John:7:37-39; kjv@John:14:16-17; kjv@John:20:22; kjv@Acts:1:8). This is the age of the Holy Spirit. The great fact of this age is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit ( kjv@1Corinthians:6:19).
3. Power of the church.
4. Prominence of the church, visible and invisible (a new institution).
5. Prominence of places — begins in Jerusalem, ends in Rome. (Ramsay checked the many places referred to.)
6. Prominence of persons — Dr. Luke mentions 110 persons by name.
7. Prominence of the resurrection, the center of gospel preaching.
8. Prominence of Peter in the first section, and Paul in the last section. (There is a strange omission of the other apostles.)
TITLE: The proper title for this historical book is the supreme problem. "The Acts of the Apostles" — Authorized and Revised Versions "The Acts of the Apostles" — Codex Vaticanus (MSS) "The Acts of the Ascended and Glorified Lord" — Robert Lee "Words Concerning Deeds" — Bantu title kjv@Acts:1:1-2 gives the key to the problem: "The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles" (human instrumentalities).
I. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles in Jerusalem, kjv@Acts:1—7
A. Preparation for the coming of the Spirit, kjv@Acts:1 1. Introduction, kjv@Acts:1-2 2. 40 days post-resurrection ministry of Jesus, kjv@Acts:3-9 3. Ascension and promise of the return of Jesus, kjv@Acts:10-11 4. Waiting for the Spirit, kjv@Acts:12-14 5. Appointment of an apostle, kjv@Acts:15-26
B. Day of Pentecost (Bethlehem of the Holy Spirit), kjv@Acts:2
1. Coming of the Holy Spirit, kjv@Acts:2:1-13
2. 1st sermon in the church age by Peter, vv. 14-47
C. 1st miracle of the church; Peter's 2nd sermon, kjv@Acts:3
1. Healing of lame man, kjv@Acts:3:1-11
2. Appealing and revealing address of Peter, kjv@Acts:3:12-26
3. Believing 5000 men (results), kjv@Acts:4:4
D. 1st persecution of the church; power of the Holy Spirit, kjv@Acts:4
E. Death of Ananias and Sapphira; 2nd persecution, kjv@Acts:5 (Discipline within and persecution without)
F. Appointment of deacons; witness of Stephen, a deacon, kjv@Acts:6
G. Stephen's address and martyrdom (1st martyr), kjv@Acts:7
II. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles in Judæa and Samaria, kjv@Acts:8—12
A. Conversion of Ethiopian Eunuch (son of Ham), kjv@Acts:8
B. Conversion of Saul of Tarsus (son of Shem), kjv@Acts:9
C. Conversion of Cornelius, Roman centurion (son of Japheth), kjv@Acts:10
D. Peter defends his ministry; gospel goes to Antioch, kjv@Acts:11
E. Death of James; arrest of Peter, kjv@Acts:12
III. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles to the uttermost part of the earth, kjv@Acts:13—28
A. 1st missionary journey of Paul, kjv@Acts:13-14
B. Council at Jerusalem, kjv@Acts:15
C. 2nd missionary journey of Paul, kjv@Acts:15:36—16:40
D. 2nd missionary journey (continued) Paul in Thessalonica, Athens, kjv@Acts:17 E. 2nd missionary journey (concluded) Paul in Corinth; Apollos in Ephesus, kjv@Acts:18 F. 3rd missionary journey, kjv@Acts:18:23—21:14 Paul in Ephesus, kjv@Acts:19 G. 3rd missionary journey of Paul (continued), kjv@Acts:20 H. Paul goes to Jerusalem and is arrested, kjv@Acts:21 I. Paul's defense before the mob at Jerusalem, kjv@Acts:22 J. Paul's defense before the Sanhedrin, kjv@Acts:23 K. Paul before Felix, kjv@Acts:24 L. Paul before Festus, kjv@Acts:25 M. Paul before Agrippa, kjv@Acts:26N. Paul goes to Rome via storm and shipwreck, kjv@Acts:27 O. Paul arrives in Rome, kjv@Acts:28 (Last seen preaching to Gentiles)
I. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles in Jerusalem, kjv@Acts:1—7
kjv@Acts:1 — Gives the post-resurrection ministry and ascension of Jesus, and the 10-day interval before the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
kjv@Acts:1:1-2 — Theophilus, the one addressed, is one of the unknown disciples in the early church whose name means "lover of God" or "loved of God." Luke's primary objective is to show that Jesus continued His work and ministry after His resurrection but from a different position (see kjv@Acts:2:33).
kjv@Acts:1:13 — There are 10 recorded appearances of Jesus after His resurrection. This ministry has a more important bearing on the lives of Christians today than the 3-year ministry recorded in the 4 Gospels (see author's book, The Empty Tomb). "The kingdom of God" includes not only His purpose in the church but reaches beyond to the re-establishment of the house of David (see kjv@Acts:15:14-17).
kjv@Acts:1:14 — "The promise of the Father" is the Holy Spirit (see kjv@John:16:7-15).
kjv@Acts:1:15 — Water baptism is ritual baptism; the Holy Spirit is real baptism.
kjv@Acts:1:16 — This is not a foolish question. The kingdom will be restored to Israel.
kjv@Acts:1:17 — Jesus does not rebuke them. He merely says that the times and seasons for the establishment of the kingdom are not available to man.
kjv@Acts:1:18 — This is not a corporate commission given to the church as a body, but a private and personal command given to each believer.
kjv@Acts:1:19 — The ascension is an important and significant miracle in the ministry of Jesus. This is especially true in the space age with eyes turned aloft. "Cloud" means the Shekinah Glory cloud that filled the tabernacle (see kjv@Exodus:40:38). He is surrounded with the glory He had before Bethlehem kjv@John:17:5).
kjv@Acts:1:10-11 — Note the witness of the two angels who appeared as men. "This same Jesus" (v. 11) means that in His glorified body He will return to earth to the same place kjv@Zechariah:14:4).
kjv@Acts:1:12-14 — This is the 10-day interval between His ascension and Pentecost. The attitude of the apostles and believers is that of oneness, prayer, and waiting. This period cannot be duplicated today, for the Holy Spirit has already come.
kjv@Acts:1:15-26 — The election to choose a successor to Judas Iscariot is conducted by Peter without the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit — the Holy Spirit had not yet come. Matthias was evidently a good man who met the requirements of an apostle and apparently was an apostle. The Holy Spirit, however, ignored him, for he never is mentioned again in the Scriptures. The successor, we believe, to Judas Iscariot was Saul of Tarsus, chosen personally by the Lord Jesus Christ kjv@Galatians:1:1).
kjv@Acts:2 — Records the fulfillment of Pentecost, Peter's sermon, and the primary church.
v: 1 — Pentecost took place 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits (see author's book, Learning Through Leviticus, Vol. 2, on kjv@Leviticus:23:15-22). "Fully come" means that this was the fulfillment of the meaning and purpose for which it was given. As the Feast of Passover depicts the death of Christ and the Feast of Firstfruits depicts the resurrection of Christ, the Feast of Pentecost depicts the beginning and origin of the church. (Five minutes before the Day of Pentecost there was no church; five minutes after the Day of Pentecost there was the church.) What Bethlehem was to the birth of Christ, Pentecost and Jerusalem were to the coming of the Holy Spirit. He began to baptize believers, which means He placed them in the body of Christ — identifying them with Christ as His body on earth (see kjv@1Corinthians:12:12-13).
kjv@Acts:2:2 — It was not a wind but there was a sound "like a" wind. "Rushing mighty wind" means that it had the sound of a tornado so that all of Jerusalem evidently heard it. The sound of a tornado has been likened to that of a thousand freight trains. It was an appeal to the ear gate.
kjv@Acts:2:3 — "As of fire" means that it was not fire but looked like fire, appealing to the eye gate. This was not the baptism of fire, which is judgment yet to come, but the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
kjv@Acts:2:4 — "All filled with the Holy Spirit" indicates that all the other ministries of the Holy Spirit to believers in this age had already been performed, as they occur in this order:
1. Regenerating kjv@John:3:5);
2. Indwelling kjv@Romans:8:9);
3. Sealing kjv@Ephesians:4:30);
4. Baptizing kjv@Acts:1:5; kjv@1Corinthians:12:12-13).
The experience of Pentecost came from the filling of the Spirit — not the baptizing of the Spirit. The baptizing ministry of the Holy Spirit placed them in the church, the new body that came into existence here for the first time. "Other tongues" were not unknown tongues, but the polyglot languages of the Roman Empire spoken by the worshipers who had come from the different areas of the Roman Empire (vv. 5-11). (See author's booklet, Talking in Tongues.)
kjv@Acts:2:12 — Some of the multitude that come together are startled and impressed, but not convinced because they do not understand.
kjv@Acts:2:13 — Others are cynical and mock. They offer a natural explanation for the phenomenon.
kjv@Acts:2:14-15 — Peter addresses himself to the skeptics and ignorant.
kjv@Acts:2:16-21 — Peter does not use Joel's prophecy to show that Pentecost is the fulfillment of it, but "this is that" ( kjv@Acts:2:16) — it is similar to and like that which is yet to come (see kjv@Joel:2:28-32 kjv@Joel:3:1-2). Peter is saying that Pentecost is not contrary to the Old Testament. It is obvious that Joel's prophecy was not fulfilled at Pentecost. God said, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh" ( kjv@Acts:2:17), yet there were only 3,000 converted at Pentecost. The signs in the heavens did not appear at that time. The age of grace began, not the "great and notable day of the Lord" ( kjv@Acts:2:20). Neither did all nations assemble in "the valley of Jehoshaphat" kjv@Joel:3:2 kjv@Joel:3:12).
kjv@Acts:2:22-24 — The emphasis is not upon tongues or even on the coming of the Holy Spirit, but rather on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection (see kjv@John:16:13-14). Notice that the passport of Jesus was the miracles, wonders, and signs.
kjv@Acts:2:25-31 — David in kjv@Psalms:16 spoke of the Messiah (not of himself, for his grave was in Jerusalem) who must be raised from the dead to sit on David's throne.
kjv@Acts:2:32 — Peter and the others there are witnesses that Jesus was raised from the dead.
kjv@Acts:2:33 — We know that Jesus arrived at the right hand of God because the Holy Spirit arrived here.
kjv@Acts:2:34-35 — This is a fulfillment of kjv@Psalms:110:5:36 — The explanation of all that had occurred is the fact that Jesus died, rose again, ascended, and had taken His place at the right hand of God.
kjv@Acts:2:7-41 — Peter puts down the conditions of salvation for these men of Judæa and all other Israelites who are in Jerusalem.
kjv@Acts:2:42 — These are the visible marks of the local church.
kjv@Acts:2:43-47 — The first church had very little organization, but great power and much love and joy.
kjv@Acts:3 — Peter and John perform the first miracle of the church and Peter preaches again. This is God's last call to the nation to turn to Him as a corporate body. Jesus will return to set up His kingdom as predicted by the prophets (vv. 24-26). The suffering of Christ had been fulfilled ( kjv@Acts:3:18-19).
kjv@Acts:4 — 5000 are saved at the preaching of Peter's second sermon, but the apostles are arrested and imprisoned. The reason given for their arrest is that they preached the resurrection ( kjv@Acts:4:2). The apostles are brought to trial before the Sanhedrin to explain the power or name they used in healing the lame man. Peter answers by the power of the Holy Spirit and presents Jesus as the only way of salvation and His name as the name of power and salvation. The apostles are reprimanded by the Sanhedrin and commanded to desist from preaching in the name of Jesus. The apostles return to the company of the early church. The church went to prayer, quoting kjv@Psalms:2:1 and 2. They did not pray for cessation of persecution, but for courage to speak the Word of God ( kjv@Acts:4:29). Notice the power of prayer ( kjv@Acts:4:30-31), also the high plane of spirituality of the early church.
kjv@Acts:5 — Introduces the defection in the church, followed by the death of Ananias and Sapphira. These Christians were not living on the high spiritual level of the early church, although they were saved. When they lied to the Holy Spirit, they were removed from the company of believers. They committed the sin unto death ( kjv@1John:5:16). The amazing thing is that this sin could not exist in the early church. There was holiness of life in the church. Peter was probably as much surprised as anyone when Ananias died ( kjv@Acts:5:5). Power continues in the church ( kjv@Acts:5:12-14); multitudes are saved. The apostles exercise the apostolic gifts. The apostles are arrested the second time and put in prison ( kjv@Acts:5:17-18). Gamaliel counsels restraint and moderation in dealing with them. They are beaten, forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus, and continue to preach in His name.
kjv@Acts:6 — Gives the selection of deacons due to the defection, and the account of Stephen — framed, arrested, tried.
kjv@Acts:6:1 — The Grecians were Hebrews with a background of Greek culture, while the Hebrews were those who still followed the Mosaic Law. The high plane to which the Spirit had brought the church was interrupted by the intrusion of satanic division and confusion. The sharing of material substance, which first characterized the church kjv@Acts:2:44-46), gave way to the selfishness of the old nature. The Grecians (evidently a minority group) felt neglected and demanded that their widows be given equal consideration with the Hebrews.
kjv@Acts:6:2 — The apostles do not feel that they should have the burden of this detail, as it would take them from the study of the Word of God, prayer, and the ministry of the Word ( kjv@Acts:6:4).
kjv@Acts:6:3 — Certain qualified men are chosen to assume the burden of handling the material substance. Notice their qualifications:
1. not only saving faith, but serving faith and witnessing faith (not amount, but object of faith)
2. men of honest report full of the Holy Spirit kjv@Ephesians:5:18
3. men of wisdom
4. application of scriptural truth men of conviction ( kjv@Acts:6:10)
5. full of faith
kjv@Acts:6:5 — Of the list of the first 7 deacons, we have only the record of 2 — Stephen and Philip.
kjv@Acts:6:6 — Laying on of hands merely designates these men for the office, denoting their fellowship in the things of Christ and representation for the corporate body of believers.
kjv@Acts:6:7 — The church continues to grow in spite of the internal condition.
kjv@Acts:6:8-15 — Stephen, a strong witness to the gospel, incurs the hatred of certain sects. False witnesses are brought before the council to accuse Stephen.
kjv@Acts:7 — Stephen's defense before the council is a recitation of the history of the nation Israel and their resistance and rebellion to God. Stephen charges the council of being betrayers and murderers of Jesus, which engenders their bitterest hatred and leads to the stoning of Stephen.
kjv@Acts:7:2-8 — He begins with Abraham, who believed and obeyed God.
kjv@Acts:7:9-16 — He goes on to the Patriarchal period. The brethren of Joseph, motivated by envy and hatred, sold Joseph into Egypt. God overruled and used Joseph to save them.
kjv@Acts:7:17-29 — He reviews the Egyptian bondage period. Moses was born in this period and was brought up in the palace of Pharaoh. The wisdom of the Egyptians was advanced beyond that for which we have given them credit. Mathematics, chemistry, engineering, architecture, and astronomy were highly developed fields of study. All this wisdom did not prepare Moses to deliver his people ( kjv@Acts:7:25).
kjv@Acts:7:30-36 — He reminds them of the deliverance out of Egypt. God made Moses the deliverer ( kjv@Acts:7:35), whom the children of Israel first refused to accept.
kjv@Acts:7:37-44 — He refers to the wilderness experience. A series of rebellions against God were brought to a climax in the making of a golden calf. This plague of idolatry broke out again in the land ( kjv@Acts:7:43) and resulted in the Babylonian captivity.
kjv@Acts:7:45-53 — Stephen concludes with Joshua, who led them into the land, and Jesus who made a way to heaven. Note the strong charge of Stephen ( kjv@Acts:7:51-52). The Law was given to them supernaturally by the ministry of angels — they did not keep it ( kjv@Acts:7:53). Jesus came by the announcement of an angel, but they rejected Him.
kjv@Acts:7:54-60 — Stephen is stoned to death. Stephen, a Spirit-filled believer, beholds the glory of God and the seated Savior standing to receive him as the first martyr. The Savior has stood up to receive multitudes since then. Another young man standing there (v. 58), Saul of Tarsus, who led in the stoning of Stephen, also looks into the heavens but does not see Jesus. However, this prepared him to see Him later on the Damascus road. "He fell asleep" (v. 60) means that Jesus put his body to sleep to await the Rapture. Stephen and Saul were on opposite sides of the cross at first, as were the two thieves. Stephen was a tremendous witness to Saul. Both were young men. The witness to the gospel became a youth movement.
II. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles in Judæa and Samaria, kjv@Acts:8—12
kjv@Acts:8 — Saul continues his persecution of the church, and the witnesses scatter. Philip becomes the chief missionary. The Ethiopian eunuch is converted.
kjv@Acts:8:1-4 — Saul becomes the chief persecutor of the church, and the church is scattered.
kjv@Acts:8:5-8 — Philip becomes the chief witness abroad after the death of Stephen.
kjv@Acts:8:9-25 — Philip has an experience with Simon the sorcerer, who was the first religious racketeer in the church, but not the last. Note that Simon professes to be a believer during the sweeping revival of Philip in Samaria. He goes through all the outward ritual — he believes (but it is not saving faith), is baptized, and becomes a friend of Philip ( kjv@Acts:8:13). He is exposed to Christianity and is impressed, though not converted. Notice that the professing believers ( kjv@Acts:8:15-17) had not been born again, for they were not baptized into the church by the Holy Spirit — they were baptized by water. Simon was not baptized by the Holy Spirit but was impressed by it and wanted this gift. Notice that he is willing to pay for the gift ( kjv@Acts:8:18-19) that he might use it in turn for profit and publicity. There is no record that he ever was converted; he is a member of the "mixed multitude" that has been following the church for more than 1900 years.
kjv@Acts:8:26-40 — In contrast to Simon the sorcerer is the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip is led by the Holy Spirit from the revival in Samaria to the desert on the way to Gaza ( kjv@Acts:8:26-28). The Ethiopian was traveling from Jerusalem in state. He had a chauffeur who drove the chariot while he was reading. Evidently, he had a retinue of servants. He was a proselyte who had been to Jerusalem, the religious capital, but he was leaving with a mind and heart unsatisfied. The Spirit directed Philip to join him by hitchhiking ( kjv@Acts:8:29). Philip explains to him that kjv@Isaiah:53 is all about the crucifixion of Jesus ( kjv@Acts:8:30-35). The Ethiopian believes in his heart and is baptized.
kjv@Acts:9 — Saul of Tarsus is converted on the road to Damascus; he is filled with the Spirit and baptized. He begins to preach, returns to Jerusalem, then visits his hometown of Tarsus. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus was the greatest event from the Day of Pentecost to the Reformation. Peter visits Lydda and heals Æneas, goes on to Joppa and raises Tabitha from the dead ( kjv@Acts:9:32-34).
kjv@Acts:9:1-2 — The zeal of Saul in persecuting the church leads him to go beyond the borders of Jerusalem and Judæa. Having secured papers from the high priest, he goes to Syria.
kjv@Acts:9:3-6 — Saul meets the living Christ. "Who art thou, Lord?" ( kjv@Acts:9:5) reveals that he did not know Jesus, whom to know is life. "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" ( kjv@Acts:9:6) reveals that he yields in obedience to Jesus. He is converted — faith with works.
kjv@Acts:9:7 — The men with him see the light but do not hear the voice. Only Saul understands the message (see kjv@Acts:22:9 kjv@Acts:26:14).
kjv@Acts:9:8-16 — Blinded, Saul is led into Damascus and Ananias, a believer, is sent to him. Ananias is dumbfounded and fearful of Saul. Jesus explains His purpose in calling Saul ( kjv@Acts:9:15-16): 1. To witness to the Gentiles, and 2. To suffer more than any other saint.
kjv@Acts:9:17-25 — After he receives his sight and is baptized, he begins to witness in the synagogue to the person of Jesus. The Jews plot to kill him, and the disciples let him over the wall in a basket.
kjv@Acts:9:26-29 — Saul returns to Jerusalem after his conversion (see kjv@Galatians:1:18-19), but the church is reluctant to receive him until Barnabas sponsors him.
kjv@Acts:9:30-31 — When a plot is discovered to slay Saul, he is taken to Cæsarea from which he returns to his hometown of Tarsus.
kjv@Acts:9:32-33 — Peter goes to Lydda where he heals Æneas, a palsied patient bedfast for 8 years. This leads to many conversions.
kjv@Acts:9:34-43 — In Joppa, Tabitha (or Dorcas), a believer who used her gift as a dress-maker, died and Peter, who is still in Lydda, is sent for. He comes and raises her from the dead.
kjv@Acts:10 — Cornelius, the Roman centurion, is converted.
kjv@Acts:10:1-8 — Cornelius is a soldier, but a deeply religious man — devout, fearing God, giving generously to the people, and praying much. With all these good marks to his credit, he is not saved and these works do not make him a Christian. The Spirit of God directs him to send for Simon Peter in Joppa.
kjv@Acts:10:9-22 — The Holy Spirit prepares Peter for this missionary journey. In prayer on the housetop he becomes very hungry, and is placed in a trance. A sheet let down from heaven contains every kind of unclean beast, bird, and bug. Peter is instructed to slay and eat. He calls the Holy Spirit "Lord," but contradicts his address by refusing to eat ( kjv@Acts:10:14). As a Jew, he had never eaten any unclean thing even after Pentecost. Peter wonders about the dream until the knock at the door and the messengers from Cornelius explain their mission. The Holy Spirit instructs Peter to go with them.
kjv@Acts:10:23-43 — Peter reluctantly enters the home of Cornelius. He does not permit Cornelius to bow before him, saying that he, too, is only a man. Peter preaches the death and resurrection of Jesus and he gives the invitation to accept Jesus ( kjv@Acts:10:43).
kjv@Acts:10:44-48 — This has been labeled the Gentile Pentecost. Peter is astonished that Gentiles too have the Holy Spirit poured out upon them — it is made audible by their speaking in tongues ( kjv@Acts:10:46). The tongues were more of an evidence to Peter and the other apostles that God would save Gentiles (see kjv@Acts:11:1-18 kjv@Acts:15:7-11). Then were the Gentiles in Cornelius' house baptized. The Three Representative Conversions kjv@Acts:8 — Ethiopian eunuch — Son of Ham kjv@Acts:9 — Saul of Tarsus — Son of Shem kjv@Acts:10 — Cornelius, Roman centurion — Son of Japheth There must be 3 factors that come into focus before there can be a conversion. All 3 are evident in these representative conversions: The HOLY SPIRIT (Holy Spirit takes the things of Christ) Ethiopian — Holy Spirit directed Philip Saul — Holy Spirit led him down Damascus road; Jesus dealt with him directly Cornelius — Holy Spirit supervised every detail; prepared Peter and Cornelius The WORD of GOD (Faith cometh by hearing the Word of God) kjv@Isaiah:53 Was grounded in the Old Testament The MAN of GOD (Instrument) Philip Stephen Peter preached Christ
kjv@Acts:11 — Peter recounts the events in connection with the conversion of Gentiles in the house of Cornelius. Antioch becomes the center of the Gentile church.
kjv@Acts:11:1-3 — The news of the Gentiles receiving the Word of God did not seem to bring any joy to the church in Jerusalem. They demand of Peter an explanation of his conduct.
kjv@Acts:11:4-18 — Peter reviews his conduct in detail with the apostles in Jerusalem. He is half apologetic ( kjv@Acts:11:17). He had not envisioned Gentiles in the church, and he explains that he moved only at the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The church in Jerusalem then accepts the fact that Gentiles are to be incorporated into the body of believers with them ( kjv@Acts:11:18).
kjv@Acts:11:19-21 — Antioch becomes the center of evangelism as many different races are converted and a strong church is formed.
kjv@Acts:11:22-24 — Barnabas is sent to Antioch by the Jerusalem church. He ministers the Word to them. kjv@Acts:11:25-26 — Barnabas needs a helper and he knows that Saul would make a good one. He goes to Tarsus to find him. "Christian" was the name given to believers in Antioch ( kjv@Acts:11:26). It may have been given in derision, but more likely it simply implied a follower of Christ.
kjv@Acts:11:27-30 — A prophet by the name of Agabus predicted a famine which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Tacitus confirms the fact of the famine. It motivated the church in Antioch to send relief to the church in Jerusalem.
kjv@Acts:12 — Persecution strikes through Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great. Peter in prison is miraculously delivered. The death of Herod is a judgment from God.
kjv@Acts:11:2-3 — James, brother of John, is executed by Herod. Peter is imprisoned. God, by His sovereign will and purpose, permits James to be executed, but He delivers Peter.
kjv@Acts:11:4 — "Easter" should be "the Passover."
kjv@Acts:11:5 — The church in Jerusalem prays for Peter.
kjv@Acts:11:6 — Peter could sleep in prison!
kjv@Acts:11:7-11 — "The angel" should be "an angel," as Christ was the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. An angel delivers Peter, and the prayer of the church is answered.
kjv@Acts:11:12 — The church met in homes, as there were no church buildings at this time. Note the home in which they were meeting — Mary's, the mother of Mark.
kjv@Acts:11:13-15 — Although the church prayed, their faith was small — they thought he had been executed. "It is his angel" should be "It is his spirit" ( kjv@Acts:11:15) — they couldn't believe their prayers were answered.
kjv@Acts:11:19 — Note the cold-blooded and hard-hearted attitude of Herod toward human life.
kjv@Acts:11:20-23 — Herod, like Nebuchadnezzar, is lifted up by pride. Herod tried to act like a god ( kjv@Acts:11:22). His death is God's judgment upon him. God is jealous of His glory ( kjv@Acts:11:23).
kjv@Acts:11:24-25 — In the midst of persecution and opposition, the church grows and prospers.
III. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles to the uttermost part of the earth, kjv@Acts:13—28
As the final surge of the gospel beyond the boundaries of Israel begins, Paul becomes the dominant leader and Peter disappears from the scene.
kjv@Acts:13-14 — The first missionary journey of the apostle Paul is begun with Barnabas. The first stop is the Island of Cyprus, the home of Barnabas. They cross the island to Paphos. From there they sail to Perga in Pamphylia, then enter the interior of Asia Minor (now Turkey) into the Galatian country.
kjv@Acts:13:1-2 — The church in Antioch was the missionary church, not the church in Jerusalem. Notice that the Holy Spirit chose Saul and Barnabas. It is "Barnabas and Saul" at first, but Saul becomes the leader, changes his name to Paul, and the team becomes "Paul and Barnabas."
kjv@Acts:13:4 — They are led by the Holy Spirit.
kjv@Acts:13:5 — They begin at Salamis on the Island of Cyprus, but there are no conspicuous conversions here.
kjv@Acts:13:6-12 — They cross the island to Paphos where Paul encounters Elymas, the sorcerer, who influences Sergius Paulus, a Roman deputy in the country. Elymas is routed and Sergius Paulus becomes a believer. Saul's name is changed ( kjv@Acts:13:9) to Paul (Paulus means "little") and could be taken after Sergius Paulus.
kjv@Acts:13:13 — They arrive at Perga and John Mark turns back.
kjv@Acts:13:14-42 — In Antioch of Pisidia Paul preaches in the synagogue on the sabbath day one of his greatest sermons. Notice that after the reading of the Law, Paul was permitted to speak. He recounts their history as a nation, as Stephen had done. Then he presents Jesus as the Savior ( kjv@Acts:13:23). He recounts His history, and then presents the death and resurrection of Jesus as the means of salvation ( kjv@Acts:13:29-39). Paul gives a final warning ( kjv@Acts:13:40-42).
kjv@Acts:13:43-49 — The next sabbath they preach to the Gentiles.
kjv@Acts:13:50-52 — Paul and Barnabas are forced to flee to Iconium.
kjv@Acts:14:5-6 — Paul and Barnabas are forced to flee to Lystra and Derbe.
kjv@Acts:14:8-28 — In Lystra Paul heals a man who had no strength in his feet. The Galatians were a fickle people (see notes on Galatians). They want to perform a religious sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas as gods ( kjv@Acts:14:11-13). Paul and Barnabas have to protest vigorously to prevent this ( kjv@Acts:14:14-18). The next moment they stone Paul ( kjv@Acts:14:19). It is our judgment that Paul was dead after the stoning and that God raised him from the dead. During this time he had the experience of kjv@2Corinthians:12:1-9. Paul and Barnabas retrace their steps ( kjv@Acts:14:21-28), return to Antioch, and make their report.
kjv@Acts:15 — The council of Jerusalem convened to consider law vs. grace, or law vs. liberty. The question before the council: Must Gentiles come under the Mosaic Law to become Christians? The Jerusalem church followed the Mosaic Law to a great extent. Judaizers insisted that Gentiles come under the Law and wear the badge and outward mark, which was circumcision ( kjv@Acts:15:1).
kjv@Acts:15:2-4 — The church in Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to confer with the church there on this disturbing matter. On the way, in Phenice and Samaria, they report to the churches concerning the conversion of Gentiles, causing many of the brethren to rejoice.
kjv@Acts:15:5-6 — A sect of the Pharisees who are believers insist that Gentiles be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. (The sacrificial section of the Mosaic system was not an issue.)
kjv@Acts:15:7-11 — Peter is the first to speak to the issue. He recounts again his experience in the home of Cornelius where Gentiles had the same experience that the apostles did on the Day of Pentecost. The Gentiles did not have any connection with the Law. Peter makes it abundantly clear that Israel had never kept the Law ( kjv@Acts:15:10).
kjv@Acts:15:12 — Barnabas and Paul then report what God has done among the Gentiles apart from the Law. Their messages are not recorded.
kjv@Acts:15:13-18 — James, leader of the church in Jerusalem, summarizes the mind of the council. He fits the church into the program of the prophets although the church is not a subject of prophecy. God is taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name today ( kjv@Acts:15:14). The program of the prophets will follow.
kjv@Acts:15:16 — "After this" means after the church is taken out of the world. "I will return" is the second coming of Christ, described in kjv@Revelation:19. He "will build again the ruins" of the house of David that today has fallen down.
kjv@Acts:15:17 —When Christ returns there will be a way for the remainder of men to seek after the Lord. Then all the Gentiles will be in the kingdom in that day. The contrast is between "out of them" (Gentiles, kjv@Acts:15:14) and "all the nations" (Gentiles).
kjv@Acts:15:19-29 — The decision is that the Gentiles not be required to meet any of the demands of the Mosaic system, but that they exercise courtesy to those who do — especially in the area of meats offered to idols and fornication.
kjv@Acts:15:30-41 — After the council Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch and make preparations for a second missionary journey. Since they disagree about John Mark going with them again, they part company ( kjv@Acts:15:37-39). The division is sharp. Paul takes Silas while Barnabas takes his nephew John Mark. Paul starts out through Syria and Cilicia.
kjv@Acts:16 — Paul revisits the churches of Galatia. Having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to go south to the province of Asia or north to Bithynia, he proceeds to Europe after receiving the vision of the man of Macedonia. Paul arrives in Philippi where he ends up in the local jail. At midnight Paul and Silas pray and sing praises! An earthquake shakes the jail, the doors are opened and the jailer opens his heart to receive Christ as Savior.
kjv@Acts:16:1-5 — Paul finds a young disciple by the name of Timothy who evidently had been converted on his first missionary journey ( kjv@1Timothy:1:2). Timothy travels with Paul and becomes his companion and helper in his missionary efforts.
kjv@Acts:16:6-13 — Paul obviously intended to enlarge the circumference of his missionary journeys in Asia Minor, but the Spirit moves him out of Asia. When Paul reaches Troas he apparently has no leading as to where to go next until he is given the vision of the man of Macedonia. He accepts this as the Holy Spirit's moving him into Europe. Dr. Luke joins the party at Troas. Note the change from "they" ( kjv@Acts:16:8) to "we" ( kjv@Acts:16:10). They proceed inland to Philippi. The conversion of Lydia, a businesswoman from Thyatira, was the opening of Europe to the gospel ( kjv@Acts:16:14-15).
kjv@Acts:16:16-40 — The incident of the demon-possessed girl following Paul and finally being freed from the demon caused her owners to have Paul and Silas arrested. After being beaten, they are pushed into the dungeon. At midnight their prayer meeting brings an earthquake that opens the prison doors. When the jailer sees the doors open, he assumes that all the prisoners have escaped. His life would be forfeited according to Roman law. On the verge of suicide, Paul deters him and assures him that none had escaped. Having stood on the brink of eternity, the guard sees himself as a lost soul. When he cries out asking how to be saved, Paul gives him the gospel in a sentence. "Thy house" ( kjv@Acts:16:31) means that his household would have to believe separately as he would. The jailer and his household believe and are saved. These form a part of the church in Philippi that Paul loved and which seemed closer to Paul than any other (see his Epistle to the Philippians).
kjv@Acts:17 — Paul's second missionary journey continues to Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens.
kjv@Acts:17:1-9 — Paul is in Thessalonica for 3 sabbaths, and there are some converts. Opposition forces him to leave.
kjv@Acts:17:10-14 — Paul goes to Berea where he has a better reception and many believe ( kjv@Acts:17:11).
kjv@Acts:17:15-34 — Paul proceeds to Athens, having left Silas and Timothy in Berea. Paul observes the idolatry of Athens. He disputes with the Jews in the synagogue and the philosophers in the marketplace daily. Finally he is given a public hearing on Mars' Hill. Paul's address is a masterpiece adjusted to his audience, as was his sermon in Pisidia. Paul's point of contact is the altar to the unknown god ( kjv@Acts:17:22-29). He presents the true God as Creator (past) and the true God as Redeemer (present) ( kjv@Acts:17:27-29); he asks men to turn to Him. Light creates responsibility. Paul presents the true God as Judge ( kjv@Acts:17:31) (future). Paul was not a failure in Athens, as some insist. There were converts ( kjv@Acts:17:34).
kjv@Acts:18 — The second missionary journey concludes with Paul in Corinth. Corinth was the sin-city of the Roman Empire, a city of corruption. (See notes on 1 Corinthians for a pen-picture of Corinth). Apollos comes to Ephesus.
kjv@Acts:18:1-3 — Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla who had escaped from an antiSemitic campaign in Rome. They were tentmakers as was Paul, and he stayed with them. They were apparently his first converts in Corinth.
kjv@Acts:18:4-17 — Paul begins his public ministry in the synagogue. Silas and Timothy join him in Corinth. Many believe, including Crispus who was the chief ruler of the synagogue. The Lord encourages Paul to speak boldly. For 18 months he ministers the Word. An insurrection is made against Paul, and he is brought before Gallio. Gallio is not careless, but refuses to handle a case that has to do with religious liberty.
kjv@Acts:18:18-22 — Paul sails for Antioch but goes by Ephesus. He takes Priscilla and Aquila with him as far as Ephesus. Paul makes a vow and shaves his head. Under grace, this was an exercise in Christian liberty. He had a right to do this, not an obligation.
kjv@Acts:18:24-28 — Apollos from Alexandria, an eloquent preacher and one who knew the Old Testament, came to Ephesus. He was fervent in the spirit and taught zealously the things of the Old Testament up through the ministry of John the Baptist. He knew nothing beyond the baptism of John. Aquila and Priscilla had the privilege of bringing him up to date and also to conversion. He went to Achaia (visiting the churches in Greece, including Corinth and Athens) and began to preach Jesus as the Messiah and Savior.
kjv@Acts:19 — Paul's third missionary journey. Paul returns to Ephesus after retracing part of his first and second missionary journeys. He spends 2 years here where he speaks daily in the school of Tyrannus. Paul performs miracles which lead to the march against him led by Demetrius and his fellow silversmiths. The mob is quieted by the town clerk who urges them to appeal to the law and not resort to violence.
kjv@Acts:19:1-2 — The proper translation of verse 2 should be "Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed?" They had heard only the preaching of Apollos which went no farther than the baptism of John.
kjv@Acts:19:3-4 — Paul explains to them that they must believe on Jesus to be saved.
kjv@Acts:19:5-7 — These men respond to the preaching of Paul, and when they believe they receive the Holy Spirit.
kjv@Acts:19:8-10 — Paul withdraws from the synagogue under the fire of opposition but continues his ministry in the school of Tyrannus for a period of 2 years.
kjv@Acts:19:11-16 — Paul performs special miracles which lead to the 7 sons of Sceva attempting to duplicate the miracles of Paul. This attempt backfires to their humiliation and hurt.
kjv@Acts:19:17-22 — As a result, many who had traffic with demons believe in Christ. So great are the results that Paul postpones his trip to Corinth and continues to minister in Ephesus — "But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great door, and effectual, is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries" ( kjv@1Corinthians:16:8-9).
kjv@Acts:19:23-41 — The uproar of the silversmiths led by Demetrius centered about their bread and butter — they made little images of Diana and sold them. The temple of Diana in Ephesus was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world (see notes on Ephesians). The meeting ends in confusion with the mob crying incessantly, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians" ( kjv@Acts:19:28), until the town clerk brings order. He explains that they need not worry about the worship of Diana and that a legal charge should be made. The uproar ceases and the crowd goes home, but now the work of Paul in Ephesus is ended.
kjv@Acts:20 — The third missionary journey concludes. Paul continues on to Macedonia to Philippi, back to Troas, and to Miletus.
kjv@Acts:20:1-5 — This brief section covers the visit of Paul to Thessalonica, Berea, and Philippi in Macedonia and also to Corinth and Athens in Greece.
kjv@Acts:20:6-12 — This section records the visit of Paul to Troas and the episode of the young man, Eutychus, who goes to sleep in a window while Paul is preaching and falls down 3 floors to his death. Paul raises him from the dead.
kjv@Acts:20:13-38 — Paul goes by Miletus, the port of Ephesus, so he can visit the Ephesians and still be in Jerusalem for Pentecost. The elders of the church meet him and they have a tender reunion. Paul knows he will encounter danger in Jerusalem, but he is determined to go. He gives a report of his stewardship of the gospel in Ephesus. He had been faithful. He knows that the church in Ephesus will be subjected to false teaching ( kjv@Acts:20:29). Note the tender farewell ( kjv@Acts:20:37-38).
kjv@Acts:21 — The third missionary journey ends in Jerusalem with Paul's arrest.
kjv@Acts:21:1-3 — Paul takes a ship from Miletus to Patara where he changes to one going to Tyre.
kjv@Acts:21:4-17 — Paul spends 7 days in Tyre with disciples who warn him that he should not go to Jerusalem. Paul already had this information (see kjv@Acts:20:22-24) and he is willing to make the sacrifice in order to bring the gift for the church in Jerusalem. Paul takes the ship to Ptolemais, greets the brethren, spends one day, and then proceeds to Cæsarea. There he stays in the home of Philip, the evangelist. A prophet from Judæa, Agabus by name, came down from Judæa and takes Paul's girdle and binds him, telling him that this is what the Jews will do to him in Jerusalem. Paul explains that he knows this but is willing to die in Jerusalem if need be ( kjv@Acts:21:13). When the friends of Paul see that they are not persuading him, they say, "The will of the Lord be done" ( kjv@Acts:21:14). We believe that Paul was in the will of God when he went to Jerusalem. Paul continues on to Jerusalem where the church receives him gladly.
kjv@Acts:21:8-26 — The fact that good Bible expositors offer different explanations of this passage is evidence that there is a difficulty here. Was Paul out of or in the will of God when he went to Jerusalem and took a Jewish vow that evidently involved a sacrifice? We believe that Paul was in the will of God when he did this. Those who insist that the grace of God did not force the Gentiles to keep the Mosaic Law seem to forget that the same grace permits the Jew to continue in its precepts if he feels it is the will of God. We need to remember that Peter had eaten nothing contrary to Mosaic Law until he visited Paul in Antioch. The Jewish believers had an abhorrence of eating anything sacrificed to idols. Paul made it abundantly clear that meat does not commend us to God — therefore you can eat or refrain from eating. Paul is the man who also wrote: But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised. ( kjv@1Corinthians:7:17-18) For though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ), that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker of it with you. ( kjv@1Corinthians:9:19-23) Grace permitted Paul to take a Jewish vow to win the Jews. If he had been a Gentile it would have been questionable to adopt a foreign custom. Finally, this is the man who could say at the end of his life when he wrote his own epitaph, "I have finished my course" (see kjv@2Timothy:4:6-8). Paul touched all the bases God had wanted him to touch. It is our considered judgment that Paul was in the will of God in following this procedure. Nowhere did the Holy Spirit forbid him to do this. He did keep Paul out of Bithynia (see kjv@Acts:16:7). We trust we are not out of the will of God in taking this position. The church in Jerusalem rejoices in the ministry of Paul to the Gentiles but calls his attention to the fact that God is still saving Jews ( kjv@Acts:21:20). These Jewish converts had not forsaken the Law. We insist that under grace they were not required to do this, but neither could they insist that Gentiles come under the Law. Gentiles, therefore, could not insist they forsake the practices of the Law — provided following the Law was not trusted for salvation.
kjv@Acts:21:27-40 — Paul is mobbed and beaten in the temple. He would have been killed had not the chief captain and soldiers rescued him from the angry mob. Actually the arrest of Paul saves him from death. The chief captain knew nothing about Paul and was mistaken as to his actual identity ( kjv@Acts:21:37-38). Paul identifies himself to the chief captain who grants him permission to address the mob ( kjv@Acts:21:39-40).
kjv@Acts:22 — Paul recounts his encounter with Christ and his subsequent experience which brought him to Jerusalem. Paul appeals to his Roman citizenship to deliver himself from the awful whipping of a prisoner.
kjv@Acts:22:1-3 — Notice that Paul speaks to the chief captain in Greek ( kjv@Acts:21:37), but he addresses the Jewish mob in his and their native tongue (Hebrew). He gives his background — born a Jew in Tarsus of Cilicia, taught by Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He makes it abundantly clear that he is a Hebrew of the Hebrews.
kjv@Acts:22:4-24 — He then recounts his persecution of the church and his experience on the Damascus road as he was prosecuting his hatred of Christ beyond the pale of Jerusalem. He explains briefly his conversion. Also he makes it clear why he had not remained in Jerusalem but had gone to the Gentiles. Paul can proceed no further. The mob drowns out his voice, and the chief captain rescues him again but is puzzled at the rage of the mob.
kjv@Acts:22:25-30 — The chief captain intends to scourge Paul to get a confession from him, as he is puzzled at the strange hatred against Paul. The hatred of the crowd was evidently satanic. Paul declares his Roman citizenship which will spare him the ordeal. This further perplexes the chief captain, for he recognizes now that he has no ordinary prisoner on his hands. Notice that Paul had many assets which made him suitable to be the missionary to the Roman Empire. He had a world view. Greek training had prepared him as the cosmic Christian. He was trained in the Mosaic system, which prepared him to interpret it in the light of the coming of Christ and His redemptive death and resurrection. Not the least of his assets was his Roman citizenship which finally opened the door for him to visit Rome. The chief captain, who now wants to know the exact charge against Paul, is determined that he appear before the Sanhedrin to hear their charge.
kjv@Acts:23 — Paul makes a futile attempt to explain his position and conduct to the Sanhedrin. The Lord encourages Paul, and the plot to murder Paul leads to his being sent to Cæsarea for trial before Felix.
kjv@Acts:23:2-3 — Paul rebukes the high priest for having him smitten on the mouth contrary to the Law. Paul uses strong language, "Thou whited wall" (v. 3).
kjv@Acts:23:4-5 — Paul obviously had eye trouble since he did not recognize the high priest. He would have shown proper respect for him had he done so.
kjv@Acts:23:6-10 — The Sanhedrin was divided between Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees were fundamental in doctrine. They believed in the integrity of the Old Testament. The Sadducees were liberal and rejected the supernatural. Paul, knowing this, makes it clear that the real issue is concerning the resurrection of the dead. Notice that this causes a division in the council that leads to confusion and turmoil. The chief captain rescues Paul again without learning the real nature of the hatred against Paul.
kjv@Acts:23:11 — The Lord appears to Paul at night to encourage him. This verse indicates that Paul is not out of the will of God in coming to Jerusalem.
kjv@Acts:23:12-15 — A plot of more than 40 fanatics vow not to eat or drink until they have killed Paul.
kjv@Acts:23:16 — The plot is discovered by a nephew of Paul who reveals it to him.
kjv@Acts:23:17-35 — Paul makes it known to the chief captain who determines now to send Paul under guard, secretly, to Cæsarea where he is to appear before Felix the governor.
kjv@Acts:24 — Paul testifies before Felix. The high priest, Ananias, and the elders come down from Jerusalem to accuse Paul before Felix. Paul is accused of sedition, rebellion, and profaning the temple.
kjv@Acts:24:10-21 — Paul offers an explanation of his conduct and states that the way he worships God centers about the resurrection.
kjv@Acts:24:22-23 — Felix asks for more evidence before he makes a judgment.
kjv@Acts:24:24-26 — Felix has Paul in for a private audience with him and his wife Drusilla, a Jewess. Paul witnesses to them concerning Christ. Paul reasons of (1) righteousness — of Christ kjv@Philippians:3:9) (2) temperance (self-control) (3) judgment to come (great white throne — kjv@Revelation:20:11-15) Felix is convicted, but he expects a bribe that is not forthcoming ( kjv@Acts:24:26).
kjv@Acts:24:27 — Paul is kept in prison for 2 years without any further hearing.
kjv@Acts:25 — Festus succeeds Felix and Paul appears before Festus.
kjv@Acts:25:1-3 — When Festus goes to Jerusalem, the high priest renews his charges against Paul and asks that he be brought to Jerusalem for trial.
kjv@Acts:25:4-9 — Festus refuses this request but agrees to examine him in Cæsarea. Many false charges are made against Paul, which he denies.
kjv@Acts:25:10-12 — Paul, as a Roman citizen, exercises his right and appeals to Caesar. This, Festus is forced to grant.
kjv@Acts:25:13-22 — King Agrippa and Bernice come to visit Festus. Festus tells them of Paul's case and that he has appealed to Caesar. Agrippa asks to hear Paul and a meeting is scheduled.
kjv@Acts:25:23-27 — A hearing with great pomp and ceremony is arranged. The setting is dramatic. Paul in chains appears before this august company of rulers and kings. Festus requests Agrippa to help him frame a charge against Paul to send to Caesar.
kjv@Acts:26 — Paul's testimony before Agrippa is not a defense of himself, but a declaration of the gospel with the evident purpose of winning Agrippa and the others present to Christ. This is a dramatic scene, and this chapter is one of the greatest literary pieces either secular or inspired.
kjv@Acts:26:1-3 — Paul's introduction flatters Agrippa and engages his attention.
kjv@Acts:26:4-7 — Paul reviews his life as a Jew under Law.
kjv@Acts:26:8 — Paul appeals to Agrippa personally.
kjv@Acts:26:9-11 — Paul reviews his life as a Pharisee who persecuted the church.
kjv@Acts:26:12-23 — Paul reviews his experience on the Damascus road, his encounter with Christ, and his response to the call of Christ. Paul declares the gospel clearly to the royal audience ( kjv@Acts:26:23).
kjv@Acts:26:24 — The reaction of Festus — Paul is insane.
kjv@Acts:26:25 — Note Paul's gentle answer to Festus. (Who was mad — Paul or Festus?)
kjv@Acts:26:26-27 — Paul attempts to win Agrippa to Christ.
kjv@Acts:26:28 — Agrippa is almost persuaded. This is the closest to conversion that any member of the house of Herod came.
kjv@Acts:26:29 — Paul gives an invitation to the assembled crowd there to turn to Christ.
kjv@Acts:26:30-32 — Paul was cleared of all charges and could have been freed if he had not appealed to Caesar. He had not made a single convert as far as we know, but he had been faithful — which is all Christ requires.
kjv@Acts:27 — Paul's prosperous journey to Rome kjv@Romans:1:10).
kjv@Acts:27:1-6 — Paul is sent by ship with other prisoners to Myra of Lycia. There they board a ship going to Italy.
kjv@Acts:27:7-9 — The journey is very slow.
kjv@Acts:27:10-13 — Paul warns of coming danger, but the centurion in charge of the prisoners listens to the master of the ship.
kjv@Acts:27:14-44 — The ship encounters a severe storm that leads to the wrecking of the ship but no loss of life. The crew, passengers, and prisoners all escape to the Island of Melita (Malta).
kjv@Acts:28 — From Melita to Rome. Paul arrives in Rome and ministers first to Jews and then to Gentiles. The narrative is not concluded but breaks off with Paul preaching in Rome. The Acts of the Holy Spirit have not been finished even in our day. The Book of Acts will end with the Rapture.
kjv@Acts:28:1-6 — Paul is bitten by a viper on the Island of Malta. Obviously he could not see the poisonous snake, as he did not deliberately pick it up.
kjv@Acts:28:7-10 — Paul has a ministry on the island in healing the father of a prominent man by the name of Publius.
kjv@Acts:28:11-16 — Paul goes to Rome.
kjv@Acts:28:17-24 — Paul is visited by many Jews and preaches to them. Some believe.
kjv@Acts:28:25-31 — Paul turns from the Jews when controversy arises and preaches to the Gentiles the kingdom of God. The record is not concluded, for the Holy Spirit continues to work today. There are still Acts of the Holy Spirit. They will be concluded at the coming of Christ for His church.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS: Alexander, J. A. The Acts of the Apostles. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1875. Conybeare, W. J. and Howson, J. S. The Life and Epistles of St. Paul. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1855. (A classic work.) Eims, Leroy. Disciples in Action. Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1981 Frank, Harry Thomas, editor. Hammond's Atlas of the Bible Lands. Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, 1977. (Inexpensive atlas with splendid maps.) Gaebelein, Arno C. The Acts of the Apostles. Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1912. (A fine interpretation.) Heading, John. Acts: A Study in New Testament Christianity. Kansas City, Kansas: Walterick Publishers, n.d. Hiebert, D. Edmond. Personalities Around Paul. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1973. (Rich studies of people in contact with the Apostle Paul.) Ironside, H. A. Lectures on the Book of Acts. Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1943. (Especially good for young Christians.) Jensen, Irving L. Acts: An Inductive Study. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1968. Kelly, William. An Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles. Addison, Illinois: Bible Truth Publishers, 1890. Kent, Homer A., Jr. Jerusalem to Rome: Studies in the Book of Acts. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1974. (A splendid work for individual or group study.) Morgan, G. Campbell. The Acts of the Apostles. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1924. Rackham, R. B. The Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1901. (A detailed study.) Robertson, A. T. Epochs in the Life of Paul. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1909. Ryrie, Charles D. The Acts of the Apostles. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1961. (A fine, inexpensive survey.) Scroggie, W. Graham. The Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, n.d. (Splendid outlines.) Thomas, W. H. Griffith. Outline Studies in the Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1956. Vaughan, Curtis. Acts. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1974. Vos, Howard F. Beginnings in Bible Archaeology. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1973.
SAMPLE SUMMARY FOR EACH CHAPTER (for your personal study)
1. Theme of chapter —
2. Most important verse —
3. Most prominent word —
4. Teaching about Christ —
5. Command to obey —
6. Promise to claim —
7. New truth learned —
These notes, prepared by J. Vernon McGee, are for the purpose of giving assistance to the listeners of the THRU THE BIBLE RADIO program. They are to be used with the Bible and will be more meaningful as you look up all the Scripture references. Due to the necessary brevity of both notes and broadcasts, a list of recommended books is included for those wanting a more detailed study. These books may be obtained from a Christian library or bookstore or ordered from the publishers.
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