Philippians 3:4b-6

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

From Background Notes [BN] for March 1st & 2nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The Jesus movement was perceived as such a threat.

Paul, along with his peers, would have know what Jesus taught and did, and how tax collectors, harlots, and “other sinners” sat at his table. Good Pharisees in Paul’s tradition could not tolerate such contamination of “pure Judaism.” And when the deacon, Stephen, offered his sermon (recorded in Acts 7), Paul could not have missed the fact that Stephen was a proselyte to Judaism who had turned to the Jesus movement. “That’s what happens,” Paul no doubt thought, “when you make compromises with paganism. You end up with people like Stephen who go even farther in their hob-knobbing with these Nazarenes.”  [BN,8]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am