Jeremiah, The Weeping Prophet

 
Jeremiah - by Michelangelo - The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), 

distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202., Public Domain

Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it. (Jeremiah 5:1 KJV)

Five chapters in, out of 52 - not really ten percent, and I can understand from this one verse why Jeremiah was called The Weeping Prophet. He had a message from God to the people of his nation - a previously divided nation that broke into two separate pieces. He knew the truth of God as well as the stubborness of his countrymen. The Lord knew it, too, and mentioned it to Moses:

And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: (Exodus 32:9 KJV)

Eleven uses later in the Bible, we again read "stiffnecked" when Stephen faces those who will not listen:

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. (Acts 7:51 KJV)

May I explain that stiffneckness is not confined to any single segment of humanity? At any given time, that could be applied to me. But Jeremiah wrote God's words, not his own when he used the term:

But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. (Jeremiah 17:23 KJV)

We do not listen, we do not hear, we do not read what prophets have told us. Peter mentioned this:

For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. (Acts 3:22-23 KJV)

Humans are no different today from many of the people who faced Moses, Jeremiah, Stephen, and Peter, not only ignoring their message, but never anticipating consequences. 

This past week I visited with a Pastor I met over two decades ago as a new Youth Minister. This time we both lamented over another young man (Dubgee) who followed a possible path of growth sharing God's message. Then, it was if Paul's experience was repeated:

For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, (2 Timothy 4:10a KJV)

Even while serving congregations, Dubgee loved this present world, and it's attention. In many ways, most of us do, giving in to touches of attention, a bit of envy, a desire for something "different" that we can't find the right words to explain. Leaving his Pastoral obligations, this present world offered positions where people paid attention, gave accolades, and a moneyed future was presented as possible. 

Paul doesn't describe Demas' present world, but leaving God's work does present problems -  and a descent that can be described in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Dubgee ignored what he earlier gave as sermons to a congregation. Today, in his present world, he no longer has steady employment, a home of his own, his wife, nor his children. Consequenses for moving from a relationship with Jesus as savior was described by Peter as:

For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. (Acts 8:23 KJV)

Pray for those who, as people did millenia ago and still do today, ignore God's instructions and the consequences for doing so. Listen to the men sent to share God's instructive love that can keep us on the narrow way to the strait gate. The way may seem winding and slow to us, but the consequences of remaining faith filled are God's promises of eternal life in an eternal home. Otherwise, He will not force anyone to keep them from their consequences - eternal separation from Himself and His love.

The choice is available every day of life. As Jeremiah and Jesus did, we weep and lament:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37 KJV)

The Holiest Day for Christians

 

Christ Crucified, by Michelangelo

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew during Passover's Last Supper who would betray Him, and what would happen during the following day for Him and the man who betrayed Him. He knew the shame coming, the pain, the total desolation, the feeling of abandonment. He also knew what was to come after the cross. He knew about Sunday morning, and endured knowing the joy that was to be His:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 KJV)

Which for me, remembering the resurrection, makes Easter the most Holy day in Christiandom. Christmas began the physical life of the man who would spend thirty-three years here, the crucifixion was as He said, the finish, but the resurrection was the proof Jesus' own words:

I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (Matthew 22:32 KJV)

There are too many people that do not see the resurrection as reality - they believe the stories of Jesus' death are valid, but not the facts displayed by the disciples over the next forty days:

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (Acts 1:1-3 KJV)

Faith in Jesus' life is necessary for living with Him after ours here:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)

A blood sacrifice had been necessary from the earliest biblical writings, and a blood sacrifice was completed:

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:8 KJV)

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Mattthew 26:28)

And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. (Mark 14:24)

Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:20)

Now that we know the sequence of events, and we've studied the Bible, commentaries, postings such as this, we all have made a decision. As a teen I publicly told a congregation that I believe the Bible's history of Judiasm and Christianity. I know of the Law, and the fulfillment of the Law in Christ. Most people do - a large number of those have neglected to give their views on salvation. Yet the Spirit inspired a better question that I can:

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; 

which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and 

was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 

God also bearing them witness, 

both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? (Hebrews 2:3-4 KJV)

Yes - all of the above scriptures were taken from different books of the Bible. Dear Reader, you cannot know whether they were taken out of context, or that they fit across chapters and books to tell a wonderous story, until you learn more and more about God, the inspiration for all the scriptures.

From Genesis through Revelation, the Bible has a single theme - God exists and has a plan for mankind that is eternal. Come, read, question, learn, and do not escape by neglecting so great salvation.

It is part of the Good News, the gospel that Jesus preached:

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23 KJV)

The Greek word translated as "gospel" by Strong's is G2098:

εὐαγγέλιον

euaggelion (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on)

From the same as G2097; a good message, that is, the gospel: - gospel.

 G2097 is:

εὐαγγελίζω
euaggelizō (yoo-ang-ghel-id'-zo)
From G2095 and G32; to announce good news (“evangelize”) especially the gospel: - declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel).

I'll leave it up to you to look further into G2095 and G32. However, I caution those who disparage evangelism or evangelists. Jesus was one sharing the good news, just as the angels at His birth and at the empty tomb following the resurrection. Basically, it's what I do here, too - sharing the news that Jesus is Christ, the Messiah for whom Jews awaited through Old Testament prophecies, confirmed when in the Synagogue Jesus said:

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. (Luke 4:17-21 KJV)

Angels, Biblically

 

Govert Flinck, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

I've read Dale Evans' book, Angel Unaware, and know that the title refers to:

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2 KJV)

I've also heard of people who believe that in a particular circumstance, they have been assisted by an angel, rather than a kind-hearted human. Though I have not experienced (or not noticed), I do believe that miracle can happen.

A completely different book was Tosca Lee's Demon: A Memoir. A non-Christian one-star reviewer wrote: "It preaches at some points about Man's nature and the urgent need for acceptance of Christ." While a five-star reviewer included: "Mind you she doesn't take away anything from the Bible, but merely increases the reader's knowledge about why there is such a hatred from demons towards human beings in general."

This is not a recommendation for either book, it's just as background about a human interest in angels. The Bible is full of angels - 297 references in KJV, from Genesis 16:7 through Revelation 1:20. The verse that got me thinking about angels in general is from Peter's first letter speaking of Old Testament prophets:

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:9-12 KJV)

The bold words were similar to the plot of Tosca Lee's book, from the viewpoint of a fallen angel, which is a total spoiler (or maybe an enticer if it makes you wonder.) Either way, humans have been interested in angels, but Peter tells us that God's salvation plan are things the angels long to see. 

Which is why I selected angels giving the good news to shepherds as today's graphic. We certainly do not know what God knows - obviously, though angels know Him, they don't comprehend His mind any more than we do. Yet they knew the birth that would change the world:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:8-11 KJV)

Angels ministered unto Jesus twice - after the temptation, and before His crucifixion:

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. (Matthew 4:11 KJV)

And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. (Luke 22:43 KJV)

Even Satan knew that Jesus could call upon legions of angels to protect His earthly body:

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. (Matthew 4:6 KJV)

We serve the living God, who has given us more than He did the angels, in that we have the opportunity to turn our backs on Him and say an emphatic "No!" to the opportunity He offers to be with Him eternally. God has also shown us what it is like to live without Him, eternally, leaving the choice to each one of us:

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:3 KJV)

Yes - Christians do what the reviewer wrote - we Christians constantly tell people "about Man's nature and the urgent need for acceptance of Christ." We also pray for those we love to understand this choice is the most important one of their lives. It is an eternal choice. To not choose God is a choice in itself, and will last through eternity. We will pray until they are no longer here, or we have gone home, as He promised:

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:3-6 KJV)

Are Christians A Light Upon A Hill?

 

Photograph by Fred Lacey, original art by Vandyke, engraving rendition by J. G. Kellogg, 

an R. Andrews print., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

John Winthrop was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He sailed from England on the ship Arbella in 1630, and on the ship wrote a sermon that has been copied, studied, mentioned, discussed, and generally taken apart for the essence of its meaning. Titled A Model of Christian Charity, it is just as interesting today as it has been for centuries. And, in my opinion, it could be used today because of the oft repeated phrase, "city upon a hill":

"For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned to curses upn us till we be consumed out of the good and whither we are going."

The reference comes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, just following the Beatitudes:

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16 KJV)

I know a large number of Christians today, not only near me, but scattered across the world, who are concerned about sharing the gospel to their local area, others to another state, still others answering Jesus' call to go unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8f) That was said to the Apostles, those who followed Christ before and after His resurrection. There was no "New Testament" written, just the words of Christ:

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:27-28 KJV)

Jesus, by His words, example, and miracles, was the new testament. The authors of the books in the Bible called New Testament were ones who heard His words, learned to follow His examples, and in many cases - through the Holy Spirit - worked miracles in His name, giving God all the glory.

We as Christians have read about that. We've studied the Old Testament and see the prophecies of Jesus' birth and death. Personal experiences of men who lived through those fulfillments wrote the New Testament. Each Testament is incomplete without the other.

Also as Christians, we should have the same concerns John Winthrop had as he lead a colony of Christians to an opportunity not given many. Not all the people, nor all the ships, were Christians looking to live their lives as examples of Christ's teachings. Those teachings were to be the light to shine before men, giving them a path to the light of this world, and the next:

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12 KJV)

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5 KJV)

Although He spent time with His followers after the resurrections, there is no doubt He ascended and is at the right hand of God's throne. Stephen saw that very scene as he was joining them. That means Christians now are are the light of the world, as Jesus said  in Matthew's verses above. So, I leave you with the question I asked myself. Am I a light upon a hill? Do I share Jesus as I was told to do?

And my answer is truthful - not as much as I should.

PS: "A Model of Christian Charity" remains a very good sermon. Will you remember it in 2030 when it celebrates four hundred years of being spoken of among men around the world?

 

The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci

All four Gospels in the New Testament give us a portrait of The Last Supper. We all know that it doesn't match the above painting. da Vinci gave us one of the most beautiful of scenes, including Jesus, His twelve disciples, the bread and wine, but there's no way to show the tension - nor the fact that this was only the close of day. There was much more to happen that night.

This coming Sunday, Palm Sunday, our congregation will participate in a rembrance of this event. We will think of the Gospel messages, but the word's will come from a scene described by Paul:

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, 
That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, 

Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, 

This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. (1 Corinthians 11:23-29 KJV)

The carriage returns are mine - these verses aren't displayed in this manner - in order for you to give careful thought to why this event is remembered, even celebrated. Paul encompassed what took more to write in each of the Gospels. If you'd like to read each of them:

Matthew 26:26-29

Mark 14:17-25

Luke 22:14-23

John 13:1-2

Each one is a bit different. John is the most different. He does not write of the bread and wine. He includes the washing of feet, then follows with chapters of Jesus' words to the disciples. 

Were the story to end here, or at Jesus' burial, we would not be holding a remembrance of His explanation of this wine and bread. However, the following Sunday, there is a celebration of His resurrection, thus it is important that we remember who died, and why.

This remembrance is important to Jesus' followers. It speaks of the reason for His life. For one to take it "unworthily," be very cautious. My 1968 copy of the Amplified New Testament delves into what verses 28-29 mean:

"Let a man [thoroughly] examine himself, and [only] when he has done so shouild he eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation that [it is Christ's] body, eats and drinks a sentence - a verdict of juidgment - upon himself"

While I do not believe in transubstantiation, I do believe I should have cleared my mind, my spirit, and my soul of anything that separates me from closeness to God. I must not allow discord, dissatisfaction, dislike that has been with, in, or around me distract me from full participation in remembering that Jesus died painfully. Fully a man, feeling all that we would feel were we placed in the same position, and doing it of His own free will - for me. For you. For anyone who believes He lived knowing this was coming, and never created a different ending.

As much as I love John 3:16, I also love:

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16 KJV)

That's why I remember the Lord's Supper.

Joy Unspeakable

 

I hope you've sung this hymn or at least heard it. It is joyful - and the repeated phrase is biblical: 

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (1 Peter 1:8 KJV)

1 I have found His grace is all complete;
He supplieth every need.
While I sit and learn at Jesus’ feet,
I am free, yes, free indeed.
Refrain:
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Full of glory, full of glory.
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory;
O the half has never yet been told!
2 I have found the pleasure I once craved;
It is joy and peace within.
What a wondrous blessing! I am saved
From the awful gulf of sin. [Refrain]
3 I have found that hope so bright and clear,
Living in the realm of grace.
O the Savior’s presence is so near;
I can see His smiling face. [Refrain]
4 I have found the joy no tongue can tell,
How its waves of glory roll!
It is like a great o’erflowing well,
Springing up within my soul. [Refrain]
Source: The Celebration Hymnal: songs and hymns for worship #740

This immersion into joyfulness is what keeps us witnessing as Jesus' last request from Matthew 28:18-20.

In the King James Version of the Bible, joy (or a form of that word) is used  129 times in the Old Testament, and 65 times just in the New Testament. Among my favorites there are:

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (3 John 1:4 KJV)

Even beyond my own firm foundation of Jesus in my life, it's not as joyous as knowing that my children have made the same choice to give their lives to God and share Him witih others. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (Galatians 5:22 KJV)

Joy is only second to love in the fruit of the Spirit list!

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. (Matthew 2:10 KJV)

After the Magi realized their mistake in seeking the newborn in Jerusalem, they started a journey to the unknown:

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (Luke 2:10 KJV)

That us, all those who lived before us, all those here with us, and all those who will be here from now to Jesus' return. We've all been given joy.

There are sixty-two more uses of the word "joy joyous or joyful"

Now I do one small bit of advertisement. As you know, I never have monetized this site. However, I will not hesitate to introduce you to my cousin, Dawn Holley, an accomplished lady who added a book to her list of successes. It, too, is all about joy - mostly in her life, along with how to achieve it. You can find it on Amazon - in paperback and Kindle:  22 Keys to Joy: for the easily distracted.

Take time to enjoy the joy filled times in your life, and remember to give God the glory when you thank Him for them. They are a blessing, aren't they?

For Those Who Deny Christ

Davezelenka, Peter Denies Christ, CC BY-SA 4.0

Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. (Matthew 26:34)
And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. (Mark14:30)
And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. (Luke 22:34)
Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. (John 13:38)

We often find the four gospels omit something found in two or three of the others. Sometimes the timeline appears differently. But this particular incident, as many others, is found in all four gospels - from the action that begins during the Last Supper through Jesus' trial. In this one incident, we prophecy spoken and just hours later fulfilled.

Peter did as so many people have done, denied knowing Jesus as Christ, even denied being a follower.

People still do that today. I won't go into their denials, no doubt those reading here have heard or read of multiple people saying God doesn't exist, the Bible is a collection of Jewish myths, and when they die, there is nothing afterward. Peter denied Christ out of fear. Others have denied Christ out of ignorance. However, a number deny Him out of rebellion.

Doesn't matter what their reason is, our job is to give them every opportunity to change their mind as we witness, as I wrote two blogs ago: Witnessing - Telling What We Believe and Why. I won't repeat all of that here. However, to have the faith that saves ...

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

... it is necessary to believe:

God exists

The Bible was inspired by God, though written by men over millennia

There is a consistent them of prophecy in the Bible

Jesus' life and death were part of God's plan

Jesus was the physical son of God as well as the Spirit of God

There is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved

Rejection of God and His salvation means separation from Him for eternity

That takes a lot of faith, doesn't it. But the Bible tells us we are to tell people all the time, everywhere:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20 KJV)

It may not be in God's will that we physically go, but we are all to teach, and take part in the process:\

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:8-17 KJV)

Peter repented of his denial. He spent the rest of his life telling people about Jesus. Paul went beyond denial to making "havock the church,"  while "breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord," getting permission from Jewish authority to "bring them bound unto Jerusalem." Paul also repented of his denial, and also spent the rest of his life telling people about Jesus.

Christians - we have marvelous examples of witnessing and witnesses. Non-Christians - will you hear us? Simply because we love you enough we want to know now that you have the opportunity to spend eternity with God and His promises.