Tag: poreuomai

Romans 15:24 – A Friendly Visit

Posted on by Will

whenever I might journey to Spain, I will come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while.

Truth to Learn

Paul wanted to visit the Roman Christians on his way to Spain.

 

Behind the Words

The first occurrence of “journey” in this verse is translated from poreuomai, which is based on the noun poros, meaning “a passage way.” Thus, poreuomai means “to travel from one place to another.”

“See” is from theaomai, which means “to view attentively.” Metaphorically, it refers to a personal visit.

The second occurrence of “journey” in this verse is translated from diaporeuomai, which is made up of dia, meaning “through” and poreuomai, meaning “to travel from one place to another.” Therefore, diaporeuomai means “to travel through.”

“Helped on my way” is translated from propempō, which is made up of pro, meaning “before” and pempō, meaning “to send.” Paul expected the Roman Christians to provide him additional resources for his trip from Rome to Spain.

 

Meaning Explained

As we mentioned in the previous verse, Paul’s plan was to head into Spain after his return from Jerusalem. This was in keeping with the commission that God had given Paul to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ where people had never heard the name of Christ.

It is interesting to note that Paul’s intent was not to stay in Rome. In fact, even though he loved the saints there and wanted to fellowship with them, he was only intending to visit them during his travel through Rome as part of his greater calling. Note that he says “For I hope to see [visit] you on my travel through.” We know, however, that God had different plans for Paul. Instead of visiting Rome on his way to Spain, he was taken to Rome in order to stand trial before Caesar. This Caesar before whom he was to stand was Nero, a Christian hater who would later blame the huge fire which destroyed much of Rome on the Christians. There is some evidence that Nero actually started the fire himself so that he could build a larger palace for himself.

Once again, let us look to Paul as an example of singleness of purpose in serving God. As much as Paul wanted to go to Rome and spend time with the Christians there, he would not do so except as a necessary stop on his way to fulfilling his call. We can also look to this as an example of God’s plan often satisfying the desires that we have. I am reminded of one of the promises in Psalms:

Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4)

There is a two-fold promise contained within this verse. If we make God our delight, that is if we seek him as a source of delight in everything that we do, then He will give us the right kind of desires to have. Not only that, but He will satisfy those very desires which He has put in our hearts.

 

Application

Where are your desires today? Are they focused on God, or are they focused on yourself or on the world? Is your delight in God or things?

That’s something to think about!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Matthew 2:9 – Diligently Seek Him

Posted on by Will

And having heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they saw in the East went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was.

Truth to Learn

Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. (1Chronicles 16:10)

 

Behind the Words

The words “having heard” are from akouō, which literally means “to hear” or “to listen to.” It is expressed here as an aorist participle, so it literally means “having heard.”

“Departed” is from the verb poreuomai, which means “to go from one place to another.”

Idou is the Greek word translated “behold.” It is an imperative (command) form of  horaō, which means “to stare at.” In today’s English, we might say, “Look!”

The words “went before” are from proagō, which is made up of pro, meaning “before” or “forth” and agō, meaning “to lead” or “to go.” Thus proagō means “to lead forth” or “to go before.” It is expressed here in the imperfect tense, indicating continuous action in the past. It could be translated as “it began leading them” or “it was going before them.”

The words “stood over” are translated from the Greek words estathē epanō. Estathē is a form of the verb histēmi, which means “to stand” and epanō means “above” or “over.”

“Child” is translated from the Greek noun paidion, which is derived from pais, meaning “a child.” It denotes a baby, but it is different from the word used in Luke 2:16, where he referred to a brephos, meaning “a new born child.”

 

Meaning Explained

In this quest for the true King, we find three types of people in this narrative who represent unsaved people even today. If you read verses four through nine, you find Herod, who was opposed to the new born King, the chief priests and the scribes (the “religious” people) who ignored the new born King, and the magi who were zealously seeking the new born King in order to worship Him.

Once the magi knew where to find the King, they immediately set out to find Him. They had left the comforts of their homes and set out on a quest for the true King. God had already spoken to them through scripture (prophesy) and the diligence of their own profession about how to find the King. Upon leaving Herod, they were once again guided by the star, which implies that it was evening or even night when they left Herod.

There has been a lot of speculation as to the nature of the star the magi followed. Some claim it was a comet, while others claim that it was a supernova (a star exploding) or even a conjunction of several planets lining up in the sky. However, none of these fully explain how they could have been guided to a specific spot within the town of Bethlehem. We don’t need a full scientific explanation of what occurred that night. We simply need to believe what the Bible tells us (and not worry about what it doesn’t tell us). What we do know is that God somehow provided just the guidance these seekers needed in order to find the true King.

The same applies today for those who are whole-heartedly searching for the truth. For unsaved people who are searching for truth, God will miraculously guide them to just the right place or person that they need in order to meet our Savior. And — for Christians who are honestly seeking a closer walk with God, He is ever faithful and always available.

 

Application

Many Christians who have been saved for years have forgotten how exciting it is to have a personal relationship with God. Others are hungry for that close fellowship and walk with God on a daily basis and are diligently seeking Him. So, let me ask you, my friend; Are you like Herod, trying to disprove the truth and destroy faith that others have in Christ, or – are you like the chief priests and scribes, simply ignoring the messages that God is sending you, or – are you like the Magi, diligently seeking Him, eager for a closer walk with your Savior, your God?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Matthew 2:9 – Diligently Seek Him

Posted on by Will

And having heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they saw in the East went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was.

Truth to Learn

Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. (1Chronicles 16:10)

 

Behind the Words

The words “having heard” are from akouō, which literally means “to hear” or “to listen to.” It is expressed here as an aorist participle, so it literally means “having heard.”

“Departed” is from the verb poreuomai, which means “to go from one place to another.”

Idou is the Greek word translated “behold.” It is an imperative (command) form of  horaō, which means “to stare at.” In today’s English, we might say, “Look!”

The words “went before” are from proagō, which is made up of pro, meaning “before” or “forth” and agō, meaning “to lead” or “to go.” Thus proagō means “to lead forth” or “to go before.” It is expressed here in the imperfect tense, indicating continuous action in the past. It could be translated as “it began leading them” or “it was going before them.”

The words “stood over” are translated from the Greek words estathē epanō. Estathē is a form of the verb histēmi, which means “to stand” and epanō means “above” or “over.”

“Child” is translated from the Greek noun paidion, which is derived from pais, meaning “a child.” It denotes a baby, but it is different from the word used in Luke 2:16, where he referred to a brephos, meaning “a new born child.”

 

Meaning Explained

In this quest for the true King, we find three types of people in this narrative who represent unsaved people even today. If you read verses four through nine, you find Herod, who was opposed to the new born King, the chief priests and the scribes (the “religious” people) who ignored the new born King, and the magi who were zealously seeking the new born King in order to worship Him.

Once the magi knew where to find the King, they immediately set out to find Him. They had left the comforts of their homes and set out on a quest for the true King. God had already spoken to them through scripture (prophesy) and the diligence of their own profession about how to find the King. Upon leaving Herod, they were once again guided by the star, which implies that it was evening or even night when they left Herod.

There has been a lot of speculation as to the nature of the star the magi followed. Some claim it was a comet, while others claim that it was a supernova (a star exploding) or even a conjunction of several planets lining up in the sky. However, none of these fully explain how they could have been guided to a specific spot within the town of Bethlehem. We don’t need a full scientific explanation of what occurred that night. We simply need to believe what the Bible tells us (and not worry about what it doesn’t tell us). What we do know is that God somehow provided just the guidance these seekers needed in order to find the true King.

The same applies today for those who are whole-heartedly searching for the truth. For unsaved people who are searching for truth, God will miraculously guide them to just the right place or person that they need in order to meet our Savior. And — for Christians who are honestly seeking a closer walk with God, He is ever faithful and always available.

 

Application

Many Christians who have been saved for years have forgotten how exciting it is to have a personal relationship with God. Others are hungry for that close fellowship and walk with God on a daily basis and are diligently seeking Him. So, let me ask you, my friend; Are you like Herod, trying to disprove the truth and destroy faith that others have in Christ, or – are you like the chief priests and scribes, simply ignoring the messages that God is sending you, or – are you like the Magi, diligently seeking Him, eager for a closer walk with your Savior, your God?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 15:24 – A Friendly Visit

Posted on by Will

Romans 15:24 – A Friendly Visit

whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while.

Truth to Learn

Paul wanted to visit the Roman Christians on his way to Spain.

Behind the Words

The first occurrence of “journey” in this verse is translated from poreuomai, which is based on the noun poros, meaning “a passage way.” Thus, poreuomai means “to travel from one place to another.”

“See” is from theaomai, which means “to view attentively.” Metaphorically, it refers to a personal visit.

The second occurrence of “journey” in this verse is translated from diaporeuomai, which is made up of dia, meaning “through” and poreuomai, meaning “to travel from one place to another.” Therefore, diaporeuomai means “to travel through.”

“Helped on my way” is translated from propempō, which is made up of pro, meaning “before” and pempō, meaning “to send.” Paul expected the Roman Christians to provide him additional resources for his trip from Rome to Spain.

Meaning Explained

As we mentioned in the previous verse, Paul’s plan was to head into Spain after his return from Jerusalem. This was in keeping with the commission that God had given Paul to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ where people had never heard the name of Christ.

It is interesting to note that Paul’s intent was not to stay in Rome. In fact, even though he loved the saints there and wanted to fellowship with them, he was only intending to visit them during his travel through Rome as part of his greater calling. Note that he says “For I hope to see [visit] you on my travel through.” We know, however, that God had different plans for Paul. Instead of visiting Rome on his way to Spain, he was taken to Rome in order to stand trial before Caesar. This Caesar before whom he was to stand was Nero, a Christian hater who would later blame the huge fire which destroyed much of Rome on the Christians. There is some evidence that Nero actually started the fire himself so that he could build a larger palace for himself.

Once again, let us look to Paul as an example of singleness of purpose in serving God. As much as Paul wanted to go to Rome and spend time with the Christians there, he would not do so except as a necessary stop on his way to fulfilling his call. We can also look to this as an example of God’s plan often satisfying the desires that we have. I am reminded of one of the promises in Psalms:

Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4)

There is a two-fold promise contained within this verse. If we make God our delight, that is if we seek him as a source of delight in everything that we do, then He will give us the right kind of desires to have. Not only that, but He will satisfy those very desires which He has put in our hearts.

Application

Where are your desires today? Are they focused on God, or are they focused on the world? Is your delight in God or things?

That’s something to think about!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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