Paul Begins His First Missionary Trip – 2-28-22

“Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: ‘Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you.’” Acts 13:40-41 NKJV

We join Paul, with a few friends, on the beginning of their missionary trip. And funny enough it is from Antioch to Antioch – to different cities with the same name. We find a few life lesson for ourselves as well along the way. The most important lesson is to beware – God is doing a work in our days and be open to believe, because I have declared it to you.

RELATIONSHIP:

Do you already have a relationship with a powerful God who cares about your every need because He loves you? Did you know my God can communicate with you and protect you – He has a plan for you to prosper if you just submit to His will and let His plan play out in your life!!! God wants a relationship with you and has already made a plan for your life. He loves you so much He sent His son to this world, to die as a sacrifice for your sins and rise from death with victory over sin and the ability to have a personal relationship with you.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 NIV
Here is a prayer for you to pray:
Jesus, I believe you are the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to the Father. I believe you are the son of God, you came to Earth and lived. That you died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins, and rose again so that I may be saved from my sins and be able to get to know you. I declare: Jesus, you are Lord!
Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me through a real personal relationship grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus I pray ~ Amen

BIBLE READING:

Dear Heavenly Father – Please give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of who you are, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit is. Open the eyes of our understanding, please, so we may know the hope of our calling and the vast sovereignty and power of the grace of the cross. Please do not let us miss out on what you want and need from us today. Lord, I pray that your word prepares us and not scares us! We forbid the works and influences of fear over your word and our sound mind. And please keep us and bless us and shine your face upon us and pour out grace over us and give us peace! Thank you! – In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Today’s reading is the Book of Acts chapter 13 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Paul and Barnabas Are Sent to the Gentiles

13 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ²As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

Preaching in Cyprus

⁴So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.

⁶Now when they had gone through ^[^a^]the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) ^[^b^]withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? ¹¹And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”

And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹²Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

At Antioch in Pisidia

¹³Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. ¹⁵And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have any word of ^[^c^]exhortation for the people, say on.”

¹⁶Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷The God of this people ^[^d^]Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with ^[^e^]an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. ¹⁸Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. ¹⁹And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.

²⁰“After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. ²¹And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²²And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ ²³From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a^[^f^] Savior—Jesus— ²⁴after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

²⁶“Men and brethren, sons of the ^[^g^]family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the ^[^h^]word of this salvation has been sent. ²⁷For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. ²⁸And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. ²⁹Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰But God raised Him from the dead. ³¹He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. ³²And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. ³³God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:

‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.’

³⁴And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to ^[ⁱ^]corruption, He has spoken thus:

‘I will give you the sure ^[^j^]mercies of David.’

³⁵Therefore He also says in another Psalm:

‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’

³⁶“For David, after he had served ^[^k^]his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and ^[^l^]saw corruption; ³⁷but He whom God raised up ^[^m^]saw no corruption. ³⁸Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; ³⁹and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:

⁴¹‘Behold, you despisers,
Marvel and perish!
For I work a work in your days,
A work which you will by no means believe,
Though one were to declare it to you.’ ”

Blessing and Conflict at Antioch

⁴²^[ⁿ^]So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. ⁴³Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

⁴⁴On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. ⁴⁵But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. ⁴⁶Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷For so the Lord has commanded us:

‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,
That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

⁴⁸Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

⁴⁹And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. ⁵⁰But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. ⁵¹But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. ⁵²And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Footnotes

Acts 13:6 NU the whole island
Acts 13:8 opposed
Acts 13:15 encouragement
Acts 13:17 M omits Israel
Acts 13:17 Mighty power
Acts 13:23 M salvation, after
Acts 13:26 stock
Acts 13:26 message
Acts 13:34 the state of decay
Acts 13:34 blessings
Acts 13:36 in his
Acts 13:36 underwent decay
Acts 13:37 underwent no decay
Acts 13:42 Or And when they went out of the synagogue of the Jews; NU And when they went out, they begged

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

Today is the last day; how did you do with memorizing this month?
Matthew 5:16– “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

STUDY/DEVOTIONAL:

On Friday we ended with some confusion about if Paul and Barnabas were in Jerusalem or in Antioch. And I was always taught and stated why I believed they were in Jerusalem. Then as we begin today, it most definitely seems logical that they were in Antioch and not Jerusalem, especial as they describe the journey Paul, Barnabas and John took. So this weekend I did some digging and read various scholarly reviews of the topic and I think both sides have strong scriptural proof that they started here in two different places.
I man tried to tie it in a neat and clean bow by saying that Paul and Barnabas came from Antioch to deliver an update, then they returned with John and that is where we pick up today’s reading in Antioch after they returned. This argument also states that was why the translation changed the word to “from” when translating in chapter 12, verse 25 (from Friday’s discussion).
Another said the opening passage today happened in Antioch and Paul and Barnabas’s first stop was Jerusalem. (and then they backtracked and headed out?)
And another said they came to Jerusalem to give and update and took with them all the leaders of their church as named in today’s opening verses. So that they were fasting and praying in Jerusalem (but from Antioch) and they prayed and send out Paul and Barnabas. Then they all walked together back to Antioch and Paul, Barnabas and John continued on.

But it is speculation. Does it matter? I suppose it doesn’t. But you all know me, I want to know the truth and present it to you flawlessly. Unfortunately, I only know in part (like 1 Corinthians 13 says) until I get to heaven. I am flawed and will make errors. So you too must study the word, so make sure. No matter who it preaching, teaching, or talking about the word of God – study to show yourself approved. Read different scholarly studies as well, to get different perspectives.

I did try to find a royalty free map of where they went to share with you all, to no avail – This is officially called Paul’s First Missionary Journey if you want to look it up yourself. (Also note: in all versions of this map, we see Paul leaving from Antioch.)

Let’s stop and talk about the false prophet / sorcerer. You see the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, was hungry to learn more about Jesus. Just like you and I are, we know some and we search to learn more. Just like a plant ready for harvest, as are many we speak to and witness to daily. And I have seen a pattern, that many times, when we have someone hungry for more there is someone closely nearby being influenced by the spirit of this sorcerer. They try to keep the hungry one from learning more. They try to twist what the hungry one heard, so they become deceived and the Word loses its power. Sergius Paulus is described as an intelligent man – so do not think you are too intelligent to fall for it. I have also seen people who were praying and reading daily, who fell for a charming false teacher who gave inspirational self-help messages every Sunday. I have heard some of these messages – they are great self-help messages… BUT WE CANNOT SAVE OURSELVES! We need a God to step in and intervene. We need god. So there is a church where they know they are needed and every Sunday they are encouraged and then fail all week and come back more desperate for something else to try. But they will always fail.
The point is, no matter how much knowledge of the word, no matter much you read and pray, no matter how intelligent – it is possible for you to be deceived by this spirit (this is why humility before God is critical to our daily lives).

Paul was able to see it, call it out. And the Holy Spirit led Paul to curse it with blindness. (This answer the question – yes, Christians can put curses on people. This is why we are to be SO CAREFUL with our words. Paul was doing as the Lord directed in the Spirit. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME – unless under the direct supervision and direction of God the Father. Because we will be held accountable for every word, even every one of our idle words.)

Next – Paul and the crew traveled more and when they got to Perga in Pamphylia, John turned around and went back to Jerusalem. Now, this is not John the disciple – no. This is John Mark, aka the author of the book of Mark (the first Gospel written). It is generally believed that Mark would hang around the disciples and Jesus because he had somehow become friendly with Peter. Some say he was the boy who’s lunch Jesus used to feed the 5 thousand. He was with them in the garden when Jesus was arrested – he was the child who was caught by his clothes and wiggled out of them and ran off naked. He convinced his cousin Barnabas to come join the believers in Jerusalem (the same Barnabas who is on this missions trip). And when he left them – he ended up down south in Egypt holding huge revival meeting and with great numbers being saved. And as the gospel spread from person to person, things began to not be so clear – and that was when he wrote down the Gospel, with His and Peter’s account of it.
Paul later wrote that Mark was unreliable and refused to take him on the second missionary trip, therefore it is thought that Paul and Mark had some sort of disagreement. But we shouldn’t speculate.
Paul and Barnabas continued to Antioch in Pisidia, yes, same name as where they started but instead of at the original Antioch (in modern day Syria) they are now in the middle of modern day Turkey at Pisidian Antioch.
The first thing Paul did in every city, where he stayed a while, was to go to synagogue on the Sabbath. This particular day the Rabbi was looking for a little audience participation – Paul stands up, and he just jumps in full force. No small talk or light antidote.
He starts with the Old Testament stories of Moses. We have seen this sermon pattern before, it got Peter beat, and Stephen stoned. But Paul reminds them of the words of the prophets and proves Jesus is the Messiah. And gloriously, Paul and Barnabas do not get beat or stoned and instead (verse 43) ‘many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God’.

So a week later these same ‘many’ Jews and a crowd of Gentiles, along with the Jews who rejected the message, (pretty much the whole town) came out to hear Paul speak. The Jews who rejected it got mad and started heckling – and their heckles were “contradicting and blaspheming” (verse 54).
Which leads to a pet peeve of mine. It really bothers me when someone in the audience heckles the pastor. This includes speaking over the preacher, correcting the preacher, arguing with the preacher, teasing or taunting the preacher, being out of order, and the sort. I bow my head and start praying – because if I didn’t, I would be confronting them and therefore also out of order. I quote verses about not speaking out of turn or touching the Lords anointed (in this case touching with words).
If you ever listen to people who step out of line like this, they are a distraction and used by the enemy. People who have questions end up twisting the truth so the congregation then has heard two things and the enemy is trying to push out the good seed of the Lord with the evil seed. Save your questions and send them to the pastor in an email to ask. Those who correct the preacher have pride and condemnation – no one accuses the brethren except the accuser, himself. DO NOT BE THIS PERSON! If you think a pastor has erred, make an appointment to speak with him. God put him there and God will remove him if God wants to.

One of the verses I love in this chapter is Paul and/or Barnabas’s explanation of why they told the Jews first, why they always go to synagogue first, and how they obey the Lord Jesus’s words (that he came first for the Jews, and when rejected then to the Gentiles). They are acting in order, even in the midst of the chaos.

For the Jews, their God (who chose them), accepting in Gentiles (who seek Him) is insulting and a punishment. Watching Gentile prosper with the power of God and under the love of God, should make the Jews jealous – but the kind of jealousy that would make them want it all the more. That Gentiles can be adopted?! This is an amazing, mind blowing concept! (We will dig into it when we get to that verse! Not today.)
The Gentiles respond to hearing that salvation is also for them is pretty much how my soul feels when I read this, even already knowing that this Hebrew God created and loves me and wants a relationship with me if I just reciprocate. It’s beautiful!

“Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:48

Starting at Damascus, Paul is running out of city after city, fleeing for his life. He had a break when he went home to Tarsus and Antioch in Syria wasn’t bad – he had to be careful. That was the time Paul later refers to himself being taught by Jesus alone with Him. This missionary trip was the first time out preaching again and again he has to leave because of the persecution.
This is juxtaposed in the same paragraph as verse 52: “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
So they are persecuted and FULL OF JOY (the joy of the Lord is our strength) and Holy Spirit.
I do not know if it is like this in your countries – but here in the USA there is a heaviness among most believers (as well as unbelievers). Our leaders who are supposed to represent us, have betrayed us and people are beginning to see that, especially with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And we are already run down by masks, and vaccines, and job losses, and increasing fuel costs, and supply chain issues – all of which are self-inflicted. And the bottom line is the government is oppressing us to wear us out and control us – it is persecution. And more and more we are getting censored and in trouble for speaking of God and Jesus, as the ONLY way, truth and life. A crossed my country people aren’t full of JOY – like the Joy unspeakable and full of glory or the Joy that came with the Holy Spirit and made the disciples appear drunk! Where is our JOY?
In the book of Acts there is definitely a connection between joy and the Holy Spirit. So it is time for us to pray to be filled or for more, and refreshing, and abundant filling of the Holy Spirit. Time to pray in the spirit and time to let the spirit groan and pray through you. The more you pray in the spirit the more joy – and the joy of the Lord is our strength.

***

Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

27 Feb 202226 Feb 2022

WEEKEND READING – 2-27-22

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Proverbs chapter 18 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

The Name of the Lord Is a Strong Tower

18 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all ^[a]wise judgment.

²A fool has no delight in understanding,
But in expressing his own heart.

³When the wicked comes, contempt comes also;
And with dishonor comes reproach.

⁴The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.

⁵It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.

⁶A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calls for blows.
⁷A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his soul.
⁸The words of a ^[b]talebearer are like ^[c]tasty trifles,
And they go down into the ^[d]inmost body.

⁹He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

¹⁰The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are ^[e]safe.
¹¹The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.

¹²Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.

¹³He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.

¹⁴The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?

¹⁵The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

¹⁶A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.

¹⁷The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.

¹⁸Casting lots causes contentions to cease,
And keeps the mighty apart.

¹⁹A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

²⁰A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.

²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

²²He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.

²³The poor man uses entreaties,
But the rich answers roughly.

²⁴A man who has friends ^[f]must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Footnotes

Proverbs 18:1 sound wisdom
Proverbs 18:8 gossip or slanderer
Proverbs 18:8 A Jewish tradition wounds
Proverbs 18:8 Lit. rooms of the belly
Proverbs 18:10 secure, lit. set on high
Proverbs 18:24 So with Gr. mss., Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT may come to ruin

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

Matthew 5:16- “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

***

Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

26 Feb 202226 Feb 2022

WEEKEND READING – 2-26-22

“The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.” Proverbs 17:3 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Proverbs chapter 17 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

The Lord Tests Hearts

17 Better is a dry morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of ^[a]feasting with strife.

²A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.

³The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests the hearts.

⁴An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a ^[b]spiteful tongue.

⁵He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

⁶Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.

⁷Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.

⁸A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.

⁹He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.

¹⁰Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.

¹¹An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

¹²Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.

¹³Whoever rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.

¹⁴The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

¹⁵He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

¹⁶Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?

¹⁷A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

¹⁸A man devoid of ^[c]understanding ^[d]shakes hands in a pledge,
And becomes ^[e]surety for his friend.

¹⁹He who loves transgression loves strife,
And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction.

²⁰He who has a ^[f]deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

²¹He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.

²²A merry heart ^[g]does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

²³A wicked man accepts a bribe ^[h]behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.

²⁴Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

²⁵A foolish son is a grief to his father,
And bitterness to her who bore him.

²⁶Also, to punish the righteous is not good,
Nor to strike princes for their uprightness.

²⁷He who has knowledge spares his words,
And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
²⁸Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;
When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

Footnotes

Proverbs 17:1 Or sacrificial meals
Proverbs 17:4 Lit. destructive
Proverbs 17:18 Lit. heart
Proverbs 17:18 Lit. strikes the hands
Proverbs 17:18 guaranty or collateral
Proverbs 17:20 crooked
Proverbs 17:22 Or makes medicine even better
Proverbs 17:23 Under cover, lit. from the bosom

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

Matthew 5:16- “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

***

Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

25 Feb 202225 Feb 2022

God vs Pride and the Impossible – 2-25-22

“Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.” Acts 12:1-3 NKJV

Fasten your safety belts and keep your hands inside the ride! Because today’s reading starts with this BANG! And it is quite the exciting ride! But it starts with the tragedy and our loss of James. James was one of the sons of Zebedee (John, the beloved disciple, being the other). They were fishermen and 2 of the original disciples, called to follow Jesus. Jesus also called them the SONS of THUNDER.

RELATIONSHIP:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Acts chapter 12 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Herod’s Violence to the Church

12 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. ²Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. ³And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four ^[a]squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

Peter Freed from Prison

⁵Peter was therefore kept in prison, but ^[b]constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. ⁶And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were ^[c]keeping the prison. ⁷Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. ⁸Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” ⁹So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

¹¹And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

¹²So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. ¹³And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. ¹⁵But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

¹⁶Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

¹⁸Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small ^[d]stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. ¹⁹But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death.

And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

Herod’s Violent Death

²⁰Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus ^[e]the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was ^[f]supplied with food by the king’s country.

²¹So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. ²²And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and ^[g]died.

²⁴But the word of God grew and multiplied.

Barnabas and Saul Appointed

²⁵And Barnabas and Saul returned ^[h]from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.

Footnotes

Acts 12:4 Gr. tetrads, squads of four
Acts 12:5 NU constantly or earnestly
Acts 12:6 guarding
Acts 12:18 disturbance
Acts 12:20 who was in charge of the king’s bedchamber
Acts 12:20 Lit. nourished
Acts 12:23 breathed his last
Acts 12:25 NU, M to

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

Matthew 5:16- “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

STUDY/DEVOTIONAL:

I have so many thoughts after yesterday’s (and night before) world events. The world cried out for God’s intervention now, now that action has begun. Not as much when all the posturing and threats and psychological warfare were playing out. But now it apparently (finally) seems real. Now that people have died. (Lord, I hope they knew you.) Is it too late now to cry out to God? It is for those who are lost forever.
I was at least glad to see the USA move from we will stay out of it, to we will sanction. Although, I am not sure it will have that great of an effect since we have already crippled our own economy and supply chain. We are looking like fools on the world stage – but at least all the nations are. Some fools running into wars and other fools can’t pick a side because they no longer know the difference of right vs wrong.

Today’s reading starts with Herod persecuting the church. More political posturing.

James died. And the body count is growing. Ananias, Sapphira, then Stephen and now James (and how many do we not know about?). I do not see multiple deaths and scattering congregation in ANY books on how to start a ministry – yet here they are! Reminds me that God’s ways are not our ways. Which I can bring back home today – looking out at this world and the expected outcomes of all of this and be assured that God is still in control and His ways are not ours. I am sure the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah looked like evil to the neighboring cities who may have lost loved ones – but it was divinely appointed, for true justice. For truth. I will still pray for the souls and pray that if there are any holy, any with a relationship with God that they are spared to spread their testimonies.

For those who are persecuted and warred against, as well as for the rest of us experiencing some form of it or another – and if nothing else we suffer because a member of the ONE BODY IN CHRIST we are part of suffers, we have hope spelled out in this chapter. And faith comes by hearing – to listen closely with those spiritual ears so this hope in our Lord Jesus can be built into faith.

Peter in locked up. He must be morning James, worried about John, and worried about all these new believers he is shepherding. This was during the Days of Unleavened Bread – meaning Passover. So he is also concerned for his family. It means he is probably thinking about the last Passover he spent with Jesus after which, the garden and His failure to stay awake and pray, and then the sword incident and then the denying and rooster crowing and Jesus’s death. I hope it also led his thoughts back to the resurrection as well – if it did or not, Peter MUST have been emotionally overwhelmed and physically exhausted. It is no wonder that he fell asleep chained to two guards. I suppose it might have also crossed his mind that he might also die the next day, as Jesus did when they took Him.

I know I have discussed Peter’s jailbreak before at length. So I won’t get too into it tonight. The important part is to know is that it was an impossible situation! Something, many of us are in, maybe we aren’t imprisoned, like Pastor Artur. Maybe we are bombed like our brethren in the Ukraine. But I myself am looking down the barrel at some bills I cannot pay and a business that the enemy has but a blockage in front of and it’s not getting anywhere. These are impossible in human eyes. But every day, someone shows up with a gift from God and my needs continue to be met. Like Job, in the midst of my losses – I stand on the fact that I have not lost my God and he is faithful to His Word and He shall provide. And He does. This is not comfortable. But God make supernatural ways when there are no ways.
Peter’s brethren were gathered together, awake, abiding in prayer for Him and therefore and Angel just walked in the front door and escorted Peter out the front door. Nothing is impossible with God.
Side note: no, I do not think God will do this for Pastor Artur. I think God will embarrass these evil people who locked him up, in the courtroom when their own words can testify against them. Like Psalm 64:8 –
“He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.”
Anyway – nothing is impossible with our God – Especially when we are praying for one another.

Let’s talk about that – interceding for each other in the church. Our modern church (global) seems to be slowly waking up. Why? It is the prayer of the saints. We must wake up, shake it up, and let God clean the house then move like Gideon’s small army. But that can’t happen unless we are praying for each other. If all we do is pray for others, they come into the body and learn it is just as sick and corrupt as the world. The only way to be set apart and make the impossible happen, call angels down from heaven, tear down impossible strongholds, fight against principalities and powers that we cannot see, heal people, cast out demons and raise the dead – is to do it. Just do it. Do it because Jesus said to. If it doesn’t work, keep trying. AND have a real prayer life with real people of prayer praying for you daily.
Speaking of – please pray for me, as I face battles to get the word studied and to follow the voice of God and get these out to you. Please pray for others in the internet world, that you follow – if they are of God they face battles to put the good news and salvation message out into the universe. Please pray for your pastors and other Christian leaders and their leaders. The battles intensify and we need more prayers – as we see evidenced in our physical world and the battles there. Please also pray for each other, in agreement with me for everyone who reads this.

Peter escaped Jail, and told everyone what happened, then he escaped to Caesarea, and stayed there.

So point one – in case you missed it: subsection 1 is God is in control; subsection 2 is He can do the impossible; and subsection 3 is that God can do the impossible for us and through us with us having enough faith to do it and enough prayer to power it.

My next point – is Justice vs pride

I will sum up the justice part quickly – Herod died an untimely death! He was eaten by worms from the inside out. God will only permit someone to behave evil for only so long. God gave Herod all the chances he could to repent, because God wishes NONE will perish. But ultimately, Herod God what he deserved. He killed James and others, as well as persecuting innocent believers.

Pride – We all know pride comes before a fall. We all know the way to God is through humility, admitting our faults, acknowledging we can’t do it without Gods help, and daily repentance. Stay humble, be graciously lowly in meekness. When they called Herod a god – he did not correct them. It is obvious by God’s response that Herod was believing he was greater than any god as well. If Herod softened his heart, was humble and meek… this story would have turned out so differently. God would have raised him up.
You see:
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” James 4:10 KJV
This “lift you up” means give you power, and authority, and boldness. Do not confuse confidence and boldness. And a proud person, especially a minister, has no authority except his own. We must be humbly submitted. If a preacher preaches to raise up his people can get them proud in their salvation – get on your face and do not take part. That is of the flesh or demonic. Because it is on our face before God that God’s power can move through us. Pride shuts to door against God.
Herod crossed the line, God had to remove Him. If God didn’t all the new believers, not strong in the fait could be susceptible to believe Herod was a god and be deceived. God has to protect His children’s souls!

Our final verse seems to belong to the next chapter – where Barnabas, Paul and Mark (the author of the gospel of Mark) all returned to Jerusalem.
I looked up why it says they “returned from”, when they mean “return to” and the footnote agrees it is supposed to be “to”. Long story about how the Bible was translated which is disputed depending on the article and the opinions and merging of multiple stories. But the long and short of this one is that the Greek word here can mean something like “from” – in the sense that they returned from where they left from. Anyway, we know what it mean. So Monday when we pick back up on these guys, they are in Jerusalem. However, many think they were in Antioch still because of the confusion of “from” and the wording in the opening passage. I guess we can figure it all out on Monday.

Keep praying my friends. We are here for such a time as this and God will make the impossible work out in our favor and He will protect and provide and Justice shall prevail. Just stay humble, repentant and prayerful. Love you – God Bless you all!

***

Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

24 Feb 202224 Feb 2022

By the Grace of God – 2-24-22

“When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” Acts 11:18 NKJV

Today’s reading is short but FULL of GRACE! And we all know how much I LOVE GRACE! Grace that takes a sinner such as me and transforms me into someone who hungers to be who God created me to be! I met the Lord as a child and believed. But I had never experienced grace. As an adult grace touched me and I was instantly changed. I looked the same. But something indescribable happened and other knew instantly I was different. Many no longer wanted to be near me after that. It wasn’t me, it was God’s presence in me that they were running away from. I knew what it was like to run from God, so I was kind and gentle with them. I pray for them to come to the point where they are open to understanding that God is real and He wants a personal relationship with us. And I pray that at that point in their lives – they are touched and transformed by grace!
I also am praying for grace for the people in the Ukraine. I pray for Russia to follow God instead. I pray for my country (the USA) and that we would get on the correct side of this and NOT continue to align ourselves with evil. Because, Dear Lord, we need more time to bring in the harvest!

RELATIONSHIP:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Acts chapter 11 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Peter Defends God’s Grace

11 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. ²And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, ³saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

⁴But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying: ⁵“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. ⁶When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ⁷And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ ⁹But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ ¹⁰Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. ¹²Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, ¹⁴who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ ¹⁵And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”

¹⁸When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

Barnabas and Saul at Antioch

¹⁹Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. ²⁰But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

²²Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. ²³When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. ²⁴For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

²⁵Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. ²⁶And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Relief to Judea

²⁷And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. ²⁹Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. ³⁰This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

Matthew 5:16- “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

STUDY/DEVOTIONAL:

Did the Gentiles first believe under the teaching of Peter which we read yesterday – or is it possible it happened earlier to the Hellenists in Antioch? Most of us think about Cornelius, and his family, as the first believing Gentiles. But they believed and prayed long before Peter showed up. So they heard the message somewhere.

Sometimes our head makes these fragmented stories (being taught on Sunday mornings in short periods and separated from the whole book) into very black and white as well as linear concepts. First this, then that and this is good, that is bad. But our world is very muddy and messy – and people are messy and muck things up; so why do we often approach the Bible as if everything is so clean and tidy, and as if there are not complicated layers to all of this, overlapping and difficult to tell as a story?

First, we read Peter came back and reported what God had done and many accused him of sin. Then he defended the grace of God. To my surprise, he did not quote the many places in the Old Testament that foretold it. But Peter was a fisherman, not a scholar. Paul, on the other hand, will include those passages in his work – and Paul had studied the scriptures and was a Pharisee.
We read about Peter’s return first, because it connects to the passage we read yesterday and acts like a bridge. (We are talking about Luke’s writing structure here.) And then Luke refers back to something that happened back when Stephen was stoned – to finish the bridge.

When Stephen died – the believers were scattered. Here we learn not only where they went (traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch), but when they scattered they were not running away from the church and God – and that they maintained communication with the base in Jerusalem.

So let’s clear up how this went, since I know I read it am million times before I understood, it is possible other also do not understand what happened. So the believers went all the way to Antioch, telling all the Jews about Jesus – and only Jews, because that was what Jesus did and that is what they thought was right. But while converting people, they never explained to them their understanding that it was only for Jews. So they preached, then left. At the next town or village they preached and left. Some settled down in some of those places and started churches. But mostly all believer moved around a lot, because they were still being hunted (there were men who took Saul’s place when he stopped persecuting the believers). So In Antioch they converted many to Christ and many others heard as well. And with no further guidance and no formal church they just started telling EVERYONE how Jesus changed them through grace. And suddenly we have gentiles believing. Word got back to the original scattering folks who were plugged into the group in Jerusalem. So they sent someone back to let the Apostles know that Gentiles in Antioch were believing. Luke says it so much simpler – but I think we sometimes miss the nuances and chain of events.
So starting when the word got to Antioch and then word got back to Jerusalem was a longer period of time than when Peter spoke to Cornelius and then came back to Jerusalem to report what God had done. Meaning, Gentiles believed in other places before Cornelius and Cornelius was not the first. But to understand further… maybe that is also wrong since we do not know when Cornelius believed. He was praying and practicing his faith in God for a while, and God said – ‘I heard your prayers I’ll send you Peter to explain it all.’
This means, people – all people, were beginning to believe and we truly do not know how far it reached. The original scatterers only kept track of where they had been and not were all those who heard from them went with this good news! God was opening hearts and minds all over but Cornelius was used by God to explain it to the original apostles in a way where they could accept it and God would get the Glory.

So they send Barnabas up to Antioch to check it out. He was sent alone, because he was on a mission to just investigate what was happening and also the check on Paul while he was out there. When he got to Antioch he learned a great number had to turned to Jesus and…
“When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.” Verse 23

He must have realized work needed to be done to instruct these people more. All they had was second, third, and forth had testimony of Jesus and a small amount of instruction carried out to them. Can you imagine what your walk with the Lord would look like if you only had someone else’s account?
I had a friend who had a preacher in the family – he preached salvation often, apparently, and “All you must do, is believe” so much so, that my friend can recite the message word for word 10 years later. My friend believes. And continues in sin seeing nothing wrong with it. He could also quote the verse about not denying Jesus – and he hasn’t. But that is all you need to know in his mind – because as he watched this preacher witness to other over and over and all he received was the salvation message. Not by works but all Grace and a free gift. It is a beautiful message. But it is not all you need to know. My friend can recite and explain the sacrifice of Christ and how Jesus took our place better than anyone I know. But he never had an experience with grace, himself. He was never changed. He not only continues in sin but lives a completely fleshly lifestyle and is ruled by anxiety and depression – not ruled by God. I have tried to explain his need to read the Bible – and even bought him a Bible. But the chains of bondage forbid him from opening it, even if the chains aren’t bound, but held in his own hands. This is what it looks like when you receive salvation and are made into a disciple. Let’s flash back to the verse which tells us what we are to be doing:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19 NKJV
Yes, the King James version says “teach all nations”. But I looked up dozens of version and the rest all say “make disciples”. So I grabbed the Amplified Classic and it says:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matt 28:19 AMP

We are not just supposed to get them to the point where they are saved and leave. We should help them learn of Jesus, believe in Jesus (and belief and faith come by hearing according to Romans 10:17 – so you need to be talking), AND we need to teach them to obey the Word (so I suppose we better teach them to read, understand and hide the word in their hearts so they do not sin according to Psalm 119:11). My friend was a child who went with his relative who was a preacher and the preacher never realized the child never heard the rest was never made a disciple. And what we have is an adult in bondage who denies he has done anything wrong because Christianity is nothing more than the salvation message he was given. What we have is an Antioch without a Barnabas and Paul to make disciples.

When Barnabas gets to Paul in Tarsus, he takes him right back to Antioch to get to work making disciples. It was here in Antioch that Paul build his first church and where the disciples were first called Christians! They were growing and God was moving and it drew other who wanted to be where God is moving. Like in verse 27 prophets came there. We know that was a real prophet because Luke says in verse 28 that the prophecies actually happened later (in the days of Claudius Caesar). The prophetic word was – there was going to be a famine. So the church of Antioch took up an offering for all of Judea’s Christians!
When there is a famine, God always has a Joseph in place (Genesis 47). As we hear on the internet, some self-proclaimed prophets warn of a famine this coming summer. Fear not, if there is a famine, God has prepared a Joseph or an Antioch to bless you.

So many juicy bites of meat in today’s short reading. Think on the reading and let God reveal deeper and further truths in it. Especially in today’s world. Especially with everything going on. It is so important right now that God is first, saving souls are second, and our needs, wants, provisions, circumstances, trials and tests are lastly. Give and then receive.
Please continue to pray for the harvest and for our world.

***

Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

23 Feb 202222 Feb 2022

What about the Gentiles? – 2-23-22

“And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?”
So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.” Acts 10:4 NKJV

Today’s reading is super important for all of us who are not Jewish. This is the first time the Bible was preached to the gentiles. And it started with a gentile who believed in God and prayed to Him and made alms to Him, even though the man had very little understanding of who God is. And God heard it and made a memorial of it. And went about getting Peter there.

So if you are new to this and/or do not have a good understanding of God – it doesn’t matter. God will hear your prayers and get you the information you need to grow closer to Him. All God wants is to be able to be close to us and have us want to be close to Him. If you want a relationship with God, then you are in a good place and God will make the way.

RELATIONSHIP:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Acts chapter 10 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Cornelius Sends a Delegation

10 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian ^[a]Regiment, ²a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave ^[b]alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. ³About ^[c]the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?”

So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. ⁵Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. ⁶He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He^[d] will tell you what you must do.” ⁷And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. ⁸So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter’s Vision

⁹The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about ^[e]the sixth hour. ¹⁰Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance ¹¹and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. ¹²In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ¹³And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

¹⁵And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has ^[f]cleansed you must not call common.” ¹⁶This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

Summoned to Caesarea

¹⁷Now while Peter ^[g]wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. ¹⁸And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. ²⁰Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

²¹Then Peter went down to the men ^[h]who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

²²And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” ²³Then he invited them in and lodged them.

On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

Peter Meets Cornelius

²⁴And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” ²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. ²⁸Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. ²⁹Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

³⁰So Cornelius said, ^[i]“Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, ³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your ^[j]alms are remembered in the sight of God. ³²Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. ^[k]When he comes, he will speak to you.’ ³³So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

Preaching to Cornelius’ Household

³⁴Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. ³⁵But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. ³⁶The word which God sent to the ^[l]children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— ³⁷that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. ³⁹And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom ^[m]they killed by hanging on a tree. ⁴⁰Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, ⁴¹not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. ⁴²And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission^[n] of sins.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. ⁴⁵And ^[o]those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Footnotes

Acts 10:1 Cohort
Acts 10:2 charitable gifts
Acts 10:3 3 p.m.
Acts 10:6 NU, M omit the rest of v. 6.
Acts 10:9 Noon
Acts 10:15 Declared clean
Acts 10:17 was perplexed
Acts 10:21 NU, M omit who had been sent to him from Cornelius
Acts 10:30 NU Four days ago to this hour, at the ninth hour
Acts 10:31 charitable gifts
Acts 10:32 NU omits the rest of v. 32.
Acts 10:36 Lit. sons
Acts 10:39 NU, M they also
Acts 10:43 forgiveness
Acts 10:45 The Jews

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

Matthew 5:16– “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

STUDY/DEVOTIONAL:

Today the gentiles meet Jesus. Remember the gentile lady in Matthew who came and asked for help from Jesus, and he said it isn’t time – he can’t give the children’s food to the dogs. And she said, she wanted the scraps that the dogs get. That s all she wanted. Well, lady, IT IS TIME!
It is time for the gentile to have more than just the scraps. It is time for the latter rains. It is time for signs and wonders. (We have a lot of talk and prophetic words of miracles… but it is not time for the mouth. It is time for action – lame to walk, demons to be cast out, healings and the dead coming back to join us!)

We need to take what little faith and belief we have and use it to be faithful as God it faithful. We will see the promises pour out, the provisions to provide for you and for all around you and then for the community and beyond. Cornelius believed, prayed and saw an angel and God moved.

I am sure you have heard it before somewhere – I haven’t said it here in a couple years. But faith requires and action. If you are sitting there hoping it will happen – do not hold your breath. Hope is not faith. And faith always requires something of you. Cornelius’s faith required he send 3 men to Joppa to find Peter. What is your action to activate your faith?

Assuming you have read the passage and I do not need to recap every detail. Let’s discuss the images in Peter’s vision. We understand by reading what the dream means. But what are we picturing?
Let’s imagine the world back in time, it’s 40 – 60 years after Jesus was born, what are the sights that Peter in seeing while at Simon the Tanner’s house down by the port and docks? I assume he is seeing boats, and as a fisherman, he was familiar with boats. But the port would have larger boats with bigger cargo than a net full of fish. How did they get those big things onto and off of boats back then?
Did you know ancient Greece and Rome, during this time, was almost as advanced as the early 18oo’s in England were in technology? Much of their technology was lost to civilization when the fall of Rome happened. And it took a very long time for society to relearn how to make much of the technology (and as well as) the Romans! It is true! The first steam powered machine was a created by an ancient Greek, probably around this same time period. (Remind me to tell you about it when we study Ephesians – the inventor lived in Ephesus.) The writings of it were lost until the Renaissance, and in the 1900s archeologists were able to discover, uncover and confirm these inventions and machines did exist.
These Archeologist learned that they used a form of a crane, on a rope pulley systems. They would lay out a big woven canvas or blanket (because it was woven, it was square) and then they would put the cargo onto it. Then tie up the four corners to the rope on the crane like machine and it would lift the cargo up and swing it where it needed to be and lower it back down. Then open it up and take the cargo off.
God lowered one of these into Peter’s vision. And when he went to open it up, God told him to eat from it. But inside was only unclean meat. Peter’s vision ends and Cornelius’s men arrive.
Now it is time for Peter’s faith action. And Peter had the faith and went with them, even though Peter didn’t understand what was going on.

I can’t help but laugh at the conversation between Peter and Cornelius. God told Cornelius to get Peter and Peter would explain. God told Peter to go to Cornelius and didn’t say why. So Peter’s is all: why am I here? And Cornelius is all expectant and like, when you telling us what God told you to tell us? They both look at each other, lost and confused, and asked: what’s going on?
God did all this work to get this divine appointment pulled together – and now it was time for Peter and Cornelius to do their part.

So Peter understanding that people aren’t unclean – preaches Jesus to Cornelius and his family. Then the Holy Spirit fall in full confirmation that the Lord supports this work and it is indeed time for the gentiles to meet Jesus!

And Praise God that all this happened! Because now – they can preach to ALL MEN! Oh the kingdom of Heaven is at hand! It is time for the promises of God! Father Abraham was promised to be the father of many nations and it is proven by the almost 50 countries this blog has reached that he has decedents in spirit in many nations!! And there are believers in every known nation of this world! It is time for more promises to be fulfilled. It is time for God to move, for healings and signs and wonders! It is time! Most importantly, it is time to draw closer to God and have a real relationship with Him.

***

Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

22 Feb 202221 Feb 2022

Being Compelled to Share – 2-22-22

“And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.” Acts 9:17-18 NKJV

I am sorry, that was a huge spoiler! But SO GOOD!

Today is the 22^nd Day of February (2), the year 2022. And it is my son’s 25^th birthday. For his birthday, please say a prayer for him that like Saul, the scales will come off his eyes and he will turn his life back to Christ.
Today, is also significant as many threats and world leaders have noted things will happen on the 22^nd.
Today is also significant because of countless prophecies about the date 222. But it actually has 6 of the number 2. I would love to look up the meaning of the numbers – but I do not want to go down that rabbit hole, but rather I want to dig into the Word!
But I am curious about what, if anything, will happen today. Whatever happens, or doesn’t happen, is still under God’s permission and God is still in control – and because I have a relationship with God, there is nothing to worry about. My God will protect me and provide for me.

RELATIONSHIP:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Acts chapter 9 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

The Damascus Road: Saul Converted

9 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

³As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. ⁴Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

⁵And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ^[a]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

⁶So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. ⁸Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Ananias Baptizes Saul

¹⁰Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. ¹²And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

¹³Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much ^[b]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children^[c] of Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

¹⁷And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord ^[d]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

¹⁹So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Saul Preaches Christ

²⁰Immediately he preached ^[e]the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

²¹Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”

²²But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Saul Escapes Death

²³Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. ²⁴But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. ²⁵Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Saul at Jerusalem

²⁶And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. ²⁸So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. ²⁹And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists,^[f] but they attempted to kill him. ³⁰When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.

The Church Prospers

³¹Then the ^[g]churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified.^[h] And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Aeneas Healed

³²Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. ³³There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. ³⁴And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. ³⁵So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Dorcas Restored to Life

³⁶At Joppa there was a certain disciple named ^[i]Tabitha, which is translated ^[j]Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. ³⁷But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. ³⁸And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. ³⁹Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. ⁴¹Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴²And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. ⁴³So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.

Footnotes

Acts 9:5 NU, M omit the rest of v. 5 and begin v. 6 with But arise and go
Acts 9:13 bad things
Acts 9:15 Lit. sons
Acts 9:17 M omits Jesus
Acts 9:20 NU Jesus
Acts 9:29 Greek-speaking Jews
Acts 9:31 NU church . . . was
Acts 9:31 built up
Acts 9:36 Lit., in Aram., Gazelle
Acts 9:36 Lit., in Gr., Gazelle

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

Matthew 5:16- “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

STUDY/DEVOTIONAL:

Not only is today important to my son, prophecies, and politics (and maybe more) – but today is an important reading. It is important because Saul (aka Paul) was just a man, doing human things that were acceptable for the time, and he was 100% transformed into a man of God and leader of the Christian Church. And because it happened to him – it can happen to anyone! Each of us have a different story, but God designed us with different jobs and purposes and our stories help us fulfill it. And just because you did not go blind for 3 days while traveling, and hear the voice of Jesus, does not mean God wont take whatever you have been and turn it around 100% to become something beautiful and powerful in the Kingdom of God! He killed Christians – what have you done that makes you think God can’t do it for you? Cause it cannot be as bad as Saul (aka Paul). God does take the ashes of our lives and make us Beautiful.

I do want to talk about verse 4 – because it shows an attribute of Jesus that I find so precious. Let’s read it again:
“Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
The key word I want to focus on is “Me”. Saul was persecuting the Christians. But Jesus says “Me”. It is such a beautiful thing that he see’s us, having taken upon himself all of our sin and death and had it destroyed and he still has empathy to the point where we are “Me”.
Now, DO NOT twist this. I am not saying we are god… oh no!!! I am saying He loves us and has so much empathy that he also took on the persecution, like he took on the sin and death. Jesus shares in the burden, He carries it too.
Many have heard the footsteps in the sand story – where a guy goes through a hard time and looks back and sees one set of foot prints and says to Jesus: why weren’t you walking next to me during the hard time? And Jesus say: I was carrying you. Well – the truth is He isn’t just carrying us at those points, he has taken our plights upon himself to help carry the load. He says to cast our cares on him (in Psalms) because he can carry them. He can also do something about them. This is so good to know. Financial burdens? Toss them to Jesus (and ask for his help, otherwise it is kinda rude) and he will carry them, feel the stress of them and help. Yes feel it. Need to forgive and heal from a deep pain? Same process, give it to Jesus – he will feel it with you and help you.
Jesus is our advocate (1 John 2:1), or intercessor (Romans 8:34 & Hebrews 7:24-25), and our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) between us and God the Father.

Now that was radical! Let’s look at it from a traditional Jew’s perspective. Only the priest can meet with God and that requires purifying and sacrifices and what had become ritual. God cared deeply for His people, but they suffered and he was aloof in their eyes. His promises take generations to come to pass. Now, through Jesus each and every one of us can access God and have a relationship with Him – NOT only that, but Jesus is going to go to bat for us in the throne room, asking on our behalf, advocating for us, and mediating between God and us if need be. Jews had heard about the Garden of Eden and humans having a personal relationship with God – but the restoration of it was just too radical for many to believe. It is important for us to fully understand this and fully appreciate what it is we have in Jesus, as well as it will help us witness to others.

And you say, witnessing is hard and makes you and them uncomfortable. My friend, if that is how you feel, know it is a valid feeling for someone who is asleep, dried up, or even spiritually dead (done lied to yourself, making believe you are a Christian). But let us look at what it looks like for those who are alive and well and know in him they believe: Like Saul and Ananias here in Damascus.

You think telling your friends about Jesus is hard? Ananias had to go lay hands on the guy who came to that town to throw him in jail and possibly kill him.

You think telling people about Jesus is hard? Paul immediate when to the synagogues and told them about Jesus! And he was so excited about meeting Jesus that he wouldn’t shut up – so his old friends plotted to kill him and he had to sneak out of the city in a basket. (Good thing historians believe he was a short man.)

So if you have a real relationship with Jesus, you are compelled to speak it to others, no matter what – even in the face of possible death. Do we have that kind of real relationship with Jesus that makes us want to share? If not, maybe it is time to rededicate yourself to him and draw in close to God!

And now we get to Saul retreating to join the Christians in Jerusalem (where he KILLED Stephen!!) And rightfully so the Christian were afraid of him and he needed intervention to get with them.

So let’s talk about fear. Mostly because our earth is blanketed with fear right now – many have overcome it, but it is still here and trying desperately to find a new stronghold. (expect more of that in the future). We feared Covid, and look how silly we became. We feared losing our jobs and put poison in our bodies. We is being used as the universal masses. We feared and our rights were taken away. And the early church in Jerusalem feared and almost missed out on all the writings of Paul in the New Testament as well as their most traveled missionary (according to the texts we have).

You see God was already protecting them from Saul, all they needed to do was put fear away and listen for God – trust God. Like we only had to put away fear and we would have remembered that God protects us and I we caught covid, He would heal. Or trust The Provider not the provisions – our jobs do not provide for us, God does. If we held onto peace and let it guard our hearts and minds – we would have more liberty and abundance by now.

God sent Barnabas to intervene and get Saul in. But as you can imagine, Saul had to run for his life again. He fled all the way to Tarsus, His home town.

My final insight for the day is coming from verse 31:
“Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”
Let’s talk about the period of time when they had peace and we edified. When Saul quit persecuting the church, others stepped up and into the roll. There were still men going around and throwing men and women in jail. Saul was still a wanted man and was being hunted. Life was still difficult and persecution was still alive. So what switched to make them feel so safe? I would say it was the second sentence of the verse: “And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit”. I have talked at length about waling in the Spirit and dwelling in the secret place. When you are consumed by your relationship with God and the church and are comforted by the Holy Spirit, things outside just do not hold the same power and you lose sight of them.
For example – remember last spring when all sorts of bad things were happening around me but couldn’t get in to me? Like my tenant got badly hurt on the property (but God protected me from a lawsuit as well as from physical harm and it happened to him instead). Or like the house being vandalized but no major damage was done. Outside was chaos trying to get in (so much more I never shared) but inside my home was filled with peace and comfort and God took care of most of everything before I even found out there was a threat.
A better example may be a story we read about in Matthew 8: 23-27 – Jesus climbed in the boat and the disciples followed. Jesus laid down and fell asleep. A storm came and everyone was screaming and crying and praying and thinking they were dying! Everyone except Jesus – peacefully asleep in the boat. As we had read this, we know Jesus woke up and calmed the storm and rebuked the disciples for their lack of understanding. The point today is that Jesus kept his peace in the storm. Honestly that is a level of keeping peace that I do not know if I can obtain. But THAT is a goal!!

Finally Peter was visiting all the spread out places of believers and healed people and raised Tabitha from the dead. Amazing stuff!! And not to downplay Peter’s work. We aren’t going to unpack it. We have so many juicy bites today, I will stop here.

But one final sweet treat, for dessert: Repent. Get humble. And develop a real relationship with God. One full of life and fire – that compels you to witness.
Last Friday was a very eventful day in world politics and they say today is supposed to be as well – but do not let it all distract from our mission. People are stressed, lost peace and hope, and hungry from truth. They need a real and mighty God. We must “Go ye therefore” – meaning we must tell other about Christ. I have taken steps to make it easier for you. Share the social media posts (they are scripture verses and we know the word of God does not return void). Share these blog posts. When telling other what Jesus did for you and they want to be “saved” – the salvation prayer is right at the top, pull out your phone and open this blog and there it is to help you walk them through it. But there are still plenty of things you can do on your own as well. Souls are what is most important right now. No matter what, let your light shine.

***

Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

21 Feb 202220 Feb 2022

Philip’s Adventure – 2-21-22

“And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.” Acts 8:6-8 NKJV

I pray and ask God when is the day that church is a daily thing and we see signs and wonders consistently like the early church. I long to be part of the early church or have that in my life! Especially the JOY. Sometimes modern churches are too solemn and grave. But the Joy of the Lord is our strength and Joy accompanied the Holy Spirit. And God wants us to make a joyful noise. And Joy is a side effect of having a relationship with God, through Jesus, in the Holy Spirit.

RELATIONSHIP:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Acts chapter 8 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Saul Persecutes the Church

8 Now Saul was consenting to his death.

At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. ²And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

³As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

Christ Is Preached in Samaria

⁴Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. ⁵Then Philip went down to ^[a]the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. ⁶And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. ⁷For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. ⁸And there was great joy in that city.

The Sorcerer’s Profession of Faith

⁹But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced ^[b]sorcery in the city and astonished the ^[c]people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, ¹⁰to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” ¹¹And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his ^[d]sorceries for a long time. ¹²But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. ¹³Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

The Sorcerer’s Sin

¹⁴Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, ¹⁵who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, ¹⁹saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! ²¹You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. ²²Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

²⁴Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”

²⁵So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

Christ Is Preached to an Ethiopian

²⁶Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is ^[e]desert. ²⁷So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”

³⁰So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

³¹And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. ³²The place in the Scripture which he read was this:

“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
³³In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.”

³⁴So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” ³⁵Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. ³⁶Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

³⁷^[f]Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”

And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

³⁸So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. ³⁹Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰But Philip was found at ^[g]Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.

Footnotes

Acts 8:5 Or a
Acts 8:9 magic
Acts 8:9 Or nation
Acts 8:11 magic arts
Acts 8:26 Or a deserted place
Acts 8:37 NU, M omit v. 37. It is found in Western texts, including the Latin tradition.
Acts 8:40 Same as Heb. Ashdod

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

Matthew 5:16- “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

STUDY/DEVOTIONAL:

So, on Friday we met Saul (aka Paul) who seemed to be in charge of the mob when our friend Stephen was stoned. Chapter 8 – verses 1-3 should probably be attached the previous chapter, as it continues with Saul.
During these years (and opening chapters of this book) we have seen more and more persecution of the church, more beating, more thrown in jail, and now a death. Some had already started to flee. But the death of Stephen seemed to make them all scatter through the region. Finally, they were doing the whole: “Go ye therefore…” (Matt 28:19) I mean just look at:
“Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” Verse 4
Praise the Lord – because that is how it spread far enough to reach me on the other side of the world, thousands of years later! And you, as well, Gory to God!
Sometimes when we are going through the persecution and hard times – we do not know if it will continue to change the lives of people thousands of years later, so make sure you stay in the will of God so you can have eternal impact.
Now one last thing about Saul – he was pretty ramped up by all this and these Christians who he honestly believed were harming the Jews and He honestly thought he was fervently serving God – so he just started storming into their houses and dragging off both men and women and throwing them in prison.
How can someone think they are serving God and be doing so much harm to individual Christians? Actually he was serving God and God used it to get these Christian to Go! But he was also VERY wrong. How can both be true? God is spirit, not of this world. Our flesh could never calculate it. But, it we move to spiritual understanding we can say, God is outside of time and space, He is the beginning and the end, He is all knowing and sovereign. God can use a faultless innocent antelope to feed a hungry lion (God’s explanation to Job in the book of Job). God can move a man to serve him by persecuting them, and God can move the same man to then become one of those he persecuted. God can do as He wills – and as our creator, He has every right to.

Verse 4 seems to start a new chapter. Christ Is Preached in Samaria and Everywhere the People, Who were Scattered, Went

Wasn’t it in Samaria that Jesus first started preaching that He was the Son of God? Isn’t it interesting that the disciples, started in the same place as Jesus and then went to Samaria first, when they started moving. And when Jesus went to Samaria He was well received. When the early church hit Samaria, Jesus was still well received.
First the scattered folk were preaching there and it was going so well, Philip went to join them. And it was going so well that Peter and John then joined them! That right there was the first revival! It had been about 20 years (give or take) since Jesus preached there and obviously they were hungry again and needed to be revived! No worries – they were baptized in water this time and they laid hands on them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit!! This time it had staying power!! Jesus planted the seeds – this was the harvest!
Now, before the disciple and Christian arrived there was a sorcerer, named Simon, who was doing magic and misleading the city. He was apparently good at it. Well, he followed Philip around and came to believe. He even was baptized. Then when Peter and John arrived and were laying hands on people – something shifted inside old Simon the Sorcerer. You see, at that point he believed it was a magic trick he could buy from the Apostles and do himself. He didn’t any longer, if ever, believe it was a Holy thing from a Holy God.
You know how every now and then I challenge you asking if you truly believe this Bible stuff? Some of it is crazy! But if we truly believe we should be transformed and signs and wonders will happen to us and around us. When Grace hits, through faith, it transforms powerfully! Simon the Sorcerer was never transformed.
We see people in the church, certain ones like Simon, who we see them willing to do good deeds, we assume their eagerness to serve is a fruit of the spirit. But how long can they keep that image and not be exposed as a Simon? Eventually you will see them standing on the stage, they want the fame. They want to be the holy one – but that is a title for only God. At some point their flesh will be exposed, because all of us in our sins will be exposed. (This is why Jesus said to repent daily – so when Justice comes, we will be vindicated and not judged.)
When Simon was rebuked, his response should have been, “Oh no! I am so sorry, I repent, pray with me. Help me turn away from it!” But that was not his response. He asked them to pray that the curse would not come upon him. But it already had. He wanted prayer to not have to deal with the consequences of sin. Now, Simon, if you figured out how to do that you’d have the bigger following that Jesus and the Apostle combined! I mean, wouldn’t everyone’s flesh want to sin without consequences and still get to heaven?! But that is not how this works. We never find out if Simon ever repented and made it to heaven.
We don’t learn much else about Samaria – we don’t even learn how the lady at the well is doing. The apostles head home preaching at all the villages along the way.

Philip has a vision of an angel. I am not sure if it was while he was going home with the others or if he was alone or if he was still in Samaria and had not left yet and God gave him separate orders from the rest of them.
In Jewish Law a thing can only be established with 2 or more witnesses – So when Jesus first sent them out to preach He sent them in pairs – two to bear witness of Jesus. Then throughout the New Testament they continued to work in pairs, especially with travel. There are very few times anyone was sent off alone. This is one of them. (Off the top of my head, Peter and Paul both we called to solo adventures – and I am unsure if Mark’s trip to Egypt was solo or not.)

Anyway, Philip takes the route he is told to go on and has a divine encounter with and Ethiopian who is reading from the scroll of Isaiah and hungering to understand it. Philip jumps on board his chariot and preaches Jesus! The passage he just so happens to be reading is about Jesus’s death as the ultimate sacrifice for all sin! The Ethiopian is saved and they (going through a desert) come up upon some water and are able to baptize him! Talk about divine appointment!
Then when they came out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away and he was found in Azotus. And just like nothing different of amazing just happened, Philip just starts preaching as he passed through and came to Caesarea.
I wonder how many people came to know the Lord through that Ethiopian, that he was so important that God set up all those things to fall into place just so he could believe. But then I think about How other people say my return to God was quiet the divine appointment and experience. And I suppose the Ethiopian did not know all the things God put together to make it happen, so neither would I. Then I figured I would have to look at other people’s experiences. And honestly, I can see it. God moves everything to come for u when it is our time to believe. When our heart is soft, He moves heaven and earth to get the right person there to speak to us. It speaks to how much our creator loves us and truly does seek to have a relationship with us. So we should seek him in return. And we will find His love and plans for us to be perfect.

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Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

20 Feb 202219 Feb 2022

WEEKEND READING – 2-20-22

“It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, For a throne is established by righteousness. Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And they love him who speaks what is right. As messengers of death is the king’s wrath, But a wise man will appease it. In the light of the king’s face is life, And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.
How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” Proverbs 16:12-16 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Proverbs chapter 16 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

Wisdom Is Better Than Gold

16 The preparations^[a] of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

²All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits.

³Commit^[b] your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.

⁴The Lord has made all for Himself,
Yes, even the wicked for the day of ^[c]doom.

⁵Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join ^[d]forces, none will go unpunished.

⁶In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

⁷When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

⁸Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.

⁹A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

¹⁰Divination is on the lips of the king;
His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
¹¹Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s;
All the weights in the bag are His ^[e]work.
¹²It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For a throne is established by righteousness.
¹³Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.
¹⁴As messengers of death is the king’s wrath,
But a wise man will appease it.
¹⁵In the light of the king’s face is life,
And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.

¹⁶How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

¹⁷The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

¹⁸Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before ^[f]a fall.
¹⁹Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the ^[g]spoil with the proud.

²⁰He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

²¹The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

²²Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.

²³The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

²⁵There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

²⁶The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives him on.

²⁷^[h]An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
²⁸A perverse man sows strife,
And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
²⁹A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
³⁰He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He ^[i]purses his lips and brings about evil.

³¹The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.

³²He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

³³The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.

Footnotes

Proverbs 16:1 plans
Proverbs 16:3 Lit. Roll
Proverbs 16:4 Lit. evil
Proverbs 16:5 Lit. hand to hand
Proverbs 16:11 concern
Proverbs 16:18 stumbling
Proverbs 16:19 plunder
Proverbs 16:27 Lit. A man of Belial
Proverbs 16:30 Lit. compresses

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

Matthew 5:16- “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

***

Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!

19 Feb 202219 Feb 2022

WEEKEND READING – 2-19-22

“The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.” Proverbs 15:29 NKJV

RELATIONSHIP:

BIBLE READING:

Today’s reading is the Book of Proverbs chapter 15 (embedded below for your convenience in the NKJV).

A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath

15 A soft answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
²The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

³The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.

⁴A ^[a]wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

⁵A fool despises his father’s instruction,
But he who ^[b]receives correction is prudent.

⁶In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.

⁷The lips of the wise ^[c]disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.

⁸The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
⁹The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who follows righteousness.

¹⁰Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way,
And he who hates correction will die.

¹¹Hell^[d] and ^[e]Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.

¹²A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.

¹³A merry heart makes a cheerful ^[f]countenance,
But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

¹⁴The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.

¹⁵All the days of the afflicted are evil,
But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

¹⁶Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
¹⁷Better is a dinner of ^[g]herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.

¹⁸A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

¹⁹The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.

²⁰A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹Folly is joy to him who is destitute of ^[h]discernment,
But a man of understanding walks uprightly.

²²Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

²³A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And a word spoken ^[i]in due season, how good it is!

²⁴The way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may turn away from ^[j]hell below.

²⁵The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But He will establish the boundary of the widow.

²⁶The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
But the words of the pure are pleasant.

²⁷He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.

²⁸The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.

²⁹The Lord is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones ^[k]healthy.

³¹The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
³²He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
³³The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.

Footnotes

Proverbs 15:4 Lit. healing
Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps
Proverbs 15:7 spread
Proverbs 15:11 Or Sheol
Proverbs 15:11 Heb. Abaddon
Proverbs 15:13 face
Proverbs 15:17 Or vegetables
Proverbs 15:21 Lit. heart
Proverbs 15:23 Lit. in its time
Proverbs 15:24 Or Sheol
Proverbs 15:30 Lit. fat

MEMORY VERSE CHALLENGE:

Matthew 5:16- “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

***

Thank you for reading in 2022 – a Year of Wisdom and Salvation
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!