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But he who trusts in Me shall possess the land and inherit My Holy Mountain" (Isaiah 57:13). |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, January 31, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Paul Defends Himself to the Crowd in Jerusalem [3] Bible Verse:Acts 22:17-21 (ESV) "“When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”" Message:
Today’s Scripture is the last part of Paul’s “defense” to the crowd in Jerusalem, which has tried to kill him. He was rescued by the Roman commander, who asked Paul what he had done.
Most of his speech is simply a summary retelling of his conversion. The end of the defense, however, adds something to the previous accounts of his leaving Jerusalem.
In Acts 9, we learned that Paul had riled up the Jews of Damascus immediately after his conversion; from the very beginning to the very end of his ministry, he has had crowds trying to kill him. He escaped Damascus by being lowered over the wall in a basket. Then, in Jerusalem, he disputed with the Hellenists (Jews who had adapted to Greek culture), who also tried to kill him; so the brothers in Jerusalem shipped him out to his home town—Tarsus, in far away Cilicia (southern Turkey).
After Stephen was martyred in Jerusalem, a number of believers went elsewhere to places including the great city of Antioch. In Antioch, they founded a sizable and active church. So Barnabas, a leading teacher of the Gospel, was sent to Antioch to help them; Barnabas, in turn, went to Tarsus to bring Paul back to Antioch to help him. The church in Antioch became quite important; in fact, they were the first to call themselves “Christians.” (Acts 11:19-26)
Now, Paul tells us that his mission was given to him as early as his time in Jerusalem. His mission was not to be accomplished there or even in Judea. Rather, he was charged to travel far away and bring the Good News to the Gentiles. This was something God had promised, to bring His Messiah to the Gentiles, since the early days of Hebrew prophesy. And Paul was to fulfill that promise.
He has, by this time, traveled huge distances (for that time) by land and sea, founding and overseeing churches throughout the Greek world (primarily the area we would call Turkey and Greece today). Mission accomplished!
Meditation : Prayer : Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked will I return. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord......Amen |
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