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Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted Isa 53:4 |
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| Daily 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. 7/16/2025
Today's Passage:Saul Ravages the Church BibleVerse:Acts 8:1-8 (ESV) "And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city." Message:
The first great figure in Acts has been Peter. We are now introduced to the second, Saul; yesterday, he was the man who held the high priests' cloaks, while they ran after Stephen and stoned him to death in a rage. So Saul was an underling; an apprentice to the priesthood of the Temple, a young man trying to make his way up the ladder.
And Saul shines in his ambition; he eagerly assumes the role of henchman. The high priests have previously been circumspect in their treatment of the Christian heretics, letting them off with warnings and beatings. But Stephen's outrageous speech during his trial was the last straw.
Thus, they begin a period of ruthless suppression of Jerusalem's Christian population; and it is Saul who roots out and imprisons the followers of Christ, with the zeal of his ambition.
Although his actions temporarily quiet the Jerusalem Christ movement, the long-term consequences will come back to haunt his bosses. He has spooked the disciples of Christ, and like cattle in a pen, they stampede. They scatter throughout Judea, taking with them the good news of Christ's resurrection.
There is some confusion about the identity of "Philip". He could be the apostle Philip, who will later travel throughout the regions directly north and west of Judea, converting Jew and Greek alike. More likely, however, he is the Greek man named Philip whom we have already encountered earlier in the Book of Acts . This Greek Philip was made one of the seven deacons of Jerusalem when the Greeks complained that the widows among them were not getting their share of food. This same man almost certain is the man later called "Philip the Evangelist", who will become a great disciple, traveling primarily south to spread the Word.
The matter is further complicated, because during this time, the term "apostle" begins to be used to describe prominent disciples of Christ other than the "12 Apostles", especially missionaries who travel to foreign lands. In Romans, for example, Paul will describe himself as an "apostle of Christ".
Meditation : Prayer : Heavenly Lord, I know I am not alone saying these prayers or reading your Word this morning, but many people unknown to me, from all stations of life, have joined together in this brief moment of devotion. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be among the community of all who pray in the name of Christ this morning, and remain among us always.......Amen. |
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