One Story That Leads to Jesus, Day 284
Acts 11
11Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God.G1161G652G2532G80G5607G2596G2449G191G3754G1484G1209G2532G1209G3056G23162But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him.G2532G3753G4074G305G1519G2414G1537G4061G1252G4314G8463"You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!" they said.G3004G3754G1525G4314G435G203G2192G2532G4906G8464Then Peter told them exactly what had happened.G1161G4074G756G1620G2517G846G30045"I was in the town of Joppa," he said, "and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me.G1473G2252G1722G4172G2445G4336G2532G1722G1611G1492G3705G5100G4632G2597G5613G3173G3607G2524G1537G3772G5064G746G2532G2064G891G17006When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of small animals, wild animals, reptiles, and birds.G1519G3739G816G2657G2532G1492G5074G1093G2532G2342G2532G2062G2532G4071G37727And I heard a voice say, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.'G1161G191G5456G3004G3427G450G4074G2380G2532G53158"'No, Lord,' I replied. 'I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean.'G1161G2036G3365G2962G3754G3956G2839G2228G169G1525G3763G1525G1519G3450G47509"But the voice from heaven spoke again: 'Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.'G1161G5456G611G3427G1537G1208G1537G3772G3739G2316G2511G2840G3361G4771G284010This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven.G1161G5124G1096G1909G5151G2532G537G385G3825G1519G377211"Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying.G2532G2400G1824G2186G5140G435G1824G2186G1909G3614G1722G3739G3739G2252G649G575G2542G4314G316512The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us.G1161G4151G2036G3427G4905G846G3367G1252G1161G2532G3778G1803G80G4862G2064G1698G2532G1525G1519G435G362413He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, 'Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.G5037G518G2254G4459G1492G32G1722G846G3624G2476G2532G2036G846G649G435G1519G2445G2532G3343G4613G1941G407414He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!'G3739G2980G4314G4571G4487G1722G3739G4771G2532G3956G4675G3624G498215"As I began to speak," Peter continued, "the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning.G1161G1722G3165G756G2980G40G4151G1968G1909G846G5618G2532G1909G2248G1722G74616Then I thought of the Lord's words when he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'G1161G3415G4487G2962G5613G3004G2491G3303G907G5204G1161G5210G907G1722G40G415117And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God's way?"G1487G3767G5613G2316G1325G846G2470G1431G2532G2254G4100G1909G2962G2424G5547G1161G5101G2252G1473G1415G2967G231618When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, "We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life."G1161G191G5023G2270G2532G1392G2316G3004G686G1325G2316G2534G1484G1325G3341G1519G222219Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen's death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.G3767G3303G1289G575G2347G1096G1909G4736G1330G2193G5403G2532G2954G2532G490G2980G3056G3367G1508G2453G344020However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.G1161G5100G1537G846G2258G435G2953G2532G2956G3748G1525G1519G490G2980G4314G1675G2097G2962G242421The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.G2532G5495G2962G2258G3326G846G5037G4183G706G4100G1994G1909G296222When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.G1161G3056G4012G846G191G1519G3775G1577G3588G1722G2414G2532G1821G921G1330G2193G49023When he arrived and saw this evidence of God's blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.G3739G3854G2532G1492G5485G2316G5463G2532G3870G3956G4286G2588G4357G296224Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.G3754G2258G18G435G2532G4134G40G4151G2532G4102G2532G2425G3793G4369G296225Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul.G1161G1831G921G1519G5019G327G456926When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)G2532G2147G846G71G846G1519G490G1161G1096G3650G1763G846G4863G1722G1577G2532G1321G2425G3793G5037G3101G5537G5546G4412G1722G49027During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch.G1161G1722G5025G2250G2718G4396G575G2414G1519G49028One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.)G1161G450G1520G1537G846G3686G13G4591G1223G4151G3195G1510G3173G3042G1909G3650G3625G3748G2532G1096G1909G2804G254129So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.G1161G3101G1538G846G2531G2141G5100G3724G3992G1248G1519G80G2730G1722G244930This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.G3739G2532G4160G649G4314G4245G1223G5495G921G2532G4569
Acts 12
12About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church.G1161G2596G1565G2540G2264G935G1911G5495G2559G5100G575G15772He had the apostle James killed with a sword.G1161G337G2385G80G2491G31623When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.)G2532G1492G3754G2076G701G2453G4369G4815G4074G2532G1161G2258G2250G1064Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover.G3739G2532G4084G5087G1519G5438G3860G5064G5069G4757G5442G846G1014G3326G3957G321G846G321G29925But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.G4074G3303G3767G5083G1722G5438G1161G4335G2258G1096G1618G5259G1577G4314G2316G5228G8466The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate.G1161G3753G2264G3195G4254G846G4254G1565G3571G4074G2258G2837G3342G1417G4757G1210G1417G254G5037G5441G4253G2374G5083G54387Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, "Quick! Get up!" And the chains fell off his wrists.G2532G2400G32G2962G2186G2532G5457G2989G1722G3612G1161G3960G4074G4125G1453G846G1453G3004G450G1722G5034G2532G846G254G1601G1537G54958Then the angel told him, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." And he did. "Now put on your coat and follow me," the angel ordered.G5037G32G2036G4314G846G4024G2532G5265G4675G4547G1161G3779G4160G2532G3004G846G4016G2440G4016G4675G2532G190G34279So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn't realize it was actually happening.G2532G1831G190G846G2532G1492G3756G3754G2076G227G3588G1096G1223G32G1161G1380G991G370510They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.G1161G1330G4413G2532G1208G5438G2064G1909G4603G4439G5342G1519G4172G3748G455G846G844G2532G1831G4281G3391G4505G2532G2112G32G868G575G84611Peter finally came to his senses. "It's really true!" he said. "The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!"G2532G4074G1096G1722G1438G2036G3568G1492G230G3754G2962G1821G846G32G2532G1807G3165G1537G5495G2264G2532G3956G4329G2992G245312When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer.G5037G4894G2064G1909G3614G3137G3384G2491G1941G3138G3757G2425G2258G4867G2532G433613He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it.G1161G4074G2925G2374G4440G3814G4334G5219G3686G449814When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, "Peter is standing at the door!"G2532G1921G4074G5456G455G3756G4440G575G5479G1161G1532G518G4074G2476G4253G444015"You're out of your mind!" they said. When she insisted, they decided, "It must be his angel."G1161G2036G4314G846G3105G1161G1340G2192G3779G1161G3004G2076G846G3216Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.G1161G4074G1961G2925G1161G455G1492G846G2532G183917He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. "Tell James and the other brothers what happened," he said. And then he went to another place.G1161G2678G846G5495G4601G1334G846G4459G2962G1806G846G1537G5438G1161G2036G518G5023G2385G2532G80G2532G1831G4198G1519G2087G511718At dawn there was a great commotion among the soldiers about what had happened to Peter.G1161G1096G2250G2258G3756G3641G5017G1722G4757G5101G686G1096G407419Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough search for him. When he couldn't be found, Herod interrogated the guards and sentenced them to death. Afterward Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.G1161G1934G2264G1934G846G2532G2147G3361G350G5441G2753G520G2532G2718G575G2449G1519G2542G130420Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod's country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod's personal assistant,G1161G2264G2258G2371G5183G2532G4606G1161G3918G3661G4314G846G2532G3982G986G935G1909G2846G3982G154G1515G1223G846G5561G5142G575G93721and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them.G1161G5002G2250G2264G1746G937G2066G2523G1909G968G2532G1215G4314G84622The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, "It's the voice of a god, not of a man!"G1161G1218G2019G5456G2316G2532G3756G44423Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people's worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.G1161G3916G32G2962G3960G846G473G3739G1325G3756G2316G1391G2532G1096G4662G163424Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.G1161G3056G2316G837G2532G412925When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, taking John Mark with them.G1161G921G2532G4569G5290G1537G2419G4137G1248G2532G4838G2491G1941G3138
Psalms 124
124[A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.] What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat.H7892H4609H1732H3884H3068H3478H5592What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us?H3884H3068H120H69653They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger.H233H1104H2416H639H27344The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us.H233H4325H7857H5158H5674H53155Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives.H233H2121H4325H5674H53156Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us apart!H1288H3068H5414H2964H81277We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap is broken, and we are free!H5315H4422H6833H6341H3369H6341H7665H44228Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.H5828H8034H3068H6213H8064H776
Dublin, OH
in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God.G1161
