Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / December 11 - Acts 23

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December 11 - Acts 23 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Wednesday, it's the 11th of
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December. And I know it feels like I say
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it every day, but I really am grateful that you have tapped on
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play so that you can join me in continuing this journey through
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God's word. I know I am a sentimental
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schmuck, but hey, that's that's just how I'm hard wired.
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So believe me when I say it is so great to have your company.
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So great that you and I can go on this journey and that every
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day we get to just dive in for a moment into God's word and to
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hear these words written all that time ago expressly so that
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you and I and all believers throughout time can come before
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God and hear these words. And these words really can edify
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us and shape us for a life of God's service.
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And talking about a life of God's service.
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This this chapter really does continue talking about poor old
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Paul in captivity in Rome. And you might think the poor
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guy, how limiting for his his missionary journeys and his
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life, but he was forewarned and he knew what he was walking
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into, but he still walked into it boldly, confident that God
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would use him in that space. So it's a lovely example for us
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that we can shift our priorities to be all about God's Kingdom
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and not what's most comfy for us, which is, well, pretty much
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exactly the lens that the world uses to evaluate things.
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So let us continue to hear the story.
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What happens to Paul as we read together Acts chapter 23?
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Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began.
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Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear
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conscience. Instantly Ananias, the high
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priest, commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.
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But Paul said to him, God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite,
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what kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by
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ordering me struck like that? Those standing near Paul said to
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him, Do you dare to insult God's high priest?
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I'm sorry brothers, I didn't realise he was the high priest,
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Paul replied, For the scriptures say you must not speak evil of
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any of your rulers. Paul realised that some members
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of the high council were Sadducees and some were
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Pharisees. So he shouted, Brothers, I am a
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Pharisee, as were my ancestors, and I am on trial because my
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hope is in the resurrection of the dead.
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This divided the council, the Pharisees against the Sadducees,
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for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or
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spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these.
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So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of
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religious law who were Pharisees jumped up and began to argue
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forcefully. We see nothing wrong with him,
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they shouted. Perhaps a spirit or an Angel
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spoke to him. As the conflict grew more
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violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul
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apart, so he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him by
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force and take him back to the fortress.
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That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, Be encouraged.
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Paul, just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem,
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you must preach the good news in Rome as well.
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The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound
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themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had
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killed Paul. There were more than 40 of them
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in the conspiracy. They went to the leading priests
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and elders and told them we have bound ourselves with an oath to
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eat nothing until we have killed Paul.
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So you and the High Council should ask the commander to
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bring Paul back to the council again.
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Pretend you want to examine his case more carefully.
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We will kill him on the way. But Paul's nephew, his sister's
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son, heard of their plan and went to the fortress and told
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Paul. Paul called for one of the Roman
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officers and said, Take this young man to the commander, he
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has something important to tell him.
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So the officer did, explaining Paul, the prisoner called me
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over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has
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something to tell you. The commander took his hand, led
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him aside and asked, What is it you want to tell me?
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Paul's nephew told him some Jews are going to ask you to bring
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Paul before the High council tomorrow, pretending they want
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to get some more information. But don't do it.
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There are more than 14 men hiding along the way, ready to
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ambush him. They have vowed not to eat or
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drink anything until they have killed him.
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They are ready now, just waiting for your consent.
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Don't let anyone know you told me this, the commander warned
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the young man. Then the commander called two of
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his officers and ordered. Get 200 soldiers ready to leave
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for say Syria at 9:00 tonight. Also take 200 Spearman and 70
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mounted troops. Provide horses for Paul to ride
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and get him safely to Governor Felix.
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Then he wrote this letter to the governor from Claudius Lyceus to
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His Excellency Governor Felix. Greetings.
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This man was seized by some Jews and they were about to kill him
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when I arrived with the troops. When I learned that he was a
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Roman citizen, I removed him to safety.
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Then I took him to their high council to try to learn the
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basis of the accusations against him.
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I soon discovered the charge was something regarding their
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religious law, certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death.
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But when I was informed of a plot to kill him, I immediately
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sent him on to you. I have told his accusers to
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bring their charges before you. So that night, as ordered, the
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soldiers took Paul as far as Auntie Patras.
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They returned to the fortress the next morning while the
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mounted troops took him on to say Syria.
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When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul and the
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letter to Governor Felix. He read it and then asked Paul
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what province he was from. Cecilia, Paul answered.
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I will hear your case myself when your accusers arrive, the
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governor told him. Then the governor ordered him
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kept in the prison at Herod's headquarters.
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Lord, you call us to live a life different from what the world
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would tell us to do, but to live a life focused on you and your
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Kingdom priorities. And Lord, you know that that can
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be hard as sometimes it feels like we operate in a vacuum
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against the tide. But in this chapter, we hear
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your words saying, be encouraged Paul, as he witnesses and lives
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truly following you, our Lord Jesus, I pray that we too would
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hear your words of encouragement, that you would
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spur us on to continue living our life attuned to you and your
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will and your Kingdom. And Lord, there may well be
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moments where we can be your voice of encouragement.
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So I pray that you would prompt us and give us a heart of
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encouragement that when we spend time with our brothers and
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sisters in faith that we can be your word of encouragement to
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them, building up your people to continue living truly for you.
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And thank you that you are a God of encouragement and a God of
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building up and a God of equipping and empowering.
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And thank you for the gift of your Spirit, the enabler, the
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healer, the comforter who lives in US and inspires us.
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Ah, you are a good, good God who does so much for us.
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Your children inspire us with your encouragement to be your
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encouragement. And we pray all of this in your
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name, Jesus, Amen.