Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / November 21 - Acts 12

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November 21 - Acts 12 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Greetings friends on this, the third Thursday in November,
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  which of course you will all recognise as the UNESCO World
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  Philosophy Day, where we are encouraged to think and engage
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  in free and reasoned and informed thinking.
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  Ah yes, philosophy. I don't know how philosophical
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  you are friends, but what a cracker of an idea UNESCO says.
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  Do you know what? This one day every year, let's
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  not just get bogged down in the the echo chamber in which we
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  live and all the different thoughtless voices that yabber
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  on and yell at us, but let's take a moment to think deeply
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  and to speak from our hearts, using our minds, engaging with
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  each other's thoughts. And in an ever polarising world,
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  that sounds like an outstanding idea.
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  So today I encourage you to have some fantastic philosophical
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  discussions. What are the big issues that are
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  bouncing around in your head and your heart at the moment?
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  Find a trusted person and open up a dialogue.
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  Let us see what we can do as we share ourselves and our thoughts
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  with each other in an open and inclusive way today.
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  Thank you, UNESCO, what an excellent idea.
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  And today we will do that, opening up God's Word and seeing
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  what the living God of the universe has to say to us, to
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  inspire us as we hear of challenging times in the early
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  church, as this message brings about its opposition and we see
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  how this community manages it. You ready?
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  Yes, let's put aside our deep philosophical thoughts, open up
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  our hearts to hear what the God of philosophy and the God of the
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  universe has to say to us as we read together Acts chapter 12.
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  About that time, King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some
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  believers in the church. He had the apostle James, John's
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  brother, killed with a sword. When Herod saw how much this
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  pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter.
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  This took place during the Passover celebration.
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  Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four
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  squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter
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  out for public trial after the Passover, but while Peter was in
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  prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.
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  The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep,
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  fastened with two chains between two soldiers.
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  Others stood guard at the prison gate.
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  Suddenly there was a bright light in the cell and the Angel
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  of the Lord stood before Peter. The angels struck him on the
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  side to awaken him and said, quick get up and the chains fell
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  off his wrists. Then the Angel told him, get
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  dressed and put on your sandals, and he did.
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  Now put on your coat and follow me.
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  The Angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, followed
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  the Angel but all the time he thought it was a vision he
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  didn't realise it was actually happening.
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  They passed the 1st and 2nd guard posts and came to the iron
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  gate leading to the city and this opened for them all by
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  itself. So they passed through and
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  started walking down the street and then the Angel suddenly left
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  him. Peter finally came to his
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  senses. It's really true, he said.
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  The Lord has sent his Angel and saved me from Herod and from
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  what the Jewish leaders had planned to do with me.
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  When he realised this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother
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  of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer.
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  He knocked at the door in the gate and the servant girl named
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  Rhoda came to open it. When she recognised Peter's
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  voice, she was so overjoyed that instead of opening the door, she
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  ran back inside and told everyone.
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  Peter is standing at the door. You're out of your mind, they
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  said. When she insisted, they decided
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  it must be his Angel. Meanwhile, Peter continued
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  knocking. When they finally opened the
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  door and saw him, they were amazed.
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  He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord
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  had led him out of prison. Tell James and the other
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  brothers what happened, he said. And then he went to another
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  place. At dawn there was a great
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  commotion among the soldiers about what had happened to
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  Peter. Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough
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  search for him. When he couldn't be found, Herod
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  interrogated the guards and sentenced them to death.
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  Afterward Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.
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  Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, so
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  they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their
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  cities were dependent upon Herod's country for food.
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  The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod's personal
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  assistant, and an appointment with Herod was granted.
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  When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his
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  throne, and made a speech to them.
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  The people gave him a great ovation, shouting It's the voice
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  of a God, not of a man. Instantly an Angel of the Lord
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  struck Herod with a sickness because he accepted the people's
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  worship instead of giving the glory to God.
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  So he was consumed with worms and died.
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  Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there
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  were many new believers. When Barnabas and Saul had
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  finished their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, taking
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  John Mark with them. Our Lord, thank you that you are
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  a God who loves us that yes, even though you are a God who
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  commands all the creation and you are an enormous unending God
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  of the universe, you love us, You love me, You love each
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  person. Praying right now together with
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  me and Lord. Just like Peter found himself in
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  an impossible situation, ready to be tried and probably
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  executed by the authorities of the day, you against all odds
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  create this incredible way for him to walk free.
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  My Lord, we might find ourselves in some really difficult
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  situations, situations that we feel like there's no way out of,
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  situations where we feel trapped and entirely unable to be
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  liberated. But you are a Redeemer.
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  You are a Liberator, and you are a God who loves your people and
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  who wants to use us to great effect to expand and bring about
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  your Kingdom on earth. So, Lord, I pray that you give
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  us hope that as we find ourselves in impossible
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  situations, that we can trust and know that you are a God who
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  is bigger than any challenge we face, any incarceration that our
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  physical, emotional, mental, or social situation might
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  encounter. And thank you, Lord, that you
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  and your rule over all things extends to our lives.
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  Our Lord, I pray that you would create the spaces and the
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  abilities in our day to day lives that we could further your
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  Kingdom, and that the power of your love and forgiveness as it
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  transforms us could also transform our corners of the
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  world through us as your agents. We love you and we're so
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  grateful that you choose to step into time and space in our lives
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  to make a difference. So we worship you and we thank
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  you, and we pray all of this in your mighty name.
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  I'm in.