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September 3 - Acts 13 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's shown here. It's Wednesday, it's the 3rd of
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  September and I hope you're going well.
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  Thank you for tapping on play and inviting me into your day.
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  No matter what you are up to, no matter where you are.
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  I am not in my normal place in the world.
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  I am in the northern part of the state with all my homies at a
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  ministry leaders conference, which is all very exciting and
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  interesting and fantastic. So wherever you are, no matter
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  what's going on in your life, whether you're at home or
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  whether you're far away, whether you're in your normal routine or
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  whether everything's all jangled up for whatever reason, you have
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  stopped for a moment and invited me in so that we together can
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  continue this story of God moving and growing His church in
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  the world. So let us do just that, friends.
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  Let's continue on the story reading Acts chapter 13.
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  Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of
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  Syria were Barnabas, Simeon called the black man, Lucius
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  from Cyrene, Manaean the childhood companion of King
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  Herod, Antipus and Saul. One day, as these men were
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  worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
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  Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work for which I've
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  called them. So after more fasting and
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  prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their
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  way. So Barnabas and Saul were sent
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  out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of
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  Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus.
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  There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish
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  synagogues and preached the word of God.
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  John Mark went with them as their assistant.
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  Afterward they travelled from town to town across the entire
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  island, until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a
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  Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar Jesus.
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  He had attached himself to the governor Sergius Paulus, who was
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  an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas
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  and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God.
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  But Ellamus the sorcerer, as his name means in Greek, interfered
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  and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and
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  Saul said. He was trying to keep the
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  governor from believing. Saul, also known as Paul, was
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  filled with the Holy Spirit and he looked the sorcerer in the
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  eye. Then he said, You son of the
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  devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud and enemy of
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  all that is good, will you never stop perverting the true ways of
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  the Lord? Watch now, for the Lord has laid
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  his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind.
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  You will not see the sunlight for some time.
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  Instantly mist and darkness came over the man's eyes, and he
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  began groping around, begging for someone to take his hand and
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  lead him. When the governor saw what had
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  happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the
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  teaching about the Lord. Paul and his companions left
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  Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of
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  Perga. There John Mark left them and
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  returned to Jerusalem, but Paul and Barnabas travelled inland to
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  Antioch of Presidia. On the Sabbath they went to the
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  synagogue for the services. After the usual readings from
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  the book of Moses and the Prophets, those in charge of the
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  service sent them this message. Brothers, if you have any word
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  of encouragement for the people, come and give it.
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  So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started
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  speaking. Men of Israel, he said, And you,
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  God fearing Gentiles, listen to me.
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  The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made
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  them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt.
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  Then, with a powerful army, he led them out of slavery.
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  He put up with them through 40 years of wandering in the
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  wilderness. Then he destroyed seven nations
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  in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance.
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  All this took about 450 years. After that God gave them judges
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  to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet.
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  Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son
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  of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for 40
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  years. But God removed Saul and
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  replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, I have
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  found David's son of Jesse, a man after my own heart.
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  He will do everything I want him to do.
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  But it is one of King David's descendants, Jesus, who is God's
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  promised Saviour of Israel. Before he came, John the Baptist
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  preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their
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  sins and turn to God to be baptised.
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  As John was finishing his ministry he asked, do you think
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  I'm the Messiah? No, I am not, but he is coming
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  soon and I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the
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  sandals on his feet. Brothers, you sons of Abraham
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  and also you God fearing Gentiles, this message of
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  salvation has been sent to us. The people in Jerusalem and
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  their leaders did not recognise Jesus as the one the prophet had
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  spoken about. Instead they condemned him, and
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  in doing this they fulfilled the prophet's words that are read
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  every Sabbath. They found no legal reason to
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  execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed
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  anyway. When they had done all that the
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  prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and
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  placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the
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  dead, and over a period of many days he appeared to those who
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  had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.
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  They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel.
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  And now we are here to bring you this good news.
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  The promise was made to our ancestors, and God has now
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  fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus.
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  This is what the second Psalm says about Jesus.
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  You are my son to day. I have become your father.
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  For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving
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  him to rot in the grave. He said, I will give you the
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  sacred blessings I promised to David.
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  Another Psalm explains it more fully.
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  You will not allow your Holy 1 to rot in the grave.
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  This is not a reference to David.
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  For after David had done the will of God in his own
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  generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and
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  his body decayed. No, it was a reference to
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  someone else, someone whom God raised and whose body did not
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  decay. Brothers, listen, We are here to
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  proclaim that through this man Jesus, there is forgiveness for
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  your sins. Everyone who believes in him is
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  made right in God's sight, something the law of Moses could
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  never do. Be careful, don't let the
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  prophet's words apply to you, for they said, Look, you
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  mockers, be amazed and die, for I am doing something in your own
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  day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you
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  about it. As Paul and Barnabas left the
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  synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these
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  things again. The next week, many Jews and
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  devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and
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  the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of
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  God. The following week, almost the
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  entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the
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  Lord. But when some of the Jews saw
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  the crowds, they were jealous. So they slandered Paul and
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  argued against whatever he said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out
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  boldly and declared it was necessary that we first preach
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  the Word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it
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  and judged yourselves unworthy eternal life, we will offer it
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  to the Gentiles. For the Lord gave us this
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  command when He said, I have made you a light to the Gentiles
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  to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.
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  When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked
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  the Lord for His message, and all who were chosen for eternal
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  life became believers. So the Lord's message spread
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  throughout that region. Then the Jews stirred up the
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  influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and
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  they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of
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  town. So they shook the dust from
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  their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town
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  of Iconium. And the believers were filled
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  with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
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  Our God, as we come before you, we are so aware that your story
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  of engagement with us, your people, is such a long one.
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  From the very beginning of creation, you loved and were
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  present with your people. And all throughout history you
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  have been present with your people.
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  You have built your church. You have revealed yourself time
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  and time again, and here we are in this time and place, wherever
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  we are, living our lives, inspired by you and your Spirit
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  in US. Lord Jesus.
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  Lord, continue to shape us, continue to embolden us so that
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  we can truly bring about your Kingdom here around us through
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  the power of your Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, come, You know more
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  than we do just how much our world needs you.
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  Come, transform our world. Bring peace into places of
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  violence, bring love into hearts that lack forgiveness, Bring
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  your presence where there is emptiness, and use us in
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  whatever way you see fit to bring about your ends.
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  We love you and we praise you, and we pray all of these things
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  in your precious name, Jesus, Amen.