Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / November 19 - Acts 10

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November 19 - Acts 10 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Tuesday, it is the 19th of
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  November and so glad to have your company.
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  Thank you for tapping or play and inviting me in so that we
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  can continue this incredible story in the book of Acts of
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  Jesus inspiring this church as it grows and grows through the
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  power of his spirit. And today is a fascinating
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  reading. Today is this perfect mini story
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  that captures the battle in all of our hearts as we go ahead in
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  the things that we think that God has told us.
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  But then when God communicates a new direction, we say, no, you
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  can't possibly mean that because I'm stuck in this direction, I
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  don't want to change. This is the way it ought to be,
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  isn't it? And we hear poor old Peter as he
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  has his whole life lived as a law abiding Jew and all of a
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  sudden all those rules that were so important have been replaced
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  by a new way where everyone is welcome at God's table.
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  Poor dude takes a lot of convincing.
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  And Yep, I think you and I are very similar and we can be
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  equally stubborn and small minded.
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  Oh, probably not fair to call Peter small minded, just a
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  product of his training and his life.
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  So here we are, our Holy Spirit, open up our hearts so that we
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  can be nimble and responsive as we hear your word and it
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  inspires us today. All right, friends, join me as
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  we read together Acts Chapter 10.
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  In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius,
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  who was a captain of the Italian regiment.
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  He was a devout, God fearing man, as was everyone in his
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  household. He gave generously to the poor
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  and prayed regularly to God. One afternoon about 3:00, he had
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  a vision in which he saw an Angel of God coming toward him.
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  Cornelius, the Angel said. Cornelius stared at him in
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  terror. What is it, Sir?
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  He asked the Angel, and the Angel replied, Your prayers and
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  gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering.
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  Now send some men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon Peter.
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  He is staying with Simon, a Tanner who lives near the
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  seashore. As soon as the Angel was gone,
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  Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout
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  soldier, one of his personal attendants.
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  He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.
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  The next day, as Cornelius's messengers were nearing the
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  town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray.
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  It was about noon and he was hungry, but while a meal was
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  being prepared he fell into a trance.
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  He saw the sky open and something like a large sheet was
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  let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of
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  animals, reptiles and birds. Then a voice said to him, Get
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  up, Peter, kill and eat them. No, Lord, Peter declared.
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  I've never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared
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  impure and unclean. But the voice spoke again.
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  Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.
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  The same vision was repeated three times.
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  Then the sheep was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
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  Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean?
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  Just then, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon's house
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  standing outside the gate. They asked if a man named Simon
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  Peter was staying there. Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling
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  over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, Three men have come
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  looking for you. Get up, go downstairs and go
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  with them without hesitation. Don't worry for I have sent
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  them. So Peter went down and said I'm
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  the man you're looking for, why have you come?
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  They said we were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer.
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  He is a devout and God fearing man, well respected by all the
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  Jews. A holy Angel instructed him to
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  summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.
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  So Peter invited the men to stay for the night.
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  The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the
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  brothers from Joppa. They arrived in Saeseria the
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  following day. Cornelius was waiting for them
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  and had called together his relatives and close friends.
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  As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and
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  worshipped him. But Peter pulled him up and said
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  stand up, I'm a human being just like you.
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  So they talked together and went inside, where many others were
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  assembled. Peter told them.
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  You know it is against our law for a Jewish man to enter a
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  Gentile home like this, or to associate with you.
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  But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone
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  as unpure or unclean. So I came without objection as
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  soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me,
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  Cornelius replied. Four days ago I was praying in
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  my house. About this same time, 3:00 in
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  the afternoon, suddenly a man in dazzling clothes was standing in
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  front of me. He told me, Cornelius, your
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  prayer has been heard and your gifts to the poor have been
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  noticed by God. Now send messages to Joppa and
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  summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of
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  Simon, a Tanner who lives near the seashore.
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  So I send for you at once, and it was good of you to come.
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  Now we are all here waiting before God to hear the message
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  the Lord has given you. Then Peter replied.
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  I see very clearly that God shows no favouritism in every
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  nation. He accepts those who fear him
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  and do what is right. This is the message of good news
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  for the people of Israel, that there is peace with God through
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  Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
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  You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in
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  Galilee after John began preaching his message of
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  baptism. And you know that God anointed
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  Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.
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  Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were
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  oppressed by the devil, for God was with him, and we apostles
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  are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in
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  Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging
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  him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day.
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  Then God allowed him to appear, not to the general public, but
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  to us, whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses.
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  We were those who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the
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  dead, and He ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify
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  that Jesus is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of all
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  the living and the dead. He is the One all the prophets
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  testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him
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  will have their sins forgiven through His name.
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  Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell
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  upon all who were listening to the message.
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  The Jewish believers that came with Peter were amazed that the
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  gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles too,
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  for they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God.
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  Then Peter asked, can anyone object to their being baptised
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  now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?
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  So he gave orders for them to be baptised in the name of Jesus
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  Christ. Afterward, Cornelius asked him
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  to stay with them for several days.
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  Ah, Lord, you throw open your arms wide, and you welcome all
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  of us as your children and all of our preconceived notions
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  about who should be in and who should be out and who is
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  acceptable and who is unacceptable.
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  They are out. They are old news.
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  They are no longer relevant as you with your Father's heart,
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  just welcome all of your children with this good news.
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  This good news of saving grace for us through Jesus our Holy
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  Spirit. Broaden our hearts and broaden
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  our minds that we would love as you do.
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  That we would include and reach out and embrace as you do so
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  that when we come across those who we would imagine to be out
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  or we would find difficult to love, that your expansive grace
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  that knows no bounds would infect us as well.
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  Oh Jesus, thank you that we wholly unacceptable and
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  difficult and sinful and stubborn of heart.
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  That we are loved and cherished and forgiven by you.
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  We just revel in your acceptance and our membership in your
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  family and are so grateful for you and your love for us.
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  So we praise you and we thank you, and we pray all of these
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  things in your redeeming name, Amen.