2020 for JESUS - Day 191: JESUS is GOD... LORD...

The next few days, we will be looking at Acts 10-12.  

The picture above is an amazing piece of art, that I found online, 

showing how relevant chapters 10-12 are for us today.  

(Artist - Steve Thomason)  

Acts 10:1-33

Cornelius’s Vision

 1 "Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 

2 a devout man and one who feared GOD with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to GOD continually. 

3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of GOD  who had just come in and said to him, 

'Cornelius!' 

4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, 

'What is it, LORD?' 

And he said to him, 

'Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before GOD . 

5 Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; 

6 he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.' 

7 When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants, 

8 and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

9 On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 

10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; 

11 and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, 

12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. 

13 A voice came to him, 

'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' 

14 But Peter said, 

'By no means, LORD, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.' 

15 Again a voice came to him a second time, 

'What GOD  has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.' 

16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.

17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; 

18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. 

19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, THE SPIRIT said to him, 

'Behold, three men are looking for you. 

20 But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them MYSELF.' 

21 Peter went down to the men and said, 

'Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?' 

22 They said, 

'Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and GOD -fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.' 

23 So he invited them in and gave them lodging.

Peter at Caesarea

And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him. 

24 On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 

25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. 

26 But Peter raised him up, saying, 

'Stand up; I too am just a man.' 

27 As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled. 

28 And he said to them, 

'You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet GOD has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. 

29 That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.'

30 Cornelius said, 

'Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments, 

31 and he said, 

‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before GOD. 

32 Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.’ 

33 So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before GOD to hear all that you have been commanded by the LORD.'"

2020 for JESUS - Day 190: JESUS is THE LORD... THE WAY... LIGHT FROM HEAVEN... LORD... THE VOICE... THE LORD JESUS... THE SON OF GOD... THIS NAME... THE CHRIST... JESUS CHRIST...

Acts 9:1-43 (NASB)

The Conversion of Saul

 "Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of THE LORD, went to the high priest, 
2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to THE WAY, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 
3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a LIGHT FROM HEAVEN flashed around him; 
4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 
'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ME?' 
5 And he said, “Who are YOU, LORD?” 
And HE said, 
'I am JESUS WHOM you are persecuting, 
6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.' 
7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing THE VOICE but seeing no one. 
8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. 
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and THE LORD said to him in a vision, 
'Ananias.' 
And he said, 
'Here I am, LORD.' 
11 And THE LORD said to him, 
'Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 
12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.' 
13 But Ananias answered, 
'LORD, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to YOUR saints at Jerusalem; 
14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on YOUR name.' 
15 But THE LORD said to him, 
'Go, for he is a chosen instrument of MINE, to bear MY name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 
16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for MY name’s sake.'
17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, 
'Brother Saul, THE LORD JESUS, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with THE HOLY SPIRIT.' 
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 
19 and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, 

20 and immediately he began to proclaim JESUS in the synagogues, saying, 
'HE is THE SON OF GOD.' 
21 All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, 
'Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on THIS NAME, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?' 
22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this JESUS is THE CHRIST.

23 When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,
24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;
25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

26 When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; 

but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. 

27 But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen THE LORD on the road, and that HE had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of JESUS. 
28 And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of THE LORD. 
29 And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. 
30 But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of THE LORD and in the comfort of THE HOLY SPIRIT, it continued to increase.

Peter’s Ministry

32 Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 

33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. 

34 Peter said to him, 

'Aeneas, JESUS CHRIST heals you; get up and make your bed.' 
Immediately he got up. 
35 And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to THE LORD.

36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.
37 And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.
38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, 
'Do not delay in coming to us.'
39 So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.
40 But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, 
'Tabitha, arise.' 
And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
42 It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in THE LORD.
43 And Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

2020 for JESUS - Day 189: JESUS is THE WORD... CHRIST... THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD... JESUS CHRIST... THE WORD OF GOD... THE LORD JESUS... GOD... THE LORD... THE WORD OF THE LORD... THE SON OF GOD...

You and I have heard of people being "baptized" as a baby.  

Yet, the more we read the Bible, 

we can understand (as did the eunuch in this scripture) 

that baptism is a personal decision 

to give oneself to JESUS 

by "dying to self" in a watery burial. 

Acts 8:1-40 (NASB)

Saul Persecutes the Church

"Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him (Stephen) to death.

And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 

2 Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. 

3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching THE WORD. 

5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming CHRIST to them. 

6 The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. 

7 For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. 

8 So there was much rejoicing in that city.

9 Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; 

10 and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, 

'This man is what is called the Great Power of God.' 

11 And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. 

12 But when they believed Philip preaching THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD and the name of JESUS CHRIST, they were being baptized, men and women alike. 

13 Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.

14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received THE WORD OF GOD, they sent them Peter and John, 

15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

16 For HE had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of THE LORD JESUS. 

17 Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

18 Now when Simon saw that THE SPIRIT was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 

19 saying, 

'Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive THE HOLY SPIRIT.' 

20 But Peter said to him, 

'May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of GOD with money! 

21 You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before GOD. 

22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray THE LORD that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. 

23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.' 

24 But Simon answered and said, 

'Pray to THE LORD for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.'

An Ethiopian Receives Christ

25 So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken THE WORD OF THE LORD, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

26 But an angel of THE LORD spoke to Philip saying, 

'Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.' 

(This is a desert road.) 

27 So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 

28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 

29 Then THE SPIRIT said to Philip, 

'Go up and join this chariot.' 

30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, 

'Do you understand what you are reading?'

 31 And he said, 

'Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?' 

And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 

32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:

     'HE was led as a sheep to slaughter;

      and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

      So HE does not open HIS mouth. 

33 In humiliation HIS judgment was taken away;

      Who will relate HIS generation?

      For HIS life is removed from the earth.'

34 The eunuch answered Philip and said, 

'Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached JESUS to him. 

36 As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, 

'Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?' 

37 And Philip said, 

'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' 

And he answered and said, 

'I believe that  JESUS CHRIST is THE SON OF GOD.'

38 And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 

39 When they came up out of the water, THE SPIRIT of THE LORD snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. 

40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea."

 

2020 for JESUS - Day 188: JESUS is GOD OF GLORY... GOD... THE LORD... THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB... THE LORD... A PROPHET... THE GOD OF JACOB... THE MOST HIGH... THE RIGHTEOUS ONE...

Today's post is longer than usual, but so full of:

• Trusting GOD...
• Looking back at some historical details...
• Seeing the big picture...
• Forgiveness...

A little personal note:  

My husband is a man of great faith.  He was named after Stephen and his personality aligns a lot to that of Moses.  Both of these Biblical heroes of faith are in our reading today.  

Acts 7:1-60

Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

1  "Then the high priest asked Stephen, 

'Are these charges true?'

2 To this he replied: 

'Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The GOD OF GLORY appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. 

3 ‘Leave your country and your people,’ GOD said, 

‘and go to the land I will show you.

4 “So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, GOD sent him to this land where you are now living. 

5 He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But GOD promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. 

6 GOD spoke to him in this way: 

‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. 

7 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ GOD said, 

‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship ME in this place.’

8 Then HE gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

9 'Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But GOD  was with him 

10 and rescued him from all his troubles. HE gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.

11 'Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. 

12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. 

13 On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 

14 After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. 

15 Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. 

16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.

17 'As the time drew near for GOD to fulfill HIS promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased. 

18 Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.’

19 He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.

20 'At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.  For three months he was cared for by his family. 

21 When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. 

22 Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 

24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 

25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that GOD  was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 

26 The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, 

‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’

27 'But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, 

‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? 

28 Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’

29 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.

30 'After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 

31 When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard THE LORD say: 

32 ‘I am THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB.’ 

Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

33 'Then THE LORD said to him, 

‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 

34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’

35 'This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, 

‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ 

He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by GOD HIMSELF, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 

36 He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness.

37 'This is the Moses who told the Israelites, 

‘GOD  will raise up for you A PROPHET like me from your own people.’ 

38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.

39 'But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 

40 They told Aaron, 

‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’ 

41 That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made. 

42 But GOD  turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:

       'Did you bring ME sacrifices and offerings forty years 

        in the wilderness, people of Israel?          

        You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek 

         and the star of your god Rephan, 

         the idols you made to worship.  

         Therefore, I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.'

44 'Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as GOD  directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 

45 After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations GOD drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, 

46 who enjoyed GOD ’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place  for THE GOD OF JACOB.

47 But it was Solomon who built a house for HIM.

48 'However, THE MOST HIGH does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:  

49 

     49 'Heaven is MY throne

     and the earth is MY footstool.

     What kind of house will you build for ME?  

     says THE LORD.

     Or where will MY resting place be?  

50    50 Has not MY hand made all these things?'

51 'You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist THE HOLY SPIRIT! 

52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of THE RIGHTEOUS ONE. And now you have betrayed and murdered HIM— 

53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.'

The Stoning of Stephen

54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 

55 But Stephen, full of THE HOLY SPIRIT, looked up to heaven and saw THE GLORY OF GOD, and JESUS standing at the right hand of GOD. 

56 'Look,' he said, 

'I see heaven open and THE SON OF MAN standing at the right hand of GOD.”

57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 

58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, 

'LORD JESUS, receive my spirit.' 

60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, 

'LORD, do not hold this sin against them.' 

When he had said this, he fell asleep."