Day 330 - 26 November 2021 reflections
Day 330, 26 November 2021
1)
Acts 18-19
Acts 18
Paul in Corinth
1 (Ac 19:1; 1Co 1:2) After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
2 (1Co 16:19; 2Ti 4:19; Ac 11:28) He found a Jew named Aquila, a native
of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla,
because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.
And he went to them.
3 (1Co 4:12; 1Th 2:9) And because he was of the same trade,
he remained with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.
4 (Ac 17:17) He lectured in the synagogue every Sabbath
and persuaded Jews and Greeks.
5 (Ac 17:3; 18:28) When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia,
Paul was pressed by the Spirit and testified to the Jews
that Jesus was the Christ.
6 (2Sa 1:16; Eze 18:13) But when they opposed him and blasphemed,
he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be upon your heads.
I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."
7 (Ac 16:14; Col 4:11) Then he departed from there and entered the house
of a man named Justus, one who worshipped God, whose house was next door
to the synagogue.
8 (Ac 8:12; 11:14) Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue,
believed in the Lord with his entire household.
And many of the Corinthians, who heard, believed and were baptized.
9 (Ac 23:11; 2Co 12:1-3) The Lord spoke to Paul in the night through
a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent.
10 (Mt 28:20; Lk 21:18) For I am with you, and no one shall attack you
and hurt you, for I have many people in this city."
11 So for a year and six months he sat among them,
teaching the word of God.
12 (Ac 13:7; 18:27) When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,
the Jews in unity attacked Paul and brought him to court,
13 saying, "This man is persuading men to worship God contrary to the law."
14 When Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "O Jews,
if it were a matter of a misdemeanor or serious crime,
I would rightly bear with you.
15 (Ac 23:29; 25:19) But if it is a question of words and names and your law,
look into it yourselves. For I do not intend to be a judge of these matters."
16 So he drove them out of court.
17 (1Co 1:1) Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes,
the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat.
But none of these things mattered to Gallio.
Paul's Return to Antioch
18 (Nu 6:18; Ac 21:24) Yet Paul remained many days. He had his hair cut
in Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. Then, bidding farewell to the brothers,
he sailed to Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him.
19 (Ac 18:4; 18:24) He arrived at Ephesus and left them there.
But he himself went into the synagogue and lectured the Jews.
20 When they asked him to remain for a while longer, he did not consent,
21 (1Co 4:19; Jas 4:15) but, bidding farewell, said, "I must by all means
attend this upcoming feast in Jerusalem,
but I will return to you if God wills." And he set sail from Ephesus.
22 (Ac 8:40) When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church
and then went down to Antioch.
23 (Ac 16:6; 14:22) After spending some time there, he departed
and passed through the entire region of Galatia and Phrygia in sequence,
strengthening all the disciples.
Apollos Preaches in Ephesus
24 (1Co 1:12; 4:6) Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria,
who was an eloquent man and powerful in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 (Ac 19:3; Ro 12:11) This man was instructed in the way of the Lord,
knowing only the baptism of John, but being fervent in spirit,
he accurately spoke and taught the things concerning the Lord.
26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla
heard him, they took him and explained the way of God more accurately.
27 (Ac 18:18; 1Co 3:6) When Apollos intended to pass into Achaia,
the brothers wrote to encourage the disciples to welcome him.
On arriving, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace.
28 (Ac 18:5; 9:22) For he vehemently refuted the Jews publicly,
proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Acts 19
Ephesians Receive the Holy Spirit
1 (1Co 1:12; 16:12) While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through
the upper regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples
2 (Jn 7:39) and said to them, "Have you received the Holy Spirit
since you believed?"
They said to him, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3 (Ac 18:25; Mt 28:19) He said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?"
They said, "Into John's baptism."
4 (Jn 1:7; 1:27) Paul said, "John indeed baptized with the baptism
of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One
coming after him, that is, in Christ Jesus."
5 (Ac 8:16; 8:12) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus.
6 (Ac 2:4; 6:6) When Paul had laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 (Ac 1:3; 28:23) He went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months,
lecturing and persuading concerning the kingdom of God.
9 (Ac 9:2; 19:23) But when some were hardened and did not believe,
but spoke evil of the Way before the crowd, he withdrew from them
and took the disciples, lecturing daily in the school of Tyrannus.
10 (Ac 20:31; 16:6) This continued for two years, so that all who lived
in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
The Sons of Sceva
11 (Ac 5:12) God worked powerful miracles by the hands of Paul.
12 (Ac 5:15) So handkerchiefs or aprons he had touched were brought to
the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
13 (Mt 12:27; Mk 9:38) Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists invoked
the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying,
"We command you to come out in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches."
14 There were seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva doing this.
15 The evil spirit answered, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?"
16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was jumped on them, overpowered them,
and prevailed against them, so that they fled from that house naked
and wounded.
17 (Ac 5:5; 5:11) This became known to all Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus.
And fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18 (Mt 3:6) Many who believed came confessing and telling their deeds.
19 Many who practiced magic brought their books together
and burned them before everyone. They calculated their value,
which equaled fifty thousand drachmas.
(A drachma was worth about a day's wage.)
20 (Ac 6:7; 12:24) So the word of the Lord powerfully grew and spread.
The Riot in Ephesus
21 (Ac 20:22; 20:16; 18:21) After these things happened, Paul determined
in his spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem,
saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."
22 (Ac 13:5; Ro 16:23) He sent two who ministered to him,
Timothy and Erastus, into Macedonia, but he delayed in Asia for a time.
23 (Ac 19:9; 9:2) About that time great trouble arose about the Way.
24 (Ac 16:16) For a silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines
for Artemis, brought much business to the craftsmen.
25 (Ac 16:19) He gathered them together with the workmen of similar trades
and said, "Men, you know that by this trade we have our wealth.
26 (Isa 44:10-20; Ac 17:29) And you see and hear, not only at Ephesus,
but almost throughout all Asia, that this Paul has persuaded
and turned away many people,
saying that these things made by hands are not gods.
27 Now not only is our trade in danger of coming into disrepute,
but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis,
whom all Asia and the world worship,
may be discredited and her magnificence destroyed."
28 When they heard this, they were full of anger and cried out,
"Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
29 (Ac 20:4; 27:2; Col 4:10) The city was filled with confusion.
And in unison they seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling
companions from Macedonia, and rushed into the theater.
30 When Paul intended to go in among the crowd,
the disciples would not let him.
31 Even some of the rulers of Asia, who were his friends,
sent to him begging him not to venture into the theater.
32 (Ac 21:34) The assembly was confused. Therefore some cried out one thing
and some another, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
33 (Ac 12:17) The Jews pushed Alexander to the front as the crowd
prompted him. Alexander motioned with his hand, wishing to make his defense
to the mob.
34 (Ac 19:28) But when they learned that he was a Jew, for about two hours
they all with one voice cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said, "Men of Ephesus,
what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians
is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis
and of the image which fell from heaven?
36 Seeing then that these things are undeniable, you ought to be quiet
and do nothing rash.
37 (Ro 2:22) For you have brought these men here who are neither temple
robbers nor blasphemers of your goddess.
38 (Ac 13:7) So if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have
a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.
Let them press charges against one another.
39 If you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the legal assembly.
40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today,
since there is no reason we may give to account for this uproar."
41 When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
2) Our Daily Bread for 26 November 2021
https://odb.org/CA/2021/11/26/mighty-warrior
entitled Mighty Warrior
Judges 6:11-16
11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak tree in Ophrah
belonging to Joash the Abiezrite. Gideon his son was threshing wheat
in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
12 The angel of the Lord appeared and said to him,
"The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor."
13 Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us,
then why has all this happened to us? Where are all His miracles
that our fathers told us about? They said, 'Did not the Lord bring
us out of Egypt?' Yet now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered
us into the hands of the Midianites."
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this strength of yours.
Save Israel from the control of Midian. Have I not sent you?"
15 And he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel?
Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest
in my father's house."
16 Then the Lord said to him, "But I will be with you, and you will strike
the Midianites as one man."
Diet Eman was an ordinary, shy young woman in the Netherlands-in love,
working, and enjoying time with family and friends-when the Germans invaded
in 1940. As Diet (pronounced Deet) later wrote,
"When there is danger on your doorstep, you want to act almost like
an ostrich burying its head in the sand." Yet Diet felt God calling her
to resist the German oppressors, which included risking her life
to find hiding places for Jews and other pursued people.
This unassuming young woman became a warrior for God.
We find many stories in the Bible similar to Diet's, stories of God using
seemingly unlikely characters to serve Him. For instance, when the angel
of the Lord approached Gideon, he proclaimed,
"The Lord is with you, mighty warrior" (Judges 6:12). Yet Gideon seemed
anything but mighty. He'd been secretly threshing wheat away from
the prying eyes of the Midianites, who oppressively controlled Israel
at the time (vv. 1-6, 11). He was from the weakest clan of Israel
(Manasseh) and the "least" in his family (v. 15). He didn't feel
up to God's calling and even requested several signs.
Yet God used him to defeat the cruel Midianites (see ch. 7).
God saw Gideon as "mighty." And just as God was with and equipped Gideon,
so He's with us, His "dearly loved children" (Ephesians 5:1)
-supplying all we need to live for and serve Him in little and big ways.
By: Alyson Kieda
Reflect & Pray
Who are some other Bible characters God used despite their weakness
to accomplish much for Him? How has God moved you outside your comfort
zone to serve Him?
God, I'm so thankful You don't see me as I see myself.
Help me to see myself as Your dearly loved child capable
of doing big and small things in service to You.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 2 - Saved by Grace - Day 6 - It is Finished
John 5:24
24 (Jn 3:18; 1Jn 3:14; Jn 3:36) "Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears
My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life
and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life. "
"PLEASE BE PATIENT - GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH ME YET,"
the sweatshirt read. In this case, the message was an ironic one,
for the occupant of the shirt was a snaggle-toothed, freckle-faced six year
old!
In one sense, God is not finished with the work he has to do in each of us.
Life in Christ is an ongoing process of change and growth as we become
more like him. Certainly, the more we see of ourselves, the more we hope
he isn't finished with us!
Yet whatever plans God has for making us into the men and women he created
us to be, certain aspects of our life in Christ are finished, finalised.
Jesus declares with absolute assurance, "whoever hears
My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life
and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life. "
Because we do not have to earn or deserve God's grace, because we are not
called to prove ourselves worthy of Salvation, we can have immediate
and total assurance of the security of life in Jesus Christ. The one who
put his trust in the Lord has eternal life; he will not be condemned;
he has crossed over from death to life.
This "crossing over" into life happens in the split second when we acknowledge
our dependence upon Christ alone. And the rest of our lives is given over to
the devleopment of his image in us.
God is not finished with us yet. But his work of salvation is finished - complete,
fully dependable an accomplished fact.
Application
a) Have I ever doubted the "accomplished fact" of my own salvation? Why?
b) How can today's verse help me realise that, although I may have a lot of
growing yet to do, my salvation in Jesus Christ is secure?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Genesis 39:2-3 :
2 (Ge 21:22; 26:24) The Lord was with Joseph,
so that he became a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master,
the Egyptian.
3 (Ps 1:3; Ge 21:22) His master saw that the Lord was with him
and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
When you are anxious
Romans 8:28-30
28 (Gal 1:15; Ge 50:20) We know that all things work together
for good to those who love God,
to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 (Ro 11:2; 1Co 15:49; Eph 1:11) For those whom He foreknew,
He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son,
so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 (1Co 6:11; Heb 9:15) And those whom He predestined, He also called;
and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified,
He also glorified.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
Newfoundland & Labrador
Total population 527000
Muslim population (est.) 2065
As of Autumn 2014, St. John's does not have a local CNMM network. Pray with us
for God's people to come together in prayer
and cooperative efforts to reach Muslims with the Good News.
St. John's has one mosque and 2 more musallas , or prayer locations, which
may grow into mosques of their own. The mosque is called Masjid an Noor,
The Mosque of the Light, and mosque historical documents record a trip in 1986
to Saudi Arabia to raise funds for the land purchase and construction costs.
A small number of Muslim families had come prior to 1964, but moved on to
other places after a short time. After this date, a small community began
to remain and grow , reaching about 25 families in the 1980s. A number
of international students also join the community annually
ranging from 25 to 60.
In 2014 the mosque website reports the community is made up of some 200
families and many university students attending Memorial University. A
small number of native Newfoundlanders have also converted to the Islamic
faith, one saying of this religion in Newfoundland, "Islam is a growing face".
With the growth of the community, the current challenge is lack of space
in the mosque, which they are now looking at expanding.
Pray for
- The true Light of life, Jesus Christ, to be revealed to Muslims
in Newfoundland through the word, dreams, visions and answers to prayer.
- Christians to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" regarding
Islam and reaching out in loving witness to Muslims in St. John's.
- for a dedicated, intentional witness to the growing number of Muslim
students on the university, college and trade school campuses.
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
Under the Keep Praying page
When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month
and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days
of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that
usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,
of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be
decorated and festivals will be held.
For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the
distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of
Islam.
You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",
which means Blessed Eid!"
Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you
know, and Muslims around the world:
- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions
in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about
unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such
movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three
decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim
relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.
Acts 2:12-17 : 17 12 They were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other,
"What does this mean?"
13 (1Co 14:23) Others mocking said, "These men are full of new wine."
Peter's Speech at Pentecost
14 (Ac 1:26) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice
and said to them, "Men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose,
since it is the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 (Isa 44:3; Ac 10:45) 'In the last days it shall be,' says God,
'that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.'
- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under
a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the
house."
Ideas for prayer
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 26 of the Month
a) Pray that Christians in the marketplace will demonstrate exemplary
work ethics and shine as witnesses of Christ (Matt 5:16
16 Let your light so shine before men that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
)
b) Pray for the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut
I) Pray for the leaders of Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut,
that God's Spirit would influence then to act justly,
serve with integrity
and honour high moral standards. ( 1 Tim 2:1 - 4
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone,
2 (Ezr 6:10) for kings and for all who are in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty,
3(1Ti 1:1; Lk 1:47) for this is good
and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 (Eze 18:23; 18:32)who desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
II) Pray for the churches of the province,
that they would be lighthouses
beaming forth the illuminating truth of God's Word.
III) Pray that the Lord would use
the Finding the Hope Campaign
and booklet to turn many hearts to Jesus
)
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to Him to be a powerful witness and to be guarded
against The Evil One.
Pray to the Lord "God, I'm so thankful You don't see me as I see myself.
Help me to see myself as Your dearly loved child capable
of doing big and small things in service to You."
Pray to the Lord and thank Him that in His salvation, which is accomplished.
Pray to the Lord and pray to be like Joseph who prospered in Egypt
because of his humility.
Pray to the Lord and Be anxious for nothing, and be thankful
for everything he ha done.
Pray for in Newfoundland and Labrador
- The true Light of life, Jesus Christ, to be revealed to Muslims
in Newfoundland through the word, dreams, visions and answers to prayer.
- Christians to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" regarding
Islam and reaching out in loving witness to Muslims in St. John's.
- for a dedicated, intentional witness to the growing number of Muslim
students on the university, college and trade school campuses.
Pray that Christians in the marketplace will demonstrate exemplary
work ethics and shine as witnesses of Christ.
Pray that Christians in Mauritania will have access to God's word
despite government restrictions on Bibles.
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.
1)
Acts 18-19
Acts 18
Paul in Corinth
1 (Ac 19:1; 1Co 1:2) After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
2 (1Co 16:19; 2Ti 4:19; Ac 11:28) He found a Jew named Aquila, a native
of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla,
because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.
And he went to them.
3 (1Co 4:12; 1Th 2:9) And because he was of the same trade,
he remained with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.
4 (Ac 17:17) He lectured in the synagogue every Sabbath
and persuaded Jews and Greeks.
5 (Ac 17:3; 18:28) When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia,
Paul was pressed by the Spirit and testified to the Jews
that Jesus was the Christ.
6 (2Sa 1:16; Eze 18:13) But when they opposed him and blasphemed,
he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be upon your heads.
I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."
7 (Ac 16:14; Col 4:11) Then he departed from there and entered the house
of a man named Justus, one who worshipped God, whose house was next door
to the synagogue.
8 (Ac 8:12; 11:14) Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue,
believed in the Lord with his entire household.
And many of the Corinthians, who heard, believed and were baptized.
9 (Ac 23:11; 2Co 12:1-3) The Lord spoke to Paul in the night through
a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent.
10 (Mt 28:20; Lk 21:18) For I am with you, and no one shall attack you
and hurt you, for I have many people in this city."
11 So for a year and six months he sat among them,
teaching the word of God.
12 (Ac 13:7; 18:27) When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,
the Jews in unity attacked Paul and brought him to court,
13 saying, "This man is persuading men to worship God contrary to the law."
14 When Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "O Jews,
if it were a matter of a misdemeanor or serious crime,
I would rightly bear with you.
15 (Ac 23:29; 25:19) But if it is a question of words and names and your law,
look into it yourselves. For I do not intend to be a judge of these matters."
16 So he drove them out of court.
17 (1Co 1:1) Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes,
the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat.
But none of these things mattered to Gallio.
Paul's Return to Antioch
18 (Nu 6:18; Ac 21:24) Yet Paul remained many days. He had his hair cut
in Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. Then, bidding farewell to the brothers,
he sailed to Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him.
19 (Ac 18:4; 18:24) He arrived at Ephesus and left them there.
But he himself went into the synagogue and lectured the Jews.
20 When they asked him to remain for a while longer, he did not consent,
21 (1Co 4:19; Jas 4:15) but, bidding farewell, said, "I must by all means
attend this upcoming feast in Jerusalem,
but I will return to you if God wills." And he set sail from Ephesus.
22 (Ac 8:40) When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church
and then went down to Antioch.
23 (Ac 16:6; 14:22) After spending some time there, he departed
and passed through the entire region of Galatia and Phrygia in sequence,
strengthening all the disciples.
Apollos Preaches in Ephesus
24 (1Co 1:12; 4:6) Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria,
who was an eloquent man and powerful in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 (Ac 19:3; Ro 12:11) This man was instructed in the way of the Lord,
knowing only the baptism of John, but being fervent in spirit,
he accurately spoke and taught the things concerning the Lord.
26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla
heard him, they took him and explained the way of God more accurately.
27 (Ac 18:18; 1Co 3:6) When Apollos intended to pass into Achaia,
the brothers wrote to encourage the disciples to welcome him.
On arriving, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace.
28 (Ac 18:5; 9:22) For he vehemently refuted the Jews publicly,
proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Acts 19
Ephesians Receive the Holy Spirit
1 (1Co 1:12; 16:12) While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through
the upper regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples
2 (Jn 7:39) and said to them, "Have you received the Holy Spirit
since you believed?"
They said to him, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3 (Ac 18:25; Mt 28:19) He said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?"
They said, "Into John's baptism."
4 (Jn 1:7; 1:27) Paul said, "John indeed baptized with the baptism
of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One
coming after him, that is, in Christ Jesus."
5 (Ac 8:16; 8:12) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus.
6 (Ac 2:4; 6:6) When Paul had laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 (Ac 1:3; 28:23) He went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months,
lecturing and persuading concerning the kingdom of God.
9 (Ac 9:2; 19:23) But when some were hardened and did not believe,
but spoke evil of the Way before the crowd, he withdrew from them
and took the disciples, lecturing daily in the school of Tyrannus.
10 (Ac 20:31; 16:6) This continued for two years, so that all who lived
in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
The Sons of Sceva
11 (Ac 5:12) God worked powerful miracles by the hands of Paul.
12 (Ac 5:15) So handkerchiefs or aprons he had touched were brought to
the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
13 (Mt 12:27; Mk 9:38) Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists invoked
the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying,
"We command you to come out in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches."
14 There were seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva doing this.
15 The evil spirit answered, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?"
16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was jumped on them, overpowered them,
and prevailed against them, so that they fled from that house naked
and wounded.
17 (Ac 5:5; 5:11) This became known to all Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus.
And fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
18 (Mt 3:6) Many who believed came confessing and telling their deeds.
19 Many who practiced magic brought their books together
and burned them before everyone. They calculated their value,
which equaled fifty thousand drachmas.
(A drachma was worth about a day's wage.)
20 (Ac 6:7; 12:24) So the word of the Lord powerfully grew and spread.
The Riot in Ephesus
21 (Ac 20:22; 20:16; 18:21) After these things happened, Paul determined
in his spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem,
saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."
22 (Ac 13:5; Ro 16:23) He sent two who ministered to him,
Timothy and Erastus, into Macedonia, but he delayed in Asia for a time.
23 (Ac 19:9; 9:2) About that time great trouble arose about the Way.
24 (Ac 16:16) For a silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines
for Artemis, brought much business to the craftsmen.
25 (Ac 16:19) He gathered them together with the workmen of similar trades
and said, "Men, you know that by this trade we have our wealth.
26 (Isa 44:10-20; Ac 17:29) And you see and hear, not only at Ephesus,
but almost throughout all Asia, that this Paul has persuaded
and turned away many people,
saying that these things made by hands are not gods.
27 Now not only is our trade in danger of coming into disrepute,
but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis,
whom all Asia and the world worship,
may be discredited and her magnificence destroyed."
28 When they heard this, they were full of anger and cried out,
"Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
29 (Ac 20:4; 27:2; Col 4:10) The city was filled with confusion.
And in unison they seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling
companions from Macedonia, and rushed into the theater.
30 When Paul intended to go in among the crowd,
the disciples would not let him.
31 Even some of the rulers of Asia, who were his friends,
sent to him begging him not to venture into the theater.
32 (Ac 21:34) The assembly was confused. Therefore some cried out one thing
and some another, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
33 (Ac 12:17) The Jews pushed Alexander to the front as the crowd
prompted him. Alexander motioned with his hand, wishing to make his defense
to the mob.
34 (Ac 19:28) But when they learned that he was a Jew, for about two hours
they all with one voice cried out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said, "Men of Ephesus,
what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians
is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis
and of the image which fell from heaven?
36 Seeing then that these things are undeniable, you ought to be quiet
and do nothing rash.
37 (Ro 2:22) For you have brought these men here who are neither temple
robbers nor blasphemers of your goddess.
38 (Ac 13:7) So if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have
a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.
Let them press charges against one another.
39 If you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the legal assembly.
40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today,
since there is no reason we may give to account for this uproar."
41 When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
2) Our Daily Bread for 26 November 2021
https://odb.org/CA/2021/11/26/mighty-warrior
entitled Mighty Warrior
Judges 6:11-16
11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak tree in Ophrah
belonging to Joash the Abiezrite. Gideon his son was threshing wheat
in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
12 The angel of the Lord appeared and said to him,
"The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor."
13 Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us,
then why has all this happened to us? Where are all His miracles
that our fathers told us about? They said, 'Did not the Lord bring
us out of Egypt?' Yet now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered
us into the hands of the Midianites."
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this strength of yours.
Save Israel from the control of Midian. Have I not sent you?"
15 And he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel?
Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest
in my father's house."
16 Then the Lord said to him, "But I will be with you, and you will strike
the Midianites as one man."
Diet Eman was an ordinary, shy young woman in the Netherlands-in love,
working, and enjoying time with family and friends-when the Germans invaded
in 1940. As Diet (pronounced Deet) later wrote,
"When there is danger on your doorstep, you want to act almost like
an ostrich burying its head in the sand." Yet Diet felt God calling her
to resist the German oppressors, which included risking her life
to find hiding places for Jews and other pursued people.
This unassuming young woman became a warrior for God.
We find many stories in the Bible similar to Diet's, stories of God using
seemingly unlikely characters to serve Him. For instance, when the angel
of the Lord approached Gideon, he proclaimed,
"The Lord is with you, mighty warrior" (Judges 6:12). Yet Gideon seemed
anything but mighty. He'd been secretly threshing wheat away from
the prying eyes of the Midianites, who oppressively controlled Israel
at the time (vv. 1-6, 11). He was from the weakest clan of Israel
(Manasseh) and the "least" in his family (v. 15). He didn't feel
up to God's calling and even requested several signs.
Yet God used him to defeat the cruel Midianites (see ch. 7).
God saw Gideon as "mighty." And just as God was with and equipped Gideon,
so He's with us, His "dearly loved children" (Ephesians 5:1)
-supplying all we need to live for and serve Him in little and big ways.
By: Alyson Kieda
Reflect & Pray
Who are some other Bible characters God used despite their weakness
to accomplish much for Him? How has God moved you outside your comfort
zone to serve Him?
God, I'm so thankful You don't see me as I see myself.
Help me to see myself as Your dearly loved child capable
of doing big and small things in service to You.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 2 - Saved by Grace - Day 6 - It is Finished
John 5:24
24 (Jn 3:18; 1Jn 3:14; Jn 3:36) "Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears
My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life
and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life. "
"PLEASE BE PATIENT - GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH ME YET,"
the sweatshirt read. In this case, the message was an ironic one,
for the occupant of the shirt was a snaggle-toothed, freckle-faced six year
old!
In one sense, God is not finished with the work he has to do in each of us.
Life in Christ is an ongoing process of change and growth as we become
more like him. Certainly, the more we see of ourselves, the more we hope
he isn't finished with us!
Yet whatever plans God has for making us into the men and women he created
us to be, certain aspects of our life in Christ are finished, finalised.
Jesus declares with absolute assurance, "whoever hears
My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life
and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life. "
Because we do not have to earn or deserve God's grace, because we are not
called to prove ourselves worthy of Salvation, we can have immediate
and total assurance of the security of life in Jesus Christ. The one who
put his trust in the Lord has eternal life; he will not be condemned;
he has crossed over from death to life.
This "crossing over" into life happens in the split second when we acknowledge
our dependence upon Christ alone. And the rest of our lives is given over to
the devleopment of his image in us.
God is not finished with us yet. But his work of salvation is finished - complete,
fully dependable an accomplished fact.
Application
a) Have I ever doubted the "accomplished fact" of my own salvation? Why?
b) How can today's verse help me realise that, although I may have a lot of
growing yet to do, my salvation in Jesus Christ is secure?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Genesis 39:2-3 :
2 (Ge 21:22; 26:24) The Lord was with Joseph,
so that he became a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master,
the Egyptian.
3 (Ps 1:3; Ge 21:22) His master saw that the Lord was with him
and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
When you are anxious
Romans 8:28-30
28 (Gal 1:15; Ge 50:20) We know that all things work together
for good to those who love God,
to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 (Ro 11:2; 1Co 15:49; Eph 1:11) For those whom He foreknew,
He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son,
so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 (1Co 6:11; Heb 9:15) And those whom He predestined, He also called;
and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified,
He also glorified.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
Newfoundland & Labrador
Total population 527000
Muslim population (est.) 2065
As of Autumn 2014, St. John's does not have a local CNMM network. Pray with us
for God's people to come together in prayer
and cooperative efforts to reach Muslims with the Good News.
St. John's has one mosque and 2 more musallas , or prayer locations, which
may grow into mosques of their own. The mosque is called Masjid an Noor,
The Mosque of the Light, and mosque historical documents record a trip in 1986
to Saudi Arabia to raise funds for the land purchase and construction costs.
A small number of Muslim families had come prior to 1964, but moved on to
other places after a short time. After this date, a small community began
to remain and grow , reaching about 25 families in the 1980s. A number
of international students also join the community annually
ranging from 25 to 60.
In 2014 the mosque website reports the community is made up of some 200
families and many university students attending Memorial University. A
small number of native Newfoundlanders have also converted to the Islamic
faith, one saying of this religion in Newfoundland, "Islam is a growing face".
With the growth of the community, the current challenge is lack of space
in the mosque, which they are now looking at expanding.
Pray for
- The true Light of life, Jesus Christ, to be revealed to Muslims
in Newfoundland through the word, dreams, visions and answers to prayer.
- Christians to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" regarding
Islam and reaching out in loving witness to Muslims in St. John's.
- for a dedicated, intentional witness to the growing number of Muslim
students on the university, college and trade school campuses.
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
Under the Keep Praying page
When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month
and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days
of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that
usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,
of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be
decorated and festivals will be held.
For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the
distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of
Islam.
You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",
which means Blessed Eid!"
Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you
know, and Muslims around the world:
- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions
in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about
unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such
movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three
decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim
relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.
Acts 2:12-17 : 17 12 They were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other,
"What does this mean?"
13 (1Co 14:23) Others mocking said, "These men are full of new wine."
Peter's Speech at Pentecost
14 (Ac 1:26) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice
and said to them, "Men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose,
since it is the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 (Isa 44:3; Ac 10:45) 'In the last days it shall be,' says God,
'that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.'
- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under
a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the
house."
Ideas for prayer
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 26 of the Month
a) Pray that Christians in the marketplace will demonstrate exemplary
work ethics and shine as witnesses of Christ (Matt 5:16
16 Let your light so shine before men that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
)
b) Pray for the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut
I) Pray for the leaders of Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut,
that God's Spirit would influence then to act justly,
serve with integrity
and honour high moral standards. ( 1 Tim 2:1 - 4
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone,
2 (Ezr 6:10) for kings and for all who are in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty,
3(1Ti 1:1; Lk 1:47) for this is good
and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 (Eze 18:23; 18:32)who desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
II) Pray for the churches of the province,
that they would be lighthouses
beaming forth the illuminating truth of God's Word.
III) Pray that the Lord would use
the Finding the Hope Campaign
and booklet to turn many hearts to Jesus
)
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to Him to be a powerful witness and to be guarded
against The Evil One.
Pray to the Lord "God, I'm so thankful You don't see me as I see myself.
Help me to see myself as Your dearly loved child capable
of doing big and small things in service to You."
Pray to the Lord and thank Him that in His salvation, which is accomplished.
Pray to the Lord and pray to be like Joseph who prospered in Egypt
because of his humility.
Pray to the Lord and Be anxious for nothing, and be thankful
for everything he ha done.
Pray for in Newfoundland and Labrador
- The true Light of life, Jesus Christ, to be revealed to Muslims
in Newfoundland through the word, dreams, visions and answers to prayer.
- Christians to be as "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" regarding
Islam and reaching out in loving witness to Muslims in St. John's.
- for a dedicated, intentional witness to the growing number of Muslim
students on the university, college and trade school campuses.
Pray that Christians in the marketplace will demonstrate exemplary
work ethics and shine as witnesses of Christ.
Pray that Christians in Mauritania will have access to God's word
despite government restrictions on Bibles.
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.
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