O. Addison Gethers
e-mail address [email protected] [email protected] twitter URL http//:twitter.com/OAddisonGethers Messenger contact window live/msn messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS rs ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 9:51 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Wednesday November 11 > Day 315 > > Acts 10 > Peter's Vision > 1-3 There was a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea, captain of the > Italian Guard stationed > there. He was a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to > live worshipfully before > God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer. One > day about three o'clock in > the afternoon he had a vision. An angel of God, as real as his next-door > neighbor, came in and said, > "Cornelius." > 4-6Cornelius stared hard, wondering if he was seeing things. Then he said, > "What do you want, sir?" > > The angel said, "Your prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to > God's attention. Here's > what you are to do. Send men to Joppa to get Simon, the one everyone calls > Peter. He is staying with > Simon the Tanner, whose house is down by the sea." > > 7-8As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two servants and one > particularly devout soldier > from the guard. He went over with them in great detail everything that had > just happened, and then > sent them off to Joppa. > > 9-13The next day as the three travelers were approaching the town, Peter > went out on the balcony to > pray. It was about noon. Peter got hungry and started thinking about > lunch. While lunch was being > prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the skies open up. Something that > looked like a huge blanket > lowered by ropes at its four corners settled on the ground. Every kind of > animal and reptile and > bird you could think of was on it. Then a voice came: "Go to it, > Peter-kill and eat." > > 14Peter said, "Oh, no, Lord. I've never so much as tasted food that was > not kosher." > > 15The voice came a second time: "If God says it's okay, it's okay." > > 16This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into > the skies. > > 17-20As Peter, puzzled, sat there trying to figure out what it all meant, > the men sent by Cornelius > showed up at Simon's front door. They called in, asking if there was a > Simon, also called Peter, > staying there. Peter, lost in thought, didn't hear them, so the Spirit > whispered to him, "Three men > are knocking at the door looking for you. Get down there and go with them. > Don't ask any questions. > I sent them to get you." > > 21Peter went down and said to the men, "I think I'm the man you're looking > for. What's up?" > > 22-23They said, "Captain Cornelius, a God-fearing man well-known for his > fair play-ask any Jew in > this part of the country-was commanded by a holy angel to get you and > bring you to his house so he > could hear what you had to say." Peter invited them in and made them feel > at home. > > God Plays No Favorites > 23-26The next morning he got up and went with them. Some of his friends > from Joppa went along. A > day later they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had his > relatives and close > friends waiting with him. The minute Peter came through the door, > Cornelius was up on his feet > greeting him-and then down on his face worshiping him! Peter pulled him up > and said, "None of > that-I'm a man and only a man, no different from you." > 27-29Talking things over, they went on into the house, where Cornelius > introduced Peter to everyone > who had come. Peter addressed them, "You know, I'm sure that this is > highly irregular. Jews just > don't do this-visit and relax with people of another race. But God has > just shown me that no race is > better than any other. So the minute I was sent for, I came, no questions > asked. But now I'd like to > know why you sent for me." > > 30-32Cornelius said, "Four days ago at about this time, midafternoon, I > was home praying. Suddenly > there was a man right in front of me, flooding the room with light. He > said, 'Cornelius, your daily > prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God's attention. I want > you to send to Joppa to get > Simon, the one they call Peter. He's staying with Simon the Tanner down by > the sea.' > > 33"So I did it-I sent for you. And you've been good enough to come. And > now we're all here in God's > presence, ready to listen to whatever the Master put in your heart to tell > us." > > 34-36Peter fairly exploded with his good news: "It's God's own truth, > nothing could be plainer: God > plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you're > from-if you want God and are > ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the > children of Israel-that through > Jesus Christ everything is being put together again-well, he's doing it > everywhere, among everyone. > > 37-38"You know the story of what happened in Judea. It began in Galilee > after John preached a total > life-change. Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the > Holy Spirit, ready for > action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone > who was beaten down by the > Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him. > > 39-43"And we saw it, saw it all, everything he did in the land of the Jews > and in Jerusalem where > they killed him, hung him from a cross. But in three days God had him up, > alive, and out where he > could be seen. Not everyone saw him-he wasn't put on public display. > Witnesses had been carefully > handpicked by God beforehand-us! We were the ones, there to eat and drink > with him after he came > back from the dead. He commissioned us to announce this in public, to bear > solemn witness that he is > in fact the One whom God destined as Judge of the living and dead. But > we're not alone in this. Our > witness that he is the means to forgiveness of sins is backed up by the > witness of all the > prophets." > > 44-46No sooner were these words out of Peter's mouth than the Holy Spirit > came on the listeners. > The believing Jews who had come with Peter couldn't believe it, couldn't > believe that the gift of > the Holy Spirit was poured out on "outsider" non-Jews, but there it > was-they heard them speaking in > tongues, heard them praising God. > > 46-48Then Peter said, "Do I hear any objections to baptizing these friends > with water? They've > received the Holy Spirit exactly as we did." Hearing no objections, he > ordered that they be baptized > in the name of Jesus Christ. > > Then they asked Peter to stay on for a few days. > > Acts 11 > God Has Broken Through > 1-3The news traveled fast and in no time the leaders and friends back in > Jerusalem heard about > it-heard that the non-Jewish "outsiders" were now "in." When Peter got > back to Jerusalem, some of > his old associates, concerned about circumcision, called him on the > carpet: "What do you think > you're doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited > and ruining our good > name?" > 4-6So Peter, starting from the beginning, laid it out for them > step-by-step: "Recently I was in the > town of Joppa praying. I fell into a trance and saw a vision: Something > like a huge blanket, lowered > by ropes at its four corners, came down out of heaven and settled on the > ground in front of me. > Milling around on the blanket were farm animals, wild animals, reptiles, > birds-you name it, it was > there. Fascinated, I took it all in. > > 7-10"Then I heard a voice: 'Go to it, Peter-kill and eat.' I said, 'Oh, > no, Master. I've never so > much as tasted food that wasn't kosher.' The voice spoke again: 'If God > says it's okay, it's okay.' > This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into > the sky. > > 11-14"Just then three men showed up at the house where I was staying, sent > from Caesarea to get me. > The Spirit told me to go with them, no questions asked. So I went with > them, I and six friends, to > the man who had sent for me. He told us how he had seen an angel right in > his own house, real as his > next-door neighbor, saying, 'Send to Joppa and get Simon, the one they > call Peter. He'll tell you > something that will save your life-in fact, you and everyone you care > for.' > > 15-17"So I started in, talking. Before I'd spoken half a dozen sentences, > the Holy Spirit fell on > them just as he did on us the first time. I remembered Jesus' words: 'John > baptized with water; you > will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So I ask you: If God gave the same > exact gift to them as to > us when we believed in the Master Jesus Christ, how could I object to > God?" > > 18Hearing it all laid out like that, they quieted down. And then, as it > sank in, they started > praising God. "It's really happened! God has broken through to the other > nations, opened them up to > Life!" > > 19-21Those who had been scattered by the persecution triggered by > Stephen's death traveled as far > as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they were still only speaking and > dealing with their fellow > Jews. Then some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had come to Antioch > started talking to Greeks, > giving them the Message of the Master Jesus. God was pleased with what > they were doing and put his > stamp of approval on it-quite a number of the Greeks believed and turned > to the Master. > > 22-24When the church in Jerusalem got wind of this, they sent Barnabas to > Antioch to check on > things. As soon as he arrived, he saw that God was behind and in it all. > He threw himself in with > them, got behind them, urging them to stay with it the rest of their > lives. He was a good man that > way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit's ways. The community > grew large and strong in > the Master. > > 25-26Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. He found him and > brought him back to > Antioch. They were there a whole year, meeting with the church and > teaching a lot of people. It was > in Antioch that the disciples were for the first time called Christians. > > 27-30It was about this same time that some prophets came to Antioch from > Jerusalem. One of them > named Agabus stood up one day and, prompted by the Spirit, warned that a > severe famine was about to > devastate the country. (The famine eventually came during the rule of > Claudius.) So the disciples > decided that each of them would send whatever they could to their fellow > Christians in Judea to help > out. They sent Barnabas and Saul to deliver the collection to the leaders > in Jerusalem. > > Acts 12 > Peter Under Heavy Guard > 1-4 That's when King Herod got it into his head to go after some of the > church members. He murdered > James, John's brother. When he saw how much it raised his popularity > ratings with the Jews, he > arrested Peter-all this during Passover Week, mind you-and had him thrown > in jail, putting four > squads of four soldiers each to guard him. He was planning a public > lynching after Passover. > 5All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the > church prayed for him most > strenuously. > > 6Then the time came for Herod to bring him out for the kill. That night, > even though shackled to > two soldiers, one on either side, Peter slept like a baby. And there were > guards at the door keeping > their eyes on the place. Herod was taking no chances! > > 7-9Suddenly there was an angel at his side and light flooding the room. > The angel shook Peter and > got him up: "Hurry!" The handcuffs fell off his wrists. The angel said, > "Get dressed. Put on your > shoes." Peter did it. Then, "Grab your coat and let's get out of here." > Peter followed him, but > didn't believe it was really an angel-he thought he was dreaming. > > 10-11Past the first guard and then the second, they came to the iron gate > that led into the city. > It swung open before them on its own, and they were out on the street, > free as the breeze. At the > first intersection the angel left him, going his own way. That's when > Peter realized it was no > dream. "I can't believe it-this really happened! The Master sent his angel > and rescued me from > Herod's vicious little production and the spectacle the Jewish mob was > looking forward to." > > 12-14Still shaking his head, amazed, he went to Mary's house, the Mary who > was John Mark's mother. > The house was packed with praying friends. When he knocked on the door to > the courtyard, a young > woman named Rhoda came to see who it was. But when she recognized his > voice-Peter's voice!-she was > so excited and eager to tell everyone Peter was there that she forgot to > open the door and left him > standing in the street. > > 15-16But they wouldn't believe her, dismissing her, dismissing her report. > "You're crazy," they > said. She stuck by her story, insisting. They still wouldn't believe her > and said, "It must be his > angel." All this time poor Peter was standing out in the street, knocking > away. > > 16-17Finally they opened up and saw him-and went wild! Peter put his hands > up and calmed them down. > He described how the Master had gotten him out of jail, then said, "Tell > James and the brothers > what's happened." He left them and went off to another place. > > 18-19At daybreak the jail was in an uproar. "Where is Peter? What's > happened to Peter?" When Herod > sent for him and they could neither produce him nor explain why not, he > ordered their execution: > "Off with their heads!" Fed up with Judea and Jews, he went for a vacation > to Caesarea. > > The Death of Herod > 20-22But things went from bad to worse for Herod. Now people from Tyre and > Sidon put him on the > warpath. But they got Blastus, King Herod's right-hand man, to put in a > good word for them and got a > delegation together to iron things out. Because they were dependent on > Judea for food supplies, they > couldn't afford to let this go on too long. On the day set for their > meeting, Herod, robed in > pomposity, took his place on the throne and regaled them with a lot of hot > air. The people played > their part to the hilt and shouted flatteries: "The voice of God! The > voice of God!" > 23That was the last straw. God had had enough of Herod's arrogance and > sent an angel to strike him > down. Herod had given God no credit for anything. Down he went. Rotten to > the core, a maggoty old > man if there ever was one, he died. > > 24Meanwhile, the ministry of God's Word grew by leaps and bounds. > > 25Barnabas and Saul, once they had delivered the relief offering to the > church in Jerusalem, went > back to Antioch. This time they took John with them, the one they called > Mark. > > > > > > > > ~~~~~ > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > Also, follow my tweets on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/Donnie1261 > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. 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