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: Saturday, November 14, 2009 11:55 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Sunday November 15 > Day 319 > > Acts 22 > 1-2 "My dear brothers and fathers, listen carefully to what I have to say > before you jump to > conclusions about me." When they heard him speaking Hebrew, they grew even > quieter. No one wanted to > miss a word of this. > 2-3He continued, "I am a good Jew, born in Tarsus in the province of > Cilicia, but educated here in > Jerusalem under the exacting eye of Rabbi Gamaliel, thoroughly instructed > in our religious > traditions. And I've always been passionately on God's side, just as you > are right now. > > 4-5"I went after anyone connected with this 'Way,' went at them hammer and > tongs, ready to kill for > God. I rounded up men and women right and left and had them thrown in > prison. You can ask the Chief > Priest or anyone in the High Council to verify this; they all knew me > well. Then I went off to our > brothers in Damascus, armed with official documents authorizing me to hunt > down the followers of > Jesus there, arrest them, and bring them back to Jerusalem for sentencing. > > 6-7"As I arrived on the outskirts of Damascus about noon, a blinding light > blazed out of the skies > and I fell to the ground, dazed. I heard a voice: 'Saul, Saul, why are you > out to get me?' > > 8-9"'Who are you, Master?' I asked. > > "He said, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, the One you're hunting down.' My > companions saw the light, > but they didn't hear the conversation. > > 10-11"Then I said, 'What do I do now, Master?' > > "He said, 'Get to your feet and enter Damascus. There you'll be told > everything that's been set > out for you to do.' And so we entered Damascus, but nothing like the > entrance I had planned-I was > blind as a bat and my companions had to lead me in by the hand. > > 12-13"And that's when I met Ananias, a man with a sterling reputation in > observing our laws-the > Jewish community in Damascus is unanimous on that score. He came and put > his arm on my shoulder. > 'Look up,' he said. I looked, and found myself looking right into his > eyes-I could see again! > > 14-16"Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors has handpicked you to be > briefed on his plan of > action. You've actually seen the Righteous Innocent and heard him speak. > You are to be a key witness > to everyone you meet of what you've seen and heard. So what are you > waiting for? Get up and get > yourself baptized, scrubbed clean of those sins and personally acquainted > with God.' > > 17-18"Well, it happened just as Ananias said. After I was back in > Jerusalem and praying one day in > the Temple, lost in the presence of God, I saw him, saw God's Righteous > Innocent, and heard him say > to me, 'Hurry up! Get out of here as quickly as you can. None of the Jews > here in Jerusalem are > going to accept what you say about me.' > > 19-20"At first I objected: 'Who has better credentials? They all know how > obsessed I was with > hunting out those who believed in you, beating them up in the meeting > places and throwing them in > jail. And when your witness Stephen was murdered, I was right there, > holding the coats of the > murderers and cheering them on. And now they see me totally converted. > What better qualification > could I have?' > > 21"But he said, 'Don't argue. Go. I'm sending you on a long journey to > outsider non-Jews.'" > > A Roman Citizen > 22-25The people in the crowd had listened attentively up to this point, > but now they broke loose, > shouting out, "Kill him! He's an insect! Stomp on him!" They shook their > fists. They filled the air > with curses. That's when the captain intervened and ordered Paul taken > into the barracks. By now the > captain was thoroughly exasperated. He decided to interrogate Paul under > torture in order to get to > the bottom of this, to find out what he had done that provoked this > outraged violence. As they > spread-eagled him with thongs, getting him ready for the whip, Paul said > to the centurion standing > there, "Is this legal: torturing a Roman citizen without a fair trial?" > 26When the centurion heard that, he went directly to the captain. "Do you > realize what you've done? > This man is a Roman citizen!" > > 27The captain came back and took charge. "Is what I hear right? You're a > Roman citizen?" > > Paul said, "I certainly am." > > 28The captain was impressed. "I paid a huge sum for my citizenship. How > much did it cost you?" > > "Nothing," said Paul. "It cost me nothing. I was free from the day of my > birth." > > 29That put a stop to the interrogation. And it put the fear of God into > the captain. He had put a > Roman citizen in chains and come within a whisker of putting him under > torture! > > 30The next day, determined to get to the root of the trouble and know for > sure what was behind the > Jewish accusation, the captain released Paul and ordered a meeting of the > high priests and the High > Council to see what they could make of it. Paul was led in and took his > place before them. > > Acts 23 > Before the High Council > 1-3Paul surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then > said his piece: "Friends, > I've lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very > moment." That set the > Chief Priest Ananias off. He ordered his aides to slap Paul in the face. > Paul shot back, "God will > slap you down! What a fake you are! You sit there and judge me by the Law > and then break the Law by > ordering me slapped around!" > 4The aides were scandalized: "How dare you talk to God's Chief Priest like > that!" > > 5Paul acted surprised. "How was I to know he was Chief Priest? He doesn't > act like a Chief Priest. > You're right, the Scripture does say, 'Don't speak abusively to a ruler of > the people.' Sorry." > > 6Paul, knowing some of the council was made up of Sadducees and others of > Pharisees and how they > hated each other, decided to exploit their antagonism: "Friends, I am a > stalwart Pharisee from a > long line of Pharisees. It's because of my Pharisee convictions-the hope > and resurrection of the > dead-that I've been hauled into this court." > > 7-9The moment he said this, the council split right down the middle, > Pharisees and Sadducees going > at each other in heated argument. Sadducees have nothing to do with a > resurrection or angels or even > a spirit. If they can't see it, they don't believe it. Pharisees believe > it all. And so a huge and > noisy quarrel broke out. Then some of the religion scholars on the > Pharisee side shouted down the > others: "We don't find anything wrong with this man! And what if a spirit > has spoken to him? Or > maybe an angel? What if it turns out we're fighting against God?" > > 10That was fuel on the fire. The quarrel flamed up and became so violent > the captain was afraid > they would tear Paul apart, limb from limb. He ordered the soldiers to get > him out of there and > escort him back to the safety of the barracks. > > A Plot Against Paul > 11That night the Master appeared to Paul: "It's going to be all right. > Everything is going to turn > out for the best. You've been a good witness for me here in Jerusalem. Now > you're going to be my > witness in Rome!" > 12-15Next day the Jews worked up a plot against Paul. They took a solemn > oath that they would > neither eat nor drink until they had killed him. Over forty of them > ritually bound themselves to > this murder pact and presented themselves to the high priests and > religious leaders. "We've bound > ourselves by a solemn oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. But > we need your help. Send a > request from the council to the captain to bring Paul back so that you can > investigate the charges > in more detail. We'll do the rest. Before he gets anywhere near you, we'll > have killed him. You > won't be involved." > > 16-17Paul's nephew, his sister's son, overheard them plotting the ambush. > He went immediately to > the barracks and told Paul. Paul called over one of the centurions and > said, "Take this young man to > the captain. He has something important to tell him." > > 18The centurion brought him to the captain and said, "The prisoner Paul > asked me to bring this > young man to you. He said he has something urgent to tell you." > > 19The captain took him by the arm and led him aside privately. "What is > it? What do you have to > tell me?" > > 20-21Paul's nephew said, "The Jews have worked up a plot against Paul. > They're going to ask you to > bring Paul to the council first thing in the morning on the pretext that > they want to investigate > the charges against him in more detail. But it's a trick to get him out of > your safekeeping so they > can murder him. Right now there are more than forty men lying in ambush > for him. They've all taken a > vow to neither eat nor drink until they've killed him. The ambush is > set-all they're waiting for is > for you to send him over." > > 22The captain dismissed the nephew with a warning: "Don't breathe a word > of this to a soul." > > 23-24The captain called up two centurions. "Get two hundred soldiers ready > to go immediately to > Caesarea. Also seventy cavalry and two hundred light infantry. I want them > ready to march by nine > o'clock tonight. And you'll need a couple of mules for Paul and his gear. > We're going to present > this man safe and sound to Governor Felix." > > 25-30Then he wrote this letter: > > From Claudius Lysias, to the Most Honorable Governor Felix: > > Greetings! I rescued this man from a Jewish mob. They had seized him and > were about to kill him > when I learned that he was a Roman citizen. So I sent in my soldiers. > Wanting to know what he had > done wrong, I had him brought before their council. It turned out to be a > squabble turned vicious > over some of their religious differences, but nothing remotely criminal. > The next thing I knew, they > had cooked up a plot to murder him. I decided that for his own safety I'd > better get him out of here > in a hurry. So I'm sending him to you. I'm informing his accusers that > he's now under your > jurisdiction. 31-33The soldiers, following orders, took Paul that same > night to safety in > Antipatris. In the morning the soldiers returned to their barracks in > Jerusalem, sending Paul on to > Caesarea under guard of the cavalry. The cavalry entered Caesarea and > handed Paul and the letter > over to the governor. > > 34-35After reading the letter, the governor asked Paul what province he > came from and was told > "Cilicia." Then he said, "I'll take up your case when your accusers show > up." He ordered him locked > up for the meantime in King Herod's official quarters. > > Acts 24 > Paul States His Defense > 1-4 Within five days, the Chief Priest Ananias arrived with a contingent > of leaders, along with > Tertullus, a trial lawyer. They presented the governor with their case > against Paul. When Paul was > called before the court, Tertullus spoke for the prosecution: "Most > Honorable Felix, we are most > grateful in all times and places for your wise and gentle rule. We are > much aware that it is because > of you and you alone that we enjoy all this peace and gain daily profit > from your reforms. I'm not > going to tire you out with a long speech. I beg your kind indulgence in > listening to me. I'll be > quite brief. > 5-8"We've found this man time and again disturbing the peace, stirring up > riots against Jews all > over the world, the ringleader of a seditious sect called Nazarenes. He's > a real bad apple, I must > say. We caught him trying to defile our holy Temple and arrested him. > You'll be able to verify all > these accusations when you examine him yourself." > > 9The Jews joined in: "Hear, hear! That's right!" > > 10-13The governor motioned to Paul that it was now his turn. Paul said, "I > count myself fortunate > to be defending myself before you, Governor, knowing how fair-minded > you've been in judging us all > these years. I've been back in the country only twelve days-you can check > out these dates easily > enough. I came with the express purpose of worshiping in Jerusalem on > Pentecost, and I've been > minding my own business the whole time. Nobody can say they saw me arguing > in the Temple or working > up a crowd in the streets. Not one of their charges can be backed up with > evidence or witnesses. > > 14-15"But I do freely admit this: In regard to the Way, which they malign > as a dead-end street, I > serve and worship the very same God served and worshiped by all our > ancestors and embrace everything > written in all our Scriptures. And I admit to living in hopeful > anticipation that God will raise the > dead, both the good and the bad. If that's my crime, my accusers are just > as guilty as I am. > > 16-19"Believe me, I do my level best to keep a clear conscience before God > and my neighbors in > everything I do. I've been out of the country for a number of years and > now I'm back. While I was > away, I took up a collection for the poor and brought that with me, along > with offerings for the > Temple. It was while making those offerings that they found me quietly at > my prayers in the Temple. > There was no crowd, there was no disturbance. It was some Jews from around > Ephesus who started all > this trouble. And you'll notice they're not here today. They're cowards, > too cowardly to accuse me > in front of you. > > 20-21"So ask these others what crime they've caught me in. Don't let them > hide behind this > smooth-talking Tertullus. The only thing they have on me is that one > sentence I shouted out in the > council: 'It's because I believe in the resurrection that I've been hauled > into this court!' Does > that sound to you like grounds for a criminal case?" > > 22-23Felix shilly-shallied. He knew far more about the Way than he let on, > and could have settled > the case then and there. But uncertain of his best move politically, he > played for time. "When > Captain Lysias comes down, I'll decide your case." He gave orders to the > centurion to keep Paul in > custody, but to more or less give him the run of the place and not prevent > his friends from helping > him. > > 24-26A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent > for Paul and listened to > him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to > insist on right relations > with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming > Judgment, Felix felt things > getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. "That's enough > for today. I'll call you > back when it's convenient." At the same time he was secretly hoping that > Paul would offer him a > substantial bribe. These conversations were repeated frequently. > > 27After two years of this, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus. Still > playing up to the Jews and > ignoring justice, Felix left Paul in prison. > > > > > > > > ~~~~~ > 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. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/dbilg?hl=.
