Bookmark Daily Bible Reading Calendar By: Ehimwenma E. Aimiuwu – Please LIKE us on Facebook
Acts 12:
King Herod started persecuting the Christians (he was the same one that tried to kill Jesus at birth and now want to kill his followers over 30 years later and after Jesus’ death). He killed James, the brother of John with the sword, so he decided to get Peter too because it made the Jews very happy. It seems the Jews disliked Christianity because it included Gentiles. King Herod soon arrested Peter with high numbers of guards and planned to judge him publicly (to amuse and entertain the Jews) after Passover. The night before the trial, an angel of God came into the prison to wake Peter up while he was sleeping between two soldiers. Peter thought that he was in a vision. The angel told him to get up, dress up, and follow him. The chains fell off his wrists and the angel lead him passed all the guards to the iron gate of the city. Peter then went to meet the other Christians, who did not believe at first that it was his voice that was heard behind the door. He soon told them how God had freed him and also told them to spread the word to others. The next morning, King Herod executed the guards for Peter’s escape. King Herod had an appointment with the people of Tyre and Sidon over a quarrel he had with them. On that day, he gave a speech in his royal regalia and the people praised him as a god. Then, an angel of God struck him down, worms began to eat him, and he died because he did not give praises to God. King Herod wanted to take the place of God. The word of God continued to spread and more people followed Jesus. Barnabas, Saul, and Mark continues God’s work.
Acts 13:
The church at Antioch had prophets and teachers. Does your church have any? As they were worshipping God and fasting, the Holy Spirit requested Barnabas and Saul to be set apart for God’s mission. They went to Cyprus to proclaim God’s word in the Jewish synagogue, then they means Bar-Jesus, a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet. The sorcerer’s master was Proconsul, who requested the presence of the disciples to hear about God, but the sorcerer tried to prevent it. Saul, also called Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit and called the sorcerer the child of the devil that always prevent what is right and godly. Paul commanded him to be blind in God’s name and the sorcerer became blind and his master believed in God immediately. Paul return to Antioch and gave a great speech on a Sabbath in the Jewish synagogue. He told them how God had chosen the Jews as his people and led them out of Egypt to give them Canaan (land of 7 nations) within 450 years. He talked about how God gave them prophets until they wanted kings, John the Baptist taking about repentance and baptism, and the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul makes it clear that it is only through Jesus that are sin and forgiven, not the law of Moses or good works. What God promised through the prophets to our fathers have been fulfilled through the children in their generation as witnesses of Jesus. Many Jews began to speak abusively against Paul and Barnabas because many devout converts to Judaism began to follow Jesus. Paul and Barnabas replied the Jews by saying that since the Jews have rejected God’s word (Jesus) and eternal life, which was preached to them first, God has now commissioned them to the Gentiles and all the earth. So Judaism was a religion to separate the Jews as God’s special people through which Jesus will come, but Christianity was every people coming to God through their belief in Jesus.
Act 14:
Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish Synagogue in Iconium and many devout Jews converted to Christianity, but the unbelievers stirred both the Jews and Gentiles present against them. They performed many miraculous signs and wonders, but the people there planned harm for them, so they left for Lystra. There, Paul saw a crippled man from birth that had faith from listening to them, so Paul healed him. The people then called them gods in human forms and wanted to offer sacrifice to them. Barnabas as the leaders was called Zeus, while Paul as the spoke man was called Hermes. Barnabas and Paul we disgusted and told them that they must turn away from worthless things to the word of the living God. The people still made their scarifies and the Jews came from other towns to turn the people against them. So they stoned them out of the city. More Gentiles were won to God. They established churches, chose elders, prayed, and fasted.
