14 When she recognized Peter‘s voice, she was so over-joyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed,
"Peter is at the door!" - P106
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royalrobes, sat on his throne and delivered a public addressto the people.
22 They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of aman. - P107
23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise toGod, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he waseaten by worms and died.
24 But the word of God continued to spread and flour-ish. - P107
Herod goes to Caesarea andwhen people shout that he is a god and he accepts their praise, an angel ofGod strikes him down. Barnabas and Saul return to Jerusalem with John. - P107
The story of Peter‘s miraculous return is recounted in full, includingthe humor of the situation: Rhoda is so happy to hear Peter‘s voice sheforgets to open the door and runs off to tell the others, who insist itis just an angel. - P108
Meanwhile Peter keeps knocking and finally gets thebewildered believers to let him in. This story displays for us the purejoy that we can experience when we are filled with the Spirit. - P108
Whenwe grasp how good God is to us, through answered prayers and dailyprovisions, we cannot help but laugh and rejoice, even amid difficultcircumstances. - P108
And as Peter tells the people to share the great news ofwhat just happened, we should also testify and tell others what the Lordhas done for us with overflowing gladness. - P108
The proverb "Pride goes before destruction" (Prov. 16:18) is epitomizedin the death of King Herod. As the people shout flatteries to him, hetakes all the credit, revealing his oversized ego. - P108
But God is experiencedat dealing with such egos, and he fells Herod with a most painful death.
- P108
The irony is striking: a man wearing splendid royal robes on the outsideends up being eaten by worms on the inside. - P108
When we become filledwith pride, it is an affront to God because we act like we know morethan Him or are worthy of praise that belongs to Him. - P108
We must therefore be especially mindful
whenever we are praised by others, lest westeal glory away from God. - P108
Dear heavenly Father, I rejoice because You have been so good to me. May Ialways boast in Your goodness. Please keep me from the deadly sin of pride.
Humble me so that You alone may be exalted in my life. In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P109
And yet, a king with godlike fame set on arresting the progress of thekingdom of God discovered that he was no match. Obstacles willremain, but let us be greatly encouraged: as it is proclaimed faithfully,
the Word of God will always prevail. - P109
After all, God promises us thatHis Word "will not return to me empty, but will accomplish whatI desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isa. 55:11).
- P109
Therefore, we can read, study, share, and deploy God‘s Word withsteadfastness, ever confident in its power to transform communities,churches, and ourselves. - P109
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, theHoly Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul forthe work to which I have called them." 3 So after theyhad fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on themand sent them off. - P110
6 They traveled through the whole island until theycame to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer andfalse prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendantof the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an in-telligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because hewanted to hear the word of God. - P110
11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You aregoing to be blind for a time, not even able to see thelight of the sun." Immediately mist and darkness cameover him, and he groped about, seeking someone to leadhim by the hand.
12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, hebelieved, for he was amazed at the teaching about theLord. - P111
The Holy Spirit sets Barnabas and Saul apart for the work of God. They travelto Paphos where a Jewish sorcerer called Bar-Jesus who works under theproconsul. - P111
When he sends for Barnabas and Saul to hear the word of God,
Bar-Jesus opposes them. Paul confronts him and says he will become blind.
Darkness comes over him, and the proconsul believes. - P111
Notice the diversity on display at the church in Antioch: Barnabas isa Jew, Simeon is most likely Black, Lucius is from North Africa, andManaen is a Jewish childhood friend of Herod-the Herod who be-headed John the Baptist. - P112
The gospel is truly for all people. - P112
We shouldnever think that anybody, for whatever reason, is outside the reach ofGod‘s kingdom. And we ought to build relationships-peer to peerand church to church-with brothers and sisters in Christ who are notof the same ethnicity or background as ourselves. - P112
When we do so, weare demonstrating that the kingdom of God is a multiethnic kingdomwhere all are welcome. - P112
Dear Lord, I praise You because Your kingdom is always on the move as Youdesire for all nations to come to know You. - P113
May I become more firmly ground-ed in Your truth so that I may be an effective participant in Your kingdom. InJesus‘ name, amen. - P113
|