Accept, believe, and receive Jesus. 6/26/15

Day 175 - Reading the New Testament in one year.

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/Acts.8

Acts 8:1-25

8 And Saul approved of their killing him.

The Church Persecuted and Scattered
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Sorcerer
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

Supplied Life Devotional by Bill Freeman

June 26th  Conceived and produced 

“Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.” EPHESIANS 2:15

After we see how the mystery of the one Body of Christ was conceived in eternity past, then we need to see how it was produced. In the first part of Ephesians 1, we see its conception. In the last part of chapter 1 and in chapter 2, we see how this mystery was actually produced. Ephesians 2:13-16 says, 13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition, the enmity, 15 abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” According to these verses, the mystery was produced by God through the death of Christ on the cross. When the Lord Jesus was on the cross, not only were our sins laid upon Him, but also our divisions. The division of humanity was abolished. Not only do I have the enjoyment of being freed and pardoned from all sin, but I am also freed from all the ordinances that divided us. The factors that have separated us and kept us in such individualistic ways were abolished on Calvary. When He died, He terminated not only sin, sins, the flesh, and the old man, but also our race, our national distinctions, our background, the old creation, and everything that separates man. He recreated us all in Himself, producing the new man, where He now is all and in all. That is what He did on Calvary! Division is over. It is gone forever. Calvary says so. This one Body was produced by the process of Christ’s all-inclusive death and resurrection.

Pray Until Something Happens (PUSH)

Anna, Ariana,Ariel, Pat,  Rene, and Willie.

Health and Healing

Vonetta's mom and Willie

Support and Comfort

Praise Alert
Anna is out of the hospital.

National
Conflict between citizens and  police officer. 

International

Israel and Palestine
Iraq

Syrians

Ukraine

Missing plane and passengers.
Missing Nigerian Christian girls.
Families of slain Kenyans.
Families of all the recent plane crashes.

Song(s) of the Day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv6foJHaxLg
No copyright infringement intended