PRAYER & FASTING

Today’s Reading: Acts 14-15

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

This Temple of Zeus, also known as the Olympieion, is a Greco-Roman temple in the centre of Athens, southeast of the Acropolis. Begun in the 6th century BC, it was not completed until the reign of the Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. At the time, it was the largest temple in Greece.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Acts 14:23

So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Imagine… After a miracle was performed, they thought Barnabas was Zeus and Paul another one of their gods. Before long, the crowd considered them demons to be stoned. We cannot depend on popular opinion. We must have solid teaching based on the Scriptures. James, now recognized as the Pastor of Jerusalem, brings the Church back to their foundation by quoting God’s Word. This clear dependence on the Hebrew Bible was essential for consistent doctrine. As it was then, so it must be today. With prayer and fasting, elders who are well established in Scripture should be placed in leadership roles. They may not always agree, as in the case of the dissension between Paul and Barnabas. Their differences were not doctrinal but procedural. Today, this disagreement might result in an independent church being planted nearby, which might become a new denomination. Paul and Barnabas, while they separated, did not act in such a way. They simply went in different directions in spreading God’s Word.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear Lord, while our leaders may have differences in how to proceed with Your work, may they be in complete unity in the doctrines of eternal salvation. Give me the grace of loyalty to those who lead in my church. With Your help, Lord, I commit to prayer and fasting on their behalf. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I am amazed at the gigantic temples, such as the one to Zeus, pictured above, which are found everywhere in the ancient world. Lucifer, at one time known in Heaven as “the anointed cherub” (Ezekiel 28:14), desired worship for himself and tried to take the place of God. I believe he inspired the building of these temples, and then he and his fallen angels inhabited these temples in order to receive worship here on the earth to which they were banished. The religion business is filled with what the Bible calls “deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). I don’t worry about these entities taking control of my thoughts and my life, because I practice daily prayer for protection by the Blood of Jesus, and I daily do as James, the Pastor referred to above, teaches me, “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you!” (James 4:7-8).

Yours for a consistent, joy-filled life in Christ,

David

P.S. 100words is an outreach of Crossroads Christian Communications Incorporated, an official charitable organization in both Canada and the United States. This week I’ve been moved to pray fervently for the mission in many parts of the world and also to give sacrificially. Will you join me? Jesus said, “Inasmuch as you’ve done it unto the least of one of these, you’ve done it unto Me!!!” When considering your Christmas and year-end giving, please remember Crossroads. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! (click here for donation information).

GOD’S CALL

Today’s Reading: Acts 13

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

This is Antioch. Today it is called Antakya in Turkey. Saul (Paul) and Barnabas were sent out from here as missionaries. Tradition says that Peter pioneered the Church here. At first, as was the Jewish custom, they spoke in the synagogue, but those who believed then gathered in a cave for Christian worship.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Acts 13:2-3

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

In chapter 9, Saul (later Paul) was sent by the Jerusalem Church to his home city of Tarsus. In chapter 11, Barnabas is sent from Jerusalem to find Saul. Barnabas and Saul settle in Antioch. Saul may have served the Lord here for a dozen years as a faithful local church member before the Holy Spirit revealed God’s plan for a missionary team which would reach other communities.

It is essential that God’s people remain faithful in a local Church. This is where mentoring takes place, and where ministry gifts can be developed providing the Senior Pastor has the New Testament Vision. The experience at a home Church will confirm whether or not God has called us to a larger place in ministry. Our brothers and sisters who know us best will witness to God’s call. It was in Cyprus that Saul (which means “big”) became known as Paul (which means “little”). Perhaps when Saul exercised great authority, as recorded in verses 9 to 12, Barnabas recognized that Saul needed to constantly be reminded to stay humble. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul tells us that God intervened to help keep him humble. The “thorn in the flesh” was so that Paul would not become “exalted above measure.” God knows our weaknesses and deals with us accordingly. Paul, educated in the rabbinical schools, knew his Hebrew Bible. Notice how he bases his preaching on God’s Word.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, please help me to preach and teach the Scriptures. Help me to learn from Paul’s way of communicating Your Word. Lord Jesus, You urged me to pray that “the Lord of the harvest would send forth labourers into His harvest field” (Matthew 9:38). You answered Your prayer request in the Antioch Church by calling two people into full-time service. Do this again and again in our day, I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

For years now, I’ve tried to remember to pray Jesus’ prayer request each morning. In the “Our Father,” Jesus tells us, “When you pray, say…” In our prayer for “labourers” (not big preachers or executives), we recognize that this is a call to, as Churchill put it, “blood, sweat and tears.” It’s a call to die to personal ambition or any kind of self-seeking. For Paul it meant genuine hardship. Check out 2 Corinthians 11:23-33. I ask myself upon reading these verses, “Do I still want everything God has planned for my life?” YES, YES, and YES!!!! I would like to be somewhere nearby when Paul stands before the Lord in the believer’s judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10). I must never take God’s call lightly. It is the most serious calling in the universe. Obedience must be my #1 priority.

Yours for a greater understanding of God’s call on your life and mine,

David

P.S. The photo of modern Antioch was the first one taken by my eldest son, Reynold, on a trip across Turkey, Greece, and Italy. He is the professional photographer in our family, as well as a missionary with his wife Kathy (Paul made tents to support his missionary calling). Check out their missions website HERE. Ron, my younger son, is also an ordained minister. He and his wife Ann proofread every blog before it’s posted and add any needed links. Their marriage ministry website is HERE. Thank you, my sons and spouses!

THE SPIRIT OF GOD

Today’s Reading: Acts 11-12

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

Ruins of a Roman hippodrome in Caesarea. If you look carefully to the left and right, you can see the seats from which the spectators would watch the chariot races taking place in the oval space in the centre. Reynold’s shadow is seen on the bottom right.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Acts 11:16-17

Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, “John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?

Our Scripture records an amazing shift in the hearts and minds of these believers in Jesus who practiced the religion of Judaism. Peter had baptized Gentiles without them first becoming Jews. For this breach of Jewish practice, Peter was on the carpet back in Jerusalem defending his unprecedented action. The key point in Peter’s defense was John the Baptist’s prophecy and its fulfillment both in the 120 in the upper room and now with the same “they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God” experience.

Consider the two deaths in chapter 12…that of James, the brother of John, and that of Herod. What a stark contrast one with the other. James was put to death by Herod. The end result was the opposite to what Herod intended. The fisherman Apostle, James, now sits with the King of Kings forever. The kingdom Herod sought to hold, crumbled. The glory he sought was instantly lost. The result of his pride was undoubtedly eternal damnation.

Another James, the one known as the brother of Jesus, is rising to leadership. We first hear of him in Mark 6:3. He gave us the book of James. Stay with us daily and we’ll get to James’ book eventually.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, I thank You that, as John the Baptist said of You, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” By Your grace, may many more be baptized by You in the same way You did for the believers as recorded in the book of Acts. I magnify You in my worship right now. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:18-21, I desire with all my heart that I will continue to “be filled with the Spirit.” Amen!!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

My Grandpa Mainse and his brother Ed would meet each morning at the fence between their farms for prayer. They were what was called “Shouting Methodists.” It is said that they could be heard over on the next concession. I’ve heard my Doctor of Theology father shout for Joy on one occasion. I’ve been so filled with the Spirit at times that it’s next to impossible to keep quiet or to express what’s going on inside of me in my ordinary English language. Of course, one can control one’s exuberance. The Scripture says, “The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet” (1 Corinthians 14:32). I find great strength for each day as my human spirit is filled with God’s Spirit. I experience an effective witness for Jesus and my cup of joy is filled to overflowing. Norma-Jean has recently given to our children and grandchildren a book entitled, “The Blessing.” The subtitle is, “Experiencing the Power of the Holy Spirit Today,” by Thomas Trask and Wayde Goodall, published by Zondervan. This is an excellent and thorough teaching resource. If you are hungry and thirsty for God’s Spirit in a greater way in your life, I recommend this excellent book (click here for information).

Yours for being “Filled with the Spirit.” By the way, I believe that this daily blog will help you and me to grow in God, so that our capacities for the Spirit of God will increase. I ask myself this: Am I continuing to be a small volume spirit or am I increasing in size? I think I’m growing, and thus I can experience a greater measure of God’s Spirit than ever before.

David

GENTILES

Today’s Reading: Acts 10

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

The north public bath house ruins of ancient Caesarea. Herod, Pilate, and Cornelius may have visited these baths, but not Paul. He spent two years in prison here in Caesarea.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Acts 10:44

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

For a Roman of senior rank, it would’ve been customary to visit the bath house daily (pictured above). This daily blog bath “the washing of water by the Word” (Ephesians 5:26), will become a habit after a few days of disciplined reading.

This chapter should be, for we who are not born Jews, very, very important. This is where we get in on the blessings God promised to Abraham, and the blessings of the fulfillment of those promises in Jesus. Why would God choose this Roman Army Officer, Cornelius, to be the first non-Jew to receive Jesus? He was “devout,” a man of excellence in his behaviour. He and his household “feared God.” He “gave alms generously to the people,” and “he prayed to God always.” We don’t earn salvation by good works. Grace, and grace alone through faith, secures our eternal destiny. But our character and good works, as in this story, do serve to get special attention from God. Read more about non-Jews getting in on God’s provision of salvation in Ephesians chapter 2. Please check it out (click here).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I’m so very thankful that as a non-Jew, I’m welcomed into Your family. May I never take Your care for granted. May my character be refined each day, and may this daily blog be a part of the process. You checked out Cornelius’ “memorial” and good things happened. I pray You’ll check out my offerings too. May the smile of Your approval be on my life. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Here is a question I want to ask Cornelius some day…”Were you the centurion whose servant Jesus healed as recorded in Luke 7:1-10? If that wasn’t you, Cornelius, please introduce me to this officer of whom Jesus said, ‘I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.'” One of the highlights of my life was to suggest to the senior officer corps of Ukraine that they make Cornelius their Patron Saint. Most officers had Orthodox or Roman Catholic backgrounds, although to be an officer in a communist government they had to profess atheism. I mentioned this in my blog on November 3rd (click here for the story in my “100 Personal Words”). I wonder also about the baptism of Cornelius, his family, and friends. Could it have happened in the bath house pictured here? I wonder, as well, if Peter was shocked when God interrupted his preaching to pour out the Gift of the Holy Spirit on these Gentiles. I think so. Because, “They of the circumcision (Jews) were astonished, as many as came with Peter.” I was astonished to witness an interruption by God once in my years of preaching. Please God, do it again and again!

Yours to help each of us to receive all God desires that we should have for the purpose of serving Him effectively,

David

EVANGELISM

Today’s Reading: Acts 8-9

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

The Port of Joppa was a busy place during Bible times and still is today.

Key Verse: Acts 9:5

And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And the Lord said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting…”

What a team of the Lord’s servants in today’s reading! Stephen’s broken body is buried. Philip heads out to evangelize. Peter and John join him in Samaria. The Ethiopian treasurer heads home to witness for Christ. Saul of Tarsus is converted and boldly witnesses for Christ. At Joppa (present day Jaffa), Dorcas is raised from the dead as a witness for Christ. Aeneas of Lydda (present day Lod where the International Airport is located today) is healed. What is the result of all this? Exponential growth of the Church. “Multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip” (8:6). “The churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria…were multiplied” (9:31). “All at Lydda, and Sharon…turned to the Lord” (9:35). In Joppa, “Many turned to the Lord” (9:42). God’s purposes have not changed. God’s power has not changed. Let us move out in bold faith to see the same happen today. Amen!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, we have a word today that I don’t find in the Bible. It’s “retirement.” You are filling us with new energy as we do this blog daily. Show me, and all who read this, how we can be a part of the dynamic growth of Your Churches. Amen! and Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I believe in and seek to put into practice outreach ministry beyond the church walls. In villages where I was a Pastor, I sought to take the lead in mobilizing some members of the congregation to visit every home. We would ask if there was a need for which we could pray. We would inquire about children for Sunday School or teens for the youth activities. In the large cities this was more challenging, but we would stake out areas to visit. I trust that I will have the health, strength, determination and the blessing of my Pastor to keep doing this. By gently asking about needs for prayer, I’ve never been turned down. People know when they are cared for, not like the door-to-door cults that try to indoctrinate people by visiting them to add points to their religious record.

Yours for consistent growth, early church style, in Jesus’ Church today,

David

QUARRY

Today’s Reading: Acts 7

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

The bus terminal at the foot of the hill many believe to be Golgotha, The Place of the Skull, where Jesus was crucified. The Romans always crucified people beside the roadway for maximum impact, not on the top of a hill.

Key Verse: Acts 7:59-60

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

The bus terminal pictured above is in an ancient quarry which is part of Mt. Moriah. On this mountain, Isaac was spared from death and God provided a ram to be sacrificed. On this mountain, God also provided the Sacrifice of His Son, our Saviour, Jesus. This may also be the place of the stoning of Stephen.

At least 10 times, Stephen, in his message, quoted from his Bible. How well do we know our Bible? Could we quote the Scriptures by memory? Have we read, marked, learned and inwardly digested the Scriptures as Stephen had done? Are we filled with the Holy Spirit as Stephen was? Are we acting, speaking, and loving as Stephen did? Here was a man who had come to be like Jesus. Saul of Tarsus was there. Later, as the Apostle Paul, Saul would write that we are, “To be conformed to the image of His Son.” Stephen had modeled this for the future Apostle.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

My fervent desire, Lord Jesus, is to be like You. By Your Spirit working in me, may I grow into all You desire me to be. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

As an 80 year old I’m required to have an examination in order to maintain my driver’s license. I passed! YEAH!!! I believe that throughout my life God has given me examinations. One day as a young pastor I was sitting in a room at the Hamilton YMCA, praying with a young man named Gord. His face was buried in a paper bag which had airplane glue spread on the bottom. I had seen Gord a couple of weeks before sniffing glue in a park. I brought him home to Norma-Jean, who responded with love. That time, at the “Y,” God gave me an exam. Gord lifted his head from the bag long enough to spit in my face. The “old” David, who had a bad temper, was no longer there. I felt nothing but the love and compassion of Jesus. I had prayed in those early years, “Lord Jesus, when I grow up, I want to be like You.” I knew He was answering my prayers. Gord gave his life to Christ soon after this. Stephen, the first Church deacon, was truly like Jesus. He’s one of my examples of someone who passed his examination with a mark of 100%.

Yours for becoming more like Jesus,

David

ON BECOMING MULTIPLIERS

Today’s Reading: Acts 5-6

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

Saint Stephen’s Gate on the northeast side of the Old City walls of Jerusalem. The first Christian to have his earthly life taken from him for Jesus’ sake was the Deacon, Stephen. What an amazing example of faith and courage! Just before he died he exclaimed that he saw the heavens opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56b – tomorrows reading).

Key Verse: Acts 5:41, 6:7

So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name…Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

“Believers were increasingly added” (5:14). “You have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine” (5:28). “The number of disciples was multiplying” (6:1). “The disciples multiplied greatly” (6:7). Here is a theme repeated over and over. This is the way God intends His Church to grow. We should ask ourselves the question, “Are we seeing growth in our Churches?” Here we find the growth came because new believers were added. There are many local churches, but only one Church. Transferring believers from one congregation to another does not constitute growth for the whole Church. The gate pictured above is the traditional site where Stephen was stoned to death. We can expect strong opposition when large numbers are being converted to Christ. We may want to take our spiritual temperature. If we are content to remain as a handful of believers who just bless each other in a local church, we may be almost dead and not know it.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, please grant me the great privilege of bringing new people to You today. May I never be content with just maintaining the numbers of believers as it is presently. Show me in a heart-wrenching way that people are lost eternally without You. Give me a passion to win souls to Yourself and to eternal life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

As a teen, I read “Passion for Souls,” a book by Oswald J. Smith. I was never content after that to lavish the blessings of Christ on myself, forgetting about lost people. I felt that I was a most selfish person if I would keep the Good News of Jesus and eternal life to myself. Sharing Christ became an absolute essential. If that was not happening in my personal contacts and eventually in the churches I pastored, I became desperate in my prayers, arising earlier and earlier in the mornings to pray. I knew that I could not do this on my own, and that the power of God came upon me directly in proportion to the way I prayed in my private times with God. If you should ever read my biographical sketch on the internet, please read between the lines and know that everything of eternal value that may be there has been born and has thrived out of a “passion for souls.” [NOTE: After David’s passing on September 25, 2017, a memorial website was created, which includes a brief biography. You can visit it HERE].

Yours to help us become believers like those in today’s reading,

David

CORNERSTONE

Today’s Reading: Acts 3-4

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

A panorama of Jerusalem at sunset.

Key Verse: Acts 4:12

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Believe it or not, the choice is ours! Our salvation is ONLY in Jesus Christ! Do other names come to mind? They pale into insignificance in the blazing glory of “the Light of the world.” We should note how these early believers quoted from their Bible, and we should do the same with both the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures. What we call “the New Testament” would not be written for several years. The Apostles had not yet heard of a “new” set of Bible books. They were all Jews. The councils of the Rabbis had heard from God as to what writings qualified to be in the Bible, as did the early Church leaders for the new writings of divinely inspired Scripture. We may want to look up Deuteronomy 18:15-22 to see how Peter quoted his Bible from memory (Acts 3:22-23). God willing, the next book we’ll read together will be Deuteronomy. Amen!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, there is so much in today’s reading that’s filling my mind and heart. Please cause that which You desire me to learn to be absorbed and assimilated into my life today, and may it also spill out through me to others. In Jesus’ Name, the only Name given among mankind by which we must be saved, I pray. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I pray the above prayer with great fervency. I’ve preached several messages from today’s readings over the years. I ask most sincerely for the prayers of you who read this, that I’ll receive guidance from the Holy Spirit for “100words.ca.” There are volumes that could be written. For an entire year during 2004, five days each week, Dr. Paul Maier, Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University, Rev. Dale Lang, Anglican Minister from Tabor, Alberta (whose son was murdered in the corridor of his high school), and I led our 100 Huntley Street TV viewers through the book of Acts, verse by verse (260 segments on the book of Acts!). We called it “HIStory” (emphasis on “HIS”). Paul gave the historical perspective, Dale gave the application to our daily lives, and I was the moderator. Here is a link to one of these segments from 2004 which ties in to today’s reading (click HERE).

Yours for an overview of the entire Bible in 730 days. Are you still with me?

David

WITNESSES

Today’s Reading: Acts 1-2

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

David’s City is part of Jerusalem and is on the south side of the Old City walls.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Acts 1:8

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

We may consider Acts 1:8 the key verse, not only for this chapter, but for the entire book of Acts. Here we have Christ’s plan, His command to carry out the plan, and the power to carry out His goal to reach the whole world with the Good News of His salvation. We, as believers in Jesus, can easily be diverted from this first and foremost of Jesus’ instructions. We may be comfortable in our own salvation and cease to be concerned for the salvation of others. We may hide behind excuses such as, “I don’t know enough,” or “I need to understand the Bible better,” and by such means escape our Jesus-given assignment to be witnesses. Jesus told us clearly that all we need to enable us to share the Gospel is the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask Jesus now for the Holy Spirit to come upon all of us who read this blog. Begin to praise Jesus out loud as long as the volume does not offend others, and start witnessing to someone you meet. Remember, just seven weeks earlier, Peter could not witness to a waitress who gave him every opportunity to share his faith in Jesus. The power of the Holy Spirit and a willingness to acknowledge Jesus is all we need.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, John the Baptist said of You, “He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” That’s me, Lord. I’m one of Your believers. I’ll open my mouth, make a sound, and You, Holy Spirit, as Acts 1:4 says, will give me utterance. I trust You to give me words that will communicate with You, Lord God (see 1 Cor. 14:1-6), and communicate Jesus to people. In Jesus’ Name I pray, and keep on praying until I experience Your Holy Spirit’s fullness, Amen! Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

My son, David Reynold, chose the picture for today of the City of David, a part of Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit came upon 120 people who were in an upper room just at the top left of the picture. When they could no longer contain this powerful experience, they spilled out onto the streets, no doubt some of them into the City of David. I knew that the Holy Spirit came to live in me when I gave my life to Christ in December of 1951, but it was in June, 1952, that the Holy Spirit came upon me with power to witness. That July, I led a man in a prayer to receive Jesus. That August, I know without a doubt that God called me into “the ministry.” Not long ago, I visited a dying man and witnessed about Jesus. He had proclaimed himself an atheist. Soon after, my friend, Jerry, told me he visited him in the Kingston, Ontario, hospital just before he died. Jerry asked him about salvation. He said to Jerry, “Tell David not to worry, that’s all taken care of.”

Yours for being available to the Holy Spirit to win someone to Jesus today,

David

P.S. Whenever we’ve led a group to Israel, we’ve always celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection in the Garden Tomb area (photos below)! Among other places in Jerusalem, we always visit St. Ann’s Church, built in the 11th century; it has the most amazing acoustics (click here for a video of our group singing, led by Norma-Jean).

REFUGE

Today’s Reading: Numbers 35-36

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

The Convent of Pater Noster is on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. It is located at the site of the ruins of the “Eleona” Basilica, built in the 4th century by Constantine over a cave where, according to tradition, Jesus met with His disciples and taught the “Our Father” (“Pater Noster” in Latin). The walls of this convent are decorated with 140 large ceramic tiles, each one inscribed with the Lord’s Prayer in a different language.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses Numbers 35:11 & 35:34

…then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there…Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.

Moses provided for a fair trial for the crime of manslaughter, or accidentally killing a person. Capital punishment by execution for murder was within the powers assigned to the state. All of us need a place of refuge. Jesus and His disciples are thought to have used the cave under the convent pictured above as their place of refuge from the misguided religious authorities. We also have a place of refuge! (Hebrews 6:17-20) Thank you, Reynold, for great photos!

After we complete the Book of Acts, we will read in the next Hebrew books that the people again and again defiled the land. Before we judge them too harshly, we need to look at our own lives. Are we defiling the place where God lives? We should live in a state of repentance, a godly sorrow for sin, so that we are constantly cleansed from sin. First John 1:7b tells us, “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I run daily into You for refuge. Keep me dwelling in You constantly, because in You is protection and Salvation. Dear Jesus, You promised that, as I have invited You into my heart, that You would live in me. I need constant cleaning so that Your dwelling place will not be defiled. Today I’m praying Paul’s prayer for the believers in Ephesus (click Ephesians 3:14-21). Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Yad Vashem, is a memorial to the most tragic betrayal of humanity in human history, the Holocaust, where at least 6,000,000 of God’s ancient people, the Jews, were murdered. As is my custom, I’ve often stopped to meditate at the tree planted in honour of the heroine of the Netherlands, Corrie Ten Boom, who provided jews with a place of refuge during WWII. Rev. Jason Patterson, my grandson-in-law, took the pictures below. Corrie’s original tree died the year she died, and they planted a new tree as you can see. The book and movie “The Hiding Place” is her story. Norma-Jean and I, on a visit to Holland, crept into that hiding place and sat there for a time. We imagined what it would be like for Corrie to hurry Jews into that place to hide them from the Nazis. Corrie, along with her father and sister, were arrested and taken to a death camp. She managed to survive but not her family members. It was a great honour to introduce Corrie to our Canadian television viewers several times in the sixties and seventies. She had never been on TV before, and her childlike approach to explaining the Gospel amazed me. I learned great lessons from her. One time she put on a clear plastic glove and said, “Jesus is like my hand, and the glove is all I want to be seen of me.” I wept openly.

Yours with the prayer to be more like Jesus and Corrie,

David

P.S. Think about it as you meditate on the pictures below and listen to a short message from Corrie about forgiveness (click here).