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Week 68 Acts 21 Day 1 READ Acts 21:13-14 13 But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” When Agabus prophesied that Paul would be bound in Jerusalem, Paul’s companions and all the local believers begged Paul not to go there. Paul appeals to them to stop bre

Week 69 Acts 21 Day 1 READ Acts 21:25 25 “As for the Gentile believers, they should do what we already told them in a letter: They should abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.” The leaders of the church in Jerusalem wanted Paul to go into the temple area to satisfy the Jews and said the Gentiles should keep doing as had been instructed. This was a repeat of what was decided for th

Week 70 Acts 21, 22 Day 1 READ Acts 21:37-38 37 As Paul was about to be taken inside, he said to the commander, “May I have a word with you?” “Do you know Greek?” the commander asked, surprised. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who led a rebellion some time ago and took 4,000 members of the Assassins out into the desert?” As Paul was rescued from the mob he asked permission to speak. The Roman commander was surprised Paul knew the Greek language. He thought Paul was an Eg

Week 71 Acts 22 Day 1 READ Acts 22:6-9 6 “As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting.’ 9 The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me. Paul recounted for

Week 72 Acts 22, 23 Day 1 READ Acts 22:24-25 24 The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious. 25 When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?” Up until now Paul had not revealed to the military officers that he was a Roman citizen. Now as they tied him

Week 73 Acts 23 Day 1 READ Acts 23:6 6 Paul realized that some members of the high council were Sadducees and some were Pharisees, so he shouted, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!” As Paul stood before the religious leaders in the Sanhedrin, he thought of an idea to divert attention. Knowing that the Pharisees, which he was one, believed in the supernatural and that the Sadducees di

Week 74 Acts 23 Day 1 READ Acts 23:20-22 20 Paul’s nephew told him, “Some Jews are going to ask you to bring Paul before the high council tomorrow, pretending they want to get some more information. 21 But don’t do it! There are more than forty men hiding along the way ready to ambush him. They have vowed not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent.” 22 “Don’t let anyone know you told me this,” the commander

Week 75 Acts 24 Day 1 READ Acts 24:1-4 1 Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor: “You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us. 3 For all of this, Your Excellency, we are very grateful t

Week 76 Acts 24, 25 Day 1 READ Acts 24:22-23 22 At that point Felix, who was quite familiar with the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “Wait until Lysias, the garrison commander, arrives. Then I will decide the case.” 23 He ordered an officer to keep Paul in custody but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to visit him and take care of his needs. Notice how “the Way” is used in referring to salvation. This appears only in Acts (see:19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14,

Week 77 Acts 25 Day 1 READ Acts 25:6-7 6 About eight or ten days later Festus returned to Caesarea, and on the following day he took his seat in court and ordered that Paul be brought in. 7 When Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem gathered around and made many serious accusations they couldn’t prove. When Governor Festus had traveled from Caesarea to Jerusalem he met the accusers of Paul. Festus told them to come with him to make the accusations in Caesar

Week 78 Acts 25 Day 1 READ Acts 25:15-16 15 “When I was in Jerusalem, the leading priests and Jewish elders pressed charges against him and asked me to condemn him. 16 I pointed out to them that Roman law does not convict people without a trial. They must be given an opportunity to confront their accusers and defend themselves. Governor Festus continues to explain to King Agrippa his concern about what to do with Paul. He acknowledges that Roman law cannot convict so

Week 79 Acts 26 Day 1 READ Acts 26:1-3 1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak in your defense.” So Paul, gesturing with his hand, started his defense: 2 “I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense today against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders, 3 for I know you are an expert on all Jewish customs and controversies. Now please listen to me patiently! Paul now gets the opportunity to present his case to King Agrippa. Paul

Week 80 Acts 26 Day 1 READ Acts 26:15-16 15 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. Paul continued to tell King Agrippa and the others gathered about his conversion on the road to Damascus. He told about a bright light that caused his g

Week 81 Acts 26, 27 Day 1 READ Acts 26:28-29 28 Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” 29 Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.” After Paul asked Agrippa if he believed the prophets, Agrippa answered in a way that has caused a difference of opinion. Was he accusing Paul of trying to convert him

Week 82 Acts 27 Day 1 READ Acts 27:9-10 9 We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it. 10 “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” Luke continues to record what the trip was like as they were on their way to Rome because of Paul’s appeal to meet with Caesar. Paul told the o

Week 83 Acts 27 Day 1 READ Acts 27:21-22 21 No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. 22 But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. The ship’s crew was all fighting for their lives. Paul reminded them he had warned them of what was coming, but they didn’t liste

Week 84 Acts 27, 28 Day 1 READ Acts 27:39-41 39 When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground. 40 So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore. 41 But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by

Week 85 Acts 28 Day 1 READ Acts 28:13-15 13 From there we sailed across to Rhegium. A day later a south wind began blowing, so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli. 14 There we found some believers, who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the Forum on the Appian Way. Others joined us at The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he was encourage

Discover how to navigate seasons of spiritual dryness and find true belonging in the body of Christ, even when God feels far away.

SPIRITUALLY FIT | TODAY In this episode of Spiritually Fit Today we explore how to rebuild your life and faith when God seems silent and suffering persists. Drawing from James 1:22, they explore the power of daily gospel-centered habits, honest struggles with belief, and the slow journey toward spiritual renewal after disillusionment. BACK TO THE BIBLE DAILY In this episode of Back to the Bible Daily, Braden Pedersen explores the biblical meaning of the church from 1 Corinthi

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep." These ten, but very powerful words are the focus of Christa's prayer as she leads our time before God. As you pray, ask God to help you see the ways in which you can join with those around you in experiencing their lives.

The thought of sharing our faith can make you feel pressure to say all the right things, to have every answer. But sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do for that person in our life who doesn’t know Jesus… is simply listen.

It's easy to buy into the idea that only strong and powerful actions can accomplish anything. As a result, patience and gentle responses are often looked down upon. But, if you're like Paula, you've felt the hidden power of these attributes. Join us as we look to the Bible for encouragement and a reminder of the power of a gentle spirit.

Why do you follow Jesus? Different people have different answers. And even while Jesus walked the earth, those who followed Him had reasons of their own. In talking to them, though, Jesus reminded them, and us, of the only actions we can take that really matter for eternity.