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Acts Reading Plan | Week 14 | Day 3
Prayer
Take a moment to be silent and still. In order to be fully present in body and mind, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times.
Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” Take a moment as you come to spend time with Jesus to thank Him for the person who told you about Him!
Bible Reading: Acts 19:1-10
Read these verses three times slowly.
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.
Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
Reflection & Questions
All the way back in Acts 1, Jesus told the disciples, “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Today in our reading, we are seeing how the gospel is now reaching far and wide. From 120 gathered in a room in Jerusalem (Acts 1:12), the gospel has spread to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1) and now we are seeing it reaching to the ends of the earth (Acts 19:10). What Jesus said would happen is happening. The gospel is reaching to the ends of the earth.
But there are still more people to reach! Just like Paul found in Ephesus, there are people who are open to things of God, they want to live for Him, but they need someone to tell them about Jesus. They need to hear the gospel, to believe and receive the Holy Spirit. That’s where we come in! We get to be a part of what Jesus mission to the disciples – to spread the gospel to the end of the earth. We get to join with the millions of disciples throughout the world and the last 2,000 years and spread the good news – to see God bring freedom and joy to more people!
- Does the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth amaze you? Why or why not?
- Do you consider yourself a part of the mission to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth by reaching your ONE? Why or why not?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading. Pray for opportunities this week to speak with your ONE about Jesus.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
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Questions?
Ed Applegate
