Dec 04: United Kingdom, England, Ireland, Northern | Operation World
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Friday, December 4, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 59
Acts 18:19-28; Acts 19
19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and
Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When
they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21But as
he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he
set sail from Ephesus. 22When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and
greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 23After spending
some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place
throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the
disciples. 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of
Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of
the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the
Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though
he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly
in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to
their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. 27 When
Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the
disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who
by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews
in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through
the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 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." 3 So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you
receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. 4 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." 5 On
hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When
Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in
tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. 8 Paul
entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing
persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 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. 10 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. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through
Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had
touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil
spirits left them. 13 Some Jews who went around driving out
evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were
demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul
preaches, I command you to come out." 14 Seven sons of
Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 [One day]
the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but
who are you?" 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit
jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they
ran out of the house naked and bleeding. 17 When this became
known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear,
and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many
of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. 19 A
number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them
publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to
fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord
spread widely and grew in power. 21After all this had happened,
Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia.
"After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome
also." 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and
Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little
longer. 23 About that time there arose a great disturbance
about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made
silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the
craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen
in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from
this business. 26And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has
convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in
practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods
at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose
its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be
discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province
of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty." 28 When
they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis
of the Ephesians!" 29 Soon the whole city was in an
uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions
from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. 30 Paul
wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even
some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message
begging him not to venture into the theater. 32 The assembly
was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the
people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews
pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to
him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the
people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all
shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the
Ephesians!" 35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said:
"Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is
the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell
from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable,
you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 You have
brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed
our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen
have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.
They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you
want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As
it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's
events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since
there is no reason for it." 41 After he had said this, he
dismissed the assembly.
Psalm 3
Psalm 3 (New International Version)
Psalm 3
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." Selah [a]
3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift [b] up my head.
4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.
7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
Psalm 3
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." Selah [a]
3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift [b] up my head.
4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.
7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
Revelation 21
Revelation 21 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 21
A New Heaven and a New Earth
1 Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth,"[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death'[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[d] thick.[e] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[f] 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 21
A New Heaven and a New Earth
1 Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth,"[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death'[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[d] thick.[e] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[f] 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
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