Day 325 (Tuesday) - Acts 12-13

Religious relics are a rather interesting thing. One I’ve always found strange can be found at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains. Here is an excerpt from their web site.

The pious Eudocia, wife of Emperor Teodosio II, journeyed to Jerusalem and found the chain that had bound Peter during his second imprisonment. According to the Acts 12:6, an angel caused the chains to fall from Peter's hands and led him past slumbering guards to freedom.

The chain was eventually given as a gift to Pope St. Leo the Great (440-461). In Rome there was already a chain that was greatly prized which had bound the saint during his nine month imprisonment in the Mamertine Prison near the Forum. When the pope compared the two chains, they miraculously fused together into one unbreakable series of links. Because of this miracle, Empress Eudocia built the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains, and dedicated it to the apostle in the year 442. The relic is now kept in a golden urn beneath the high altar, close to the famous statue of Michelangelo's Moses.

Day 324 (Monday) - Acts 9:23-11:30

Peter, as the first pastor of the first church has one major message, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.” Peter goes on to say that this is the Good News. We hear about this Good News all the time in Christendom and the scriptures but it is here in 10:34 that Pastor Peter defines what the Good News is. All people in every country and every walk of life have the same access to God and the same deep love he has for all. That is Good News!

Day 323 (Sunday) - Acts 7:30-9:22

Stephen was one of seven men who were selected a deacons in the church. He was preaching to the Jewish religious leaders in hope that they would receive the Good News about Christ when they dug him outside the city walls and threw stones at him until he died. Once the news made it to the church, their individual commitment and devotion to Christ was exposed. Persecution is a powerful event in the life of faith. It is interesting that the stronger the persecution the stronger the devotion of the church in the persecuted area. A persecuted church believes in what it is there for and is devoted to it. It could be that if persecution hit the western church, we would lose 90% but the remaining 10% might be the only church that was ever really there in the first place.

Day 322 (Saturday) - Acts 5:1-7:29

Maybe I’m sick and twisted…ok, I am…but I love the story of Ananias and Sapphira. This couple tried to cheat God out of their tithe and they were struck dead right there in the church service. A few young men got the responsibility to carry out the corpses in the middle of the service (no one wants dead bodies lying around while church is going on). The next line says that the church was in great fear over the event…reeeaaaallllly! It sure does change the way you look at that little plate that passes by during the worship service. Our gifts are never to a church…they are to God and he apparently cares a lot about our hearts in the act of giving.

Day 321 (Friday) - Acts 2:14-4:37

The first Christian sermon is delivered by the Pope…Pastor Peter. He lays out the basics of the Gospel plan and tells the hearers the “anyone who believes in Jesus can be saved”. This was a new idea because Judaism was exclusive and was not easily available to just any person. This new invitation was well received and those that accepted the message were over 3000 that first day…so the fist church was a mega church!

Day 320 (Thursday) - John 20-21; Acts 1:1-2:13

The book of Acts is not really titled Acts, not that it really matters that much, but the proper title is Acts of the Apostles because it is the story of their acts. It is the beginning of life after Jesus’ sacrifice and the beginning of the church as we know it today. Acts is a text book on church structure, purpose and workings. The work of the apostles is an example to us and a challenge for the church of the 21st century. Buckle up because this is going to be a wild ride!

Day 319 (Wednesday) - John 17:14-19:42

Did you know that we are to be one with each other as Jesus and God are one? Jesus and God are the same, though Jesus had a physical body. You and I are to be one…undivided…united. Are we? Sure we are! As Christians we never fight about anything. We always work to love each other and make sure our words build each other up and never tear each other down. We don’t argue about things like baptism, how people are saved or any other types of doctrine. Isn’t it great to be one? Oops! Let’s just skip over that verse…