Day 332 (Tuesday) - Romans 1:16-5:11

Paul starts in Romans with a reality that we all need to know. It is the reality that man is sinful and God is angered by sin. This idea of mans total depravity is the focus of many people but dwelling on it is not helpful in accepting that God has and will forgive us and accept us as righteous, without sin. Other people focus on the grace of God but dwelling on only that is not helpful in knowing that God hates sin and will punish it. It is a balance and an invitation. The truth of the matter is that those that reject God will find their reward but those that trust Him will also find theirs.

Day 331 (Monday) - Acts 27:9-28:31; Romans 1:1-15

I’m excited to start the Book of Romans because it is one of the foundational books of the New Testament to help us understand Christ and his sacrificial work. The Book of Romans is primarily a work of doctrine and can be divided into four sections: righteousness needed, 1:18–3:20; righteousness provided, 3:21–8:39; righteousness vindicated, 9:1–11:36; righteousness practiced, 12:1–15:13. The main theme of this letter is obvious of course—righteousness. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Paul first condemns all men of their sinfulness. He expresses his desire to preach the truth of God’s Word to those in Rome. It was his hope to have assurance they were staying on the right path. He strongly points out that he is not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power by which everyone is saved.

Day 330 (Sunday) - Acts 23:26-27:8

Paul will finally make it to Rome, just like God had told him. Once Paul gets there, the trail will grow cold. We have no idea, outside of tradition, as to what happened to Paul. Tradition says that Paul was beheaded in Rome, but we have no biblical or historical data to authenticate that claim. The end of Acts seems abrupt. We have followed Paul through all his trial and just before he goes before the council, it ends. Is there another ending or another lost work? Who knows?

Day 329 (Saturday) - Acts 21:1-23:25

I find it inspiring that Paul is willing to risk everything by going to Jerusalem. I can hear people saying things like, “Don’t go because if you get jailed you will not be able to do more good in other areas or plant more churches.” But Paul has this great faith in God and knows that it is all in God’s hands in the first place. Paul is ready to die if he needs to. I wish I had that kind of faith all the time.

Day 328 (Friday) - Acts 19-20

Paul’s preaching about Jesus in the city of Ephesus was starting to have a major impact on the community, not only on people receiving Christ but on the economy. That’s right, the preaching of Jesus was shutting down the city’s religious tourism and idol buying. The tradesmen were furious and wanted Paul to hit the road because he was affecting their businesses. It’s interesting that the issue wasn’t the loss of a god, but revenue from worshiping that god. I wonder how that correlates with the church today? Do we make decisions based on our worship of God or the revenue it generates?

Day 327 (Thursday) - Acts 16:11-18:28

I love chapter 17! Paul was masterful at engaging people where they were to explain the truth about Christ. I think his tactics would be frowned upon in most churches today, but I believe he hit the nail on the head most of the time. Paul notices all the gods that people worshiped and they had one god for all the stuff they didn’t understand. Paul used that image to explain who that God was. The introduction to God caused many to seek God and many found him. Super Cool!

The picture above is a shrine to an unknown god that was found in Rome. It would have been just like the one Paul was talking about.

Day 326 (Wednesday) - Acts 14:1-16:10

If you believe that church conflicts are something that the first church never experienced, you’d be dead wrong. There were major disagreements between major players in church leadership and we have one today with Peter and John-Mark. Paul did not want John-Mark to join him and Barnabas but Barnabas felt strongly that John-Mark should join them. Paul felt John-Marl lacked some form of commitment and that was his motivation for exclusion. The disagreement was so strong that Barnabas and John-Mark left Paul and Paul ended up going alone. One is a lonely number!

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…

Day 318 (Tuesday) - John 14:12-17:13

What do you make of John 14:26? It’s a clear communication of the role of the Spirit in our lives. We are uncomfortable with the Spirit because we don’t know how we are to interact with him but he is the person of the Godhead that is most active and present with us as children of God. Do you see the work of the Spirit in your life? He is the one that reminds you of the truth and teachings of Christ. The more in tune you are with the Spirit, the more in tune you are with Christ.

Day 317 (Monday) - John 12:12-14:11

I don’t like sacrifice any more than the next person but there is something about sacrifice that is more Christ-like than any other experience. Jesus said that the wheat must fall to the earth and die in order to spring to life more fruit. Jesus dies to bring us new life and we must die to resurrect something better. We don’t give up our lives very easily; we hold on to them and fight our way to the grave. What do you have to die to? What are you unwilling to let go of? What resurrection awaits your suffering?

Day 316 (Sunday) - John 10:19-12:11

There is no more powerful example of God’s timing and our timing being different than the story of Lazarus’ death. It’s almost comical. Here a man dies that Jesus knows and the friends and family flock to Jesus to come. Instead of doing what they think he will do, dropping everything, he waits two more days! I would have been freaking out! Is Jesus going to come or should we bury the body? Will the smell go away even if Jesus resurrects him? Jesus has his timing and we have ours. I so do this!

Day 315 (Saturday) - John 8:21-10:18

John 8 has a verse that means so much to me. Early in my adult Christian walk, I used to listen to Christian radio, not music, but teachers. I can remember listening to Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA. His radio broadcast is called Word for Today and his teachings helped me so much in those early years and if I hear him today on the radio, I’ll stick there to hear him again. At the beginning of each broadcast, the bumper music was a song called “If the Son Sets You Free” (you will be freed indeed). I can still hear that song and the message it contained. Thank God for the Chuck Smiths in the world and the truth of that song.

Day 314 (Friday) - John 6:52-8:20

I love the story of the adulterous woman that Jesus forgives. I need that story because sometimes I’m the adulterous woman (the one who has sinned) and other times I’m the one who wants to call out the sin of others to take the focus off me and keep me busy with policing the world around me (also sin). I am forgiven and it is not my job to call out and identify the sin in others. I have enough work just working on me, than to have to work on everyone else as well!

Day 313 (Thursday) - John 4:39-6:51

I’d like to offer a thought on 4:43-44. I was told early in my ministry that my most difficult ministry would be to those that knew me before I became a Christian or a Pastor. Because I was told this I believed it and because I believed it, I saw it. Any time I met resistance, I remembered that I will not be fruitful in my homeland and that I’d be better off somewhere else. I guess it’s true, but im not exactly sure that’s what Jesus wanted us to get from this. I still worked with a family member that was far from God and is now close. I still took the role as Lead Pastor when I was told the congregation would never accept me because I was just a lowly youth pastor…umm. Being a prophet at home might be difficult but the difficulty does not exempt you from it. I argue that some of the most rewarding fruit comes from your work at home.