I was not able to post last week’s Scripture
reading because I was at the hospital on death watch as my husband’s body began
to shut down following a malicious confrontation at our home as well as from
hospital ‘health’ ministrations that did more damage to him than good – when his
heart and lungs went into failure in ICU, I had all drips, IV’s, and monitors
turned off and called our children and grandchildren to come see him before he
passed. BUT Elohei intervened and my husband recovered and is safely at home recuperating.
He will NEVER go back to doctors for anything
ever again! They almost killed him with aimless ministrations and misdiagnoses by
too eager ‘doctors’. We are thankful that nightmare is over!
But it did move my husband to trust 100% IN
Elohei as I walked with him through the shadow of the valley of death during an
entire terrible week. And we found out who our friends are, and who are loving family members are, when they dropped
everything and came immediately to be by our sides … and we learned that
enemies are in the family camp – and their welcome cards have been indefinitely
pulled for the stunts they tried to pull that disregarded Bob’s wishes, and
disrespected both of us.
All we can say now is, “GOD IS FAITHFUL, His
mercies to rain down on us”. He hears AND ANSWERS prayers, and restores health
to the dying. One night of fervent prayers from here at home to all over the
world … and Bob is back among the living! Praise Adonai Yeshua Ha’Mashiach! The
doctors cannot deny that a miracle happened overnight – we went from mourning
to praising literally overnight ;-)
**********
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO Acts ~ Chapter 16
Saul (Paul) came to Derbe and then to Lystra.
There was a disciple there named Timothy, whose mother was a Christian Jewess,
but his father was a Greek. The brethren at Lystra and Iconium held in him high
esteem. Saul wanted him to be his companion, but first he had him circumcised
because of the Jews that lived in those parts, all of whom knew that his father
was a Greek. As they went on their way from town to town, they encouraged the
keeping of the rules adopted by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. And the
churches were thereby also strengthened in the faith and daily increased in
membership. In this way they journeyed through Phrygia and the Galatian
countryside, but they were forbidden by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh to preach the Word in
the district called Asia. When they came to Mysia they tried to go on to
Bithynia, but the Spirit of Yeshua would not let them.
Then they went right on through Mysia till
they came down to Troas. That night Saul has a vision. He saw a man from
Macedonia standing there, pleading with him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help
us!’ After he had seen this vision, we concluded that Adonai had thereby called
us to preach the Gospel to them, and we tried at once to get over to Macedonia.
So we left Troas, sailing straight across to Samothracia, and the following day
we went on to Neapolis. From there we went on to Philippi. This was the chief
city in that part of Macedonia, and a Roman colony. We stopped here in this
city a number of days. On the Sabbath day, we went outside the city down to the
river, where there was a meeting place for prayer. Some women had already come
together there and we sat down and talked to them. One of the women who were
listening was a seller of purple fabric, from the city of Thyatira. Her name
was Lydia, and she was already a worshipper of God. Adonai now opened her heart
so that she could pay attention to everything that Saul was saying. When she
and her family had been baptized, she said to us urgently, ‘If you are
convinced that I am faithful to Adonai, come to my house and stay’. She induced
them to do so.
Then, one day as we were going to the place
of prayer, we met a girl who was possessed by a fortune-telling demon. Her masters
made much money by her predictions. She followed after Saul and the rest of us
and kept on crying, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God and preach the
way of salvation’. She kept this up for many days. It bothered Saul
considerably. At last he turned around and said to the demon, “In the Name of Yeshua
Ha’Mashiach, I command you to come out of her!” And the demon came out at once.
When her masters saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Saul
and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the city officials. They
placed them before the authorities and said, ‘These men, who are Jews, are
stirring up a lot of trouble in our city. They are advocating the customs which
we, as Romans citizens, cannot legally accept or follow.’ A mob that had
gathered rose up against them, and the court officials ordered them stripped of
their clothing and beaten with rods. Then, when they had beaten them with many
blows, they cast them into prison and gave the jailer orders to keep them safely.
Thus instructed, he put them in the inner dungeon and fastened their feet in stocks.
Towards midnight, Saul and Silas were engaged in praying and singing praises to
Elohei, while the other prisoners were listening to them. Then, suddenly, there
was a great earthquake, so violent as to shake the prison foundations, and
immediately every door was thrown wide open and everyone’s chains were loosened.
The jailer, as he was roused from sleep, and saw the prison doors wide open,
thought that the prisoners had escaped and so drew his sword, intent on committing
suicide. But Saul shouted at him, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” The
jailer called for a light, rushed in and fell trembling at the feet of Saul and
Silas. Then, as he led them out, he asked, ‘Sirs, what must I be to be saved?’
“Believe on Yeshua Ha’Mashiach,” they
answered him, “and you will be saved, you and your family.
Saul then spoke the Word of God to him and to
all those in his house. Then, tough it was the dead of night, he took them in
and washed their wounds, after which he and his household were all baptized
without delay. He brought them into his
house and set food before them, while he with all his family rejoiced at having
become believers in Elohei.
When it was day, the police magistrates sent
an officer to say, ‘Release these men.’ The jailer reported this order to Saul.
‘The magistrates have sent word that you may be discharged’, he said. ‘So you
may now come out and go your way in peace.’
“No,” said Saul, “we are Roman citizens and
you have given us a public flogging without trial, after which you cast us into
prison, and now you want to thrust us out again, but secretly. No, indeed! But
let them come themselves and conduct us out!” The officers them went and
reported this demand to the magistrates. And they became alarmed when they
learned that they were Roman citizens. But they came, duly apologetic, and brought
them out, also begging them to depart from their city. When they left the
prison they went to Lydia’s home, after which they met with the brethren and
comforted them, and then left town.
