The leader of the World Health Organization now says we’re in “uncharted territory” with the COVID-19 epidemic.

Worldwide, more than 90,000 people have been infected, and 3,100 have died from the coronavirus.  At least 70 countries have been affected, like Italy where COVID-19 cases have spiked, leading Delta Airlines and American Airlines to suspend all flights to Milan.

Here in the US, another state, Georgia, has now confirmed its first two cases of the virus. Health officials have confirmed more than 100 cases of the virus in 14 states.

GET YOUR FREE FACTSHEET Coronavirus: What You Need to Know

As the disease continues to spread in the US, the epicenter is a Washington state community that’s bracing for more infections, while taking action to stop the spread.  Just outside Seattle, Wash., the death toll has risen to nine, research suggesting the virus could have been spreading in the community for weeks. 

Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County, said, “The risk for all of us of becoming infected will be increasing.”  

Four of the victims were all living in the same Washington state nursing facility. It’s now the center of the outbreak.

Colleen Mallory, whose 89-year-old mother lives at the nursing home, is afraid. “If she gets sick she’s going to be gone,” she said.

On the other side of the country, school officials shut down a Rhode Island high school, and 38 people are under quarantine. Officials made the decisions after a student and faculty member tested positive for the virus following a school trip to Italy.

In New York state, officials launched their own testing procedures after announcing the first case in Manhattan.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) said, “There is no doubt that there will be more cases where we find people who test positive. This is New York. We’re a gateway to the world.”  

Vice President Mike Pence, who is in charge of the government’s response to the coronavirus, says the US is prepared. 

“Despite today’s sad news, let’s be clear, the risk to the American people of the coronavirus remains low,” he said.

Pence also said a possible vaccine could be making its way to clinical trials within the next 6 weeks.

President Donald Trump says he’s urging drug companies to speed up the process of creating a COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, prayer leaders have issued a call to prayer against the coronavirus. The Reformation Prayer Network and the intercessory group Generals International declared Tuesday as a day of prayer and fasting.

Prayer points include praying Psalm 91 over families and nations, praying against fear and praying for wisdom for leaders.

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

By now, we’ve all heard about the rise of the “nones.” Every year there seems to be another round of survey data indicating that the religiously unaffiliated in the US have jumped another percentage point or two.

But some recent findings about Generation Z may challenge that narrative, suggesting that the share of the nones may be leveling off.

The oldest members of Gen Z were born in 1995, which means that they joined survey populations when they turned 18, starting in 2013.

It would be fair to assume that their level of religious unaffiliation should exceed that of the millennials before them, the same way millennials left religion in larger numbers than Generation X. But that assumption is not borne out by the data.

Although all age groups have increasingly stepped away from religion over the past decade, every generation except Gen Z showed significantly higher rates of disaffiliation than the ones before.

In 2008, boomers had 4 percent more nones than the Silent Generation, while Generation X was 9 percent higher than boomers. Millennials topped the charts at nearly a third of the population falling into the nones category.

That separation has persisted over the past decade. The rate of nones among the Silent Generation—the oldest subset—has increased by half, from 12.5 percent to 18.7 percent. By 2018, a quarter of boomers and a third of Gen Xers were unaffiliated. But the jump among millennials was truly unprecedented, climbing more than 10 percentage points in just 10 years to 42.7 percent.

Generation Z, during half the studied time, has appeared to chart a much different course. The rate of disaffiliation among Gen Z was just one percentage point higher than millennials in 2014. It moved up less than 2 percentage points in four years, meaning that the percentage of nones among Gen Z ended up no different than millennials: both around 42.5 percent.

Because Generation Z is still fairly young in these samples, it is possible many are still influenced by the religion of their parents. As a result, their disaffiliation may rise as they move into their late 20s and early 30s. Another possibility is that the nones have reached a natural ceiling at around 40 percent. However, that theory cannot be thoroughly tested until we have another decade of data.

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

Karl Vaters is pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Fountain Valley, California. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of BCNN1.

Today is the day!

You can now buy a copy of my newest book, 100 Days To A Healthier Church!

Here’s an excerpt.

Turning a church from unhealthy to healthy is a daunting task.

It starts by working smarter, not harder.

Here’s an example.

In the 1990s, I led a small group of church members on a missions trip to Bucharest, Romania. The country was just a few years removed from one of the most oppressive, violent and evil regimes in modern history.

One afternoon we were taking a short break in our hotel. While we were talking, a hotel employee was painting a wardrobe in the hallway—one of those portable closets they use in Europe, like the one in C.S. Lewis’s classic book. But there was something about the way he was doing it that was strange.

The employee would brush on a few strokes of paint, disappear into the hotel room for thirty seconds or so, reappear to brush on a few more strokes, then disappear again. This kept repeating. Why?

Then it hit me.

Although the wardrobe was in the hallway, the can of paint was in the middle of the hotel room, so the painter was walking into and across the room for every single dip of paint! But why would he do that? Probably because that’s where everything was placed when he arrived. This painter was nearing retirement age, and he had been raised under an extraordinarily repressive regime in which you kept your head down and did the job you were given, no questions asked. Conformity was rewarded, and innovation was frowned upon.

This painter was taking three or four times longer to paint the wardrobe because he had been socially, mentally, and emotionally programmed by a corrupt system not to think for himself. It didn’t occur to him to perform one simple step that would have made his job exponentially easier, faster and better: move the can.

What is true of that painter is also true for far too many pastors and other church leaders. Many of us are pastoring under systems that were in place long before us, and it hasn’t occurred to us that we can move the paint can.

Like the tired painter in that hotel hallway, it’s tempting to leave things where they are right now and keep going through the motions. Turning an entire church around is like getting the entire room ready—far too big a task to even contemplate at the moment.

Source: Christianity Today

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

Jenny Yang is the vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of BCNN1.

At the height of the immigration debate in 2016, I accompanied a group of pastors in Washington, DC, to meet with their members of Congress. One pastor of a prominent, large evangelical church, remarked afterward how he wanted to go back to his hotel and take a shower because he felt so “dirty” talking to politicians.

The disdain we feel for our elected officials and political systems is often rooted in a belief that politics are defined by insincerity and dishonesty. Subsequently, many Christians chose to be apolitical. They don’t contact their elected officials, vote, or even discuss issues that show up nonstop on their social media feeds, such as climate change, gun violence, and immigration.

Contrary to those who avoid politics are evangelical Christians for whom politics is the only salvation for a Christian society under threat. Their conviction is marked by a hyperpartisanship, a blind allegiance that neglects the values Christians historically hold. We give a blank check to our “tribe,” and that ends up harming the very people God calls us to love and serve. As Richard Land recently wrote, “to equate God with any human institution, particularly one as flawed and as intensely human as either political party, is a form of blasphemy.”

Evangelical political engagement should be marked by neither political disengagement nor hyperpartisanship. If we are biblically political, we can work for systems and structures that create human flourishing throughout our entire society. But overt partisanship attaches us to centers of empire power and perpetuates injustice.

So how can we engage faithfully in politics?

Our political engagement should be rooted in the belief that everyone is created in the image of God. Our pro-life ethic should be for the entirety of life, from womb to tomb. We should support policies and hold our elected officials accountable to protect life and promote full human flourishing. Any language used by our elected officials to vilify others should not be the language of the church. No matter our politics, demonizing those of a different political persuasion is not consistent with the humility, decency, and propriety that marks us as followers of Jesus.

Among the greatest challenges in churches is consistently applying the whole biblical truth in every area of our lives. A consistent pro-life ethic should mean we hold our elected officials accountable to creating policies based on biblical values we espouse and not remain silent when those elected officials, or parties, espouse policies that would harm human life, promote family separation, or diminish religious liberties. If your preferred political candidate is strongly against abortion, then you should also press that elected official to support that baby’s life after birth by ensuring that he or she has access to nutritious food and a quality education.

Scripture calls us to demonstrate preference for those who are downtrodden, marginalized, and oppressed, both through God’s commandments (Deut. 10:18; Ps. 146:9; Zech. 7:10; Mal. 3:5) and Jesus’s example (John 4:4–26; Luke 8:43–48; Mark 2:1–12). We therefore advocate for those with disabilities, immigrants, those experiencing homelessness and mental illness, and those in the foster care system, among others. The way that we speak and act, along with our political engagement, must show care and concern for those who are often least able to defend themselves. A recent Barna study found that 43 percent of 18-to-35-year-olds said caring for the poor and vulnerable is a defining mark of a Christian, along with combating corruption, extreme poverty, and racism.

Source: Christianity Today

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

Keith Gordon is a pastor and associate director of the Church Evangelism Institute. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of BCNN1.

If I was to testify about the four spiritual aliens (called my family) whom I live with on a daily basis, I could tell you that there is never a dull moment in our lives. I live in a house where boredom will never want to visit, where monotony could not find a room, and where the ordinary wouldn’t leave his luggage.

Our home is busy with creative people. As I often wondered where all of our children’s uniqueness derived, I had to realize that from generation to generation in both my family and wife’s family, there was and still remains some creative minds that has made their mark on society.

I believe that all children of God who are followers of Christ, should understand what they have inherited from their God and Father. At the moment of our salvation, our daddy in heaven has spiritually deposited in us his image and DNA in order to do a great missional work in our time that reflects who HE is through us.

We should be encouraged to know that our God has gifted each of us, through the extraordinary redemptive work of Jesus Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to use his creative abilities to share our faith with others for his glory praise and honor.

So as Christ-followers who already have the creative power of God dwelling inside of us, it would be ideal to answer the questions for ourselves: How does God want us to access the creative ideas that he wants us to have to evangelize in different ways with others who are far away from Christ? Let’s consider these questions.

First, when will God hear from you first?

In other words, are you prayerfully discerning where God is creatively leading in seeking the lost? Luke 11:9-10, 13 says,

“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Since all of creation comes from the Creator, it only makes sense that we seek him for our creativity. Our time in devotion with God should always be spent in prayer for the lost who don’t know Christ as Lord and Savior.

God is the only One who creatively knows how to give us directions to reach the lost for his glory. In our prayers for reaching the lost, we should be asking God for his guidance in….

If you’ve noticed, throughout all the prayer emphasis about sharing faith with someone, the focus has always been completely about God. Whenever our prayers are God-focused, it helps us to discern creatively and become in tune with God for his glory.

Second, what has God put in your heart?

In other words, are you passionately desiring big, God-sized dreams in order to creatively reach the lost? Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” What’s been a unique, longing, aspiring and life-stretching goal that you keep thinking about for God? What is that “Shadow Mission” that hovers over you, that you believe that God has stirred up in you, that you just can’t shake? Dr. John Fuder, professor of Moody Theological Seminary, once said that “Whatever Break God’s Heart, Should Lead Our Hearts.”

Third, where are you already heading for God?

In other words, what are you doing as your normal and necessary function now for God’s glory? Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

As we go through the life that God has given us, let’s make disciples. I believe that God wants us to make creative what is already a natural part of our life. Here are several ways we are already serving or can be serving God in our lives.

Source: Christianity Today

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This is Daniel Whyte III president of Gospel Light Society International with The Scripture & the Sense Podcast #431, where I read the Word of God and give the sense of it based on an authoritative commentary source such as the Bible Knowledge Commentary or Matthew Henry Commentary. This podcast is based upon Nehemiah 8:8 where it says Ezra and the Levites “read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” The aim of this podcast is that through the simple reading of the Word of God and the giving of the sense of it, the church would be revived and the world would be awakened.

Today we are reading Amos 3:6.

6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?

________

That was Amos 3:6. Now here is the sense of it.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary reads:

Sixth, people do not tremble unless a war trumpet has been sounded in a city; but such an alarm always produces fear and apprehension. Nor does disaster finally come to a city unless the Lord has determined to cause it. But once His decision is made, the outcome is unavoidable. The “disaster” could be a plague, meager harvest, or hostile attack, designed by God to lead the people to repent, acknowledge His sovereignty in their lives, and trust Him for deliverance. The seven examples of related events began innocuously, but become increasingly foreboding. The first example had no element of force or disaster about it. The next two, however, concerned the overpowering of one animal by another, and the two after that pictured man as the vanquisher of animal prey. In the final two examples, people themselves were overwhelmed, first by other human instruments, then by God Himself. This ominous progression, to the point where God Himself is seen as the initiator of human calamity, brought Amos to a climactic statement.

____________

Thank you for listening to the Scripture & The Sense Podcast. Remember to read the Word of God each and every day and pray without ceasing to God for wisdom to understand it and apply it to your life. Most importantly, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Please stay tuned for a complete presentation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so that you can get your soul saved from Hell to that wonderful place called Heaven when you die. May God bless you and keep you is my prayer.

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

The leader of the World Health Organization now says we’re in “uncharted territory” with the COVID-19 epidemic.

Worldwide, more than 90,000 people have been infected, and 3,100 have died from the coronavirus.  At least 70 countries have been affected, like Italy where COVID-19 cases have spiked, leading Delta Airlines and American Airlines to suspend all flights to Milan.

Here in the US, another state, Georgia, has now confirmed its first two cases of the virus. Health officials have confirmed more than 100 cases of the virus in 14 states.

GET YOUR FREE FACTSHEET Coronavirus: What You Need to Know

As the disease continues to spread in the US, the epicenter is a Washington state community that’s bracing for more infections, while taking action to stop the spread.  Just outside Seattle, Wash., the death toll has risen to six, research suggesting the virus could have been spreading in the community for weeks. 

Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County, said, “The risk for all of us of becoming infected will be increasing.”  

Four of the victims were all living in the same Washington state nursing facility. It’s now the center of the outbreak.

Colleen Mallory, whose 89-year-old mother lives at the nursing home, is afraid. “If she gets sick she’s going to be gone,” she said.

On the other side of the country, school officials shut down a Rhode Island high school, and 38 people are under quarantine. Officials made the decisions after a student and faculty member tested positive for the virus following a school trip to Italy.

In New York state, officials launched their own testing procedures after announcing the first case in Manhattan.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) said, “There is no doubt that there will be more cases where we find people who test positive. This is New York. We’re a gateway to the world.”  

Vice President Mike Pence, who is in charge of the government’s response to the coronavirus, says the US is prepared. 

“Despite today’s sad news, let’s be clear, the risk to the American people of the coronavirus remains low,” he said.

Pence also said a possible vaccine could be making its way to clinical trials within the next 6 weeks.

President Donald Trump says he’s urging drug companies to speed up the process of creating a COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, prayer leaders have issued a call to prayer against the coronavirus. The Reformation Prayer Network and the intercessory group Generals International declared Tuesday as a day of prayer and fasting.

Prayer points include praying Psalm 91 over families and nations, praying against fear, and wisdom for leaders.

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading Episode #97. Where I read three chapters of the Holy Bible in the King James Version a day with my family as a part of our family devotions, to encourage you to read the Holy Bible in a year’s time. We are using a modified version of the Five Day Bible Reading Plan. It is modified because we read the Bible everyday and not just five days a week. The benefit of using the Five Day Bible Reading Plan is: you can read the entire Bible in a chronological reading plan that helps the Bible make sense. Today we are reading Numbers 11, Psalm 63 and Acts 23.

Thomas Watson said, “Meditate on what you read. The Hebrew word for “meditate” means to be intense in the mind. Meditation without reading is wrong and bound to err; reading without meditation is barren and fruitless.”

John Stott said, “The Bible is the portrait of Jesus Christ.”

Numbers 11
1 And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

2 And the people cried unto Mo’-ses; and when Mo’-ses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched.

3 And he called the name of the place Tab’e-rah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.

4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Is’-ra-el also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in E’-gypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this man’-na, before our eyes.

7 And the man’-na was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.

8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.

9 And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the man’-na fell upon it.

10 Then Mo’-ses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Mo’-ses also was displeased.

11 And Mo’-ses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?

13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

16 And the Lord said unto Mo’-ses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Is’-ra-el, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in E’-gypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;

20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of E’-gypt?

21 And Mo’-ses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?

23 And the Lord said unto Mo’-ses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

24 And Mo’-ses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.

25 And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was El’-dad, and the name of the other Me’-dad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

27 And there ran a young man, and told Mo’-ses, and said, El’-dad and Me’-dad do prophesy in the camp.

28 And Josh’-u-a the son of Nun, the servant of Mo’-ses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Mo’-ses, forbid them.

29 And Mo’-ses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!

30 And Mo’-ses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Is’-ra-el.

31 And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague.

34 And he called the name of that place Kib’-roth-hat-ta’-a-va: because there they buried the people that lusted.

35 And the people journeyed from Kib’-roth-hat-ta’-a-va unto Ha-ze’-roth; and abode at Ha-ze’-roth.

Psalm 63
A Psalm of Da’-vid, when he was in the wilderness of Ju’-dah.
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

Acts 23
1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

2 And the high priest An-a-ni’-as commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?

5 Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sad’-du-cees, and the other Phar’-i-sees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Phar’-i-see, the son of a Phar’-i-see: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Phar’-i-sees and the Sad’-du-cees: and the multitude was divided.

8 For the Sad’-du-cees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Phar’-i-sees confess both.

9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Phar’-i-sees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

10 And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.

11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Je-ru’-sa-lem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

13 And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

15 Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.

16 And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.

17 Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.

18 So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.

19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?

20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly.

21 But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.

22 So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.

23 And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cae-sa-re’-a, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;

24 And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Fe’-lix the governor.

25 And he wrote a letter after this manner:

26 Clau’-di-us Lys’-i-as unto the most excellent governor Fe’-lix sendeth greeting.

27 This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Ro’-man.

28 And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:

29 Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

30 And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.

31 Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to An-tip’-a-tris.

32 On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:

33 Who, when they came to Cae-sa-re’-a and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

34 And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Ci-lic’-i-a;

35 I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in He’-rod’s judgment hall.

________

PRAY
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When I was a teenager I wanted to get wisdom and knowledge, so I set out the read the big family Bible that many families had in those days. But I couldn’t get past Genesis 2 before I got bored with reading the Bible. I found out later in life that you have to believe on Christ and get saved before you can understand the Bible. So here is how I became a Christian and how you can too:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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