Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Acts 20 Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas 7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted. As Paul continues on his third missionary journey, much of his work is going back to existing groups of believers in different cities and encouraging them. In this chapter, we see his farewell speech given to the Ephes...

Acts 19 19 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 in 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. When Paul returns to Ephesus, he finds some "disciples" and asks them if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. There is much debate among commentators whether or not they were believers in Jesus, or just disciples of John the Baptist. There are some passa...

Acts 18 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. Paul left Macedonia to go to Corinth, and immediately he met Priscilla and Aquilla. He became a "tentmaker", as he worked to support his preaching of the gospel. As usual Paul went into the synagogue and got little response from the Jews. In fact they became abusive, so Paul wiped his hands of them and said, "May your blood be on your head from now on, I am going to the Gentiles." So he went next door, where a "God-fearer" named a man named "Titius Justus" was receptive to his message. Then, the synagogue leader Crispus believed, and he and his whole house were baptized. It is in this context Paul received a vision from the Lord. The Lord spoke and told...

Acts 17 In Berea 10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. Paul and Silas continued to visit the Jewish synagogues in Macedonia, and preach that Jesus is the Messiah, as the Old Testament predicted. They stopped first in Thessalonica, where it says some of the Jews were persuaded, and a large number of God fearing Greeks and prominent women were as well. Other Jews were jealous of the attention they were getting, and got them run out of town. Next Paul and Silas were sent to Berea, a small town in Southwest Macedonia. And what was the difference between the Jews in Berea, and the Jews in The...

Acts 16 Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Paul's companions have now changed to Silas and Timothy, as went John Mark left and went back to be with Barnabas. Timothy, we learn was young but well thought of in his home town of Lystra. Timothy's mother and grandmother had raised him in the Jewish faith and he became a believer when Paul and Barnabas went through his town earlier. ...

Acts:16 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” As in most any church, as it grows, there is bound to be conflict. Mark says in chapter 3, "A church divided against itself cannot stand." We might also add, "A Church united cannot fall." After all Jesus said upon his confession of faith in Him, "On this rock (Peter's c...

Acts 14:11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in it. As Paul and Barnabas traveled around modern-day Turkey, they preached the Good News to the Jews in the synagogue, and a good number of Gentiles. The passage says their preaching was "effective", and many came to believe. Greg Lauri...

Acts 13 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6) Chapter 13 marks a transition in the book of Acts from the mission of the apostle Peter, to the apostle Paul. Paul is set apart by the Holy Spirit and the church at Antioch. He and Barnabas are then led by the Holy Spirit to go to Cyprus, an island just west of the coast. From there they went on to Pisidian Antioch, which was in modern day Turkey. As would be his normal practice, Paul went in...

Acts 12 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Ironically tonight at church I taught on the 4th A...

Acts 11 11 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” When news gets back to the mother church in Jerusalem of the conversion of the Gentiles, at first the believers are very skeptical. After all, how could Peter eat with those "unclean" Gentiles. They were still operating under the old model that Jesus came to reach the Jews only. After all, they were the "chosen people". But when Peter recounts the story to them, they come to understand that these Gentiles have truly come to faith in Christ Jesus. Importantly, they acknowledge that even to the Gentiles has God granted repentance that leads to life. Notice it is God that grants repentance. Meaning God works in us to turn us from our old way to come to the new way through Christ. As we see in ...

Acts 10 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. This is the remarkable story about how Peter and the Roman Centurion were brought together by God's grace and design. Cornelius was a God-fearing man and responded to God in a faithful manner by daily prayer and giving to those in need. God honored that faithfulness by giving him a vision to send three of his servants to meet a man named Peter in Joppa. Cornelius sent them at once. Meanwhile Peter received a visi...

Acts 9 Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. Chapter 9 is the story of the famous conversion of Saul of Damascus, to the apostle Paul, missionary to the Gentiles. Saul persecuted the new believers and was there for the stoning of Stephen. But as he was on his way to Damascus to do some rounding up of the Christians, he was blinded by a light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice say, "Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?" This is interesting because it shows that when Christians are persecuted for faith in Jesus, it is Jesus they are persecuting. Or, p...

Acts 8 Philip in Samaria 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city. After Stephen was martyred, a great persecution broke out against the church. Many disciples, like Philip, were scattered from Jerusalem all the way to Samaria. But as you read this chapter, you will see that the "blood of the martyr became the seed of the church." As believers like Philip were scattered, they brought the gospel with them. And Philip not only preached the gospel, but also healed the lame and paralyzed, and cast out demons. As you read the rest of the chapter, Philip leads the local sorcerer, Simon, to faith. Then on his way down to Gaza, he m...

Acts 7 The Stoning of Stephen 54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. In chapter 7 of Acts, we read the story of the first Christian martyr in the early church. The word "martyr" means "witness". In this case, Stephen was martyred for witnessing ab...

Acts 6 The Choosing of the Seven 6 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” As the church grew, there were bound to be some challenges associated with that growth. Today in Acts 6, the source of the conflict was that the Greek speaking Jewish widows were getting neglected in favor the Hebrew speaking widows. When the twelve gathered to discuss this they did something really important. Rather than it becoming a great diversion to the mission,...

Acts 5 The Apostles Heal Many 12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. The apostles begin to pick up traction in their new mission. In the first part of chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira sell their possessions and keep part of it for themselves. Not only did they lie to the apostles about it, but more importantly they lied to the Holy Spirit/God about it. Though they had literally lied to the apostles, figu...

Acts 4 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” 13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus After Peter and John and the rest of the apostles began to do the same things that Jesus did it made the religious leaders very nervous. When they healed a man lame from birth there was unmist...

Acts 3:11-16 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. As Peter and John came up to the temple, a man lame from birth comes to ask them for money. ...

Acts 2:1-12 The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (b...

Acts 1 Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven 1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; ...

John 21 Jesus Reinstates Peter 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. This is one of my favorite encounters between Jesus and one of his disciples. Of course, Peter had denied Jesus three times, and now he had seen Jesus three times since he rose from the dead. Once at the tomb, once when Jesus walked into the dinner the disciples were having, and now when he met them on the beach. Jesus knew that Peter needed some attention. I am sure Pete...

John 20 The Empty Tomb 20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” In chapter 20, we see the disciples various reactions to the empty tomb and Jesus' responses to their differing reactions including: 1. Mary went to the tomb first, and then later is found weeping outside the tomb. When Jesus first talks to her, she does not recognize him, but when he calls her name she says, "Rabboni", which means teacher. 2. Peter and John have a footrace to the empty tomb. John won the race, but when Peter got there he went in immediately. He saw the linen and cloth that was wrapped around his head, but the text does not say what he thought. Meanwhile when John finally goes in, he sees and bel...

John 19:19-22 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” In chapter 19, we read of Jesus' sentencing, death and burial. There are lots of interesting details in this chapter, and different characters who play a part in this last scene of Jesus life. You have Pilate, the soldiers, the two criminals crucified next to him, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, and finally, Jesus' mother and her sister Mary, and Mary Magdalene. Notably absent are his disciples. During the sentencing it is clear that Pilate had his reservations. The charge the Jews were trying to convict...

Peter’s Second and Third Denials John 18:25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” 26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. As Jesus heads to the cross and is brought by the Jewish leaders to the Roman governor, we see up close and personal Jesus' disciple Peter. Peter has many good qualities and loves Jesus dearly, but he always seems to put his foot in his mouth. When Jesus went to wash the disciple's feet Peter said, "Jesus you will never wash my feet". He was unaware of the purpose of Jesus taking the role of a servant, and the example he was setting for him and the rest of the disciples. In today's passage when the soldiers come to detain Jesus, Peter stri...

Jesus Prays for All Believers 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. In chapter 17 Jesus prays on behalf on himself, his disciples, and finally the world. In this prayer we see Jesus' heart for those God has given him, and all they would reach for his name. Jesus knows that he has showed his disciples everything they need to know about his Father, and now he is leaving them and entrusting him with the mission he was given. The mission was to make God known and to draw all people to Him through his own life, death and ...

John 16 12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” More than any other gospel, John describes the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because one of the first false teachings at the end of the first century was called "Gnosticism". The word means "knowledge". This heresy denied the material world as evil, and the divine essence could only be accessed by a spiritual experience or enlightenment. Therefore a Gnostic could never acknowledge that God came as a human being, because the body represents the evil material world. So it wa...

John 15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." There is not a better description of the Christian life than in John 15. Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine and its branches to illustrate the relationship he has with his followers. Branches cannot grow without being connected to the Vine, just as believers cannot grow without being connected to Christ. The natural outcome of the branch being connected to the Vine is bearing fruit. If there is no fruit, the branch is not conn...

John 14:25-27 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Chapter 14 is one of the richest chapters in all of scripture. It is hard to pick one set of verses, because there are so many classic ones. But I picked these verses above, because we often teach so little about the Holy Spirit. In John 14-17, we see a ton of valuable teaching on the role and work of the Holy Spirit. As you know Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure, so he is giving them many comforting words of assurance. He tells them in verses 1-3, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God trust also in me." Then, in 14:6 he says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes ...

John 13:3-8 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me. 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well! As Jesus is getting ready to go the cross the verse says, "Jesus had loved his own and was going back to his Father." So he chooses this occasion to show them the full extent of his love. Interestingly it says that God had put everything under...