Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Acts 20 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Through Macedonia and Greece 20 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days. One thing we see Paul doing quite frequently is "encouraging" the flock. Encouragement is a huge gift which is so important to the body...

Acts 19 - NIV 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[a] 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[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. Paul asks an important question of the new believers in Ephesus. He asked if they had received the Holy Spirit when they came to faith. Apparently not, because they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit. They also not been baptized in the name of...

Acts 18 Enduring Word Commentary In Corinth 18 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla were all tentmakers. Through the years this has been used as a term that meant someone in ministry who still worked a regular job to support themselves. I.e. They weren't paid by the church. Many missionaries today basically do the same, and rely on churches to support them. Paul continued his regular pattern of preaching in the synagogue and trying to persuade people (both Jews and Gentile Jewish converts) to believe in Jesus as the Messiah.  5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclus...

  Acts 17 - NIV In Thessalonica 17 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. Paul continued his missionary model of preaching in the local synagogues on the Sabbath. This time they came to Thessalonica, which was near Greece.  This was an important port city, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) and a three-day walk from Philippi. Modern Thessalonika is still a large, thriving city. For three weeks on the Sabbath, Paul reasoned with them. To "reason" means to explain why Jesus was the Messiah. ...

With my Dad's funeral last week, I have not done any daily breads the last week. But I will pick up with Acts 17 tonight.  In the meantime here was the devotion I prepared for our staff today! The Lord is My Portion! “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:5-8 “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.  I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:19-24 The Hebrew w...

Acts 16 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary Timothy Joins Paul and Silas 16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. Though Timothy was already a disciple, his mom was a Jewish Christian and his dad was Greek. Presumably the father was not a believer. Though his mom was Jewish it doesn't appear as if Timothy was circumcised. Though it would appear as if Timothy did not need to be circumcised because he was under the new covenant, Paul circumcised him anyway...

  Acts 15 - NIV The Council at Jerusalem 15 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.  5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” The church has had a history of division and dissension. T...

Acts 14 Enduring Word Commentary In Iconium 14 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel. Paul and Barnabas spoke effectively. The Word of God never returns void, especially when it is preached effectively. The result of their effective pr...

Acts 13 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary 13 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Notice two of the very important spiritual gifts in the church are prophesy and teaching. Prophets speak " forth " the Word of God. Teachers " explain " the Word of God. Both are needed in the church. In this case they were worshipping and fasting, and the Holy Spirit told them to set apart Saul and Barnabas to preach the gospel to the nations. Twice it says they were "fasting".  Fasting is often done for health benefits today and there is nothing wrong with that, but the primary biblical purpose o...