Week 38: Seeing Failure Through God’s Perspective | Day 5

Tasks for this week:

  1. Watch all three parts of Seeing Failure Through God’s Perspective.
  2. Complete daily Bible reading
  3. Memorize Acts 2:42 and Acts 4:31

Week 38: Day 5

Please watch the last part of Seeing Failure Through God’s Perspective.

Today’s F260 Bible reading: Acts 8-9

8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing him. Now on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2Some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. 3But Saul was trying to destroy the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. 4Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word. 5Philip went down to the main city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ to them. 6The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the miraculous signs he was performing. 7For unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city. 9Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 10All the people, from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.’” 11And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men and women. 13Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed. 14Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15These two went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. 16(For the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, offered them money, 19saying, “Give me this power too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you because you thought you could acquire God’s gift with money! 21You have no share or part in this matter because your heart is not right before God! 22Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart. 23For I see that you are bitterly envious and in bondage to sin.” 24But Simon replied, “You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.” 25So after Peter and John had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages as they went. 26Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) 27So he got up and went. There he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28and was returning home, sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30So Philip ran up to it and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked him, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” 31The man replied, “How in the world can I, unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32Now the passage of scripture the man was reading was this:“He was led like a sheep to slaughter,and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,so he did not open his mouth. 33In humiliation justice was taken from him. Who can describe his posterity? For his life was taken away from the earth.” 34Then the eunuch said to Philip, “Please tell me, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?” 35So Philip started speaking, and beginning with this scripture proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 36Now as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water! What is to stop me from being baptized?” 38So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through the area, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. 9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats to murder the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest 2and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! 6But stand up and enter the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7(Now the men who were traveling with him stood there speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one.) 8So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, he could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, his companions brought him into Damascus. 9For three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything. 10Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” and he replied, “Here I am, Lord.” 11Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again.” 13But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, 14and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call on your name!” 15But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. 16For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, his strength returned.For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “This man is the Son of God.” 21All who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is this not the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22But Saul became more and more capable, and was causing consternation among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. 23Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted together to kill him, 24but Saul learned of their plot against him. They were also watching the city gates day and night so that they could kill him. 25But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall by lowering him in a basket. 26When he arrived in Jerusalem, he attempted to associate with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him because they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took Saul, brought him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. 28So he was staying with them, associating openly with them in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. 29He was speaking and debating with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they were trying to kill him. 30When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. 31Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced peace and thus was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church increased in numbers. 32Now as Peter was traveling around from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda. 33He found there a man named Aeneas who had been confined to a mattress for eight years because he was paralyzed. 34Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Get up and make your own bed!” And immediately he got up. 35All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. 36Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which in translation means Dorcas). She was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity. 37At that time she became sick and died. When they had washed her body, they placed it in an upstairs room. 38Because Lydda was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Come to us without delay.” 39So Peter got up and went with them, and when he arrived they brought him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him the tunics and other clothing Dorcas used to make while she was with them. 40But Peter sent them all outside, knelt down, and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41He gave her his hand and helped her get up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her alive. 42This became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43So Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a man named Simon, a tanner. (NET Bible)

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),
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Used by permission. www.Lockman.org