Acts 11
In this chapter, the apostle Peter recounts to the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem his experience with the Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit, which had previously only been given to Jews who believed in Jesus.
The story starts with Peter being criticized by some members of the church for eating with Gentiles, which was considered impure according to Jewish custom. Peter then explains to them how he was praying and received a vision from God, in which he was told to eat the impure animals. After this, he was visited by three men from Caesarea who were sent by Cornelius, a Gentile army officer who wanted to hear more about Jesus.
Peter went to Caesarea and preached the gospel to Cornelius and his household, and they all received the Holy Spirit. This event was a turning point for the early church, as it showed that God was now extending salvation to Gentiles as well as Jews.
The apostles and leaders in Jerusalem, who had previously held that Gentiles had to become Jews before they could become Christians, were amazed by what had happened. They praised God and accepted the Gentiles into the church.
The title "Christian" is first introduced in the New Testament book of Acts, in Chapter 11, verse 26. The verse states: "And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
In this verse, the term "Christians" is used to describe the followers of Jesus who were living in Antioch. The word "Christian" means "follower of Christ" and was originally used as a term of derision by those who opposed the new religion. However, the disciples in Antioch embraced the term and used it to identify themselves as followers of Jesus.
The title "Christian" has since become a widely used term to describe those who follow Jesus and identify as members of the Christian faith.
- - If you analyze the map above you can see many of the cities talked about! Is easy to get lost in reading and forget how much time elapses even on one page. For example In acts 11: 22-24 it says that barnabas went from Jerusalem to Antioch, If you plug this walk into google maps it will give you 136 hours for the walk. If you were to walk 8 hours a day that would take you 17 days to take that journey, However they may have been in a caravan with carts and animals and materials and this would have made that trip take even longer.
How fun to be able to sit and read a debriefing of what took place in the early church! Even after jesus leaves we still see miracles and the Holy Spirit working and moving in people's lives! I feel sorry for our culture that is so over saturated with story and myth and folklore that it's hard for us to let go of our cultural ideologies and science to sit and look at the world through an ancient lense.
Genesis 39
Genesis 39 is the story of Joseph and his experiences in Egypt. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and was taken to Egypt, where he was bought by Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. As it turned out God was with Joseph and was quickly promoted to a position of responsibility in Potiphar's household. Potiphar quickly realized that God was blessing Joseph and elevated him to second in command in his home.
The story takes a sudden twist, and as we are learning gauging time in the bible is rather challenging, however, we can assume that Joseph may be in his early 20's by this time, He was sold at the age of 17 and there has been enough time for him to prosper potiphar's house and take over, I would assume that this took at least 2-3 years to be trusted and promoted to this position.
Joseph was a strikingly handsome man. As time went on, his master’s wife became infatuated with Joseph and one day said, “Sleep with me.””
Genesis 39:6-7 MSG
Joseph gives account to this wife, that he has been greatly trusted by his master with all his things, except her and that he could never betray Potiphar or God by committing adultery with her. We are not given much insight into this, but one can let their mind wonder about the inner workings of marriage and this wife in an Egyptian culture.
Marriage was considered a sacred institution in ancient Egypt during the time of Joseph, which is estimated to have been around 1900 BC to 1800 BC. Marriage was viewed as a union between two individuals and was considered a rite of passage that was necessary for establishing a household and continuing the family line. It was also believed to have a spiritual significance, as the union of the male and female was seen as a representation of the union between the gods Horus and Isis. The ancient Egyptians took their marriages seriously and had several customs and rituals that were performed during the wedding ceremony to ensure its sanctity and to bless the union.
This woman was not only in a culture that valued the institution of marriage but also she was married to a man of great influence, He was captain of the guard. Perhaps Potiphar got fat and lazy? Perhaps Joseph was just so handsome she couldn't help herself. I think we see this in our culture today tho. Woman chasing power and influence. . . Either way she wanted the slave over the master .. her own husband.
“She pestered him day after day after day, but he stood his ground. He refused to go to bed with her.”
Genesis 39:10 MSG
This was not a one time isolated event, this was happening and ongoing. Joseph never tried to tell on her, he didn't want anyone to get in trouble including himself. . . He just politely shut her down and went about his business.
However as the story goes one we learn that she catches Joseph alone and tries her best to get him to lay with her, He refuses and ends up losing his coat. This woman, after being tired of all the rejection becomes spiteful now and and cries out rape.
Now to my understanding, a slave in Egypt during this time, if accused of trying to rape the masters wife would not end up back in jail, no he would be put to death for such a thing. But Potiphar, possibly aware of his wife's desires for Joseph decides to have him put in the kings prison, where once again we see that God is with him and he is quickly elevated to a position of influence inside the Jail.
Genesis 40
While in prison, Joseph interpreted the dreams of two fellow prisoners, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, who were also in prison for offending Pharaoh. Joseph correctly interpreted the cupbearer's dream to mean that he would be restored to his former position, but the baker's dream to mean that he would be executed.
“But the head cupbearer never gave Joseph another thought; he forgot all about him.”
Genesis 40:23 MSG
Psalm 39
Psalm 39 is a lament written by King David. In this psalm, David reflects on the transience of life and his own mortality. He acknowledges that his days are numbered and that he is like a fleeting shadow. He confesses that he has been too quick to speak and too slow to think, and he asks God to give him the strength to be silent and still.
David also reflects on his experiences of suffering and the way in which God has dealt with him. He acknowledges that God has punished him for his sins, but he also recognizes that God has been merciful and has not abandoned him.
The psalm ends with a plea for God to be merciful and to help David in his time of need. David acknowledges that his hope is in God and that he will trust in him and wait for him to act.
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