Dear Lord God, Your peace is in me, even though I wonder why, could it be that I am out from the ways under the sun and my eyes of faith are filtering out the negative energy which has surrounded me. O Lord how I hope that my love for You and those who walk with me well carry and guide me in the days to come. O that You would bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, keeping me from evil and from causing anymore pain. This I ask and pray for in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
To be pleased at correction and reproofs shows that one loves the virtues which are contrary to those faults for which he is corrected and reproved. And, therefore, it is a great sign of advancement in perfection.
— St. Francis de Sales
1 While Apol’los was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John’s baptism." 4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve of them in all. 8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God;
Bible Study: [1-6] Upon his arrival in Ephesus, Paul discovers other people at the same religious stage as Apollos, though they seem to have considered themselves followers of Christ, not of the Baptist. On the relation between baptism and the reception of the Spirit, see the note on Acts 8:14-16 (14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15 who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, 16 for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.).
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before fire, let the wicked perish before God! 3 But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy! 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds; his name is the LORD, exult before him! 5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. 6 God gives the desolate a home to dwell in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 7 O God, when thou didst go forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness, [Selah]
Bible Study: [Psalm 68] The psalm is extremely difficult because the Hebrew text is badly preserved and the ceremony that it describes is uncertain. The translation assumes the psalm accompanied the early autumn Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth), which included a procession of the tribes (Psalm 68:25-28). Israel was being oppressed by a foreign power, perhaps Egypt (Psalm 68:31-32)–unless Egypt stands for any oppressor. The psalm may have been composed from segments of ancient poems, which would explain why the transitions are implied rather than explicitly stated. At any rate, Psalm 68:2 is based on Numbers 10:35-36, and Psalm 68:8-9 are derived from Judges 5:4-5. The argument develops in nine stanzas (each of three to five poetic lines): 1. confidence that God will destroy Israel’s enemies (Psalm 68:2-4); 2. call to praise God as savior (Psalm 68:5-7); 3. God’s initial rescue of Israel from Egypt (Psalm 68:8), the Sinai encounter (Psalm 68:9), and the settlement in Canaan (Psalm 68:10-11); 4. the defeat of the Canaanite kings (Psalm 68:12-15); 5. the taking of Jerusalem, where Israel’s God will rule the world (Psalm 68:16-19); 6. praise for God’s past help and for the future interventions that will be modeled on the ancient exodus-conquest (Psalm 68:20-24); 7. procession at the Feast of Tabernacles (Psalm 68:25-28); 8. prayer that the defeated enemies bring tribute to the temple (29-32); 9. invitation for all kingdoms to praise Israel’s God (33-35). [2] The opening line alluding to Numbers 10:35 makes clear that God’s assistance in the period of the exodus and conquest is the model and assurance of all future divine help. [5] Exalt the rider of the clouds: God’s intervention is in the imagery of Canaanite myth in which the storm-god mounted the storm clouds to ride to battle. Such theophanies occur throughout the psalm: Psalm 68:2-3, 8-10, 12-15, 18-19, 22-24, 29-32, 34-35. See Deut 33:26; Psalm 18:8-16; Isaiah 19:1. [7] While rebels live in the desert: rebels must live in the arid desert, whereas God’s people will live in the well-watered land (Psalm 68:8-11).
29 His disciples said, "Ah, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure! 30 Now we know that you know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe that you came from God." 31 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? 32 The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Bible Study: [30] The reference is seemingly to the fact that Jesus could anticipate their question in John 16:19. The disciples naively think they have the full understanding that is the climax of "the hour" of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension (John 16:25), but the only part of the hour that is at hand for them is their share in the passion (John 16:32). [32] You will be scattered: cf Mark 14:27 and Matthew 26:31, where both cite Zechariah 13:7 about the sheep being dispersed.
/ raangulo
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