Day 65 — Cyprus: Elymas the Sorcerer (Acts 13:4-12) | June 29

Day 65 — Cyprus: Elymas the Sorcerer (Acts 13:4-12) | June 29

Barnabas and Saul crossed to Cyprus and preached their way across the island with nothing dramatic to show for it. Then they reached Paphos and walked into a spiritual showdown. A sorcerer named Elymas tried to block the Roman governor from hearing the gospel. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, called him exactly what he was and pronounced blindness on him. The governor believed. In this episode, we see Saul become Paul, the Gentile mission officially launches, and the gospel reaches into the halls of Roman power for the first time through Paul's ministry. Opposition to God's work doesn't always come roaring. Sometimes it comes advising.

Day 64 — Set Apart for Mission (Acts 13:1-3) | June 28

Five leaders in Antioch: a Cypriot landowner, an African, a North African, a man raised in Herod's palace, and a reformed religious terrorist. They were worshiping and fasting when the Holy Spirit spoke: "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul." For twelve chapters, the gospel had been spreading reactively, pushed outward by persecution. Now, for the first time, the church sent missionaries on purpose. And they sent their two best leaders. In this episode, we witness one of the hinges of history. The third movement of Jesus' commission in Acts 1:8 begins. The gospel is heading to the ends of the earth, launched by ordinary people listening to the Spirit and saying yes.

Day 63 — Herod's Death (Acts 12:20-25) | June 27

Herod put on a silver robe, stepped into the morning sun, and let a crowd call him a god. He didn't correct them. An angel struck him down, and he was eaten by worms. The man who had just been hailed as divine died in agony, consumed from within. Luke's reason is devastating in its simplicity: "because he did not give the glory to God." At the beginning of this chapter, James was dead, Peter was imprisoned, and Herod was powerful. At the end, Peter is free, Herod is dead, and the word of God is flourishing. In this episode, we reach the turning point of Acts. The first half closes, and the gospel is about to go global. No king, no prison, no persecution will be able to stop it.

Day 62 — Peter at Mary's House (Acts 12:12-19) | June 26

Peter showed up at the door of a prayer meeting that had been begging God for his release. And they didn't believe it. A servant girl named Rhoda recognized his voice and was so overjoyed she forgot to open the gate. She ran back to tell everyone, and they told her she was out of her mind. Meanwhile, Peter kept knocking. In this episode, we discover one of the funniest scenes in the New Testament and one of the most honest. The heroes of the early church prayed all night for a miracle, and when the miracle showed up at the door, their first instinct was disbelief. Sometimes the people closest to the ground see what the experts miss. Rhoda believed first.

Day 61 — Peter's Miraculous Escape (Acts 12:6-11) | June 25

The night before his scheduled execution, Peter was sleeping. Chained between two soldiers, facing death in the morning, sleeping so soundly that an angel had to hit him in the side to wake him up. Chains fell off. Guards stayed asleep. An iron gate swung open on its own. Peter walked out into the cool night air, convinced he was dreaming until the angel vanished and he realized it had all really happened. In this episode, we sit with a miracle that required participation. The chains didn't fall until Peter stood up. The gate didn't open until he walked toward it. Divine power and human obedience worked together, and the man who should have died walked free into the Jerusalem night.