<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Acts 22;17-22<div><br></div><div><b>17. &nbsp;“When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance</b></div><div><b>18. &nbsp;and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get quickly out of Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’</b></div><div><b>19. &nbsp;And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in thee.</b></div><div><b>20. &nbsp;And when the blood of Stephen thy witness washed, I also was standing by and approving, and keeping the garments of those who killed him.’</b></div><div><b>21. &nbsp;And he said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”</b></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;Up to this word they listened to him; then they lifted up their voices and said, “Away&nbsp;with such a fellow from the earth! &nbsp;For he ought not to live.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>The idea that God desires to include the Gentiles into his kingdom is actually founded in the scriptures of the Old Testament.</div><div><br></div><div>Concerning the promised Messiah, God through the prophet declares, “”I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, (the children of&nbsp;Israel, the Jews), and a light to the nations, (Gentiles).” &nbsp;(Isaiah 42;6)</div><div><br></div><div>Also, Genesis 22;18, Psalm 22;27, and 86;9, Isaiah 42;1 and 49;6, Daniel 7;14, and many more.</div><div><br></div><div>Why then did the Jews totally reject the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s people and kingdom?</div><div><br></div><div>The best answer is that the Jews could not make rational sense of it. &nbsp;They believed the way to maintain right relationship with God was by keeping the law. &nbsp;They themselves had suffered terribly in past generations for forsaking the law. &nbsp;It made no sense to them. &nbsp;Therefore, we may say the inclusion of the Gentiles was rejected by the Jews, because they were trusting in their own human powers of reason.</div><div><br></div><div>Proverbs 3;5&amp;6 teaches, <i>“Trust in the LORD&nbsp;with all you heart and do not rely&nbsp;on your own insight. &nbsp;In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>It is the will of God that we trust in him more than in ourselves. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>There is nothing too hard for God. &nbsp;“<i>For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. &nbsp;For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” &nbsp; </i>(Isaiah 55;8&amp;9)</div><div><br></div><div>The Jews reasoned that no unclean thing could ever be acceptable to their holy God. &nbsp;They thought it was their keeping of the law that made them clean. &nbsp;It was never the keeping of the law given through Moses&nbsp;which made the Jews clean in the sight of&nbsp;<span>God, but rather faith in the God who gave them the law, (and also&nbsp;the promises to Adam and to Abraham&nbsp;which proceeded the law to&nbsp;send the woman’s Seed, who would be the “B<i>lessing” </i>which would come to all nations.”)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, deliver us from trusting in our own powers of reason and thereby closing our hearts to your will and work in and through us. &nbsp;For you O&nbsp;LORD are able to declare us unclean one’s&nbsp;clean, and to make us partakers in your own divine nature, holy as you are holy. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation.”</span></div><div><img title="Inline image" alt="Inline image" src="cid:4e4afea9-6eb6-8cdb-5b8a-f3f14886f016@yahoo.com" draggable="false" data-id="<4e4afea9-6eb6-8cdb-5b8a-f3f14886f016@yahoo.com>"><br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Acts 22;17-22
17.  “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance18.  and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get quickly out of Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’19.  And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in thee.20.  And when the blood of Stephen thy witness washed, I also was standing by and approving, and keeping the garments of those who killed him.’21.  And he said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”22.  Up to this word they listened to him; then they lifted up their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth!  For he ought not to live.”
The idea that God desires to include the Gentiles into his kingdom is actually founded in the scriptures of the Old Testament.
Concerning the promised Messiah, God through the prophet declares, “”I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, (the children of Israel, the Jews), and a light to the nations, (Gentiles).”  (Isaiah 42;6)
Also, Genesis 22;18, Psalm 22;27, and 86;9, Isaiah 42;1 and 49;6, Daniel 7;14, and many more.
Why then did the Jews totally reject the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s people and kingdom?
The best answer is that the Jews could not make rational sense of it.  They believed the way to maintain right relationship with God was by keeping the law.  They themselves had suffered terribly in past generations for forsaking the law.  It made no sense to them.  Therefore, we may say the inclusion of the Gentiles was rejected by the Jews, because they were trusting in their own human powers of reason.
Proverbs 3;5&6 teaches, “Trust in the LORD with all you heart and do not rely on your own insight.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
It is the will of God that we trust in him more than in ourselves.  
There is nothing too hard for God.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”   (Isaiah 55;8&9)
The Jews reasoned that no unclean thing could ever be acceptable to their holy God.  They thought it was their keeping of the law that made them clean.  It was never the keeping of the law given through Moses which made the Jews clean in the sight of God, but rather faith in the God who gave them the law, (and also the promises to Adam and to Abraham which proceeded the law to send the woman’s Seed, who would be the “Blessing” which would come to all nations.”)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, deliver us from trusting in our own powers of reason and thereby closing our hearts to your will and work in and through us.  For you O LORD are able to declare us unclean one’s clean, and to make us partakers in your own divine nature, holy as you are holy.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation.”


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