Monday, December 27, 2027

^2:20Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay. Some are for honor and some for dishonor. ²¹If anyone therefore purges himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, and suitable for the master’s use, prepared for every good work. ²²Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³But refuse foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing that they generate strife. ²⁴The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient, ²⁵in gentleness correcting those who oppose him. Perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and they may recover themselves out of the devil’s snare, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

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^6:8Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹But some of those who were of the synagogue called “The Libertines”, and of the Cyrenians, of the Alexandrians, and of those of Cilicia and Asia arose, disputing with Stephen. ¹⁰They weren’t able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. ¹¹Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹²They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and came against him and seized him, then brought him in to the council, ¹³and set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. ¹⁴For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” ¹⁵All who sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face like it was the face of an angel. ^7:1The high priest said, “Are these things so?” ²He said, “Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³and said to him, ‘Get out of your land and away from your relatives, and come into a land which I will show you.’ ⁴Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans and lived in Haran. From there, when his father was dead, God moved him into this land where you are now living. ⁵He gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his offspring after him, when he still had no child. ⁴⁷But Solomon built him a house. ⁴⁸However, the Most High doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says, ⁴⁹‘heaven is my throne, and the earth a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build me?’ says the Lord. ‘Or what is the place of my rest? ⁵⁰Didn’t my hand make all these things?’ ⁵¹“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do. ⁵²Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers. ⁵³You received the law as it was ordained by angels, and didn’t keep it!” ⁵⁴Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. ⁵⁵But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, ⁵⁶and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” ⁵⁷But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears, then rushed at him with one accord. ⁵⁸They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ⁶⁰He kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

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^10:46They came to Jericho. As he went out from Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he cried out much more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹Jesus stood still and said, “Call him.” They called the blind man, saying to him, “Cheer up! Get up. He is calling you!” ⁵⁰He, casting away his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. ⁵¹Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “Rabboni, that I may see again.” ⁵²Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.

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^21:33“Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country. ³⁴When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers to receive his fruit. ³⁵The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they treated them the same way. ³⁷But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and seize his inheritance.’ ³⁹So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, then killed him. ⁴⁰When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?” ⁴¹They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers who will give him the fruit in its season.” ⁴²Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’?

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^2:20Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay. Some are for honor and some for dishonor. ²¹If anyone therefore purges himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, and suitable for the master’s use, prepared for every good work. ²²Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³But refuse foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing that they generate strife. ²⁴The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient, ²⁵in gentleness correcting those who oppose him. Perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and they may recover themselves out of the devil’s snare, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

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^8:11The Pharisees came out and began to question him, seeking from him a sign from heaven and testing him. ¹²He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Most certainly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” ¹³He left them, and again entering into the boat, departed to the other side. ¹⁴They forgot to take bread; and they didn’t have more than one loaf in the boat with them. ¹⁵He warned them, saying, “Take heed: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” ¹⁶They reasoned with one another, saying, “It’s because we have no bread.” ¹⁷Jesus, perceiving it, said to them, “Why do you reason that it’s because you have no bread? Don’t you perceive yet or understand? Is your heart still hardened? ¹⁸Having eyes, don’t you see? Having ears, don’t you hear? Don’t you remember? ¹⁹When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Twelve.” ²⁰“When the seven loaves fed the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Seven.” ²¹He asked them, “Don’t you understand yet?”

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