Contemplative Bible Reading

Acts 2:38 (New Living Translation) Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This may be the most familiar verse in the Bible to […]

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Acts 7:20-21 (New Living Translation) 20 “At that time Moses was born—a beautiful child in God’s eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months. 21 When they had to abandon him, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son. These verses are from Stephen giving his defense for preaching […]

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Acts 13:39a  (New Living Translation) Everyone who believes in him (Jesus) is declared right with God… Pretty simple, huh. This is yet another example of how brevity and clarity often go together. Why is it that we make this so complicated? Perhaps to show how smart I am. God, help me to remove myself and […]

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Acts 8:3 (New Living Translation) But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. Saul, later to be the Apostle Paul, was trying to destroy this new group of persons who followed after Jesus of Nazareth. He was […]

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Acts 19:16 (New Living Translation) Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered. This describes another instance of what I consider the super-human creation. One man beat seven in a fight. The accomplishment here is diminished […]

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Acts 12:6-10 (New Living Translation) 6 The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on […]

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Acts 7:9-10 (New Living Translation) “These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed […]

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Acts 8:1-4 (New Living Translation) Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 (Some devout men came and […]

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Acts 17:27-28 (New Living Translation) His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. Paul is speaking to the learned people of Athens. He discusses […]

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Acts 2:13 (New Living Translation) But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!” Combine this verse with this phrase from verse 7: These people are all from Galilee Why of course. People from Galilee are always drunk in the middle of the morning. They must be the 33 A.D. equivalent […]

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