Rev. Enoch Thompson | August 1 2025 | Acts 13:49-52  KEY VERSE: “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:52 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   In the midst of opposition to the preaching of Jesus Christ as the only Saviour and the opposition and persecution that it generated, we are told that the disciples, those who had believed and were committed to being citizens of the Kingdom of God, “were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Christian faith commitment does not remove challenges from within and from without, but gives believers the power to experience life at a higher, healthier and fuller level. Joy, as we read of in this passage, is not only a spiritual virtue that the disciples experienced. It was equally an emotional high, a positive psychological feeling of well-being and happiness. Joy is a factor in the life of a person that will ward off the forces of depression, anxiety and frustration. Our walk with God more than prepares us for Heaven; it brings Heaven into our earthly life!   Filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples experienced a renewed, heightened sense of the blessed Holy Spirit. They had a fresh understanding of the presence of God as the blessed Holy Spirit with them. Their spiritual appreciation of God was raised to a new level. They were overwhelmed with divine love, peace and joy. They were motivated to live the righteous life and to preach the Good News that Jesus came to die and arose from the dead for the salvation of humans from the judgment due us.   Paul captures the thought presented here as follows: “ ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸ because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.” Rom 14:17-18 (NIV). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Desire the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual benefits of being a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look forward to these blessings in the midst of the surrounding challenges. PRAYER: Oh Lord, what an excitement to walk with you in the path of faith. I desire to experience the uplifting benefits of this walk and to help others find this blessing. Help me, Lord, for your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 213 : 1 Kings 15–18 — Asa’s Reforms & Elijah Confronts Ahab DAILY word study: JOY The word “joy” in Acts 13:52 is from the Greek χαρά (chara), meaning a deep, inner gladness not dependent on external situations. It reflects a rejoicing that comes from the Holy Spirit’s presence and work. This joy is not the same as surface happiness. It is spiritual strength, emotional wellness, and mental peace all rolled into one. In the middle of rejection and threats, the disciples were filled with chara. This was God’s gift to them—not a reaction to comfort, but the result of communion. Reflect on This: Are you waiting for things to get easier before you feel joy? What if God wants to fill you with joy now—right where you are?

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 31 2025 | Acts 13:48-51  KEY VERSE: “ ⁴⁹ The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their region. ” Acts 13:49-50 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   When God sends us on assignments, we are certain that the outcome will be success, to His glory. This is so because God knows all things, has all power and can do all things in and through us. This confidence in God sometimes overshadows another truth, which we must keep in mind as we venture to take new territories, that is, the mission of God will always attract opposition from the enemies of God. Acts 13:49 reports the rapid spread of the Gospel as the Apostles bore witness to the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ as the way opened for reconciliation with God. The immediate response to this progress report is the incitement of persecution by the Jews and the expulsion of Paul and Barnabas from the region. Very often, new territory is occupied territory, occupied by other interested parties, physical or spiritual. Competing interests will seek to keep us out of the new things God would want us to attain.   The promise of the building of the church was made with a proviso that the gates of hell would not prevail against it, because the gates of hell would fight against the divine action to build the church! When God told Joshua, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life, (Joshua 1:5), He did not mean that the assignment was going to be without challenges and opposition. He meant that people WOULD GET UP AGAINST YOU, BUT CANNOT STAND UP AGAINST YOU. God has provided us with weapons like prayer, Scripture, and the support of our church community to help us stand firm. Let us engage those weapons and keep on keeping on. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Are you experiencing any pushback in a clear vision from God you are pursuing? Don’t be deterred, press on, victory is assured! PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for committing your missions unto me, to your Church. Thank you for the pattern, which is clear that we shall face opposition as we reach out to take new territories. Please make us resolute, strong and courageous. May your mission prosper in our hands. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 212 : 1 Kings 14 — Jeroboam’s Fall and Judah’s Decline DAILY word study: SPREAD The word spread in the Greek is diapherō, which means “to carry through” or “to bear widely.” It conveys the idea of movement, expansion, and active distribution. In Acts 13:49, the gospel wasn’t just shared—it was carried far and wide across the region. The message of Jesus moved beyond individual moments into entire communities. God’s word spreads when His people are faithful, even when facing resistance. Reflect on This: Are you letting God’s word travel through you into the spaces around you? The gospel is meant to move—don’t keep it still.

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 30 2025 | Acts 13:44-48 KEY VERSE: “Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. ”_ Acts 13:46 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   It is the usual thing that we are told to consider ourselves unworthy of the goodness and mercies of God, and that is true since sin separated us from God, and even after we have become born again through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the old thought of our undeserved status still lingers with us. Religious thinking makes us think ourselves unworthy of God and His blessings, and our backgrounds and experiences may reinforce this sense of unworthiness. But in the preaching of the Good News, God would have us think differently about our approach to His abundant goodness, and to approach Him and walk with Him in confidence.  Coming to believe in Jesus Christ in the first place requires a certain amount of counting ourselves worthy of the goodness of God, not because we are worthy in ourselves, but that the mercy of God has made us worthy to access His blessings. When the Jews in Pisidian Antioch rejected the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ the Apostle Paul pointed out to them that it is not God who had disowned them but that it is they who  “ do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life.” (Acts 13:46). On the other hand, the Gentiles when they heard the same message counted themselves worthy of the offer of salvation, and in accepting it honoured the Lord (verse 48). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: The offer of eternal life and all the spiritual and material blessings of God are offered freely to you; would you come boldly and count yourself worthy to begin to walk in the eternal life? PRAYER: Dear Lord, I come with humility to the banquet table not because I have anything in myself to make me deserve, but that you have invited me, and thereby made me worthy. Please help me to trust more and more in your making me worthy, and to walk in the confidence that comes from honouring you, day by day. “ Just as I am, I come.” For your dear Name’s sake,   Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 211 : 1 Kings 13 — The Man of God and the Disobedient Prophet   DAILY word study : WORTHY The Greek word used here is ἄξιος (axios), which means “deserving,” “fit,” or “suitable.” It was often used to speak of someone matching the value of what they receive. In Acts 13:46, Paul wasn’t saying the Jews lacked value. He meant they chose not to receive what matched the value of what was offered—eternal life. They saw themselves as unfit for it. The Gentiles, however, believed and received it joyfully. Believing the gospel means accepting that God made you fit to receive what He freely gives—not through your efforts, but through Christ. Reflect on this: Rejecting God’s gift doesn’t change its value — but it does keep you from enjoying it

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 29 2025 | Acts 13:38-43  KEY VERSE: ³⁸ "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38-39 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   Paul and Barnabas presented the Good News of salvation to the Jews in the Pisidian Antioch synagogue: "T herefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.   Acts 13:38-39 (NIV). Through Christ Jesus and Him alone, every believer is saved.   The unique claims of the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the world are the foundational issue that every human being must address for the eternal salvation of the human soul. In our world today, we have the history and the claims of many religious expressions, and, in the thinking of some people, “all roads lead to Heaven.” However, the Lord Jesus continues to declare, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6-7 (NIV). The Holy Spirit continues to testify, “ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 (NIV).   Whose report shall we believe? We shall believe the report of the Lord. Israel needed to be confronted with the truth that the Law and its observances could not save them, and that the Law was given by God to make human sinfulness more glaring, and to point humans to the only Saviour, God Himself, dying for human sin. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Have you personally believed that Jesus Christ of Nazareth died in your place and for your salvation from eternity in Hell? That is what we mean by accepting Jesus Christ. Settle that matter, now, and continue to walk in the grace of God. PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross in my place and for my salvation. I pray that you help me to live as one set free from Satan and sin, by your sacrifice. Please help me share this Good news with others. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 210 : 1 Kings 12 -  Rehoboam’s Folly and the Division of the Kingdom DAILY word study: JUSTIFIED The Greek word for "justified" is dikaioō, which means to declare righteous or to make right with God. It’s a legal word that means being set free from guilt—no longer seen as guilty before God. In Acts 13, Paul makes it clear: The Law of Moses couldn’t justify. Only faith in Jesus can make someone right with God. Reflect on this: Being justified means God sees you as right—not because of your effort, but because of Jesus. Do you live each day as someone who has already been accepted and forgiven?

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 28 2025 | Acts 13:26-37 KEY VERSE: “We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers ³³ he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. . . ” Acts 13:32-33 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   The fact that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the human soul does not lie only in His sacrificial and representative death on the cross, but also in His glorious, victorious resurrection.  For if only He had died without resurrecting from the dead, then He would not have been any different from many other political martyrs and revered sages of various religions. He had to rise again from the dead to be in a class all His own, God in human form, the Holy One of Israel. The early disciples of the Lord Jesus stressed the fact of the resurrection as a necessary part of the Good News. We must keep the fact of the resurrection before our eyes. The resurrection of Jesus Christ depicts the victory of our Saviour over our most vicious and most feared enemy, death. It also depicts our resurrected new life through Him. The resurrection of Jesus Christ shows our own victory over the enemy, Satan, and points to our future bodily resurrection after death. Glory to God forevermore! FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Factor the resurrection into your personal life and let it make you live above the forces of death that seek to strangulate your soul. When you share the Gospel, emphasise the fact that Jesus died, but also that He arose from the dead. And let resurrection power be at work in you! PRAYER: Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you did not remain in the grave but arose from the dead on the third day. Please grant me the power of resurrection in my day-to-day existence. May I be victorious by the victory of the cross and the resurrection. For your dear Name’s sake , Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 209 : Song of Songs 7-8 — Lasting Love and Devotion DAILY word study: RAISING The word “raising” comes from the Greek anistēmi, meaning “to cause to rise” or “to make stand.” It’s used both for physical rising and for resurrection from the dead. In this verse, it affirms a divine act—God raised Jesus. It wasn’t by chance or through human power. It was God's own hand proving that Jesus is alive and that every promise has been fulfilled through Him. To say God raised Jesus means this: Jesus is not dead. He is Lord. And He’s alive forever—for you. Reflect on this: If God raised Jesus, He has the power to raise your life from anything.

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 27 2025 | Acts 13:16-31 KEY VERSE: “From this man's descendants, God has brought to Israel the Saviour Jesus, as he promised. '” Acts 13:23 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   Paul’s retelling of the history of the nation of Israel ended where it should, the declaration that Jesus of Nazareth was the long-awaited Messiah, the promised Saviour of the world. The essence of the Old Testament narrative is to reveal Christ Jesus as the Lamb of God, the ultimate acceptable sacrifice for the cleansing of our sin, and for restoring our relationship with God. In Acts 8, Philip used the Old Testament to show to the Ethiopian Eunuch that Jesus of Nazareth was the Lamb of God prophesied by Isaiah. Similarly, in Luke 24, the resurrected Jesus showed the disciples on the road to Emmaus that the Christ had to be crucified, a fact they had overlooked in the Old Testament, and why they were confused in their faith. The Old Testament predicts Christ, and the New Testament presents Christ. Israelite history without a reference to Jesus Christ misses its intention, purpose and usefulness. A proper reading of the Old Testament Scriptures must always point to Jesus Christ as God incarnate, dying for human salvation.   FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Begin to look for and see Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Let your faith be strengthened as you see the wonderful correlation of what was prophesied about the Messiah and how it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, our Lord. PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the beauty of Your Word, the intriguing weaving of prophecy and fulfilment that points to the Lord Jesus Christ. Please open the eyes of my understanding that I will see the import of your plan in all Scripture as inspired by your Spirit. For Christ’s dear Name’s sake,   Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 208 :  Song of Songs 5-6 - Seeking and Finding Love DAILY word study: PROMISED The Greek word used here is epangelia (ἐπαγγελία), meaning “announcement,” “pledge,” or “divine assurance.” It carries the idea of a vow that is guaranteed by the one who made it. In this passage, Paul says that Jesus is the fulfilment of what God promised. This wasn’t a last-minute plan. God gave His word—and Jesus came just as He said He would. When God makes a promise, it’s not a guess. It’s a guarantee. Reflect on this: Jesus didn’t appear by surprise—He came by promise. God keeps every word He gives.

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 26 2025 | Acts 13:16-22 KEY VERSE: “ After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do. '” Acts 13:22 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   The misconduct of the people of Israel and their demand for a king when God was their King did not mean that the whole bunch was rotten. There were individuals in Israel that God was satisfied with. Such a man was David, whom God found and made king. Concerning David, God could say, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do. ’ Acts 13:22 (NIV). The ascended glorified Christ who issued the messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor, in Revelations chapters 2 and 3 was seen by the Apostle John to be walking among the seven golden lampstands, a depiction of the continual inspection of the Church by the Lord of the Church, to weigh His people and to assess the rightness or otherwise of our hearts and ways . God is still looking among humans and making His assessment of our acceptability or otherwise to Him. “A man after my own heart,” what a thing to be said by God about a man!   What does God say about you? FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Please bring your heart before God in quiet reflection and ask for His light to be thrown upon the state of your soul. In sincere, honest openness to God who sees and knows all things, yield to His verdict and ask for grace to be the person after God’s own heart. PRAYER: Dear righteous Heavenly Father, just judge of the hearts of humans, I come to you with an open heart and seek your verdict on who I truly am and where I actually stand. I seek your cleansing and your power. Help me by your Holy Spirit that I might become acceptable and presentable to you through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May your Church become such that you can say you are pleased with it. For Christ’s dear Name’s sake, Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 207 :  Song of Songs 3-4 - Beauty and Intimacy DAILY word study: HEART The word “heart” in Acts 13:22 is from the Greek kardia (καρδία), meaning the inner life, thoughts, desires, and will of a person. When God says David is a man after His own heart, it means David’s desires and will aligned with God’s. This wasn’t about perfection. It was about intention, surrender, and obedience. God still weighs the heart. Not our church attendance, titles, or achievements—but our true motives, our quiet decisions, our inner yes to His will. Reflect on this: God looks at your heart—your quiet yes, your real motives. Is your heart truly aligned with His will?

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 25 2025 | Acts 13:13-20 KEY VERSE: “ ¹⁷The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of that country, ¹⁸“ he endured their conduct for about forty years in the desert,” Acts 13:17-18 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   The history of God with the chosen people of Israel is a foundation for any narrative of God’s intervention in human history to bring us to salvation. He chose the Jews in Abraham and nurtured the nation through the Law He gave to Moses. When Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin in Acts 8, he recounted that ancient story. In this chapter, we see the Apostle Paul retell the same story to point his audience to Jesus Christ as the Messiah.   The focus of our reflection today is that, as part of God’s Walk with Israel, He had to endure their conduct (verse 18).   To endure the unacceptable conduct of His redeemed people for forty years must have been tiring and sickening to God. In His greatness and power, God is still sadly affected by the misbehaviour of those He sets His love upon. We are admonished in Eph 4:30-32 (NIV), “ ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ” Yet, because He is gracious, merciful, and long-suffering, God often endures our misconduct. But do we have to treat the gentleness of God with such insensitivity? Do we have to let His heart bleed because we take undue advantage of His mercy? FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: God is watching and responding to our thoughts and actions. Is God happy that we are called by His Name and live up to His expectations, or is He pained because He is enduring our wrong ways? Is God enjoying or enduring you? PRAYER: Lord, I am sorry for the ways in which I have subjected you to pain by my thoughts, words, actions and inactions. Please give me a heart that truly loves you and seeks to make you glad by my daily godly ways. For your dear Name’s sake,   Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 206 :  Song of Songs 1-2 — Love’s Desire DAILY word study: ENDURED The word used in Acts 13:18 for "endured" comes from etropophorēsen (ἐτροποφόρησεν), which in some manuscripts also implies “cared for” or “bore patiently.” This unique word captures how God carried Israel through their rebellion—not by ignoring their actions, but by holding back judgment out of mercy. It wasn’t indifference. It was long-suffering love. God’s endurance isn't passive. It’s purposeful. And it's meant to lead us to change. Reflect on this: Is God quietly carrying your disobedience, or joyfully walking beside your obedience?

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 24 2025 | Acts 13:6-12 KEY VERSE: “But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.” Acts 13:8 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   The forward march of the Church is mapped out through the territory of satanic opposition. When we are committed to following King Jesus’ orders to represent Him in the world, we must be aware that we shall face satanic opposition. A close examination of Scripture reveals that the purposes and plans of God in establishing His Church and the mission of the Church as outlined in the Great Commission will continuously operate within the context of the enemy's opposition. When the Lord Jesus announced His agenda to build His Church, He immediately placed it within the sphere of Satanic opposition: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matt. 16:18 (NIV). Elymas the sorcerer tried to dissuade the Proconsul Sergius Paulus from attending to and possibly committing to the Gospel, but thank God for the superior power of the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.   The contest for the sanity and sanctity of your life will continue because you are part of the Church. When you encounter Elymas (Bar-Jesus), remember the true Saviour, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and activate the power in His Name to subdue the opposition. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: What do you do when you face what is plainly satanic opposition to your life of divine assignments? Don’t coil back and give room to evil. Stand in Jesus; Name and silence the enemy. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the power in your Name against and over all the schemes of the evil one. Please help me remember and use the power of your Name to confront and defeat the enemy. For your dear Name’s sake,   Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 205 :  Ecclesiastes 11-12 - Remember Your Creator DAILY word study: OPPOSED The word “opposed” in Acts 13:8 comes from the Greek anthistēmi (ἀνθίστημι). Instead of simply meaning “disagree,” it carries the sense of standing in the way, resisting, or blocking someone’s path. This same word appears in Ephesians 6:13, where believers are called to “stand your ground.” It’s used when something is actively trying to stop or resist progress. Elymas didn’t just argue—he was intentionally trying to stop the governor from hearing the gospel. Reflect on this: What does it take to recognise real spiritual resistance? And when truth is being blocked, what does it mean for you to “stand your ground”?

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 23 2025 | Acts 13:1-5 KEY VERSE: “When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.” Acts 13:5 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   Our text for today shows how clearly God spoke by the Holy Spirit for the setting apart of Barnabas and Saul for the missionary task. In the second part of verse 5, we read that “ John was with them as their helper .” (NIV)   This John was not mentioned in the divine directive to the Church, but Barnabas and Saul chose to take him along. John has been mentioned a few verses earlier: “When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark . Acts 12:25 (NIV). For all intents and purposes, it is clear that John Mark was a useful companion to the apostolic team, and the text for today emphasises his supportive ministry to Barnabas and Saul.   It is interesting that Scripture makes room to acknowledge that John Mark played this useful role to those upon whom hands were laid by divine direction. For many people, John Mark comes to mind only as a source of serious division between Barnabas and Saul; “ ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, ³⁸ but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. ³⁹ They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ” Acts 15:37-40 (NIV).   Granted that John Mark became a source of trouble to the Apostles, but his usefulness to the ministry was acknowledged. Whatever the motivation for his leaving the missionary team, as we read above, John Mark was so helpful that the Apostle Paul would later say to Timothy, “ Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”  2 Tim 4:11 (NIV). FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Sometimes we struggle with the rough sides of people, and in the process, we are tempted to deliberately forget the good things in them that God has used to bless us. We must overcome the wholesale blacklisting of individuals, especially within the Church, and acknowledge their positive contributions where they are due. PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please help me to be generous when I measure others by my experience of them. Help me, Lord, to avoid confusing people by behaviour that makes them want to write me off. For your dear Name’s sake , Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 204 :  Ecclesiastes 9-10 - Life and Its Uncertainties DAILY word study: HELPER The Greek word for “helper” in Acts 13:5 is hypēretēs, which means an assistant or subordinate officer. It originally referred to an under-rower on a ship—someone who worked under the direction of a captain. John Mark wasn’t the main preacher, but he was essential. Scripture uses hypēretēs to highlight humble support roles, including those who served alongside Paul (see Acts 26:16). This word reminds us that support roles are not second-class in God's mission. Reflect on this: You don’t need to be the one holding the microphone to be impactful. God sees every hand that helps carry the mission forward.

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 22 2025 | Acts 13:1-4  KEY VERSE: “So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” Acts 13:3 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   God calls us to personal faith in Him individually and in different situations. Ye, we are born again individually, but one thing is clear: we are saved individually to become part of a faith community, the Church. Our new birth experience is accompanied by a spiritual baptism into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). This spiritual act by God at the beginning of our faith walk with Him makes us an integral part of and inseparable from His body, the Church. In an individualistic, Do-It-Yourself environment where people compete against each other and seek to assert their independence, we often stress our individuality to the neglect of our community.  However, the Lord would have us return to His intention of individuals welded into a community, and He does it in many different ways. One of these is how He ushers us into ministry.   The calling of Paul and Barnabas could have been a very private affair, as many people are called into ministry over the years and in our day. But the endorsement of the community of believers, the Church, was necessary to give their move into the mission field a worthwhile backing. When God deals with us as individuals, He provides for the gathered community of faith, the Church, to endorse His dealings in public ways. FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Do you have a church family that stands with you and supports your sense of calling into ministry? Remember, we are called alone but not meant to walk alone. PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the grace of divine calling into faith and into ministry. Thank you for the Church and the roles it has played in my life and ministry. I pray that I will be conscious of the place of others in my life and that I will play my part in the life of the Church and, where necessary, validate others. For your dear Name’s sake,   Amen. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 203 :  Ecclesiastes 7-8 - Wisdom and Mystery DAILY word study: SENT The word “sent” in Acts 13:3 is translated from the Greek apolýō, which means “to release, let go, or send away.” It implies being released with intention or purpose. In this passage, Paul and Barnabas weren’t just dispatched. They were released into their assignment by the spiritual authority of the Church. This act wasn’t casual—it followed prayer and fasting. The word apolýō underscores that divine mission involves not just being called, but also being commissioned. Reflect on this: Are you holding on to someone God is releasing—or refusing to step into what He’s released you for?

Rev. Enoch Thompson | July 21 2025 | Acts 13:1-3  KEY VERSE: “While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” Acts 13:2 (NIV)   MESSAGE:   The journey of life is made up of individual decisions that we make along the way as we think fit, as circumstances demand and dictate or as resources permit.  The personal choices we make as disciples of Christ and citizens of His Kingdom should not be dictated solely by circumstances or mundane factors; we must be led, as individuals and as the church, by the Holy Spirit of God.    The Church in Antioch heard from God to set aside Paul and Barnabas for the special assignment that God intended for them to accomplish. The context of this hearing from God was a time of worship and fasting.  When we live a life where every thought, word and action is intended to glorify God, the life of worship, it is easy to hear the voice of the Spirit.  When we live the fasted life (deliberately choosing not to sin), a persistent self-denial of the attraction of sin and its false satisfaction, we become sensitive to the voice of the Spirit and can readily respond when He speaks.   FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE: Are we hearing from the Spirit, for ourselves and his church? Can we commit to the fasted life so that we will be more sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit ? PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the Holy Spirit and his intended ministry to me and the Church.  Please help me to be sensitive to the Spirit. Please help your church to hear the voice of the Spirit afresh. THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING. SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!! The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 202 :  Ecclesiastes 4-6 - Vanity and Oppression DAILY word study: SET APART The phrase “set apart” comes from the Greek word aphorizō, meaning “to mark off by boundaries” or “to separate for a special purpose.” In Acts 13:2, the Spirit doesn't just suggest—they command a separation. Barnabas and Saul were already active in ministry, but this moment marked a distinct call. To be set apart means to be removed from general use and marked specifically for divine assignment. It speaks of God’s ownership and direction over your life. Reflect on this: Have you allowed the Spirit to set you apart, not just for activity, but for His specific purpose?