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<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">“<b>TWO
ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Jim
& Marie Watt</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Tel:
253-517-9195 - Email: <a href="mailto:jmbetter@gmail.com">jmbetter@gmail.com</a></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Web:
<a href="http://www.2rbetter.org/">www.2rbetter.org</a></b></p><p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">February 6, 2012</p><p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><br></p>
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<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>APR
23 - ACTS 27-28 - CHURCH GROWTH IN ROME</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="LEFT"><b>1.
27:25 (27:1-44) PAUL: SHIPWRECKED ON WAY TO ROME. “Wherefore,
men, be of good cheer: for I believe :God, that it shall be even so
as it has been spoken to me.” </b><span style>Good
for Paul! It is good to discern and believe Your heavenly vision
Father, and to step out </span><u><span style>boldly</span></u><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>
upon it. O may we Your leaders and people follow this same pattern.
</span></span><b><i><span style="text-decoration:none">Hallowed be
your :name.</span></i></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<b><span style="text-decoration:none">2. 28:6 (28:1-6) PAUL:
DELIVERED FROM A VIPER. “But they expected that he would have
swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but when they were long in
expectation and beheld nothing amiss come to him, they changed </span><i><span style="text-decoration:none">their
mind, and </span></i><span style="text-decoration:none">said he was
a god.” </span></b><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>How
superstitious the heathen! Thank You Father, for Your Gospel of the
Kingdom, which gives us </span></span><u><span style>correct</span></u><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>
views on things! </span></span><b><i><span style="text-decoration:none">Your
:kingdom come!</span></i></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<b><span style="text-decoration:none">3. 28:8 (28:7-10) PAUL:
HONORED BY PUBLIUS. “And it was </span><i><span style="text-decoration:none">so</span></i><span style="text-decoration:none">,
that the father of :Publius lay sick of fever and dysentery: unto
whom :Paul entered in, and prayed, </span><i><span style="text-decoration:none">and</span></i><span style="text-decoration:none">
laying hands on him healed him.” </span></b><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>How
merciful You are to the heathen Father, through Your Gospel
messengers! Yes, and You supplied daily bread for all the
ship-wrecked, not just Your own! </span></span><b><i><span style="text-decoration:none">Your
:will be done, As in heaven, so on earth!</span></i></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<b><span style="text-decoration:none">4. 28:15 (28:11-16) PAUL:
ARRIVES AT ROME. “And thence the brethren, when they heard about
us, came to meet us as far as </span><i><span style="text-decoration:none">The</span></i><span style="text-decoration:none">
Market of Appius and The Three Taverns; whom when :Paul saw, he
thanked :God, </span><i><span style="text-decoration:none">and</span></i><span style="text-decoration:none">
took courage.” </span></b><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>May
we always remember that Your servants are human Father, and need
encouragement, help and ministry along the way! May we remember to
</span></span><u><span style>regularly pray</span></u><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>
and intercede for them! O forgive us that we so often fail in this
responsibility and privilege! </span></span><b><i><span style="text-decoration:none">Our
:daily :bread Give us this day!</span></i></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<b><span style="text-decoration:none">5. 28:20 (28:17-22) PAUL:
TESTIFIES TO JEWS AT ROME. “For this cause therefore did I invite
you to see and to speak with </span><i><span style="text-decoration:none">me:</span></i><span style="text-decoration:none">
for because of the hope of :Israel I am bound with this chain.”
</span></b><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>Thank
You Father, that Paul was not ashamed of his chain, but used it as an
opportunity to bear witness to the Jews of Rome. Yes, and we bless
You that You were with him in all his trials, testings and
temptations. </span></span><b><i><span style="text-decoration:none">And
forgive us our :debts, As we also have forgiven our :debtors.</span></i></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<b><span style="text-decoration:none">6. 28:23 (28:23-29) PAUL:
WARNS THE ROMAN JEWS. “And when they had appointed him a day,
quite a number came unto him to the lodging; to whom he expounded,
testifying the kingdom of :God, and persuading them concerning
:Jesus, both from the law of Moses and the prophets, from morning
till evening.” </span></b><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>How
we bless You for the faithfulness of Your servant Paul, Father! Yes,
and in all his persecutions, trials and testings, You delivered him
from the evil one. </span></span><b><i><span style="text-decoration:none">And
bring us not into temptation!</span></i></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<b><span style="text-decoration:none">7. 28:30-31. PAUL: EFFECTIVE
WITNESS AT ROME. “And he abode two whole years in his own hired
</span><i><span style="text-decoration:none">dwelling</span></i><span style="text-decoration:none">,
and received all that went in unto him, </span><font style="font-size:8pt" size="1"><span style="text-decoration:none">30</span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">
preaching the kingdom of :God, and teaching the </span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none">things</span></i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, without
hindrance.” </span></font></b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>And
this history does not end here! It is </span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><u><span style>still</span></u></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>
being written until Jesus returns! </span></span></font><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none">But
deliver us from the evil </span></i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">one!</span></font></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<u><b>NOTE</b></u><span style="text-decoration:none"><b>: 27:33
(27:1-44) PAUL: WISDOM IN BREAKING A FAST. “And while day was
coming on, :Paul besought all to partake of food, saying, Today is
</b></span><b><i><span style="text-decoration:none">the</span></i><span style="text-decoration:none">
fourteenth day that you wait </span><i><span style="text-decoration:none">and</span></i><span style="text-decoration:none">
continue fasting, having taken nothing.” </span></b><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>What
a storm this must have been to have brought fasting on soldiers,
ship's crew, and passengers alike: believers and unbelievers! Now
Your mercy Father, enables them to end their fast.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>I
edited and updated the above reading on March 31</span></span><sup><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>st</span></span></sup><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style>.
Oswald Chambers reading for this date is also on the life of Paul
from the book of Romans, and is most appropriate for today!</span></span></p>
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<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="CENTER">
<b>Do You See Your Calling? </b>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="CENTER">
<b>(From “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers)</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
“ <b>... separated to the gospel of God ...” (Romans 1:1).</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<span style="text-decoration:none">Our calling is not primarily to
be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God.
The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be
recognized as </span><i><span style="text-decoration:none">the</span></i><span style="text-decoration:none">
abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or
heaven, or hell - it is </span><u>redemption</u><span style="text-decoration:none">.
The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian
worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that
</span><u>redemption</u><span style="text-decoration:none"> is the
only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the
cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under
when testing comes.</span></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<span style="text-decoration:none">Paul did not say that he
separated himself, but </span><span style="text-decoration:none"><b>“when
it pleased God, who separated me ...” (Galatians 1:15).</b></span><span style="text-decoration:none">
Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as
our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even
get close to the full reality of </span><u>redemption</u><span style="text-decoration:none">.
Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own
holiness above their desire to know God. “Don't ask me to be
confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the
filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God
can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes.” To talk
that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not
begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God
cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character.
Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned,
totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose - to
proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).</span></p>
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<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<span style="text-decoration:none">And now our Psalm for the day:
</span><span style="text-decoration:none"><b>113:7-8 (113:1-9) WHO
IS LIKE THE </b></span><u><b>LORD</b></u><span style="text-decoration:none"><b>
OUR GOD? “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy
from the ash heap, </b></span><font style="font-size:8pt" size="1"><span style="text-decoration:none"><b>8</b></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><b>
to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people”
(ESV). </b></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">No
wonder we praise You Father, in the light of Your Condescension, and
Grace to the children of men! We see You In Jesus washing the
disciples' feet, and like Peter of old we pull up our feet in
embarrassment to refuse You. </span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none"><b>Hallowed
be your :name!</b></span></i></font></p>
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<br>
</p>
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</p>
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