Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmidt, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the great adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfold and how we fit into that story today. It is day 347. We are reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 26, from St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, the first three chapters, chapters one, two, and three, as well as the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 29, verses 18 through 21. As always, the Bible translation I'm horseley reading from is the revised standard version, second Catholic edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan to tick off these last few days, you can visit ascensionpress. Com/biblein the year. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and daily updates. Today is day 347. I think that means there's 19 days left, which is an incredible gift.

We are reading from Acts the Apostles, Chapter 26, Ephesians 1:2-3, and Proverbs 29:18-21. The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 26. Paul makes his defense before Agripa. Agripa said to Paul, You have permission to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense. I think myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agripa. I am to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews because you are especially familiar with all customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. They have known for a long time if they are willing to testify that according to the strictest party of our religion, I have lived as a Pharisee. Now I stand here on trial for hope and the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our 12 tribes hope to attain as they earnestly worship night and day. For this hope, I am accused by Jews, O King. Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth, and I did so in Jerusalem. I not only shut up many of the saints in prison by authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them, and I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blasceme and enraging fury against them. I persecuted them even to foreign cities. Paul tells of his conversion. Thus, I journeyed to damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, Hawking, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun shining round me and those who journeyed with me. When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why do you persecution me? It hurts you to kick against the goads. I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecution, but rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Paul tells of his preaching, Wherefore, O King Agripa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Tomascus, then at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance. For this reason, the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day, I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass, that the Christ must suffer, and that by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles. Paul appeals to Agripa to believe. As he thus made his defense, Festas said with a loud voice, Paul, you are mad. Your great learning is turning you mad. But Paul said, I am not mad, most excellent, Festas, but I am speaking the sober truth. For the King knows about these things, and to him I speak freely, for I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner.

King Agripa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe. Agripa said to Paul, In a short time, you think to make me a Christian? Paul said, Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am, except for these chains. Then the king rose and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment. And Agripa said to Festas, This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. A letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1: Salutation. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritual blessings in Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and and blameless before him.

He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. In Him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, for He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in Him, things in heaven, and things on earth. In Him, according to the purpose of him, who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will, we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of His glory. In him, you also who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of His glory. Paul's Prayer, For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power in us

who believe according to the working of his great might, which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right-hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and Dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. He has put all things under His feet and has made Him the head over all things for the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Chapter two, From death to life with Christ. And you He made alive, when you were dead through the trespass and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the Prince of the power of the air, the Spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Among these, we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature, children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.

By grace, you have been saved and raised us up with him and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace, you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. One in Christ. Therefore, remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh called the Uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands. Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the Covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ, for he is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end.

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him, we both have access in one spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ, Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Chapter three, Paul's ministry to the Gentiles. For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you, Gentiles, assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by Revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

That is how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. Of this Gospel, I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. That through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose, which he has realized in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confidence of access through our faith in Him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. Prayer for the Ephesians. For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory, He may grant you to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him, who by the power and work within us, is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. To him, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 29, verses 18-21. Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. By mere words, a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not give heed. Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. He who pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir. Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. We thank you. Thank you so much. You are God, the Father. You're the one from whom all fatherhood comes. You and those you gather to be yours, to be your family. This is where we get the idea of family. The very idea of fatherhood, the very idea of family comes from you. The very reality of love is found in your deepest identity, in your deepest identity.

God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is you are a communion of persons. You're an eternal exchange of love. You pour yourself out in love to the son, Father, and the son, Jesus Christ, you pour yourself out in love to the Father. We give you praise for the Spirit that is the third person. So real, that love that's so real that it's a third person. Lord God, all fatherhood, all family on Earth comes from you. We just thank you. Thank you for bringing us into your family. Thank you for making us your children. Thank you for allowing us access in the power of your Holy Spirit to be able to cry out, Abba Father, in Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. As I mentioned, a little horse today. Hopefully, it's not too annoying or too bothersome. But we have St. Paul. Once again, it's really incredible. Paul is someone, if you give him some lemon and a bunch of sugar, he's going to make lemonade because you can't just make lemonade with lemon. He needs sugar. But say here's St. Paul, who is on trial, and he uses this opportunity to basically try to convert the people that are listening to his case, essentially.

You think about this, think about the, I don't want to say just positivity, that's not necessarily it. The can-do attitude, maybe that's part of it. But even more, the deep virtue, the deep theological virtue of hope, which is God, you can do anything with any circumstance. God, you can do any good, even in the worst possible situation. Here is St. Paul, and he's in front of Agripa, and in front of Festas, in front of Bernice, and all these other people. Basically, he's telling them his story. He tells them his conversion story. Then I love this. At the end of chapter 26, he then says, he says, King Agripa, do you believe in the prophets? I know you believe. Agripa says to Paul, You're trying to make me a Christian, basically. In a short time, you want to make me a Christian. I love Paul's response. Well, I don't care if you're short or long, it doesn't matter. I don't care if you do this quickly, you do this slow. I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am, except for the chains, except for being locked up.

Of course, Agripa and Bernice and Festas, they would have let him go. But Agripa said to Festas, this man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. He's going to be shipped off to Rome really phenomenally because we have the St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, and St. Paul writes this letter to the Ephesians from house arrest in Rome, which is this, again, providential way in which our readings are going together here, that we realize that as Paul is writing a number of these letters, but particularly the one we're reading today, St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he's writing to the Church, Nephesis, while being under house arrest in Rome. Now, house arrest was basically a situation I came across this night in a commentary. What house arrest involved was a guard, basically, of a Roman soldier of some sort, who his job was when it was Paul's turn or whoever the person was going to be on trial, when it was their turn to stand up in court, they had an hour. They had an hour to bring that person, the guards did, an hour to bring that person before the authorities, before Caesar, in this case.

Here's Paul. It's like a lighthouse rest. Here is Paul who is using this opportunity not only in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 26, but also here when he's writing to the Ephesians as an opportunity to witness to these guards, witness to these people who were assigned to take care of him, and assigned to make sure that he would appear before Caesar when it was time. But Paul is writing to the Ephesians and what's going on in Ephesians? Well, we know that Ephesians was one of the more significant cities. We have Jerusalem, obviously clearly significant. We have Corinthians. We read through St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians, and that was a very unique city. Ephesians was also an incredibly unique city. It was a port city for a while. Actually, if you go there right now, the ocean is quite a ways away because it's been filled up with silt. You don't need to know all the details, but at the time, it was a very religious city. It was very cosmopolitan city, and it was a very religious city, as I think I said before the third time. A lot of conversions there. Not only among those who are Jews who recognize that Jesus is truly the Messiah, but also among the Gentiles who came to believe in the one God and in Jesus Christ, whom he had sent.

What is happening is what's happened a bunch, which is I just see divisions. We have the Jewish Christians, we have the Gentile Christians, and we see this place of separation, this place of maybe us versus them, those people who believed that you had to follow the law in order to follow Jesus, and those who came to Christ directly as opposed to going through Judaism. Paul's one of his more primary points of the letter to the Ephesians is going to be, we're all coming from these different places, and yet we're united in the one spirit, one baptism, one faith, one God and Father of us all, one Jesus Christ. This is going to be really incredible. As Paul is talking about, here's all of the spiritual blessings that you've received. He's trying to point out the fact that they're united in Jesus by highlighting, okay, if you're a Jewish Christian, look how many blessings you have in your life. If you're a Gentile Christian, look at all the blessings you have in your life. It goes on in verse one, he says... Well, actually, let's go back up in chapter one, verse five, He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved.

In him, we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us. This is to the Gentile Christians and to the Jewish Christians. Paul is making this absolutely clear and that he has so much in store. Again, later on in chapter one, St. Paul says, And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe according to the workings of his great might, which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead, is far above all rule and authority and power and Dominion. Oh, gosh. Paul is highlighting the fact that you all were dead and now you're all alive in Jesus Christ. Whether you came from a Jewish tradition or came from some Greco-Roman, Gentile tradition, you were dead and now you are alive. That's the highlight, the theme of the second half of chapter two. You are now one in Christ. Now, one of my favorite lines is St. Paul's, Letter to Ephesians 2, where again, St. Paul is summarizing this process of moving from death to life. He says in verse 3, Among these, we all once lived in the passions of our flesh following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

Again, he says we, which means Jewish Christians, Gentile Christians, this is where we used to live. But then he goes on to say, What happened to all of us? In verse 4, But God, who I love this. Oh, but God. This is if you want to just write some something, put it on a throw pillow or maybe tape it up above your mirror over your sink in your bathroom is these two words. But God. B-u-t, capital G-O-D. But God. We were dead. We were dead in sin. We were dead in our broken human nature. Here we are again, children of wrath like the rest of mankind. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. But Grace, you have been saved and raised us up with him. He made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that he might show us the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness towards us. Then it's so good for grace you've been saved through faith. This is not your own. This is not your own doing, the gift of God.

Again, grace, we've been saved through faith. Last thing, I just want to... Gosh, again, knowing that the point of Ephesians is here. We're united, we're one Jewish Christians, Gentile Christians. We're all part of this one family in God that he highlights the fact of the Gentiles. The beginning of chapter two, yes, we were all by nature, children of wrath. But then he highlights the Gentiles and he says this. Oh, it's so good. Remember, he says, remember that you were at that time before you met Jesus. Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. They weren't part of the promises of Israel. Strangers to the Covenants of Promise. Here's the line that Pope Benedict wrote about. He said, Having no hope and without God in the world. Now think about this, having no hope and living without God in the world. This is how so many people live right now. One of the missionary impetuses, right? Impetit? I don't know. Missionary mandates for us is that we know this. We know that all of those who don't know of Jesus Christ, who don't know of who God really is, the idea of hope is just wishful thinking.

The idea of hope is just optimism, but that's not what hope is. Hope is, I know I can trust in another. It's that trust placed in another. But those who live without Jesus live without hope, and they live without God in the world. Not that God doesn't love them, not that God doesn't show himself in hidden and shadowy ways, but the depth of who God is and the breadth of who God is and the height of who God is. We know people who don't know Christ live without hope and without God in the world. Even those who have heard about Jesus but have never encountered Jesus, live without hope and without God in the world. This is how all of us, every single one of us, that's why Paul goes on to say, but now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. We're no longer strangers and sojourners, but we are fellow citizens with the saints and the members of the household of God. This is the key, is that every one of us at one point, we're alienated from God. At one point, every one of us did not belong to God.

We belonged to the evil one. But God has rescued us. Whether they were originally Jewish or whether originally Gentile, God has rescued us in Christ Jesus and made us one in Him. We are nolonger strangers. We're no longer strangers. We are no longer sojourners. But now we're brothers and sisters. We are sons and daughters of the Father. That's so incredible. I'd love to just end this with the last line of chapter three, where St. Paul says, Now to him, who by the power at work within us, is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think to him, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. I think that's a great prayer to end today. It's just a gift to be able to go through the beginning of St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians today. I'm praying for you. Please, please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.