8.24-Pray for the success of all races and all nations. God is impartial and wants all to know His love.

8.24
Acts 11.

11 Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, ^[a]those who were circumcised took issue with him, ³ saying, “You ^[b]went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” ⁴ But Peter began speaking ^[c]and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an ^[d]object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from ^[e]the sky; and it came right down to me, ⁶ and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it ^[f]I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the ^[g]crawling creatures and the birds of the ^[h]air. ⁷ I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; ^[i]kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing ^[j]unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer ^[k]consider unholy.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into ^[l]the sky. ¹¹ And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. ¹² The Spirit told me to go with them ^[m]without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ And he reported to us how he had seen the angel ^[n]standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; ¹⁴ and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized ^[o]with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could ^[p]stand in God’s way?” ¹⁸ When they heard this, they ^[q]quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

The Church at Antioch

¹⁹ So then those who were scattered because of the ^[r]persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way ^[s]to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the ^[t]Greeks also, ^[u]preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. ²² The ^[v]news about them ^[w]reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off ^[x]to Antioch. ²³ Then when he arrived and ^[y]witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with ^[z]resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; ²⁴ for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable ^[aa]numbers were ^[ab]brought to the Lord. ²⁵ And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they ^[ac]met with the church and taught considerable ^[ad]numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
²⁷ Now ^[ae]at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate ^[af]by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the ^[ag]world. ^[ah]And this took place in the reign of Claudius. ²⁹ And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the ^[ai]relief of the brethren living in Judea. ³⁰ And this they did, sending it ^[aj]in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.

Psalm 82.

82 God takes His stand in ^[a]His own congregation;
He judges in the midst of the ^[b]rulers.
² How long will you judge unjustly
And show partiality to the wicked? ^[c]Selah.
³ Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
⁴ Rescue the weak and needy;
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

⁵ They do not know nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
^6 [d]I said, “You are gods,
And all of you are sons of the Most High.
⁷ “Nevertheless you will die like men
And fall like any one of the princes.”
⁸ Arise, O God, judge the earth!
For it is You who possesses all the nations.