What is all this about? The crowd in Jerusalem has witnessed a manifestation of the Holy Spirit among the church there. They wonder about what it means and Peter begins explaining it in this passage. Manifestations of the Spirit were never a show. They were for a purpose.
Wait for it As Jesus floats peacefully upward and out of sight, the Apostles could have stared at the sky dreamily. We could close the book and think they go on to live happily ever after. However, two angels speak to them to bring them back to reality. Jesus had given them specific commands for…
What happens when leaders fail? Judas Iscariot was one of the original twelve apostles. Judas was chosen by Jesus, trained with the other eleven, and worked with them daily for two years. Judas betrayed Jesus and later committed suicide. How did the young church handle such a defection and scandalous failure of a leader? Acts…
Who’s distracted? We live in an age of distraction. We think this is unique with technological advancement, but Christians were distracted in the first century. Martha was distracted by serving others and Mary not helping her (Luke 10:40). Peter was distracted by the Apostle John and what John’s path would look like (John 21:20-22). Before…
What should we do now? As Jesus was moments away from ascending into Heaven, he gave his Apostles instructions. He told them what they were to do. The Apostles’ ministry set the trajectory for his churches and what they are to be doing throughout this age until Jesus comes again.
How did Christianity survive and thrive? Have you ever thought about how unlikely the spread of Christianity was? What began with an itinerant Jewish rabbi and handful of followers in the environs of rural Galilee, teaching from a centuries old collection of books, seemed to climax with the death of the teacher and scattering of…
What do we do while we wait for joy? Sin mars life on the earth. Joys are mingled with sorrows and ruin never seems far away. Rejoicing is humbled by regret. Boasting is restrained by brooding worries. The writer of Psalm 119 reflects in this last stanza on the reality of mingled joys and sorrows.…
What would you give up for a greater treasure? The list is short when count up what we would truly give up our lives for. If we willingly sacrifice, the gain must surpass the worth of what we lost. The writer of Psalm 119 recognized the worth of God’s word in this next to last…
Where is my help? Sometimes we take stock of our resources and find ourselves short. Sometimes we make a list of our friends and find it shorter than the list of our enemies. The writer of Psalm 119 was in such a place in this twentieth stanza. This stanza is an urgent cry to God…
Who has heard our cry? I am yet to meet the person who describes himself as a champion at prayer. Most of us will admit we do not pray as we would like. Aside from not knowing what to say, or how to say it, we often wonder if we will be heard. The writer…