'Church' Tagged Posts (Page 2)

AC24 – Preaching and Persecution

How shall we respond? Stephen’s execution by stoning led to a sharp increase in persecution against the church in Jerusalem. How will the church respond and what will they do in light of the persecution against them? Acts 8 begins to answer that question as it recounts events in the aftermath of Stephen’s death.

AC21 – Stephen’s Defense Part 1

What do you have to say for yourself? Stephen was arrested and charged with blasphemy. His experience was paralleling Jesus’ experience before this same council. As Stephen begins to answer the charges, it becomes clear he is not interested in pleading his own defense. He has a message to deliver to the council.

AC19 – The Ministry of the Word

Can a church do it all? The church in Jerusalem experienced explosive growth, going from 120 to thousands in weeks and months. That kind of growth was not without its growing pains. They began with the twelve Apostles in leadership and they were administering everything. The church was threatened by the inability of the Apostles…

AC18 – Suffering Shame

Destined to fail? The first church in Jerusalem experienced similarity with the ministry of Jesus. At first, their message seemed well received and they had favor with the people. It didn’t take long before that changed as they continued to preach openly and rebuke that generation of Jews for killing the Messiah. It might seem…

AC17 – Lying to God

Have you heard the one about hypocrites in church? We’ve all heard the comments, complaints, and criticisms about hypocrites in church. It may shock you to find out, but hypocrites do exist, and some of them go to church. Nearly every church in the New Testament had this problem, including the first church in Jerusalem.…

AC16 – Bold Living

Where are we going? Life in the church in Jerusalem is described at the end of chapter 2 and chapter 4. It’s an idyllic picture we would be hard pressed to beat if we were tasked with drafting the image of perfect church life. As beautiful as those passages are, they’re not the only passages…

AC-15 Bold Prayer

How did the church respond to persecution? From the early chapters of Acts, we would have to include prayer as one of the characteristic marks of a true church. The fact that they prayed in response to persecution tells us something. What they prayed for also tells us something.

AC-08 – Both Lord and Christ

Connect the Dots I remember as a child having Connect-the-Dots books. When you connected the dots in the right order, a picture emerged that you couldn’t see before. On the day of Pentecost, Peter connected the dots between Old Testament prophecy and real-time events they witnessed to reveal the clear picture of Jesus of Nazareth…

AC-05 – The Baptism of the Spirit

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…