What happened in Samaria? At one time, James and John wanted fire to fall from heaven and burn up a village of the Samaritans. That didn’t happen and Jesus rebuked them. Many years later Philip came to Samaria with the Gospel and many of them believed. Something did fall on the Samaritans when Peter and…
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.…
What should we do? Weeks after Jesus had been crucified outside Jerusalem, extraordinary events took place on the Day of Pentecost. While some scoffed at what was going on, others wondered what it all meant. Peter explained the meaning of the manifestation they had witnessed in terms of the purpose of God revealed through the…
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…