Why? Have you ever wondered why God does something, or maybe why he doesn’t do something? The reason we ask such questions, or think about such questions, is because we don’t know the answer. Many saints in the Bible have wrestled with these questions. We don’t have all the answers, but we know in general…
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…
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…
What is all this then? Christianity has a central core message and event that is vital. Without it, there is no Christianity whatsoever. All the faith, works, laws, worship, etc. are worthless and meaningless without it. Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead is that center. Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return give meaning to the faith (1 Corinthians 15:1-7,…
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.
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…