Category: Acts
Acts 10:1 – 11:16 Cornelius
Sometimes (not often) there will be an event or a flash of insight that changes forever the way we view things. This is often called a ‘paradigm shift’. My attitude toward crying babies on an airplane was very different after we had children than it was before. I feel tenderness, not annoyance, toward the babies…
Acts 9:1-31 Conversion of Saul
Chapter 9 picks up the story from the beginning of chapter 8. There Stephen has just been stoned to death by a furious mob. Saul, who was present, gave his sanction to the deed. And then we read, And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were…
Acts 8:26-40
This is a true story. It is about a man who was prompted by God to initiate a conversation with a stranger .This man really felt strongly that God wanted him to go down to the pier. ‘All right. I’m not sure why, but ok.’ He goes down to the pier, and God doesn’t ‘say’…
Acts 6:8-7:60 Martyrdom of Stephen
A Christian speaker talked about his own journey as a former avowed atheist. At one time he considered the basic claims of Christianity untrue, but in looking at the evidence for the life and resurrection of Jesus, and for the authenticity of the Biblical writings, he became convinced that Christianity is ‘true’. OK. But what…
Acts 5:1-11 Ananias and Sapphira
As a church, we exist not only to know Jesus but also to make him known. We have the threefold message: ‘Jesus is wonderful: you’ll love him. Jesus is Savior: you need him. Jesus is Lord: obey him.’ In making Jesus known, we want to remove all unnecessary barriers. We want people to leave a…
Acts 4 A generous community
Today in our study of Acts we come to the end of chapter 4, and the description of the life of the early church, a description that echoes the description we find at the end of chapter 2. But to see what an incredible description this is, it is necessary to go back in the…
Acts 2 & 4 Vital Signs
Last week I listened to a sermon that was prompted by the pastor’s being regularly asked, ‘So, how’s your church doing?’ That is a good question, and it is one that deserves more than a glib, off-the-cuff answer. If someone was to ask you, ‘How’s your church doing?’ what are the things that you would…