Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: The deaths of Ananias and Sapphira resulted in great fear among the people, but these events did not slow the growth of the church in the least. The remainder of chapter 5 climaxes with Gamaliel’s assertion that the disciples should be allowed to follow their hearts and let God be the judge. His compelling …
Continue reading “Acts: Healing, Preaching, Prison, and Flogging — The Church Grows”
Read: The story of Ananias and Sapphira are a vivid contrast to the euphoria surrounding the birth of the new church. Up to this point, we are given a great sense of unity and joy filling every gathering of the apostles and hundreds of new believers (over 5,000 from the latest report). The harmony in …
Continue reading “Acts: Lying to the Holy Spirit – Hypocrisy in the Church”
Read: Peter and John went back to their own people and shared the story of their confrontation with the Sanhedrin. It’s only been a matter of weeks since this group of religious leaders tried and convicted Jesus. There’s no indication they were in hiding, but it’s clear they were not invited to the meeting, now they …
Read: Though professionally unqualified, Peter and John are able to articulate scripture, defend their positions with eloquence, and act with courage that defies logic. They should’ve been scared and speechless but their response sets the Sanhedrin on its heels. they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Someone took …
Read: We spent this past weekend at Koinonia Farms just outside of Americus, Georgia and down the road from Plains, GA where President Carter lives. The farm is one of the places that stood out during the Civil Rights Movement, where people had to make a choice to stand with the status quo or open …
Continue reading “Acts: Thrown in Jail, Peter Preaches Again”
Read: Acts 2 ends with some remarkable discussion about the fellowship of believers. While all this is going on, the disciples continue to preach the gospel. In this case, the sermon illustration comes from healing a lame beggar, one that everyone recognized. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I …
Read: One of the most quoted scripture references ever, encourages us to be a community of believers, to stretch our corporate understanding of “church” into where we live, even open the doors of our super-secure homes to those we don’t know. And to do all of this with joy, sharing as needed, while giving thanks …
Continue reading “Acts: Fellowship of Believers — Best Time Ever!”
Read: Jesus ascended after He taught the disciples. He told them to wait for what we know as Pentecost, the fifty days after Passover, when the Holy Spirit came (we’ll cover that soon). During this time the apostles get together for prayer, to select a replacement for Judas, and to minister to one another. As …
Read: It’s important to appreciate the significance of this short passage: Jesus’ body was dead and buried. Anything short of death would fuel the conspiracy theorists who suggest that Jesus wasn’t actually dead, that somehow He survived the torture and cross. This is nonsense, of course. The Roman soldiers were good at completing their mission …
Read: Luke provides a detailed account of the official process through which Jesus was tried and convicted. The Jewish leadership form an entourage and invade the courts of Pilate for the first pass. Pilate then passes the buck to Herod who passes it back to Pilate. Ultimately, he succumbs to political pressure from none other …
Continue reading “Luke: Trial by Pilate, Herod, and the People”