Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: The reading today takes us up to the infamous verse, . It’s important to remember the context, so the title I chose for this post is intentionally focused on Nicodemus. He’s the Pharisee that heard about Jesus and sought Him after hours, under cover of darkness. Jesus has a lot to say to Nicodemus …
Read: We are sure that John the Baptist is not the Apostle John, he’s not the one who wrote the Gospel of John, but the religious powers of his day couldn’t figure out who he was. John the Baptist was baptizing people at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River and apparently attracting …
Continue reading “John: The Voice of One Calling in the Wilderness”
For the next three months or so, we will study the book of John. The Apostle John adds a different perspective from Matthew, Mark, and Luke (known as the Synoptic Gospels). John includes stories that are not found elsewhere. He emphasizes the incarnation of Jesus as something we should wrap our minds around. The word …
Read: Paul was received well but given a task to go through some purification ritual to appease the Jewish Christians (see Part 1). Trouble finds him before he gets to finish the process. In this part, we’ll focus on the few verses that turn the corner in the story. Paul was warned by his brothers and sisters …
Read: Paul, Luke, and the entire group were warmly received when they arrived in Jerusalem. James, the brother of Jesus, and the elders of the church are excited to hear the news of Paul’s missionary efforts, but there is a problem that requires resolution in the eyes of the established Church. There is so much …
Read: Luke provides a dramatic story of their journey from Miletus to Jerusalem. He begins by enunciating the emotional departure from the Elders as they began their journey through several cities. They stayed in Tyre for a week and ministered to the church in this challenging city. As the story unfolds, I’m swept away by …
Read: As we read many details of Paul’s travels in this chapter, we are given some significant insight into his way of encouraging leaders of the first century Church. He encourages them through teaching well into the night and even through a miraculous healing without missing a beat. We need to read his letters to …
Continue reading “Acts: Sunday Gatherings Begin and the Eutychus Miracle”
Read: As Paul travels to Ephesus, he meets Apollos and other disciples. It appears that Paul invested quite a bit of time into teaching disciples on this trip. A group he finds in Ephesus is particularly interesting because they didn’t even know about the Holy Spirit. Obviously, there were gaps in their education that Paul …
Read: While I’m a proponent of the old adage, never say never, I’m confident in making this statement: any endeavor that runs counter to culture will be met with resistance. If you’re doing something that’s “never been done that way,” be prepared for a bumpy ride. After reflecting on yesterday’s post, I thought this was …
Read: The first half Acts 18 finds Paul in the middle of his second missionary journey. Paul leaves Athens and moves on to Corinth and connected with a ministry couple named Aquila and Priscilla. His early focus in Corinth was continuing his work convincing the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. There are some serious …
Continue reading “Acts: Encouraged by Jesus, Paul Shifts Gears in Corinth”