As many of you already know, one of the passages I read every year as the New Year approaches is Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses. Probably the most widely-known verse in this psalm is verse 12: So teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom. Earlier […]
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the LORD to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God… (Luke 1:76-78a). This is part of a prophecy concerning John […]
Acts 7 is Stephen’s personal defense before the Jewish council (Sanhedrin). The end of Chapter 6 told us that he was being (falsely) accused of speaking against Moses, the Law, and by connection against God Himself. But in his defense, Stephen demonstrates from the Old Testament Scriptures that the Israelites had always rebelled against God, […]
In Acts 6:8 we read that Stephen – one of the seven men chosen to serve widows on behalf of the church in Jerusalem – was having a powerful spiritual impact that contributed to the increase in the number of Christ-followers, including many Jewish priests. But this was too threatening for some other Jews, and […]
In Acts 6 we read that as the young church in Jerusalem was growing, they had a problem – nothing earth-shaking about that. The problem was a complaint that non-Palestinian, Greek-speaking widows were being neglected at the expense of Hebrew widows in the daily serving of food. Caring for widows was evidently a significant ministry […]
Acts 6:1 begins: “Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number…” This is the first use of the term disciples in Acts. The word translated disciple is the same Greek root used in Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19 to his apostles to make disciples (of Jesus). Like the twelve, a disciple of Jesus was a learner from and follower of Jesus. The command to make […]
Contrary to our human wisdom, the fallout from the tragic account of Ananias and Sapphira at the beginning of Acts Chapter 5 was that the church actually grew deeper and wider, as it caused people within and outside of the church to fear the Lord. The believers grew in such numbers that the Jewish religious […]
One of the things that attracted me to the Bible as a source of truth, even as an unbeliever, was how the Word of God did not hide the faults of those men and women who professed belief in Him. I could read about their failures right alongside their victories. The story of Ananias and […]
There are many powerful prayers in the Bible. One of my favorites is near the end of Acts 4. After Peter and John were released from their imprisonment and intimidation at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders for preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, they joined a group of their close companions. […]
The scene in Acts 4: Peter and John healed a lame man at the temple in Jerusalem. They proclaimed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the large crowd that gathered in response to the miracle. The Jewish religious leaders, greatly alarmed over Peter and John’s actions, arrested them, then questioned them the following […]