Simon Chaplin saw the blue lights flashing in his rear view mirror, flipped a switch on the dashboard of his Peugeot and immediately smoke began billowing out from the car in finest James Bond fashion as he raced off. Chaplin had earlier filled a five-gallon bucket with diesel, stuck a pump in it and ranContinue reading “Integrity vs. Image”
Category Archives: Acts
“Excuse me, could you help me with this?”
The man from Ethiopia (present day Sudan) needed help to understand the Scripture! That much is clear. Some say it was because there was no New Testament to aid him in interpreting the Old Testament text (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) he was reading. It is suggested that if he would have had the complete Bible he couldContinue reading ““Excuse me, could you help me with this?””
Fear, Faith, And Focus
When I was growing up, we had a white Siamese cat named Charlie. I don’t know how much breeding goes into a white Siamese, but I know this—Charlie was thoroughly domesticated. He was a household cat with a capital “H.” Yet every once in a while, Charlie got the itch to see what was onContinue reading “Fear, Faith, And Focus”
Scattered
The word “scattered” is used only four times in the book of Acts, but its significance is much greater than that number would suggest. By the time Luke wrote his gospel, “scattered” had a well-established meaning. It went back to the days of Babel when the people rebelled against God’s purpose for them to spreadContinue reading “Scattered”
An Empty Tomb and a Risen Lord
When we dip ourselves in the waters of the fourth chapter of the book of Acts, we get a look at a church that was living out the resurrection. Here are some of the things we see: Some people were disturbed (v. 2) The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection while others thought it wasContinue reading “An Empty Tomb and a Risen Lord”
Our Decisions And God’s Will
God is not micromanaging things in Acts. While there are certainly times when He steps in, intervenes, and overrules (i.e., the call to Macedonia – 16:9-10), most of the time it is His will that His people choose, trusting that He will help them make the best out of their choices (note word “decide” inContinue reading “Our Decisions And God’s Will”
Fresh Faith (2)
Let’s look at each of these more closely. Renewing ourselves as disciples: There are few things more toxic spiritually than a failure to learn and grow. This happens because people either think they already know it all or they are apathetic about learning. Either way, the results are the same. I’ve known some people over the years whoContinue reading “Fresh Faith (2)”
Fresh Faith (1)
In Matthew 9:14-17, Jesus refused to mix the new wine (teaching) He brought with the toxic stuff the Pharisees were dispensing. Whether it was His teaching on fasting or some other issue, He wasn’t going to try to fit His teaching and ministry in with theirs (as perhaps the disciples of John were attempting to do). Continue reading “Fresh Faith (1)”
Wake Up!
I suppose there’s a tendency to treat Luke’s account of Eutychus falling asleep during Paul’s preaching like one of those human interest/humorous stories tacked on to the end a newscast. Or, like the humor Shakespeare and other writers employ, we might want to frame it as offering us a change of pace to Luke’s otherwiseContinue reading “Wake Up!”
Speed Trap
The first chapter of Acts is an overlooked text. That’s understandable because of the fireworks that occur in the second chapter when the Spirit is sent, Peter’s proclaims a mighty message about Jesus, three thousand people are baptized, etc.). Still, there’s a reason Luke wrote Acts the way he did and the first chapter isContinue reading “Speed Trap”
