[Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash] The story of Acts has taken a dramatic turn in chapters 6 and 7, as Stephen becomes the first martyr in the church. A great ensuing persecution scatters many of the believing community from Jerusalem. While this initially seems like a loss for…
17 posts tagged
Service
Christians believe that the Bible instructs us to go and make a difference in the world - to spread God's love and message in ways that actually make a difference. Our knowledge about the Bible isn't only hypothetical or cerebral. The Bible is also a practical life philosophy and a mission.
Acts 5:17-6:7 | Into the Fire (part 2), The Church in Action
Photo by Adrian Infernus on Unsplash In our last post, Acts 4:32-5:16 | Into The Fire (part 1), we looked at the way the power of God was manifested in the early church, bringing both healing and care for the needy and sick, but also destruction to the manipulative…
Acts 3-4: A Tale of Two Temples
The new Temple shows it's powerActs 3 brings a new conflict into focus. While the disciples of Jesus have been filled with power from the Holy Spirit in the previous chapter, the demonstration of this power in public will bring them into conflict with the Temple establishment. There are, in…
Acts 2: The Birth of the Church
Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash Last week when we examined Acts 1, we noted how this story is ultimately the continuation of Luke's gospel. Jesus lived, died, rose again, and then set his followers up for a mission that they admittedly still didn't quite understand. But as this group…
Generosity
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” [Matthew 16:23-25 NIV] Jesus was supremely…