June 18 I have often heard people worry about finding God’s will for their lives. Sometimes, they worry that perhaps they have missed God’s will. Unfortunately, I have found that those who worry the most are often the same ones who seem to be the least likely to go to God’s Word first. No, you…
May 31 We will see throughout the book of Acts that there are some people who will just never accept the simple Christian life and teachings. Legalists show up again and again causing problems. Just as the Jewish leaders did during the ministry of Jesus, religious, graceless people raised their objections over and over again….
May 22 Dr. Luke begins Acts 13 with a little background about the church in Antioch. By this point in time, the church had organized to have prophets and teachers present. God established these positions, and the church recognized God’s gifting for each person’s tasks. (1 Corinthians 12:28) Everyone had his own part to play…
May 21 After killing James, King Herod Agrippa saw how the Jewish leaders were pleased. In an effort to keep them happy, Herod decided to imprison Peter. Dr. Luke matter-of-factly says that sixteen soldiers guarded Peter in prison. (Acts 12:4) That means that four soldiers were on guard for each of the four three-hour watches…
January 22 Once more, Jesus tells His disciples that He will leave soon, but in His absence His Father will send the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will expand on what Jesus has already told them. (John 16:7–15) There were many things Jesus taught His disciples, who often had no clue what He was telling them….
Peter addresses his persecuted, exiled readers (1 Peter 2:11) in today’s Bible reading and tells his readers to submit to every human authority. Some time ago I commented on the historical context around the middle of the First Century. I mentioned Nero was the Roman Emperor at the time. Under Nero’s reign, Christians were persecuted far beyond…
