Walking Headlong Into Trouble

In today’s Bible reading*, we see Paul doing a very foolish thing. He says that God has told him that if he returns to Jerusalem, he will face trouble. In fact, Paul says that everywhere he goes, the Holy Spirit confirms that if he goes to Jerusalem, he will face imprisonment and afflictions. (Acts 20:23)…

Apollos, the Eloquent but Deficient

Apollos was an eloquent preacher. He was well-versed in the Old Testament Scriptures. He knew his stuff. But he wasn’t “up to snuff”. In today’s Bible reading*, Dr. Luke tells us about an Alexandrian preacher named Apollos. Look at the positive words Dr. Luke uses to describe him: eloquent, competent in the Scriptures, instructed in…

God Saves Gentiles!

For a good, First Century Jew, I’m sure there was not much more detestable than going into the home of a Gentile. But in today’s Bible reading*, Peter did just that. Both Peter and Cornelius had a vision from God and both acted on what they heard. Cornelius sent men to where Peter was and…

Be Careful What You Ask For

I want to bring out a couple of things from today’s Bible reading*. First, in Acts 8:9-25, we see the miracles performed through the hands of Philip. In addition to many others, Simon the Sorcerer (a man who got his magical power from the occult/demonic influence) was saved. When Simon saw that people received the…