June 16, 2022
MOBILIZED FOR MISSION The apostle Peter told the Roman centurion named Cornelius that Jesus had ordered the apostles to “preach and testify that Jesus is the one.” He was appointed by God to be the “judge of all” and everyone who believes in Him will be forgiven their sins. Hearing this message, Cornelius and his
June 15, 2022
BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT IN SPREADING THE GOSPEL Around noon, the apostle Peter went up onto the roof of the house he was visiting to pray. Morning, midday, and evening prayers were his habit. On this day, the Lord gave Peter a thrice-repeated vision that prepared him to meet with the men that would
June 14, 2022
A SEASON OF PEACE, STRENGTH, AND GROWTH FOR THE CHURCH Previously, a “great wave of persecution” (Acts 8:1) had swept through the church at Jerusalem. It began with the stoning of Stephen and continued until the believers were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. Yet, following this season of persecution, there came a
June 12, 2022
CHRIST IS THE SUBJECT AND STANDARD OF SCRIPTURE When the Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip about the identity of the subject in Isaiah 53, he “told him the Good News about Jesus.” For the eunuch had turned to where Isaiah wrote, “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent
June 9, 2022
THE MAKING OF MOSES In Stephen’s defense before the Jewish high council, he spoke of God’s preparation of Moses as Israel’s deliverer. Moses lived forty years as a prince of Egypt. Adopted by the Pharoah’s sister and raised as her own son, Moses was given a royal education. Yet, after fleeing Egypt and living forty
June 8, 2022
KNOWING AND FOLLOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL CALLING It didn’t take long for the early church to experience the complaints of its members. The apostles had apparently started a food distribution ministry to the widows, but the church had grown so rapidly that the size of the task had become overwhelming. Even more concerning, the Greek background
June 5, 2022
THE AUTHOR OF LIFE Peter boldly proclaimed the central facts of the gospel to the crowd gathered in the Temple. They gathered in order to see how the man lame from birth, was now able to walk. Yet, Peter’s explanation must have been for more than they bargained. He told them that the lame man
June 3, 2022
LUKE’S SECOND BOOK Luke’s second book, The Acts of the Apostles, picks up where his gospel left off. Luke was a physician and a traveling companion of the apostle Paul. He wrote an “orderly account” (Luke 1:3) of what Jesus “began to do and teach” in his first book. In his second book, he wrote
July 10, 2021
THREE ENCOURAGING FAITH STATEMENTS FOR FACING LIFE’S STORMS The ship taking Paul to Rome for his appeal to Caesar was caught up in a great storm and in danger of sinking. But God sent an angel to encourage Paul that although they would suffer shipwreck, no one on board would drown. All would be saved.
July 9, 2021
DID LUKE SAIL TO ROME WITH PAUL? Dr. Luke once again included himself in the Acts narrative with the use of the first person plural “we” (“it was decided that we…”). This is the last of the four “we passages” found in the book of Acts (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-8; 27:1-28:16). Although there is some