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
July 8, 2021
GOSPEL-CENTERED PROCLAMATION Paul’s testimony before the Roman governor Festus and King Agrippa showed not only the focus of his gospel teaching, but also its rootedness in the Old Testament Scriptures. For he was convinced that the good news about the Messiah was clearly foretold by Moses and the prophets. In Paul’s testimony, he gave
July 6, 2021
PAUL’S FAITHFUL WITNESS Paul was held prisoner by the Roman procurator of Judea, Marcus Antonius Felix for two years. Felix understood the religious culture of Judea better than most Romans, having married the daughter of Herod Agrippa I, Drusilla. Both of them divorced their first spouses in order to be together. Paul’s captivity during
July 4, 2021
REMEMBERING OUR DUAL CITIZENSHIP Paul’s Roman citizenship was often a help to him as he traveled throughout the empire spreading the gospel. Being a Roman citizen gave him certain rights. One of those rights was the right to a trial before any punishment might be administered. It was this right that Paul brought to the
June 30, 2021
SHARING THE TESTIMONY WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN The apostle Paul reminded his friends from Ephesus of the calling he had on his life from Jesus. Even though he knew that suffering and jail awaited him, he was determined to fulfill his life purpose of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful grace. Protecting his