Archive for January 2023

Genesis 34-35, Psalm 15, Matthew 6:16-24, Acts 9:1-19 Acts 9:1-19: The conversion of Saul/Paul is one of the most dramatic stories in the Bible. Also, one of the most famous. Also, one of the most misunderstood. What is its meaning, and how does that apply to our lives? First of all, Paul himself tells us what we are…

Genesis 32-33, Psalm 14, Matthew 6:1-15, Acts 8:26-40 Acts 8:26-40: A great story of witness and personal evangelism. What can we learn from it? These five things: Desert roads can be fruitful fields for the gospel. Perhaps you feel like you are wandering down a desert road. You cannot see much fertility of opportunity around you. Keep your…

Genesis 31, Psalm 13, Matthew 5:33-46, Acts 8:1-25 Acts 8:1-25: Persecution is not something we ever wish to occur. But it is something that God uses to advance his kingdom. The watchword of the early church about its persecution was the famous: “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Tertullian meant that those who…

Genesis 29-30, Psalm 12, Matthew 5:21-32, Acts 7:39-60 Acts 7:39-60: Stephen’s sermon continues. As he preaches, he is drawing the conclusion—like a screw turning ever tighter—that his hearers are guilty of turning their back on the Christ. In the end they can take no more. When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed…

Genesis 27-28, Psalm 11, Matthew 5:13-20, Acts 7:1-38 Acts 7:1-38: This is a long reading—and yet it finishes really in the middle of Stephen’s sermon, so by this reading alone, it’s hard to get a grasp of what he is saying. Tomorrow we’ll look at the second half of the sermon and make more comments about the overall…

Genesis 25-26, Psalm 10, Matthew 5:1-12, Acts 6   Acts 6: We begin with another critically important object lesson that Luke introduces from the story of this gospel expansion in the early church. There was a dispute. The Hellenistic (or Greek speaking and influenced by Greek culture) Jews argued against the Hebraic (or Hebrew speaking and influenced by Hebrew…

Genesis 24, Psalm 9, Matthew 4:18-25, Acts 5:17-42 Acts 5:17-42: Another extraordinary story from the first chapters of Acts! Once again, the apostles and the church face persecution. Luke gives us the reason: the high priest and all the religious leaders were “filled with jealousy.” So often this is the case: when someone is attacked for preaching Christ,…

Genesis 21-23, Psalm 8, Matthew 4:12-17, Acts 5:1-16 Acts 5:1-16: The last of Luke’s three pericopes of the ideal New Testament church comes in the second part of this section we are looking at today (5:12-16). We sometimes think that the flourishing and healthy church can only exist in the midst of easy circumstances, or at least is…

Genesis 18-20, Psalm 7, Matthew 4:1-11, Acts 4:23-37 Acts 4:23-37: There is so much that is important in this passage today. Let us divide it into two main sections. First of all (verses 23-31), we have the believers’ prayer. Note, their response to persecution. First, they get back to their own people. They gather the church. Then they…

Genesis 15-17, Psalm 6, Matthew 3:13-17, Acts 4:1-22 Acts 4:1-22: Another amazing story of God’s power at work through ordinary people. Luke, the author of Acts, is asking us to consider: what could we do for God in dependence upon his Spirit in our own day and age? There are several lessons from this story for us to…