Church Blog (Page 11)

One of the saddest and most poignant verses in all the Bible is found in today’s reading. As Paul reasoned with Felix about “righteousness, self-control, and the judgment come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go your way for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” It should be noted that Felix was not some incidental bystander to the preaching of the faith that is in Christ, for he had summonsed Paul to hear him speak.…

Standing before the Jewish council, Paul boldly affirmed, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” In response, the high priest commanded Paul to be struck on the mouth. I’m not at all certain why his statement evoked such a response. Paul was not claiming to be right, only a person of integrity. Our focus today is on Paul’s clear conscience, and for the very reason mentioned above. Having a good conscience didn’t…

In his Pentecost sermon in Acts 2, Peter concluded his quotation of Joel with this statement, “And it shall come to pass, that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21, cf Joel 2:32). Paul said the same in Romans 10:13, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Among those professing Christianity, there is near unanimity that to be saved one must “call on the name of the Lord.” But…

One of the beautiful things about inspired literature is the forthrightness to faithfully represent the characters therein, warts and all. Noah was a great man and upright in his generation, but after the flood we find him drunk in his tent. Abraham is called “the father of faith,” yet we find him so faithless that he conspired to have Sarah lie about their relationship… twice! Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived (Jesus aside – Matt 12:42), yet he…

Desiring to exhort the brethren, but unwilling to deviate from his travel plans, Paul called for the elders of the church at Ephesus to meet him at Miletus (v 17). Near the end of his exhortation, Paul commanded these men to “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood” (v 28 NKJV). The word here rendered as…

There is an increase in the number of those who believe that one’s baptism is acceptable to God so long as it is an immersion in order to please God. One’s understanding of what the Bible teaches concerning baptism and its necessity to receive remission of sins and salvation is no longer considered a hindrance to fellowship and life in Christ. This is a serious mistake, and today’s reading helps us to know this. In Acts 18:24-28, we learn that…

Today’s blog title is a well-known adage that doesn’t get much “play” in modern society. Kicking a person when he’s down is standard operating procedure today. The Jews in today’s reading would have done well to observe this practice (or non-practice), as it may have led one of their own to be more willing to leave their fold. In Acts 18 we read of the conversion of Crispus, who served as the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth (v 8).…

A local preacher friend told a story some years back, and I believe it was told as a personal account, of encountering a man one day who requested to be baptized. This sort of request doesn’t happen often, so the preacher made inquiry as to the reason for the blunt request. The man responded that he had been reading his Bible and believed he needed to be baptized in order to be saved. However, not knowing which baptism was the…

One of the most well-known statements in Acts 16 and the conversion of Lydia and her household. In verse 14, the text says, “The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” Lydia is the only hearer mentioned in the text as having her heart opened, yet all the women present are spoken of as being baptized following the teaching of Paul. Question: did the Lord operate directly on Lydia’s heart, or did He use means, that…

In Acts 15 we find the first real doctrinal threat to the young and thriving church. Many of the leading Jews, including some converts among the Pharisees, were not content with God’s simple plan to save. Instead, they sought to bring in some of the Old Law as a means of exercising some control over the new Gentile converts. Such men are commonly called “Judaizers.” Unconvinced by the arguments of Paul and Barnabas, the brethren sent them to Jerusalem to have…