Author: Norm

SCRIPTURE: Acts 4:32-37 “No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32) This is one of the greatest miracles of Jesus. What is raising the dead compared to making people give up their possessions and share with others? Making or raising a body is nothing to God,…

SCRIPTURE: Acts 4:23-31 “Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” (Acts 4:29) What would we pray for when we are threatened because of our faith? (Honestly, most Christian today would pray for safety, not boldness). I have prayed for more boldness when things were safe, and I was hesitant. But to pray for more…

SCRIPTURE: Acts 4:13-22 “They were unschooled, ordinary men…” (Acts 4:13) Jesus delights in making the ordinary extraordinary! Are these the same men that denied Jesus a weeks earlier? Why caused these guys to change… “these men had been with Jesus!” (Acts 4:13) I finished a biography of another extraordinary man, a man of deep, sincere prayer. Not ‘prayer’ in…

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 127 Unless the Lord builds… the builders labor in vain… (Psalm 127:1) What is my house or city falls, if I don’t have kids, or can’t sleep? Does this mean God is not for me, God is not blessing me? Or if my church is not growing, is it because God is not building with us?…

SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 9-10 “For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:33) We serve a gracious God, Who seeks the good of many, that they may be saved. Paul was blessed by this grace, he knows he is loved, forgiven, accepted, restored. This amazing grace…

SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 6-8 “I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:35) Paul is not being bossy or demanding, like an autocratic leader. His words about lawsuits, sexual immorality, marriage, divorce, singleness, and food sacrificed to idols…

SCRIPTURE: Acts 4:1-12 “Called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame…” (Acts 4:9) Their crime is an act of kindness. Oh that church today would be more guilty of this crime. What crimes are churches accused of today? We need to learn from the criminals of our day, we…

SCRIPTURE: Acts 3:11-26 “Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything.” (Acts 3:21) Peter and John’s boldness is in stark contrast to their fear before Jesus died. Jesus is alive, Jesus is in heaven… either they’re nuts, or they’re telling the truth. They are not just on fire about ‘forgiveness’ or ‘going…

SCRIPTURE: Acts 3:1-10 “Silver or gold I do not have… in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts 3:6) Someone observed that these are two things Christians can’t say anymore. They meant it as a criticism, how we have become worldly and weak. “But what I do have I give you.” (Acts 3:6) This is the key…

SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:42-47 “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” (Acts 2:46) These people did not start a church, this was a community on fire! They were bonded together by faith, hope and love, and it was contagious. How many churches today reflect this kind of connection? Assuming that your church does not…