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…
Let it begin in me
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…
Seeing beyond tears
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 126 “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” (Psalm 126:5) What causes tears but things that are wrong, bad, unfair or hurtful. There’s something wrong if someone won’t weep at injustice, grief or tragedy. Tears are universal, a natural response to our messed up world. “Blessed are those who mourn, for…
Getting rid of sin
SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 4-5 “Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7) Today is actually Passover, so this verse is fitting. Paul refers to the spiritual meaning of Passover: getting rid of the sin that ruins us. As…
Only servants
SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 1-3 “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words.” (1 Corinthians 2:4) As a preacher, I often feel the pressure to perform like a super preacher. The kind that draw the crowds, move people to respond, write books and sign them. Well, maybe not that far, but I do feel like a…
Cleansing mercy
SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:37-41 “Repent and be baptized…” (Acts 2:38) This is Peter’s answer to the question “what shall we do?” To repent is to turn back to God, to come clean before God. To be baptized is to passively receiving God’s gracious forgiveness and mercy. We have turned this into a formula, an official ceremony into salvation….
King of kings, Lord of lords
SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:29-36 “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” (Acts 2:36) Jesus is the promised messiah, Who will save us and restore God’s kingdom. Jesus is also the restored Adam, Lord of creation (Genesis 1:26-28). He is King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14, we are the kings and lords). We…
God: The failed hypothesis? (1)
(The following QA was hosted in Huffington Post, August 26, 2013) How would you respond to Dr. Stenger? Victor John Stenger, PhD (1935-2014), was an American particle physicist, outspoken atheist, author, philosopher, and a popular religious skeptic. He published twelve books for general audiences on physics, quantum mechanics, cosmology, philosophy, religion, atheism, and pseudoscience. His 2007 book God:…
Death defeated!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:22-28 “It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:24) Why was it impossible for death to keep it’s hold on Jesus? It was not because He was God (a common misunderstanding). Yes, God becomes humans, but while on earth Jesus of Nazareth was a man. Death could not hold Him…
God-incidents!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:14-21 “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Acts 2:21, Joel 2:32) Something dramatic has just happened, but this is not what matters. It’s the meaning behind it: that God is reaching out to people. Since God is invisible to us, He works through the things around us. Miracles, dramatic…