Acts 6:1-7 I’ve known it already, but it always strikes me nicely that the Greek widows were complaining and that the deacons chosen all had Greek names. But further today I noticed that (it may have been that) the apostles stepped back from that decision. The apostles had said, “Therefore, brethren, select from among you… …
Monthly Archives: January 2020
January 21 / Acts 5:33-42
Acts 5:33-42 Gamaliel said it all – vv. 35-39! My main reflection is to our current state of affairs at St. Andrew’s and the difficulties from the past year. If the Lord is with us, we will move on and succeed and grow! My only other comment is that the Council’s beatings and commands do …
January 20 / Acts 5:22-32
Acts 5:22-32 The high priest’s speaking: We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. (v. 28) You know what’s strange here – two phrases: “this name” and “this man’s blood”. The high priest is …
January 19 / Acts 5:17-21
Acts 5:17-21 So, yesterday I got ahead of myself – What does it take for the Jewish leaders to believe? All these signs and wonders and healings taking place – that’s a good thing, right? But the leaders have the apostles arrested. Why? Verse 17b tells us that they were “filled with jealousy”! JEALOUSY??!! What …
January 18 / Acts 5:12-16
Acts 5:12-16 What does it take for the Jewish leaders to believe? All these signs and wonders and healings taking place – that’s a good thing, right? But I’m getting ahead of the readings – that’s for tomorrow! None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. (v. 13). …
January 17 / Acts 5:1-11
Acts 5:1-11 Ananias and Sapphira – a sad story… I’m sure a lot of money sermons could be preached on this incident – for example, how much of our “proceeds” are we keeping back? But it’s not the “keeping back” that got Ananias and Sapphira in trouble, it was their lying about it, presumably to …
January 16 / Acts 4:32-37
Acts 4:32-37 Today’s reading is the second “transition section” that we have seen in Acts. The first was at the end of Chapter 2. In these transition sections time passes, but we don’t know how much. So it could have been that Peter and John appeared before the Council in the first few weeks after …
January 15 / Acts 4:23-31
Acts 4:23-31 …to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. (v. 28) Every time I run into some “predestination” item I wonder about predestination and choice and free will. My Study Bible, not a fan of absolute predestination, argued against any notion that the Lord had put it into the …
January 14 / Acts 4:13-22
Acts 4:13-22 One of my favorite Scripture verses: …for we cannot help but speak of the things that we have seen and heard. (v. 20) That was my “go to” verse from my classroom days. I would irregularly quote Scripture in class whenever verses popped into my head (appropriately into my lecture!). And I never …
January 13 / Acts 4:5-12
Acts 4:5-12 I’ve long imagined Peter and John before this gathering, standing together in a large room facing the many rulers, elders and scribes – but I’ve never imagined the healed man standing there with them! Verse 3 says “they arrested them” – must have been all three. Verse 7 says they “set them in …