February 10 / Acts 10:17-23

Acts 10:17-23 In an unworthy, hastily written post late yesterday I remarked on the “voice” (Acts 10:13, 15), with a comment that it was a “voice”, not an angel or the Holy Spirit. Today we correct that observation. Today’s reading specifically says …the Spirit said to him… (v. 19). Interestingly the delegation from Cornelius tells …

February 8 / Acts 10:1-8

Acts 10:1-8 An item from yesterday, repeated today… Yesterday’s Acts 9:43 and today’s verse 6 noted that Peter was staying in Joppa with “Simon, a tanner”. My Study Bible noted that a tanner would have regularly dealt with the skins of dead animals and therefore would have been unclean and rejected by “devout” Jews. Peter’s …

February 7 / Acts 9:31-43

Acts 9:31-43 My Study Bible pointed out that Jesus had brought three people back from death – Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5), the only son of a widow (Luke 7), and Lazarus (John 11). But there is one item particularly significant in Peter’s raising Dorcas – before Peter spoke and Dorcas awakened, Peter knelt down and …

February 4 / Acts 9:1-9

Acts 9:1-9 I have often joked that Saul’s conversion was easier than mine. Paul was knocked from his horse. (Really? Yeah, maybe not in the text, but check out the hundreds of paintings of Saul’s conversion!) And Jesus identified Himself and spoke directly to him! It took a young man named Jim 3-1/2 years to …

February 2 / Acts 8:14-25

Acts 8:14-25 Yesterday I suggested that we list Simon the Sorcerer as a believer and see what follows in the next reading. Well, the next reading, itself, is mixed. First Peter condemns Simon for wanting to buy “Holy Spirit power”. Then Simon apparently “repents” and asks for prayer that Peter’s condemnation not fall on him. …

February 1 / Acts 8:4-13

Acts 8:4-13 We were talking in our Men’s Group recently about healing. I asked/wondered why we saw all these miraculous healings in the 1st century church, but we see fewer miraculous healings today. There followed a lengthy discussion, the most of which I recall as the “miracle of modern medicine”, which did not satisfy me …