Okay, so if I get the opportunity to explain the gospel to a new believer, what do I say? Where do I start? Perhaps you think you need to testify to your own experience of grace, telling about how God has changed your life in a profound way. But Paul…

It would be harder to find a clearer contrast. On the one hand, we have the selfless church at Antioch, earnestly seeking God’s will through worship and prayer and fasting (13:2-3). And when the Holy Spirit spoke to them, they were willing to share some of the gifted leaders that…

Leaders who strut around, basking in the glory of power. Hungry crowds begging for sustenance from the government, and willing to follow anyone who would feed them. These things are as old as the Roman Empire and as new as this morning’s headlines. And it’s easy for Christians to get…

I suppose we’ve all prayed to God in desperate ways during desperate times. And those of us who trust the Lord Jesus know in our minds that nothing is too hard for Him. But are we really expecting Him to do something amazing, perhaps even something miraculous for us? Or…

How can the Church share the gospel across ethnic and cultural lines? Verse 19 makes it clear that many of the early Christians were asking that question, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ at first only with those who shared their Jewish culture. But by the end of the…

Bible Reading for March 20 – Acts 11:1-18 We Presbyterians are famously fond of doing things the same old way. But what happens when God might be calling us to make a change? How can we know what is the right thing to do? That was the situation that faced…

What should American Christians think of those who belong to different cultures? As people from all over the world stream to our shores in huge numbers, this is not merely an academic question. Should we retreat into our holy huddles, as the Church seems to be all too fond of…

Cornelius had many reasons to be proud. As a centurion, a commander of around 100 Roman soldiers, he was accustomed to being in command. As a Roman citizen, he was accustomed to having his rights acknowledged everywhere he went. As someone who gave generous gifts to the people of his…

“Okay, so the apostles did miracles back in Bible times. Big deal. Where’s my miracle today?” Perhaps you’ve wondered about that, especially when reading passages such as this. For it’s obvious that Peter was doing exactly the same kinds of miracles that Jesus did – the parallels are just too…

We’ve all heard evangelists tell their stories of dramatic transformation – how Christ suddenly converted them from their selfish depravity to a holy life devoted to mission work. And we might be intimidated by such stories, either if we never remember a time when we didn’t trust in Christ or…