Acts 16:25-40 I want to know something. I have one question I’d like to ask St. Paul today. I demand an answer. “How were you able to be singing hymns to God at midnight, having been falsely accused, thrown into a Roman jail, and having your feet fastened in the stocks? I want to know how you got from “Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks” to “But... Read more
Acts 16:16-24 Never forget that you are in a spiritual battle and that a formidable array of evil allies is camped around you, standing at attention for the moment of battle when they will pounce on you as their prey. There I was, come into the important city of Philippi, come to bring the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the Greeks. We went on the Sabbath to the place of prayer by the river and there... Read more
Acts 16:6-15 Have you ever had the feeling of déjà vu? That feeling that you’ve experienced something before? Here, again, in the book of Acts, I’m struck by the fact that I want to treat every word and phrase of God’s Word as the food of God. I want to take it, chew it, savor it, swallow, digest, until it becomes a part of me and I am made healthy and whole. Have you ever had the feeling of déjà... Read more
Acts 15:36-16:5 Quick – what’s the #1 task of the Church? Many Christians and many churches would say, without missing a beat, “Evangelism” or “winning souls.” Who can argue with that? I remember my oldest brother having a conversation with a young man about evangelism. This young man argued that evangelism was the most important thing we could do because it was the one thing we could do on earth but not in heaven. My brother thought a moment, turned... Read more
Acts 15:36-16:5 Quick – what’s the #1 task of the Church? Many Christians and many churches would say, without missing a beat, “Evangelism” or “winning souls.” Who can argue with that? I remember my oldest brother having a conversation with a young man about evangelism. This young man argued that evangelism was the most important thing we could do because it was the one thing we could do on earth but not in heaven. My brother thought a moment, turned... Read more
Acts 15:22-35 How do you behave when problems occur, especially with difficult people? Though the Acts of the Apostles wasn’t written to be a textbook on sociology or a self-help book on how to win friends and influence people, we can learn a lot by observing how the early church behaved. I, for one, am glad they weren’t perfect. Not only would that be intimidating, but being a woefully imperfect person, it would also be harder for me to learn... Read more
The similarities between the words of St. James and those of his brother, Jesus Read more
Acts 15:1-12 “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they” (Acts 15:11). As Christians, this eternal truth is well known, as is its importance to everyone. And yet these wonderful words have particular meaning today, as we recognize that they are the last recorded words of St. Peter. We’ll never know what his last words were, or those of any of the apostles, but we do... Read more
Acts 14:19-28 “They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city” (Acts 14:19). Luke doesn’t make it clear that this is a miracle by which Paul was resuscitated. But the passage is suspiciously flavored with the continuing work of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit in His Body. Is it mere coincidence that it was when the disciples were... Read more
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Friday of 4th Sunday after Trinity – Acts 17:1-15
Acts 17:1-15 “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). We had our fair share of arguments in the Erlandson household growing up. I remember there were a lot in particular with my twin brother, Danny. These were particularly galling because he would usually win the argument, even if he was wrong and he knew it. ... Read more