Acts 13:44-14:7 The mission work of Paul and Barnabas sounds a lot like a roller coaster to me. Sometimes, many people responded with faith, and there was much rejoicing. Other times, many people resisted and drove the apostles out of the city. Maybe a better metaphor would be to say that the mission work of Paul and Barnabas was a war, a spiritual war. This metaphor might be taken the wrong way, and it might seem to suggest that the... Read more
Acts 13:26-43 How patient are you? How long do you think it’s reasonable to wait for something to happen that’s supposed to happen? In our contemporary world, we’re used to having things happen immediately, or certainly the same day. If certain people e-mail you and you don’t get back to them within the day, you’re late. With others, if not within the hour you’re late. It kinda bothers me to see people ignoring the people next to them and shoving... Read more
Acts 13:13-25 Tucked inconspicuously in today’s lesson, off in the very edges of the picture, we see an incident in the life of a young man. The lesson has 2 main foci, both of which are rather large objects. The first is the continuing missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, as they make their way Cyprus to the heart of Asia Minor. The second is Paul’s re-telling of God’s dealing with His people from the Exodus until John the Baptist.... Read more
Acts 12:25-13:12 The proconsul Sergius Paulus believed. He believed because he had seen what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. What he saw was a sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, or Elymas, blinded by Paul when he said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the... Read more
Acts 12:25-13:12 The proconsul Sergius Paulus believed. He believed because he had seen what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. What he saw was a sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, or Elymas, blinded by Paul when he said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the... Read more
Acts 12:1-24 There are many ways to re-tell the story of Acts 12, but I’d like to tell it as a kind of a fairy tale, even though it is a true one. Once upon a time, there was an Evil King who tried to usurp the throne of the True King. This Evil King had once been a loyal subject of the True King, but one day he had decided that he should really be the one who was... Read more
Acts 11:19-30 Now is a good time to celebrate the life and ministry of St. Barnabas. Although Luke does not devote extended passages to him, as he does to both Peter and Paul, Barnabas figures prominently in the Acts of the Apostles. In fact, aside from Peter or Paul, there is more about Barnabas than anyone else. Stephen gets a long chapter and part of another chapter, and Philip gets most of a chapter about him. But Barnabas is mentioned... Read more
Acts 11:1-18 What is your response when God blesses others? Sometimes, we find it difficult to rejoice when others rejoice because we may think that for some reason it’s not right. When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the mother church, those of the circumcision were not pleased with what Peter had to say. “Those of the circumcision” were the Jews who believed that Gentiles had to become Jews to be saved, by being circumcised and keeping the Law. They had the... Read more
Acts 10:34-48 And so the miracle of Pentecost continues. Pentecost was not only a day of God’s visitation but also the ongoing reality of the spread of His kingdom. In this passage, Peter connects what the Father has done through the Son with what the Son has done through the Spirit and what the Son continues to do through the Spirit. To Peter, all of these aspects are essential and should be presented as part of the gospel. Though undoubtedly... Read more
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Tuesday of 3rd Sunday after Trinity – Acts 14:8-18
Acts 14:8-18 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4). The power and the glory of God are manifest in His creation and His work in men’s lives. But often we miss... Read more