Acts 6 - Six Applications from the Seven Servants
Here in Acts 6, we are introduced to the proto-deacons. Let me share six practical applications that we could all apply....
Keep ReadingIn this passage we come to the last of the seven I am statements. Jesus says, “I am the true Vine.” Jesus uses this illustration to teach his disciples what the only way of bearing fruit comes from. Here are two things to notice....
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I am found, WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE. In December of 1772 John Newton started to write the song that is so well known, Amazing Grace. I am not aware of every verse that inspired John Newton to write this song, but I do suspect that John 9 could have been used. If it wasn’t, it is still a very fitting line for the chapter we are studying today. Here are some points....
Today we come to one of the celebrations of Israel that holds much significance for us today. Let’s dive in....
Here in Acts 6, we are introduced to the proto-deacons. Let me share six practical applications that we could all apply....
Keep ReadingPaul and Barnabas had just returned from their first missionary journey and were giving reports to the church in Antioch that had sent them out. In verse 1 of chapter 15 it says, “But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’” This verse is the beginning of a lon...
Keep ReadingToday we are covering Paul’s trip to Macedonia. Many events have taken place in this chapter but, if I can sum it up in one sentence it would be God’s providential plan for our lives is much better than what we can plan. Brian Davis, a pastor at Del Ray Baptist church, in the opening of his sermon on this chapter says, “God often says no to very good things.” Which...
Keep ReadingToday we will be focusing on verses 16-34. Paul is now in Athens, the capital city of Greece. Athens was a city known for its religious idols and devotion, for its intellectualism, and as you can guess its philosophical culture. According to Paul there were many statues of gods and goddesses all around. This was an extremely pagan city that Paul was in. There are a few thi...
Keep ReadingToday we see Paul’s missionary trip to Corinth. It is here where Paul meets the famous Priscilla and Aquila people mentioned a few times in the New Testament. They had come from Italy (shout out to the Loverde’s). What we have in this passage are normal things that we have seen in other passages. We see Paul pleading with the Jewish community, making his case from the ...
Keep ReadingGrowing up in a Pentecostal church, many times people would refer to the miracles of Paul where they would take his handkerchiefs or aprons and touch other people with it to be healed. Which is what we see in this chapter. They would try to reenact those very things. There are two issues with that; Firstly, Paul and the twelve disciples had apostolic authority that was giv...
Keep ReadingHas there ever been a time where you had to say goodbye to a person you would never see again? The emotions that come with that are overwhelming, and that is what we find in verses 17-36. Paul is being led by the Holy Spirit to return to Jerusalem and he calls the Ephesian elders to come meet him at Miletus. Keep in mind that from the time that Jesus departed from the disc...
Keep ReadingToday we read about one of the most consequential moments in the history of the church – the conversion of Paul. However, I want to consider several other aspects of this chapter that surround the main story that may serve as an encouragement to you....
Keep ReadingLet’s consider five applications from this bitter-sweet passage about the first martyr....
Keep ReadingToday we read the chilling account of the death of two members of the early church. There are several aspects that I would like to note that will hopefully bring both clarity and comfort. First, notice that Ananias and Sapphira both had opportunities to repent. Ananias could have come clean as he was presenting the money to Peter. And in verse 8 Peter also he asked Saphira...
Keep ReadingToday we read about the arrest of Peter and John, which was fallout from the preaching and teaching that resulted from the healing of the lame man in chapter 3. It seems to me that most of the attention in this chapter typically goes to either the beginning section regarding the boldness of the apostles or the conclusion regarding the unity of the church. But, I want to ac...
Keep ReadingToday our text contains a pretty straightforward event with no theological curveballs or complexities. So, let’s get super practical with three points of application from this passage....
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