Life for All
Read: Acts 11:1-18 Who was I that I could stand in God’s way? (v. 17) Peter had some explaining to do. When he returned home with news of having baptized Gentiles into the church, some in the church were dismayed. They were Jewish people, after all, and Christianity was the fulfillment of the Jewish faith. […]
Made Clean
Read: Acts 10:9-33 What God has made clean, do not call common. (v. 15) Today we join Peter in prayer on a rooftop in the city. It had been a weary day of travel, and Peter was hungry and tired. I have sometimes wondered if it was his hunger that caused Peter to see a […]
Something like Scales
Read: Acts 9:1-19 Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized. (v. 18) Saul was a main persecutor of the church. He supervised Stephen’s death and made it his personal mission to kill as many Christians as possible. Saul’s extreme zeal was met with […]
New Story, New Life
Read: Acts 6:8-15; 7:54-60 Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. (7:56) The story of Stephen’s death is remarkable, and teaches us much about what following Jesus means. The first recorded martyrdom in the history of the Christian faith, Stephen’s story is a shift […]
Strictly Charged
Read: Acts 5:17-32 We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching . . . (v. 28) The religious authorities were afraid. They had already tried to silence Peter and John and the rest of the apostles by warning them not to spread the name […]
Keeping Some Aside
Read: Acts 5:1-11 You have not lied to man but to God. (v. 4) The story of Ananias and Sapphira is, frankly, terrifying. It’s difficult to grapple with the idea of a God who would strike people dead. Peter was clear about this couple’s offense—it’s not the fact that they kept some of the money […]
Resurrection Economy
Read: Acts 4:32-37 And no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. (v. 32) What would it be like to share everything in common? It’s difficult to imagine offering up all of our money and possessions—and therefore all of our comfort and […]
Threat in the Portico
Read: Acts 4:1-22 By what power or by what name did you do this? (v. 7) The Jewish leaders were sick of hearing the name of Jesus. Before he was crucified, everyone had been talking about him. The more people talked, the more of a threat he seemed. The leaders thought they had solved their […]
A Different Gift
Read: Acts 3:1-10 I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. (v. 6) The man had never been able to walk. Every day, he relied on other people to carry him to and from the Beautiful Gate, and the generosity, or the pity, of people coming into the […]