Now that he has met Jesus face to face, Saul's entire outlook on scripture and Jesus has changed. He now begins preaching Jesus as the Messiah to the very people he used to work with, and twice they try to kill him. He heads for the Jerusalem believers and they aren't so sure either. Only one guy, an encourager named Barnabas takes him in.
Guest Preacher Brooks Simpson (Grace Community Church, North Liberty, IA) joins us with a message from Mark 11 on how Jesus is not the king we all want, but he is the king we need.
Peter and the other apostles find themselves back in front of the Sanhedrin, this time as a full group, and they are in danger. The Sanhedrin has decided to kill all 12 of them because they continue to preach in Jesus’ name, even though they were told not to. The only thing that keeps them alive is a Pharisee named Gamaliel who has a better idea… do nothing.
Today we zoom out from the text of Acts for a Sunday, and ask the question, "How do we handle our suffering when we're one of the crippled people who didn't get healed that day?" How do you biblically process watching God answer the prayers you pray – but for other people? What can you hold on to in those moments to keep you from getting tossed around?
As the cross looms large in Jesus' story, he sits down to a much anticipated dinner with his disciples – the Passover meal – a story full of rich history and remembering, a meal full of significance and joy, a meal full of promise and hope – a meal he leaves unfinished.
God promises us a way out of temptation, but makes no such promise when it comes to suffering. But he doesn’t run from us or watch us suffer from a distance - he enters into our suffering, even giving us the words to say when we can’t work up the prayer on our own
Jesus drills the whole conversation about being prepared for his return to three simple but powerful words: Repent or Perish.
The greatest question you will ever answer in your lifetime is not “who are you?” It’s not “Will you marry me?” And it’s not “Does this dress make me look fat?” The greatest question you will ever answer is one from the lips of Jesus himself: “Who do you say that I am?”
Jesus announces that his mission is to bring good news to the poor (the outcast, the disenfranchised, the disadvantaged, those on the outside looking in.... and it still is.
Sometimes it appears that evil gets to have a field day, while those who are trying to do what's right get trampled. Is it worth the effort to be a Christian?