Nicky Gumbel, the Rector of Holy Trinity Brompton Anglican church in London says, “Movements grow from the intersection of a personal story and circumstances.” It’s true, isn’t it? Movements cannot be explained in any other way. They do not begin without an extraordinary individual but that person must come at just the right time and under the right set of circumstances that make change possible. It’s interesting to watch the movement growing around Donald Trump right now. Conditions and personality are in perfect alignment. Erik Erikson in his book titled “Young Man Luther” said this, “Ideological leaders, so it seems, are subject to excessive fears which they can master only…

1.  Nothing ever seems to be easy in Paul’s life. Every journey is punctuated by hardship, opposition, riots, persecution, and obstacles of all kinds. I have a friend who reminds me of Paul. None of us will travel with her because the unimaginable always happens. One year she planned a trip to China to attend a conference and somehow instead of taking a plane that was going in that direction she boarded a plane going in the opposite direction. You know how these things tend to cascade with one mistake leading to another. She ended up spending five days on planes and only made the final day of her conference…

Last week we looked at Paul’s accommodation to the Council in Jerusalem – James, Peter and the other apostles and elders. Rather than confront them he agrees to take four men to the Temple for the rites of purification. As the elders say, “Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.” Paul takes them to the Temple and then waits almost seven days in Jerusalem with no incidents. But then there is a sudden storm and that is where we pick up this morning. Let’s look at the story from several perspectives – the…

1.  The first several chapters of Acts are about the earliest disciples – especially Peter, Stephen and Phillip. After that, the focus is on Peter and then in chapter 13 the emphasis shifts almost completely to Paul and the expansion of the early church. As we’ve seen before, it is the church that adapts which thrives and the church at Jerusalem that begins to shrink and grow in on itself. It finds it hard to grow out of its Jewish limitations while Paul is constantly innovating and finding ways to present the Gospel to new audiences. It’s always hard to change – especially for founders. Paul’s influence with Gentiles is…

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through…

This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” As you know, we’ve been on vacation so I’ve not had a chance to look at the news. Is anything happening? It seemed pretty slow to me but I probably missed something over the last couple of weeks. Yes, I’m kidding. When I thought about all that is going on…

You know the old saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never harm me.” For some of us with a particular kind of pride, it’s the opposite that is true. We would rather be beaten than to look foolish or ignorant or to fail in public. The fear of humiliation is worse than that of physical harm. Not everyone understands it. Just those afflicted with it. It’s common among speakers, teachers, pastors, intellectuals and professors. Give me sticks and stones any day. Maybe Paul had a bit of that as he had no qualms recounting how he had been abused physically. But as this chapter opens…

As Luke tells us, after Paul’s conversion he spends two years in Arabia and then a year in Damascus and Tarsus before Barnabas is sent to look for him and bring him to Antioch where they spend a year teaching until they are commissioned as missionaries. Together, they spend the next ten years traveling and planting churches. They periodically return to Antioch to give reports of their hardships and their success. Throughout those ten years Paul has run-ins and struggles with Jewish believers (the Judaizers) who insist that new believers be circumcised and follow the dietary laws. So, at the end of ten years or fourteen years after his conversion,…

After Paul’s conversion, he spent three years in Arabia, Damascus and Tarsus until Barnabas went to look for him and brought him to Antioch where together they taught great numbers of people for a whole year. Afterwards, they were set apart and sent off on their first journey. The audiences were mixed, Jewish and Gentile, until we come to the passage this morning where Paul speaks to his first completely Gentile audience. They are not sophisticated like the Athenians but no doubt Paul begins as he usually does. He begins with where they are and their frame of reference. But this time he is totally surprised by the results. Acts…