Paul’s Trials You remember where we left Paul last week? He was standing on the steps of the Roman barracks and had received permission from the commander to speak to the angry mob. He raised his hand and there was, as Luke says, “a great silence” as they wait for Paul to speak. What does he say? “I am a Jew” and then he tells his story. Nothing happens until he says, “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” That ignited them and they began to scream, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live.” Eric Hoffer wrote in…

Two of the most powerful rivers in the world – the Thompson and the Fraser – meet and join in British Columbia. The train from Vancouver to Banff runs along the ridge high above the exact spot where they merge and you can look down and watch them join. The actual term is “confluence” when two bodies of water meet – like the tip of South America or Africa. What’s unique about these two rivers is one is salt and the other fresh water. One is clear and the other filled with brown sediment it has carried along its course – which makes their meeting a place of invisible but…

We’ve looked at new believers in Ephesus and the difference between the baptism of John and being baptized in the name of Jesus. The results of that baptism in the name of Jesus must have spread around the city of Ephesus – not just the Christian community but the Jewish community as well. “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would…

There is a pattern in the ministry of Paul and Barnabas that is similar to that of Jesus. They enter a town without a great deal of fanfare. This is not a crusade with an advance team that has been building support and awareness for months before they arrive. There are no posters or media blitz. No organizing committee. No stadiums reserved or churches organized to get out the crowds. Until Jesus enters Jerusalem to the praise of the crowds along the way there is very little notice of his coming and going. It is the same with Paul and Barnabas. They arrive on foot and unaccompanied. They check in…

Many of the books in the Bible have what we call hinge points or places where things change in a significant way and history takes a turn. In Genesis that was  the calling of Abraham to leave his home. In Exodus it would be the calling of Moses. In Luke it is that moment when Jesus turns his face toward Jerusalem. In the ministry of Paul it is this chapter for a number of reasons. It is the first missionary journey. It is the first miracle of Saul. It is where Saul becomes Paul. It is our only account of a full sermon of Paul’s Most importantly, it is the…

Without a doubt, this is the most important conversion in the New Testament. We don’t really think about the disciples converting, do we? There are other dramatic conversions like Cornelius and his family, the Philippian jailer and his family as well as Lydia, a magician and others. However, this conversion is so central to the history of the church that it is told 4 times – 3 in Acts and once in Galatians. In a sense, it has become the model that is first in our minds when we talk about conversion. It is a radical reversal of a life. But, it is only one story and should not be…

1. “And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” Try to imagine 5,000 people meeting one day and the next there are only 12. Everyone else has left. Moved out and leaving everything behind. That is the picture here. It is like what…

1.  The lesson for this morning is Acts 2 and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It’s difficult to understand the meaning of Pentecost (Greek for 50th day) unless we look first at the chapter that precedes it. What is the context of the 50th day? While there were a number of feasts and festivals in the life of Jews, there were three main solemn feasts in Jewish life for which every adult male we required to make the trip to Jerusalem. The first was Passover, the second was the Feast of Weeks seven weeks later and, third, in the fall the Feast of Tabernacles. To each of…

A few years ago a very valuable missing painting was found. It had been used by the unknowing owner for wrapping fish. That’s how I feel about this story in a way. Why would such an extraordinary and pivotal account in the history of God and man be used to explain why Jews do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip? It makes me wonder how many other stories are being used to wrap fish and when we unroll them we are surprised and delighted at the irony of God to take something so precious and use it for such a common purpose. The beginning of…

Jacob’s life is, like ours, marked by transitions from one stage to another. First, there is the transition from a young man settled in a family to being on the run.  Second, there is the transition to the challenges of marriage and family. This morning we are looking at the transition from years of working in difficult circumstances to success and going out on his own by leaving Laban. If there is one thread that is consistent in the life of Jacob it is this promise from God: “I will be with you.” At every point of change in his life, he hears that from God. He may not know…