What is prayer? Most people view prayer as a business transaction with God... but the story of Cornelius and Peter shows us a better way.
Read MoreJesus reconciles even the worst of enemies... but what does that look like? We can learn much from the time the new convert named Saul comes to the Christian leaders in Jerusalem. It was anything but smooth!
Read MoreIs history depending on YOU? That's certainly what the zealous Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus thought. So often, we think our lot in life is to be "God helpers," but when Saul is stopped in his tracks on the road to Damascus, he learns a new way to be in the service of God. Let's learn with him.
Read MoreResurrection Sunday, that is, Easter, is the central and most significant day for Christians in the whole year: our faith stands on the fact of the resurrection, and falls if it didn't happen. Today, we look at the great prayer of Paul in Ephesians 1:17-23, where he prays the implications of the resurrection will come to bear in his friends' lives. If the resurrection actually happen, what does it change for us? Simply, our desires find their true home, and their true goal.
Read MoreOn Palm Sunday we look at Acts 5:17-42, where the Apostles confront the authorities in Jerusalem, in the Temple. No, it's not deja vu, but they ARE doing exactly what Jesus did in Jerusalem after he arrived on Palm Sunday. What this shows us is a picture of following Christ. Jesus intended for his followers to really follow him - even to the point of carrying a cross! What does that mean? Looking at this scene, we consider what life lived in light of the cross is like.
Read MoreIn five short verses, Luke summarizes life among the Apostles and followers of Jesus in striking fashion: some are scared to join, while at the same more people than ever and being added to the Lord. Not to mention... things are very supernatural. Signs, wonders, miracles, even people getting healed by Peter's shadow touching them. What do we make of the miracles, and what do we take from the reaction to them?
Read MoreIs there a more dramatic passage than this? First, the believers seem to be living communally, so dramatically that there is not a "needy person among them." Second, a couple gives a generous gift, but lies about how much the gift cost them, and the Spirit of God instantly strikes them dead. Would it surprise you to hear that all this is a message about... unity?
Read More