Urgency and drama have always grabbed the headlines and today’s reading from Acts begs to be shouted out: “Jesus is our Messiah!”
Imagine for a moment stumbling across a game changer about everything in the way you approach life. That’s the shock and awe we find being communicated by Peter as he demands a hearing to explain why the biggest news maker of his audience’s world, Jesus, is no longer dead!
Read More Holy Spirit, good news, game changerThe response to Peter’s message about the death and resurrection of Jesus was dramatic. “What shall we do?” asked his hearers. “Turn back to God,” Peter replied. “Your sins will be forgiven.”
With this story, Luke tells his audience that the long-awaited day has arrived.
Read More repentance, love, behaviour, resurrection, mission, momentumRead Reflect “I won’t believe it until I see it.” When journalists explore people’s encounters with God, experiential evidence that God is real – testimony – is not hard to find. God leaves a history and traces of his presence behind in people’s lives. In the book of Acts, Luke gives us a sequel to […]
Read More history, resurrection, evidenceHave you ever pondered the miracle of wireless internet? How does it work? As a journalist from the Boomer Generation, I pride myself on being an early adapter of technology when it’s helpful. Today we pay bills, send documents, and access the latest news from around the world with only an invisible network connection – no cables. Amazing.
Read More Messiah, healing, forgiveness, signI have never been in prison, but before the sun sets today many more followers of Jesus will join millions who have been jailed, tortured, and killed because of their faith. This tragic reality hit home for me again when I produced an episode of CONTEXT called Believers Under Fire. We profiled the growing persecution of Christians around the world.
Read More suffering, prayer, blessing, persecutionI remember once seeing a button that read, “If all the world’s a stage, then I want better lighting.” The first disciples had a different perspective. This world is the theatre for God’s glory. And God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. That was Peter and John’s experience.
Luke gives us a snapshot of how they reacted under pressure.
Read More pressure, courage, boldness, powerImagine you adventured alongside Peter and John in the first century. Jesus spoke with you after his resurrection. You were there when Peter and John healed the broken body of a poor beggar in Jesus’ name. But that healing created such an uproar that you were jailed by authorities and told never to speak about Jesus again. You decided to disregard their warning, take the risk, and obey God instead.
Read More obedience, witness, discernment, missionAs a journalist, I love stories. One reason why I enjoy reading the Bible is because I discover in its pages the stories that the first Christians told about themselves. What did it mean for them to follow Jesus in everyday life? How were Christians different from others in their culture? Luke has begun to paint a picture that I recognize, and yet some details puzzle me.
Read More family, Temple, generosity, sharingOn the Day of Pentecost God’s Spirit began renovating the human heart and restoring human society. God was creating a new covenant community with Jesus in the centre and God’s love radiating outward in all directions. As Charles Moore writes, the first Christians didn’t just invite Jesus into their hearts and begin attending church in Jerusalem.
Read More Temple, holinessFor me, reading the Book of Acts is like listening to the movements of a majestic symphony. Following an entire symphony from beginning to end is very different than hearing a just a few bars or sound bites played out of context.
Before going much further, consider taking some time to read through the entire book of Acts in two or three sittings.
Read More power, witness, resurrection