Firsts

“Firsts” are memorable. I remember the first day at my first job, my first kiss with the beautiful lady who would become my wife, and seeing each of our children for the first time.

Pentecost is about firsts. Pentecost (Pentēkostē – “the fiftieth day”) is the Greek name for the Feast of First Fruits (also Feast of Weeks/Harvest, compare Leviticus 23:9-22) which occurred 50 days after the first grain offering from the harvest. It is also the commemoration of the first coming of God’s Holy Spirit on each of the disciples which occurred 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Modelling Conflict Resolution

Read Reflect I wish I could have been there at the so-called Jerusalem Council! I would have liked to hear just how they all interacted with the issues and each other. What Luke does tell us about the meeting can help churches in our day work through conflict. They took time to gather the facts. […]

Momentarily Immobilized

The disciples are momentarily immobilized. Jesus has just given them a monumental command, one that, seemingly, has no limits.

“Tell everyone about me,” he says. And by everyone, he means everyone in the world – not just Judea, which is home to his disciples. Not even just Samaria, which is hardly home, but at least nearby.

Dilemma Resolved

Years ago, when I was working as a Campus Minister in Berkeley, California, my team faced a dilemma. We needed a leader for a small group of students and a young man’s name was proposed who did not seem experienced enough for the task.

My team prayed over this dilemma and, one by one, each came to the same decision:

A Repeating Mystery

Did you know that the largest student movement in the world is comprised of followers of Jesus? Spanning more than 154 countries, this movement is diverse in size, ethnicity, culture and language.

Called the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, this movement is just one of the many ways Peter’s sermon and Joel’s prophecy has been realized in our world.

Boring? Never!

Lived in its fullest and most rewarding way, the Christian life ought never to be boring. Rather, it ought to be full of adventure, joy and peace … and also hardship, sacrifice and risk.

As he finishes his Day of Pentecost sermon in Jerusalem, Peter wants his listeners to understand the depth and breadth of life with Jesus.

Read More promises, God’s faithfulness

“Don’t miss this!”

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!

God to the Rescue

The 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.

God at Work to Heal

Read 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, evidence

“But How Can This Be?”

Have 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, sign