Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he…
Change of Plans
Acts 9:1-9 Adversity comes into our lives for God-given reasons. Some are little trials to test our faith, and some so amazingly hard that we can hardly stand it. Yet, God is in control. But at times, it doesn’t feel like it. Think of 9/11. How can anyone even imagine planning something like that? Was…
Is Anything too Hard for God?
But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:40 I can’t imagine the feeling that Philip was experiencing. He goes from an amazing mission trip in Samaria, to an amazing God directed trip for a single Ethiopian in the desert, and then,…
Reading. Understanding. Obedience.
Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge…
Sincere or Misguided?
But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” And they heeded him because he had…
Boldness Makes a Difference
Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and…
Are You Willing to Pray?
Now Saul was consenting to his [Stephen’s] death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he…
The Question of Wisdom & the Preciousness of God’s Word
The older I get (or I could say the further into life I get) the more I realize how often I struggle to know the best thing to do when confronted with a dilemma. I’m daily confronted with scenarios, largely but not completely, provided by my offspring which can leave me wondering how to handle…
Carnal Christianity
There is nothing worse than a carnal religious person. When a believer succumbs to sinful thinking, she or he leaves themselves vulnerable to much worse things if confession and repentance do not follow.
Deacons, Boldness, & Meekness
This chapter has haunted me for a couple of weeks as I have attempted many times to write about it… Being a deacon is not a position of power, or of influence… It’s about ministering and being a godly example.
The Beautiful Spirit 