Have you ever had a failure in your Christian walk or ministry that left you second-guessing yourself?In Acts 12, we were introduced to "John, also called Mark" (Acts 12:12). His mother, Mary, had a h...  Read More

One of the major themes of the Book of Acts is to show how the inherently Jewish church had become Gentile. Luke does this by showing that Israel repeatedly confirmed their rejection of the Messiah. T...  Read More

No event is as pivotal to our understanding of the early church in the Book of Acts as those surrounding Cornelius and his household. Although the Lord Jesus had told the apostles to "make disciples o...  Read More

A major theme in the Book of Acts is how the church that started as inherently Jewish not only became Gentile but also essentially outside the fold of Judaism. After Pentecost, the apostles along with...  Read More

Chuck Swindoll begins his book on the life of the Apostle Paul by describing him as a man who, before his conversion, “looks more like a terrorist than a devout follower of Judaism”.  Swindoll is not ...  Read More

The Book of Acts emphasizes the variety of ways by which the gospel is spread. In Acts 8:1-25, we see persecution drive the gospel to a new people group (i.e., Samaria) through corporate witness accom...  Read More

The stoning of Stephen did not pacify the anger of the leadership and the people in Jerusalem. On the contrary, the persecution intensified particularly at the hand of a young man named Saul. Those wh...  Read More

In Chapter six, we see Stephen's arrest and trial. Stephen—full of the Spirit, full of faith, full of wisdom, full of power— debated with the Synagogue of the Hellenist, but they were no match for him...  Read More

To solve the problem of caring for widows in the church, the Apostles asked the congregation to select from among them "seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put ...  Read More

Just as with the healing of the lame man (Acts 3:1–10) led to the first arrest (Acts 4:1–22), the Sadducees continued to be concerned about the message the apostles are preaching and the attention the...  Read More

Following her birth and initial growth, persecution did not threaten the church in her infancy. On the contrary, opposition helped her to be in "one heart and one soul" (Acts 4:32). Consequently, the ...  Read More

Should Christians obey civil authorities?Over the past couple of years, many Christian leaders have been emphatic in their strict interpretation of Romans 13: you must obey government edicts or you ar...  Read More