Thoughts on the Gospel, Life, and Ministry
Christian history is stained with the blood of martyrs. Stephen was the first, and many men and women have followed suit. Acts 6 and 7 tell his story. Stephen Was Full of Faith and of The Holy Spirit We first meet Stephen in 6:5… Continue Reading “The NT365 Experiment: Acts 6:8-7:60”
In the first part of Acts 6, we find the selection and commissioning of the first Deacons. These seven men were “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (6:3) and were given a specific task — to care for the widows… Continue Reading “The NT365 Experiment: Acts 6 (1-7)”
Acts 4 and 5 continue the story of the beginning of the New Testament Church. What began as a small group in an upper room in Jerusalem has quickly spread to a large group of people who are dedicated to the Way of Christ.… Continue Reading “The NT365 Experiment: Acts 4 and 5”
The first Christians experienced some unique and powerful things. They saw the Spirit of God moving in a fresh and special way. He was doing many wonders and signs through the apostles. Miracles were regular occurrences. This was an exiting and worshipful time. The… Continue Reading “The NT365 Experiment: Acts 3”
Acts 2 has been one of my favorite chapters in the Bible for a long time. As a pastor, it is my “go to” chapter. It has everything I point to when challenging our congregation and my own pastoral leadership. The apostles are gathered… Continue Reading “The NT365 Experiment: Acts 2”
The next stop on our journey through the New Testament is the book of Acts. Acts picks up right where Matthew left off. At the end of Matthew, Jesus sent the disciples out into their world to live daily lives that were dedicated to… Continue Reading “The NT365 Experiment: Acts 1”
I chose not to comment on chapter 27 because I wanted it to speak for itself. There is much to say about Jesus’ sufferings, rejection, and crucifixion, and we will cover those things in great detail later in our reading of the New Testament.… Continue Reading “The NT365 Experiment: Matthew 28”
Over the span of 75 verses, Matthew narrates the events of Jesus’ final hours with his disciples prior to his arrest. This action packed narrative contains a number of significant stories about Jesus and his disciples. I want to highlight two . Jesus is… Continue Reading “The NT365 Experiment: Matthew 26”
Chapter 25 is the continuation from chapter 24 of Jesus’ final instruction to his disciples. This instruction is often referred to as the Olivet Discourse because Jesus was sitting on the Mount Olives outside of Jerusalem when he taught it. The discourse, as we… Continue Reading “The NT365 Experiment: Matthew 25”
Matthew 24 is one of the most discussed and famous chapters in the Gospel because Jesus gives his disciples “the signs of the end of the age” in the first half of his Olivet Discourse. His followers have sought to interpret these “signs” and… Continue Reading “The NT365 Experiment: Matthew 24”