James 2:1-13 (AD 48) Have you ever been a victim of favouritism? It’s hard to imagine that everyone hasn’t, at some point, been on the receiving end. But it’s equally hard to imagine that we haven’t all at some point been the perpetrators of it. James wrote to a poor Christian community. Society was more … More Day 172: Favouritism
James 1:1-18, part 2 (AD 48) “I don’t know what to do!” “I’m looking for a sign.” “I wish God would just tell me which way to go.” “I’m trying to find God’s will for me in this situation.” “I’m trying to find the path God wants me to walk on.” It’s a common wish, … More Day 171: How to Get Guidance
James 1:1-18, part 1 (AD 48) I recently had an exquisitely painful experience with far too much scalpel and far too little (actually zero) anaesthetic. There was no joy for me in that tribulation. And yet. As much pain as I was in, I knew that the cuts being made would save me from much … More Day 170: Joy in Trials
Acts 14 (AD 48) – Part 2 I keep re-reading how Paul and Barnabas responded to the slander and opposition in Iconium – what a witness for how to serve God: “…the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable … More Day 169: Preaching, Fleeing, Pastoring
Acts 14 (AD 48) – Part 1 Verses 11-12: “When the crowd saw what Paul had done [healed a lame man], they shouted…’The gods have come down to us in human form!…the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.” Verse 21: “They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples.” … More Day 168: People Win Converts & God Converts
Acts 13:13-52 (AD 48) This was a very conciliatory way of preaching to the Jews, despite the fact Paul was expelled from the entire region because of it. There was no notion in his message the whole nation was responsible for the murder of Jesus. References to prophets without pointing out a lot of them … More Day 167: Paul: Missionary to the Jews…and then not so much
Acts 12:25-13:12 (AD 44) No, sorry, you and I must not declare someone “a child of the devil” if they oppose our Christian work. And can’t strike people dumb just because they start doing Satan’s work in front of us. Paul saw the risen Christ and was directly called by God to be an apostle … More Day 166: Write Some of the Bible, THEN Curse Me Out as Satan’s Child
Acts 12:19b-24 (AD 44) King Herod Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great who killed all the baby boys in Bethlehem, was gaining popularity with the Jews by persecuting Christians (12:1-4). When Peter escaped prison, the humiliation it caused the king – especially because he assumed it was a conspiracy among the guards – provoked Herod … More Day 165: When a Man Found Out That He Was Just a Man
Acts 11:19-12:19a (AD 44) Notice, first, that God – as usual – brought good out of bad. There was a persecution that forced many believers to flee. They went to Phoenicia (to the north-west of Israel), Cyprus (across the sea to the west) and Antioch (to the north of Israel). When they got there they … More Day 164: But They Prayed
Acts 10:23b-11:18 (AD 44) Again we have complementary descriptions of what becoming a Christians looks like: God “accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” (10:35) “All the prophets testify about [Jesus] that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (10:43) “even to Gentiles … More Day 163: Even to the Gentiles
Paul T Reynolds 