Acts 8:9-25 (AD 31) This looked like it was shaping up to be a great conversion story. Then it wasn’t. And we don’t even know how it ended. By avoiding a neat narrative, God emphasised that the lessons are elsewhere. For example: No-one is so far gone that God can’t reach them (v.13) People who … More Day 156: Holy Spirit as Marketing Tool
Acts 2:14-41 (spring AD 30) I can’t off-hand think of a bolder or more potentially self-destructive way to conclude an evangelistic sermon than by telling everyone that they killed God. But that’s what Peter did. He was in front of at least 3,000 people, possibly many thousands, preaching from the Old Testament to prove that … More Day 144: Evangelising Murderers
Luke 12:8-12 (AD 29) Sometimes you bump into a Bible verse or passage that stops you short and – when you take it seriously – can look kinda scary. Such as this one, which seems to refer to the possibility of God refusing to forgive a certain type of sin. That would contradict the rest … More Day 75: Blaspheming the Holy Spirit
Luke 1:46-80; 7-6BC Zechariah’s failings weren’t bad on an epoch-ending scale, and his sins aren’t good movie material. His song of a fully-experienced faith, enhanced by great blessing from God through Holy Spirit doesn’t have a special name for its moment in church history, like Mary’s preceding ‘Magnificat’. So really, he’s a lot more like … More Day 6: Zechariah’s Big Comeback. Sort of.
Paul T Reynolds 