The issue of racism is as old as the fall. Satanic hatred has plagued mankind ever since he first said no to God. Our treatment of one another has been abysmal as we have loved ourselves more than our God and therefore more than our neighbours. Our quest for autonomy—self-rule—has resulted in a lot of horrible repercussions, not the least of which is the folly of denying … [Read more...]
Caring for the Community (Acts 20:17–38)
Paul loved the church. And he had a particular love for the church at Ephesus—the church in which, as far as we know, he spent more time than any other church (with the exception of Antioch). Paul stayed in Ephesus for three years, and his impact there, and the later impact of the church there, was felt far and wide. He experienced supernatural community there. But as we … [Read more...]
God’s Missionaries, and Ours (Acts 13:1–4)
This message was prepared to be preached at a(nother) another special day in the life and history of our church. It was a day on which we commissioned one of our own as a missionary to go and make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in another culture, with the view to strengthening an existing local church, with a longer view of planting other local churches. By setting him … [Read more...]
The End of the Beginning (Acts 28:17–31)
I have maintained from the outset of our time in Acts that the proper and appropriate title for Luke’s second historical work is “The Acts of the Apostles.” Some argue for “The Acts of the Holy Spirit,” but this is the account of the apostles and of the apostolic church fulfilling the mandate given by the Lord in Acts 1:8. By this point in the narrative, the church has expanded … [Read more...]
He Rescued Me (Acts 28:1–16)
This passage could be headed, “Shipwreck, Serpents, Superstition and Salvation.” But the undergirding truth would be that of sovereignty. God sovereignly got Paul to Rome in the face of much adversity. God, true to His word, rescued Paul. After a 27 chapter historical record of the growth of the early New Testament church, Luke brings the plane to land. In this final … [Read more...]