Acts
Paul’s Reaction to Charges
Felix told Paul he would listen to his case once his accusers arrived. While they waited, Paul was placed in the Praetorium under guard. In five days, a delegation from the Sanhedrin arrived. This group included the high priest, some elders, and a hired lawyer named Tertullus (v. 1). He was a …
Ananias’ Availability
Without doubt Ananias is one of the forgotten heroes of the Christian Church. If it is true that the Church owes Paul’s conversion to the prayer of Stephen, it is also true that the Church owes… Paul’s spiritual growth to the brotherliness of Ananias. In this passage Ananias, one of whom nothing is …
Honesty is the Best Policy
One of the extraordinary things about the great Christian leaders in the New Testament was they were not afraid to confess what once they had been. In the presence of the king, Paul frankly confessed that there was a day when he had tried to blast the Christians out of existence. In this …
Prayer Answered
The story in this passage would be comical if it were not so true to life. So frequently the prayer life of God’s people consists of formal words and speech and a total lack of expectation. Great precautions had been taken to see that Peter did not escape. He was guarded by four squads of …
Antioch Believers Send Encouragement to Jerusalem
The church at Jerusalem could no longer ignore what was happening at Antioch. In this passage we find believers, with the gift of prophecy, coming down from Jerusalem to Antioch (v. 27). This New Testament gift of prophecy was unique to the early church. Their function is to be seen in …
A Disagreement about John Mark
A contingent from Jerusalem, along with Paul and Barnabas, took the good news to Antioch (v. 30). Two of this group, Judas and Silas, are noted as especially being appreciated for their ministry by the saints in Antioch (v. 31). They remained in this dynamic church to minister the Word of …
Commissioned to Witness Everywhere
“Witness†is a key word in the book of Acts, and is used 29 times as either a verb or a noun. Instead of knowing the times or dates, the Apostles were to be Christ’s witnesses to the ends of the earth (v. 8). A witness is someone who tells what he has seen and h …
A Decision for Unity
The Jerusalem Council reached a united decision, concluding that converted Gentiles should not be required to become Law abiding Jew to be saved (Acts 15:1-21). The false teachers had done some damage already, going out from Jerusalem claiming to have the authority of the elders and …
Peter Used by God in Joppa to Heal Beloved Dorcas
The scene now shifts to Peter, who was visiting the churches in Palestine. He came to Lydia, a predominately Gentile city about 25 miles from Jerusalem (v. 32). Possibly the church in Lydia had been founded by disciples fleeing from Jerusalem at the time of fierce persecution when …
Praising in Prison
Still hurting from the beating, and locked in wooden stocks, you would not think the prisoners would be too joyful. However, at midnight the jailer and the other prisoners were startled to hear Paul and Silas singing and praising God. God responded by shaking the prison with an earthquake …