Posts with the tag “timothy-gillespie”

Paul in front of Agrippa makes for a fascinating scene. Imagine, if you will, what the room would have looked like. Inevitably, there would have been those Jews who were accusing Paul. These Jewish leaders would have been well known to Paul, as he was one of them. He testified to as much.5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest se...  Read More

If you haven’t read Acts 22, you should, and you should, right now before you read this post. A lot is happening that will be referred to in this short article. But a quick overview tells us that Paul is speaking to a crowd like he often does, and he tells them about his conversion. His lengthy testimony is a witness to the calling of God on his life.  Read More

Acts 19 is a very interesting chapter indeed. If you have read it, then you know what is going on. If not, you are struck by a few things from the beginning. First, that Appolos had a pretty serious preaching ministry, and many were converted in Ephesus. This is important due to the import of the city itself. Ephesus was a large port town, where the temple of Artemis was located. In some respects,...  Read More

This is a long chapter! Of course it would have to be, in order to chronicle the teachings of Paul and Barnabas. Those two were traveling companions who got around Asia Minor in the first centuries. You should really have a map when you are reading these chapters in Acts...  Read More

Sermons come in every shape and size and are as individual as the preachers who preach them. The discourse in Acts 7 is the longest and most famous in scripture. It comes from Stephen and is long, 51 verses to be exact. And if the effect of a public speech is to move people from one place to another, then this talk had that effect in spades. However, it wasn’t a great outcome. No hearts changed; i...  Read More

The Holy Spirit was promised, and when it came, the language used was the language of “fulfillment”. These were literally the first words used in the second chapter of Acts. “When the day of Pentecost arrived,” or was fulfilled, the disciples were together in one place. They had not yet been dispersed by the Holy Spirit to go to the ends of the earth, rather, they were finishing their time in Jeru...  Read More

Welcome to the exciting reality of the book of Acts. It is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those who want a faith that is stagnant and boring. We are introduced to the book of Acts through the “former” or “first” book; the Gospel of Luke. In Acts, we are now confronted with the fact that the Holy Spirit has been given, and because of that gift, we are in for quite a ride! The whole of th...  Read More

Joy to the world the Lord has come…This famous line makes it into every Christmas tradition, and it should. Joy accompanies the understanding of the incarnation, or the enfleshment of God in human form. As incomprehensible as it is that God would condescend to be with us here on Earth, it is what we believe to be true. How did it happen, only God knows, but why? He makes it clear to us in so many ...  Read More

Stille Nacht, heilige NachtAlles schläft; einsam wachtNur das traute hochheilige Paar.Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!These are the words my grandmother would sing while playing her organ. Every Friday night, the whole extended family would gather at her house. As kids, we sat around the table for hours coming up with games to play with the napkin ...  Read More