James dies. Peter lives. James is martyred. Peter is miraculously set free (Acts 12:1-19). Jesus said it would be so. Sometimes it is difficult to discern the mind and actions of God. Not for a moment do I believe asking God hard questions is a sin, or even wrong. One thing I have learned in all of the hard questions of life is that in the end, answers or not (really this, too is an answer), I can...  Read More

It's time to wrestle. Acts 11. Here they come, the Judaizers...those who believe in order to be a Christian, if you are not Jewish by birth, you have to convert to Judaism first. By the way, they were a large source of the problem in Galatia. They are more concerned, in our reading for today, that Peter entered a Gentile household (making him ceremonially unclean), than they are excited that the G...  Read More

Praying people seek holiness and people who embrace holiness (being Christlike) pray. This is the proposition of E.M. Bounds, and Cornelius bears it out (Acts 10). It was in prayer (the habit and practice of it) that Cornelius was directed to Peter. It was in prayer that God directed Peter to go. Prayer was central to the meeting that took place, and as a result of the meeting, the Bible records t...  Read More

In the book I am reading by Charles Spurgeon, The Power In Prayer, he poses the question: "Does God listen to the prayers of non-Christians?" He actually asks this to counter an ultra-radical group that challenged his teaching on prayer. People still ask that question. Indeed, I have heard it said with authority: "The only prayer of a non-Christian that God answers is the prayer for salvation."Cor...  Read More

God gives us mentors along life's journey. I am rich, for I have had many...still do. There are some mentors I have whom I have never met in person, some who have been in heaven a very long time. Barnabas is one of them (Acts 9:27). Follow his journey through Acts. He believes in young people. He believes in those the church might hold at arms length. He believes in the second chance. He believes ...  Read More

There are few transformations as extreme as that of the apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-22). His zeal was so powerful that he kept moving in expanding geography to pursue and prosecute, i.e., with the authority of the Sanhedrin, Believers in Jesus. Paul tells the Philippians in his own reflection, 'as for zeal, I persecuted the Church' (Philippians 3:6). You see, Jesus stops him in his tracks and calls Pau...  Read More