READ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:26) THINK Today I want you to pause and consider this amazing verse. Picture the scene: Apollos (which you’ve got to admit, is a pretty cool name), is energetically and passionately preaching about Jesus! … Continue reading Acts 18: Heat and Light
Here is a thoughtful quote on the importance of thinking carefully about the shape (some might even say structure) of our Sunday gatherings: “During his many years of fruitful ministry, noted churchman Edmund Clowney advised many to think of their corporate worship as “doxological evangelism.” His words were a reminder that true worship without evident gladness, awe, and security in God’s redemptive provision and providential … Continue reading Doxological Evangelism
READ “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (v16) THINK What an amazing claim! By chapter 17 in the book of Acts, the mission of the church had so impregnated the culture and communities around it that the accusation was able to be levelled at the church that they had “turned the world upside down” (I think a better … Continue reading ACTS 17: A WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
At Kingsgate over these last few weeks, we’ve been exploring together ‘Healthy Church Life’ through the last few verses of Acts 2. Here we are painted a glorious picture of a devoted community who give themselves wholeheartedly to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, communion and prayer and then, allowing those things to spill out into ever-increasing circles – taking care of the needy, witness and evangelism … Continue reading Bread and Butter Christianity
READ “But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (v1) THINK Acts 15 is so utterly removed from our day-to-day lives that it is almost impossible to understand what a huge and dangerous situation was brewing here and that if left unchecked, could undermine the whole gospel of Jesus … Continue reading ACTS 15: THE RELIGIOUS ITCH
Over the past few months, there have been increasing numbers of articles about pandemic induced frustration. People from all walks of life are finding that their emotional resilience is just not where it normally is and the silliest of things is triggering them. This is not surprising after the year that we have been through and is quite understandable. For many of us, we’ve been … Continue reading I feel frustrated (there, I’ve said it!)
READ Acts 13:1: “Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” (NKJV) THINK John Stott helpfully reveals that the list of prophets and teachers described in Acts 13:1 “symbolized the ethnic and cultural diversity of Antioch”. Barnabas was a … Continue reading Acts 13: A Multicultural Church
Last time, we talked about the importance of creating a habit or ritual of a daily Quiet Time or devotional time and hopefully since then, you’ve been thinking about how you can craft this in your own life. Over a number of years, I’ve been trying to reduce the resistance and ensure that I daily get to the thing I love the most, which is … Continue reading The Power of habit & ritual (part 2)
What happens when my alarm goes off at 5:30 am? For those of you who don’t know, I love running and in order to fit it into my schedule, I get up between 5:30-6 am, 6 mornings a week and run 6 to 10 miles clocking an average of 50 miles plus a week. However, if you were to be at our house any evening, … Continue reading The Power of Habit & Ritual (part 1)
“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.” – Acts 11:19-20 THINK Up until this point, … Continue reading ACTS 11: THE UNKNOWN MISSIONARIES
