Acts 15:6-11 Why do we have so much trouble trusting the goodness of God’s grace? We know that grace saves us, but we act like this truth is too good to be true. We struggle to accept what’s undeserved, what we haven’t achieved. In vain we try to earn what can...

Acts 15:4-5 How silly of them, we think, to insist that the new Christian Church use the old rules of physically marking males who belong to the congregation. They’re mistaking the Way of Moses for the Way of Jesus.  But with some reflection, we see how much we...

Acts 15:1-3 Acts offers a front-row seat to see the Way of Jesus become the spiritual movement that forms Christianity. This wildly chaotic movement is wonderfully life-giving. The hearts of enlivened disciples burn within them like Emmaus Road walkers. God...

Luke 24:48-49 If Luke’s Gospel were a movie, “to be continued” might appear on the screen as its final scene comes to a close. These verses near the end of Luke suggest that the story is not yet complete. The sequel entitled Acts will soon follow.  In this last...

Luke 24:44-47 The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are companion books. They reference each other and tell the complete story of Jesus and the birth of the Church. So finding similarities in them is not surprising. When Philip proclaims the good news of...

Acts 8:36-37 Baptismal water in itself doesn’t offer salvation. But if you’ve been baptized, led someone to experience it, or witnessed a person’s baptism, it’s hard not to notice the power of that moment. Making or witnessing a public profession of faith in...

Acts 8:32-35 Despite his being a religious outcast, the Ethiopian eunuch pursues God through the Scripture. After being marginalized and denied entrance to worship in the Jerusalem temple, he travels down the wilderness road reading Isaiah’s words aloud....

Acts 8:27b-31 God continues to instruct Philip, this time asking him to greet a member of Queen Candace of Ethiopia’s Court, who is traveling by chariot on this isolated road. Philip follows God’s instruction, runs up to the chariot, and hears the familiar...

Acts 8:26-27a Surely Philip could have stayed in Samaria for much longer and had plenty of work to do. This thriving city, full of people and culture, holds all kinds of ministry opportunities. God’s Spirit led him here and he faithfully followed. Philip’s...

Acts 8:4-8 How do you know that what you’re doing is the right thing to do in this moment? How do you know that your actions will be useful? When do you sense that God’s Spirit is guiding you, and what does that feel like?  I can identify a few times in my life...