Acts 15-16 Some of the Jews wanted the Gentile believers to follow the law of Moses and be circumcised.  Others believed that because God had given them the Holy Spirit, they were already accepted by the Lord and didn’t need to follow that requirement. So a big meeting was held with the apostles — it was decided that circumcision was not required for these Gentile believers. But. The very next chapter tells the brief story of Timothy, whose mother was a Jew but whose father was a Greek.  Timothy was a believer, and Paul wanted to take him with him … Continue reading I’m missing something…

Acts 13-14; James Yesterday was a true day of rest; I didn’t even blog.  So today I shall do double duty and blog about yesterday’s reading and todays. The book of James is one of those books in the Bible that induce a squirm, doesn’t it?  James writes to us as a parent lovingly scolding a child, and he does not candy-coat anything.  What particularly grabbed me today was this verse from chapter 5: Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated … Continue reading Tough Love advice from James

Acts 9-10 Saul became a believer after an encounter with Jesus. Peter has a vision and through the Holy Spirit sees that God shows no favoritism among nations: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. Then the Gentiles believed in Jesus and received the tangible Holy Spirit.  The Jews watching were amazed that the Lord would extend his love towards all. That’s about all I have for tonight.  There are eight tween girls giggling and probably planning mass mayhem upstairs … Continue reading Seeking sleep

Acts 7-8 A sorcerer in Samaria heard Philip proclaiming the news about Jesus, and he became saved…but he had not yet received the Holy Spirit… Then when he saw others receiving the Holy Spirit, he offered the apostles money for the right to have it. His heart just wasn’t fully ALL IN for Jesus, was it? Before we shake our fingers at him, though, we would do good to take a hard look at our own motivations.  Did we become believers because it was something expected of us from our believing parents?  Or did we become believers for ourselves?  Did … Continue reading Not for sale