“The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” (Acts 11:26)                For two millennia, all over the world, followers of Jesus Christ have been identified as Christians. What does it mean and where did in begin?  The meaning is simple – a Christian is someone who has placed his faith in Jesus and is now following in the footsteps of his Savior. “Christian” was first applied to the ...  Read More

“Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?” (Prov. 20:6)                Did you ever hear of the man who was proud of his humility? Even when we try to be humble, sometimes we just can’t help but toot our own horn. Some people just come right out and tell you how great they think they are – how much money they make, how many miles they can run, etc. Most of us ...  Read More

“And a voice spoke to him again the second time, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’”  (Acts 10:15)                The early church grew exponentially, even after the martyrdom of Stephen.  But, the growth was contained primarily to Judea and Samaria.  By Acts chapter 10, it was time for the Gospel to move beyond just the Jews.  Remember, when Jesus ascended to heaven He said, “You s...  Read More

“How often they provoked Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.”(Psalm 78:40-41)                If you’ve ever owned a pet and some sort of cage, then you probably have a good idea what this verse is about.  If you own a dog, there might be times when you need to put him in a kennel – so he won’t destroy the h...  Read More

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”(Prov. 20:1)                According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 86.4 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime; 70.1 percent reported that they drank in the past year; 56.0 percent reported that they drank in the past...  Read More

“Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’ Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.”...  Read More

“At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria…therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”(Acts 8:1, 4)                No one enjoys the trials of life, but all of us experience them.  I once heard a man say, “You’re either going into a storm, you’re in the midst ...  Read More

“But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’”(Acts 7:55-56)                We’re all well-acquainted with the story of Jesus – born of a virgin, raised by a carpenter, ministering to all, dying for our sins, buried in a...  Read More

“There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.”(Prov. 19:21)                We make all sorts of plans for all sorts of reasons.  If we want to go on a vacation, we plan where we will go, stay, eat, visit, etc.  If we want to get an education, we plan what school to attend and what program of study to pursue.  Sometimes our plans go incredibly well, and ot...  Read More

“He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given.” (Prov. 19:17)In a house of 8 people, we borrow things from one another all the time. If my son can’t find his jacket, his brother lends him his. If my girls can’t find their hairdryer, my wife lends them hers. Like all parents, we teach our children to share. When we think about the Lord, we “borrow” things fr...  Read More

“Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, ‘It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.’” (Acts 6:2)                The early church did a great job of sharing the Gospel and reaching many people for Christ, both Jews and Greeks.  All those new converts presented a challenge to the church – how are we going to effectively minister to all those...  Read More

“So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” (Acts 5:41)                There are many things in life that cause us to rejoice and celebrate.  We rejoice when two people marry.  We rejoice when a sweet little baby is born.  We rejoice when a child graduates from school.  We even celebrate trivial matters – when our team ...  Read More