Editors Note: I had planned to write one of my regular five-part series, based on my sermon about Jesus’ Ascension, but my week did not allow the time. So here is the whole sermon. Does your church celebrate Ascension? I’ve been pastor at Faith Church 23 years, and I don’t think we’ve ever celebrated AscensionContinue reading “The important significance of Jesus’ Ascension”
Tag Archives: acts 1
What kind of prayer meetings does God desire? – Praying together, Part 1
Do you remember the Asbury outpouring that happened last year? From February 8, 2023, all the way to February 24th, 2023, that’s 17 days, there was a continuous, 24/7, worship and prayer event at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Throughout history there have been numerous such extended prayer efforts. In fact, the International House ofContinue reading “What kind of prayer meetings does God desire? – Praying together, Part 1”
The earliest Christians were not perfect. But they do help us think about… Meeting together, Part 4
It is normal for pastors and church leaders to be idealistic about church, as we want our churches to be all that God wants us to be. In pursuit of the ideal, we often look to the early church as perfect. They were not perfect. But they definitely give us an excellent example, especially about how to meetContinue reading “The earliest Christians were not perfect. But they do help us think about… Meeting together, Part 4 “
How to be baptized with Spirit and fire – Advent 2022, Week 3, Part 5
This week in our Advent 2022 series on Matthew 3, we’ve been seeking to understand why Jesus got baptized. We learned that Jesus, through his baptism, demonstrates humility and togetherness, leading to joy. In today’s post, we seek to understand what Jesus meant when he said that he needs to be baptized to fulfill allContinue reading “How to be baptized with Spirit and fire – Advent 2022, Week 3, Part 5”
How would you start a church? – Acts 2, Part 1
What would you do if you were starting a church from scratch? Would you dream up a creative architectural design for a building that would draw attention from the community? Would you focus on the gathering for worship and put together a certain kind of musical or artistic program? Would it be multi-cultural? What doctrinesContinue reading “How would you start a church? – Acts 2, Part 1”
Two vital things churches need to do (Are you doing them?) – Acts 1, Part 5
If you had to narrow it down to only two things, what would they be? I’m asking in regard to the title of this post: two vital things the church needs to do. What do you think? Before you read on to my suggested answer, take a minute and consider how you might answer. I’dContinue reading “Two vital things churches need to do (Are you doing them?) – Acts 1, Part 5”
How to wait – Acts 1, Part 4
What are you waiting for? Waiting is hard. Are you waiting well? Or are you waiting poorly? What does waiting well look like? As we continue studying Acts 1, we’ve arrived at verses 12-14, where the disciples are waiting, and they show us how to wait well. After Jesus left them, we read that theyContinue reading “How to wait – Acts 1, Part 4”
The disciples’ strange reaction when Jesus leaves them – Acts 1, Part 3
Have you ever felt like God is distant from you? No where to be found? Jesus’ disciples felt like that one day because he actually left them. As we continue studying Acts 1, we have arrived at the momentous event described in verses 9-11. I encourage you to open a Bible and read what happens.Continue reading “The disciples’ strange reaction when Jesus leaves them – Acts 1, Part 3”
Jesus’ surprising instructions: Wait and Witness (what is that???) – Acts 1, Part 2
Yesterday I started what a series studying the book of Acts, and the central question we’ll be asking each week is this: How did the first Christians live as followers of Jesus, in their world? This week we are working through Acts 1. In the first three verses, we learned that, over the 40 daysContinue reading “Jesus’ surprising instructions: Wait and Witness (what is that???) – Acts 1, Part 2”
Engaging Scripture 