The Holy Spirit Gives Us a Sound Mind to Counter Fear Through the Holy Spirit we have a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Sound mind means self-discipline, self-control, sound judgment, and wise discretion. We can claim all these as the Holy Spirit’s provision to us. In doing so we can direct our thoughts and not […]
God Provides the Antidote When We Face Fear We live in a time where there is much to fear. Whether by mandate or out of personal concern, we cower in our homes afraid of what is happening in the world around us. We sequester ourselves and exist with little community to encourage us. Aside from […]
The Tenth Sermon in the Book of Acts The tenth sermon in the book of Acts: Acts 25:10-Acts 26:22 (specifically Acts 26:2-29) Setting: A hearing before Festus in Caesarea Speaker: Paul Audience: Festus, King Agrippa, Bernice, high-ranking military officers, and prominent city leaders. Preceding Events: Paul, in an effort to avoid being assassinated in Jerusalem, […]
Faith Comes from Hearing God’s Message About Jesus and Believing In the book of Isaiah, the prophet asks, “Who has believed God’s message?” Isaiah then goes on to prophetically proclaim what Jesus will do. He will suffer and die for us, sheep that have wandered off. He will take upon himself the punishment for our […]
We Can Learn From the Many Wise Sayings in the Bible We consider the book of Proverbs as being a collection of wise sayings from King Solomon. This is mostly correct. However, it also includes proverbs from other people. The book opens with Solomon giving instructions to his son. Then the king adds some more […]
The eleventh and final sermon in the book of Acts: Acts 28:17-28 (specifically Acts 28:25-28) Setting: Rome Speaker: Paul Audience: Jewish leaders Preceding Events: Paul conducts a pre-meeting with the Jewish leaders, explaining his situation and confirming his commitment to his faith. Overall Theme: Though Jews hear the message of Jesus, most do not understand; […]
In reading the book of Acts in the Bible we learn about a badly misguided dude named Saul who turns his life around and later goes by the name of Paul. When did this name change take place? If you say his name changed when he stopped killing Jesus’ followers to become one himself, I’d […]
When God needed to turn Saul’s life around, he used a supernatural light, an unseen voice, and temporary blindness to get Saul’s attention (Acts 9:3-9). Some time later, Saul (Paul), under the power of the Holy Spirit, did the same thing to a guy named Elymas. Elymas was supernaturally blinded for a time so God […]
Gamaliel Offers Wise Advice for Whenever Religious Factions Stand in Opposition Paul’s in jail, imprisoned for doing what God told him to do. This isn’t Paul’s first incarceration for his faith in Jesus, and it won’t be his last. When his trial finally begins, his detractors levy four charges against him, which they use to […]
Biblical Murderers and How They Relate to Us Consider some of the best-known biblical murderers. Cain Kills Abel We’re only four chapters into the Bible when the first murder occurs. Cain kills his brother Abel. The account in the Bible suggests that Cain premeditated his actions. First degree murder. But let’s not view Cain as […]