It appears very clear that even among saints of the first century and apostles who were commissioned to preach the gospel, supernatural guidance was not the normal activity of the day. Instead, there were supernatural occurrences that were directly tied to the spread of the gospel by those chosen for the spiritual growth of the…
The reason for this survey of divine guidance in Acts is to find similarities between the biblical accounts or examples of God’s guidance in the first century and the claims of God’s guidance, today. Just for the record, the fact that something is not mentioned doesn’t mean that it didn’t exist. It’s not provable, however. …
It’s always amazed me to find such little evidence in the Scriptures that support what we believe. The text of our heading is such an example where a majority find a local church that Paul joined. Once again, there is little doubt that saints lived in the city; as many as five thousand plus were…
I wish to look at two examples of prayer in the life of the early saints during crisis situations. The first is the prayer of the saints is Mary’s house. Peter was in Jail with the certain intention of Herod to put him to death (Acts 12:1-4). But, they prayed earnestly for him (12:5). James…
Saul of Tarsus, who had gone on a mission to bind Christians and commit them to prison, was coming to Damascus when a bright light blinded him. Falling to the ground, he heard the Lord speak to him to go into the city to receive further instruction. While there, he would be told what he…
As Luke had emphasized the life of prayer in Jesus according to his gospel, so he continues to emphasize prayer in the life of the saints in Acts. Prayer was such an important work that the apostles asked the saints to choose seven men to wait on tables so they could give themselves steadfastly to…
This blog is a continuation of yesterday’s blog. We noted what can happen to a township when an opposing view seeks to play dirty politics to advance their agenda. A riot built on lies and misrepresentations began in the city of Thessalonica for the primary purpose of capturing the perpetrators, that is, Paul and his…
When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the…
Several references in Acts speak of people being full of the Holy Spirit. Some of this is as a result of the laying on of an apostle’s hands. Stephen was stoned to death in Acts 7:59. Chapter 6 tells us that he had the hands of the Apostles laid on him. As he was being kicked,…
In Acts 9:17, Ananais goes to Saul so that he might receive his sight and be “filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 13:8). Ananias was not capable of imparting any such gift (cf. Acts 8:18). Neither did Saul receive any such thing from the other apostles (cf. Gal. 1:16-17). This must be a reference to Saul’s being baptized…