By Michael C. Mack Why is it difficult for some people to move from an old way to a new way of doing things? Read Acts 15:1-12. Divide your group into two camps: the circumcision group (Galatians 2:12) or “party of the Pharisees” (Acts 15:5), a.k.a. the Judaizers, and the salvation through grace group, represented […]
By David Faust Churches need leaders for the same reason cars need shock absorbers: often the road isn’t smooth, and congregational bumps and potholes take many forms. A leader’s phone may ring with jarring news of a fatal traffic accident, a sudden illness, a marriage in crisis, a suicide, or a community-wide emergency. Churches need […]
By David Faust Morning sounds like birds chirping, alarm clocks buzzing, radio weather reports blaring, and school buses squeaking their brakes. Morning smells like coffee and toast, shaving cream and hairspray. It looks like a husband and wife kissing goodbye and lines of cars crowding onto roadways under dark but brightening skies. Are you one […]
By Ashlea Massie How many times have you prayed for something in particular, not expecting the impossible answer to be the exact answer to your prayer? Hopeful Anticipation This is exactly how the disciples reacted to Peter’s escape from prison. We see in the passage that James was imprisoned and beheaded for the approval of […]
By Michael C. Mack 1. What keeps you up at night? Read Acts 12:1-11. 2. What possible motivations did Herod have for killing James and imprisoning Peter? (See Acts 11:18, 21, 27, 28; 12:3.) Also note that this was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great (who had the children in Bethlehem murdered) […]
