The Power or The Person

Simon the Sorcerer was used to popularity, power, fame, wealth. He amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. (Acts 8:10-11)

Then Philip comes to town and Simon loses his audience and admirers. But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (Acts 8:12). The Samaritans turn from Simon and magic to Philip and Jesus. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. (Acts 8:13a) Great news, right? Almost. Why did Simon believe? And seeing the signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. (Acts 8:13b)

The purpose of signs and great miracles is to point us to the One who performs them. Simon’s motivation for following Philip is exposed when Peter and John come to town. After Simon witnesses Peter and John lay their hands on these new believers and they receive the Holy Spirit Simon wants this “power” too.

Simon put himself in the wrong position. Simon still wants to be the star. He doesn’t want his magic show to end. Simon wants to be the giver of great power. He doesn’t realize he needs to receive the One who has all power. We can only give what we have first RECEIVED. Simon never gets “in line” to receive the Holy Spirit. Simon “cuts in line” thinking that he can buy the Holy Spirit without experiencing the Holy Spirit. Simon wants the power without the Person.

What about you? We also have a “magic show.” We are not sorcerers, but we have a way we want to live. We can be seduced by the signs and great miracles and use them to further our agenda. Simon saw the Holy Spirit as another tool in his toolbox but he never wanted Him to be the center - the Spirit of Truth to which Simon bows his knee.

When Peter warns Simon and commands him to repent Simon still hasn’t come to the end of himself. Simon does not pray. Simon asks Peter to pray for him. Simon does not ask Peter to pray for him to have a revelation of God. Simon asks Peter to pray that Simon won’t have to face the consequences.

May we be those who desire the Giver more than the gift. May we be those who know we need to receive before we give. May we stand in awe of God. May we humble ourselves before the Lord and hunger for the Holy Spirit so our lives make much of Jesus.

-Steven

Disorder in the Court

When feeling defensive, often we become offensive. Quick in retort, it’s easy to lash out with the tongue while suppressing the heart. It’s amazing how the Enemy can make a mountain out of a molehill. Thankfully and unsurprising, the Bible gives us many examples on how we should act when we might feel defensive.

“If a ruler’s anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great offenses to rest” - Ecclesiastes 10:4

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” - James 1:19

In the story of Stephen, we see many Godly traits in how he lives and how he acts. They stand uncamouflaged against the actions of the Sanhedrin.  These Jewish leaders, protecting their way of life, put a man full of God’s grace and power on trial and when they do not like what Stephen had to say, they were “furious”, “gnashed their teeth”, “covered their ears”, “yelling at the top of their voices”. If that 4-year-old’s-response-to-not-getting-that-toy-in-the-check-out-aisle temper wasn’t enough, they play judge-jury-executioner by stoning Stephen immediately.

While stonings are not commonplace anymore, this rage, this action without thinking, this shoot first ask questions later happens daily. As we examine this text, undoubtedly mourning Stephen’s physical body while marveling at how God’s going to use Saul-soon-to-be-Paul, let’s examine how we act when feeling rage or a lesser uncomfortableness. Are we defensive at what someone said, or are we upset that it was true?

-Alex Pfister

Remembering to Remember

Since before the dawn of time, our God has never ceased to be completely holy in all His works.

He is a great God - full of splendor, majesty, and wonders. A beautiful sunset, the crashing of waves against a powdery-white beach, spring flowers blooming in vibrant colors: these are just the fringes of His glory.

He is holy, unchanging, perfect in all His ways, and He cannot be in the presence of sin.

Yet God the Son stooped down from time and space, took on our human form, breathed our dust, and willingly sacrificed Himself in order to pay for our sins and bring us back to Him.

With such a great God as this:

How could we ever doubt His love and care for us?

How could we ever rob Him of glory and give it to another?

How could we ever hurt one another?

And yet, we do.

We too, like the Sanhedrin of Stephen’s day, can become hard-hearted towards the things of God.

We forget to remember.

As Stephen stood before these men - men whom he regarded as “brothers and fathers” - he began to tell a story of their family’s history. A nail-biting, gut-wrenching, spectacular story. And at its very center was the faithfulness of the God of Israel.

Stephen recounted the events of God revealing Himself to Abraham, promising him descendants that would outnumber the stars in the sky; promising to guide him to the Promised Land; and promising to never leave His side.

Stephen told the story of Joseph, whom God sovereignly chose to experience hatred, rejection, loneliness, and deceit so that the family line of the coming Savior would be preserved.

Stephen went on to describe the life of Moses, the Israelites in slavery, and God’s miraculous rescue from Egypt. He depicted the building of the Tabernacle, the conquest of Canaan, and the construction of Solomon’s Temple.

Each event orchestrated by a faithful God, pursuing the people who would one day reject him.

And as Stephen finished their family’s tale, he switched from story-teller to prophet:

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” Acts 7:51

God, in His mercy and kindness repeatedly showed up for His people in big, powerful ways. And yet, time after time, they rejected that grace.

And as Stephen boldly pointed out, his accusers were no different from their ancestors. They resisted the Holy Spirit, broke the Law of Moses, and persecuted those who prophesied “the coming of the Righteous One.” While they may have known all the facts of their family tree, they had forgotten the God who had designed it.

Their forgetting had caused them to be hard-hearted toward the God who loved them and gave Himself for them.

It is easy to read about this power-hungry, murderous group of spiritual leaders and shake our heads in disbelief. After all, we have never condemned anyone to death by stoning!

But if we search our hearts deep enough, we will find that we are not as different from the Sanhedrin as we would like to think. We too love to go our own way, build up our own idols, stay in control, and be our own God.

How do we keep from being “a stiff-necked people” who reject God, His will, and His leading in our lives?

We remember.

We can look in His Word and remember who God is and what He has done.

We can remember the beautiful, bloody cross, and pour out our praise to the Lamb who was slain.

We can remember the selfless love of Jesus - and then love our neighbor in the same way.

When we are angry at a loved one, and tempted to hold back our forgiveness, we can remember the great debt that was forgiven us.

When we feel ourselves pulled by the lure of sin, we can remember that nothing we could desire compares with the joy and beauty of the Lord.

When we feel lonely or afraid, or begin to wonder if God really cares about us, we can meditate on His promises that He will never leave us or forsake us.

Are there ways you have become hard-hearted? Where are you struggling to trust or delight in God? What truths from His word do you need to rehearse to yourself today?

God loves to answer the prayers of His children and will delight to help us remember to remember.

-Becky Groppel

More Than a History Lesson

“And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.  When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob…’” — Acts 7:30-32

“And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” — Acts 7:52-53

Stephen, filled with grace and doing great wonders among the people, was seized and brought before the Sanhedrin (the council).  Facing death, Stephen gave a speech that was an Old Testament history lesson about the Jewish nation.  Stephen’s speech had two essential points missed by the council.  Mystery and Tradition.

Stephen tells the story of Moses and the burning bush. In his great book Sing Us a Song of Joy, Phillip Eaton also discusses Moses and the burning bush.  Moses had the curiosity to see the burning bush, this mystery before him, and in his interest, he encountered God. Eaton’s point is as a culture; we hate mystery. We no longer are like Moses.  We have dampened our curiosity in seeking answers to the mysteries we experience, including the mystery of our Christian faith.

Mystery means something difficult or impossible to understand or explain. Paul referred to mystery twenty times in his letters. We live in a culture that thinks there must be a material explanation for everything we experience. We want to know it all and to understand it all. We want to have it all figured out.  In trying to eliminate mystery in our life, we can miss God’s divine presence and an encounter with transcendence. We miss the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  The council missed Stephen’s point in the burning bush story, missed understanding the mystery before them why Stephen possessed a grace and power to do wonders, all of which unsettled them.  They missed the Holy Spirit at work in the early Christian church and the Apostles.

Stephen then put the council on the spot. He went on the offensive and accused the council of being the ones who failed to keep the law given by the angels. The council was unable to keep the traditions that would open them to God’s truth. They had become hardened and ‘stiff-necked,’ which closed their minds and eliminated a life-changing encounter with the living God – Jesus Christ.

Traditions are the threads woven in the quilt that binds a diverse group of people. If we deconstruct, dampen, or remove the threads, the quilt will fray and fall apart.  Traditions within the church help keep our faith and Jesus Christ from becoming an abstraction, our faith uninspiring, and the church (universal) filled with just empty symbols and rhetoric. The council and its application of the laws and traditions had become dull, misguided, the faith ineffectual and sharp in its judgment with an unloving approach to the human condition and experience. 

What can be viewed as a lengthy discourse by Stephen on the history of the Jewish nation is a great life and faith lesson for us.  Embracing mystery and tradition in our Christian faith will lead us to encounters with transcendent beauty and the divine presence of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit at work in our lives and others. Embracing mystery and tradition can be used as signposts directing us to explore the wonders we can experience in our faith walk that will awe us and lead to lasting change, salvation, love, and grace.

-Dan Nickel

What Do You Feel Threatened By?

There are two very different types of people in Acts 6:8-15. 

Stephen… 

1. A man full of God’s grace and power.

2. A man who is performing great wonders and signs among the people.

3. A man whose very face looked like the face of an “angel”.

These are the descriptions that start and end this passage…but in between are the religious people who are members of the synagogue, Jews, elders and the teachers of the law.

1. They oppose Stephen.

2. They argue with Stephen.

3. They cannot stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave Stephen as he spoke.

4. They secretly persuade people to lie and slander Stephen.

5. They stir up other people to an angry reaction as well.

6. They seize Stephen and bring him before the Sanhedrin.

7. They produce more false witnesses.

Why are the religious people so threatened, angry and hostile towards Stephen…a man who is full of grace and power, doing good for the people and obviously even looking the part with his “angelic face”?

This is not a one time event. History repeats itself…over and over. We as human beings are prone to this kind of behavior.

Why?

What are we afraid of? What are we jealous of? What causes us to get angry? How do we let the ends justify the means?

People on the outside…all they see is human nature at it’s worst when we act this way.

What if the religious people had embraced Stephen instead of eventually stoning him? How would this story have been different?

Sometimes religion and religious people seem so clearly out of step with Jesus and the message of love He gave His life for.

We can learn to embrace others and set aside our pride and power and think of the common good. We can learn to be open and not let fear make our decisions. We can notice the way our emotional reactions often lead towards negativity and anger, fear and judgement and learn a different way to live. We must…or we are no different than the religious people in this passage of scripture and that would be a tragedy.

Ruth

Ministry Partners

It’s been about 8 years since my family first came to be part of The Bridge.  Not long after praying about how to get involved, our family felt led to support our church by serving with The Bridge’s Children’s Ministry Team.  That’s been a special place for us to plug in over the years as we’ve been blessed by our interactions with children and other members of that team.  Since then, there have been many other opportunities to serve as well as be served by other ministry teams.  I’ve often introduced myself and my family as ministry partners with The Bridge because I value the team ministry model that I’ve seen practiced at our church over the years.  We are a church of many different people coming together towards a single mission under the leadership of God’s Holy Spirit to “connect people to God’s indelible grace.”  That’s how God continues to show off His handiwork through diverse people with a variety of gifts living as His body in this world.

In chapter six of Acts, we see the church dealing with a complaint over a need that had arose from within the congregation.  In those first moments of church history, people stepped up to meet the needs of the church.  We are introduced to a disciple named Stephen that is one of seven chosen for a ministry team charged with the task of serving widows in need.  Sometime later, Stephen will be preaching in the face of life-risking persecution under the direction of God’s Holy Spirit.  I believe God used Stephen’s service to those widows as a proving ground for his trust in the power of the Holy Spirit that enabled His faith to stand faithful to serve others in the face of his death.  It’s still the same for followers of Jesus today.  Jesus uses ministry to develop the faith of His followers.  The church can learn firsthand about Jesus’ passion and love for people through our service to others in our congregation. 

It’s encouraging to see how the church dealt with such things then as it should challenge us about the importance of continuing to care for the needs that arise among the different people in our midst that have come to saving faith in Jesus now.  Ministry teams will always be needed in the church as long as there continues to be people with needs.  So there will always be a part for each of us to play in church ministry.  With so many different ways to serve others in the church, how might God be calling you as a ministry partner with our church in order to help you grow closer in your walk with Jesus?

This coming Sunday is special to me because our church is resuming our Children’s Ministry after a very long suspension due to the pandemic.  Please pray with me for our children – for their physical and spiritual well being.  Pray also for those who serve as part of our Children’s Ministry Team – for their physical and spiritual well being.  Let’s pray for God’s Holy Spirit to lead over and give wisdom to the Children’s Ministry Team.  As families with children involved, may we be reminded of the love of Christ Jesus as we watch the children being served by these ministry partners.  And may all of us that serve as ministry partners in the church be captivated and compelled by the loving service of our Savior in our own lives.  Jesus loves the little children and Jesus loves you!  May the deeds of our church affirm the same about the amazing love of Jesus!

Grateful and hopeful in Christ, 

Jon

After Darkness, Light.

A week ago, there was no trace of plant life in the woods behind my house. There were no blossoms on the trees, or daffodils pushing through the ground. Then all at once spring emerged, and I was amazed- as I am every year- at how brilliant the green grass appears after months of rest. Each morning I awaken earlier to the first light of dawn and the sound of birds calling back and forth in the songs their Creator gave to them. All of creation is coming back to life, it seems. Even my own weary heart that needs more grace each year to persevere through the dark, cold winter begins to sing a new song.

After winter, spring.

After death, life.

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb...”The Sabbath now past, these women who with their own eyes had seen Jesus close His in death, went to cover His broken and lifeless body with spices and ointments.

“They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” They were perplexed. Who had rolled the heavy stone away? And where was Jesus? When two angels appeared, their confusion turned to fright.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?” the angels asked. “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise?”

“And they remembered his words.”

After the grave, resurrection.

“Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.” Prophetic words from Isaiah were fulfilled that resurrection morning.

Christ has been raised! Our redemption is secure! We are resurrection people, alive today in a world that is perishing, because He brought our hearts back from the dead. And the hope we have in the finished work of Christ is an anchor for our souls. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” May we live as His people, walking in the light of fellowship with Him and one another, and all the more as we see the day of His return approaching.

After darkness, Light.

-Natalie Runyon

The Stones Will Cry Out

When the words “Palm Sunday” are spoken, churchgoers of all ages likely have some internal reaction. As a child, a good Bible story likely includes a donkey, and Palm Sunday signals only one more week until Easter eggs. Adults may think of palm leaves and have a sense of hope in Christ our King.

As we go through the book of Acts, courage is front and center as we watch the Apostles and new Christians spread the message of salvation in Jesus Christ bravely in a hostile word. It’s appropriate that as we pause Acts, the example of courage remains in our text. Luke 19: 37-40 lays a familiar scene, the crowd is cheering Jesus while the Pharisees are grumbling. The Pharisees want Jesus to silence His crowd for proclaiming Him a king, which challenges their authority. Jesus’ response in verse 40 is “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

While perhaps some of the crowd had their hope solely in an earthly king to dethrone Roman rule, others very likely were part of those early Christians that after Jesus’ crucifixion, couldn’t help but proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen. I acknowledge that God chose me to be born two thousand years after this. Would I have had the courage to cry out “Lord Jesus!”, unable to remain quiet just like the stones and nature around Jesus?

Standing for an ideal can be frightening, and, like today, there were many viewpoints two thousand years ago. This crowd had followed Jesus for the last few years. They were healed, amazed, and awestruck. A week after Palm Sunday, many were caught up in the prevailing moment, succumbed to groupthink, and played a role in His crucifixion. Perhaps some of these people wanted courage, but were scared as they saw their friends, neighbors, and loved ones turn against Jesus.

It’s easy to get caught up in the ideas of others and lose our fundamental footing in Jesus’ words. I could say it’s easier today than ever before, a 24 hour news cycle, the abundance of opinion and reaction on social media, notification pings in your pocket. But clearly opinions spread quickly in Jesus’ day too, as a crowd of many went from cheers to boos in one week! We should be well reminded that the Enemy wants to distract and confuse us, perhaps that’s more use to him than if we were murderers. Palm Sunday is a reminder to stay grounded in Jesus’ words, with courage to exclaim the Gospel and courage to gently encourage a friend (or stranger) in need. Courage comes in all shapes and sizes, but is used best when founded in Jesus’ red letters.

-Alex Pfister

Unstoppable God

Back in the day, I was on MySpace.  I noticed a friend had shared a picture of herself and me from way, way back. As I looked through the comments on the picture, one stood out. Fifteen or so years later I still remember the words: “Has anyone convinced her to assimilate yet?” 

It turned out it wasn’t my (somewhat questionable) reputation from high school that followed me, but the choice to pursue Christ in my early 20’s that I became known for. That one careless comment held me captive for so long. The passion in my soul for Jesus’ glory was still there but knowing that a few people from high school thought I was crazy began to dictate what I did or didn’t say about Him.

A few years later I was awakened to the persecution of Christians in other parts of the world who were suffering in horrific ways, and even dying, because they couldn’t renounce the One who gave up everything for them. Since then, I have prayed over and over for the Lord to give me courage and boldness to speak aloud what I so deeply feel about Him. If I can’t talk about my Savior because someone might mock me now, how will I endure when that day of greater persecution comes? Will I be able to stand?

As the apostles stood, awaiting news of their fate that day in Acts 5, Gamaliel advised the council of Pharisees “If this plan or undertaking is of man, it will fail, but if it is of God you will not be able to overthrow them.” He fully expected this fledgling movement to fade away, but Church, our God can not be stopped! What the Lord Almighty has purposed, no one can thwart. His plan will prevail!

The Spirit powerfully moved in the hearts of those in the early church as the name of Jesus was exalted. They continued teaching in the temple and from house to house, proclaiming that Christ is Lord. And with every proclamation the Church grew, numerically yes, but also with increasing conviction and assurance. Do we proclaim His name like that today? Are the words that proceed from our mouth, and even our social media posts, good news of the gospel or have we been taken captive by the bad news of this world?

What is in your heart today? For years, I have had conviction, but not courage. May His power increase in us and make us brave! Maybe you are courageous and bold but are you bold in speaking about your Savior? The Spirit moves both to compel us to exalt Christ, and as a response to that exaltation. May He fill our hearts with the assurance that Christ is the sovereign Lord, and our mouths with the hope of His Gospel. 

Peter and the apostles were beaten and released that day, but they didn’t retreat. They bore wounds on their bodies, but their souls were aflame! They were beaten- and they left rejoicing! Rejoicing that they had been counted worthy- not of great honor or position, not with great wealth or fame- but worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus. 

The apostles were utterly convinced that proclaiming the name of Jesus to a world who didn’t know Him was worth it all. What are we clinging to that we value more than Him? For me, it has been my reputation. What is it for you? Brothers and sisters, He is calling us to lay those things down for His name’s sake. Let’s pray He will give us the grace to do so. 

Whatever might come in our lifetime, may the One who is Faithful and True keep us faithful until the end.

Natalie

How Shall We Travel?

“We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this Man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” — Acts 5:28-29

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the kids are on a ship in darkness, facing uncertain times. They are scared, and some shout, “We will never make it!” Lucy cried to Aslan for help (the analogy of Jesus Christ in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia). Suddenly a speck of light appeared ahead, which eventually became a beam of light that lit up the ship in the dark like a spotlight. Lucy looked at the beam of light, and at first thought, she saw a cross, only to see wings whirring. It was an Albatross that circled the ship’s mast three times and then whispered to Lucy, ”Courage, dear heart!”[1]

C.S. Lewis’s Narnia stories are clear about basic Christian symbolism and are also layered with spiritual meaning. In this scene, it is an Albatross, representing the Holy Spirit, who brings courage to Lucy.

In Acts 5:12-32, the apostles are imprisoned, angelically released, and then institutionally pressured by religious leaders to be silent and not “preach in this name. [Jesus]” A threat, which contradicted Christ’s command in Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses…”  Empowered with the Holy Spirit, Peter and the apostles found the courage to boldly proclaim, “We must obey God rather than men.”  The apostles were willing to die rather than be silent about Jesus. The apostles faced cultural and institutional opposition but were not intimidated. Regarding their faith, they courageously stood firm no matter where their journey would take them, including death, which leads us to the Christian journey before us today.

The genocide of Middle East Christians has been internationally affirmed. Christians in China are fiercely oppressed and persecuted with an intensity not seen since Mao. Western civilization has shifted to the most secular, non-religious culture in its history. The move to marginalize Christianity continues unabated where everything is being secularized and religious views considered preposterous.  In this very secular air we all breathe, we find our life’s journey and faith intersecting with historically challenging times. How shall we choose to travel?  Will we courageously proclaim with boldness obedience to God regardless of the consequences? Or will we prefer to weigh the costs where disillusionment awaits in choosing the easy and the pointless paths?

Regarding the moral and spiritual challenges in our post-Christian society, Ralph Wood draws on Tolkien’s Christian analogies in The Lord of the Rings for a decision that confronts believers: ”The Company’s Quest to destroy the Ring — is not unlike the journey of life. The path is full of such perils that our destiny can never be predicted in advance. Legolas, the elf, declares this dark truth: “Few can foresee whither their road will lead them, till they come to its end.” (2.95) The question — and thus the Quest — concerns how we shall travel the road and whether we shall complete our errand… we are called eventually to surrender the bounty… the giving up of our lives.”[2]

What we see in this week’s scripture is not a set of ideas or opinions proclaimed by a group of men. But a way of life, dying to one’s self, giving up of our lives for God regardless of the culture’s objections and ridicule. Which will shape our soul, give us true peace and courage, permeate us with the Holy Spirit, and bring Jesus closer to the heart.

-Dan Nickel

[1] C.S. Lewis, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” The Chronicles of Narnia (New York: Harper Collins, 2001), 510-511.

[2] Ralph C. Wood, The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-earth (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 46.

One Heart and Mind

Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

These verses just blow my mind! All believers...one heart and mind! No one claiming any possessions were their own...sharing everything they had! No needy persons among them!

Friends, we may look at our country and try to think of ourselves as a nation under God, but I think we’ve got to be honest here, these verses do not describe what I’ve seen or experienced in my lifetime. In fact, we are so far removed from this type of living it’s hard for me to even imagine what it would look like in real terms in this day and age.

I see need all around me. Everyday. And while I consider myself to be a fairly generous person, I know good and well I’ve never been this generous or seen anyone else be for that matter.

As I write this we are still in the worst of a pandemic that has been going on for a year now, where even the wearing of a face mask somehow became controversial.

The lack of effort, thought, intention or action for the common good has really saddened me this year, and made me feel pretty disillusioned.

Is this kind of living even something that we want for a goal anymore, or is it some kind of utopia that doesn’t and can’t exist? I don’t really know. But I admit this scripture feels almost like reading a fairy tale to me.

Too much focus has been on politics in recent times, so I don’t want to get into any of that. But clearly, this section of scripture does not describe the church of today. Should it? If so, what needs to change? What would it even look like to have this kind of unity of heart and mind, this kind of generosity and where no one was in need?

I wonder...

Ruth

A Ground Shaking Prayer Meeting

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" - Corrie ten Boom

How do you feel about prayer meetings? Not all prayer meetings are created equal. I am sure many of us have been to prayer meetings that are dry and boring. Many of us have also been to meetings when there is a concrete sense of God’s holy, powerful, mighty, healing presence with us. Prayer meetings can be bad, so-so, or life changing. So, what makes the difference?

In Acts 4:23-31 Luke records a prayer meeting that is anything but boring. I believe the context and the content of the meeting can teach us a lot. Peter and John had been arrested and spent the night in prison the day before. They were threatened and warned to not speak in the name of Jesus again. It was crystal clear that they were in a war. The believers knew they did not have what it takes to fight this good fight. They needed help. They also knew the Helper (Jn. 14:26) - the Holy Spirit who came at Pentecost to indwell them and equip them and empower them. They were not alone - “they went to their friends” (Acts 4:23). Prayer was a natural response - “when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God” (Acts 4:24). The prayer meeting wasn’t planned, but was as natural as breathing. They declared who God is - “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them” (Acts 4:24). They knew God’s Word - they quote from Psalm 2. They trusted in God’s plan and knew it can’t be thwarted - “whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:28). They asked God for what they needed to continue HIS mission - “grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness” (Acts 4:29). They remembered who the real Hero is - “while YOU STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND TO HEAL and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:30).

So, why do some prayer meetings leave us bored and burdened? I believe the Deceiver deceives us into thinking we are not in a war, we aren’t threatened and we don’t need help. The Father of Lies lies to us and tells us we don’t know the Helper and the Helper doesn’t care about us and we are all alone. The god of this age blinds our eyes so we don’t see let alone declare who God is. We listen more to the words of the world instead of the Word of God. We begin to believe we are self-sufficient instead of God dependent and in our self-sufficiency we will raise up ourselves as the heroes instead of lifting up Jesus as the Hero. Believing these lies will make us not only pray less, but be prayer-less.

But God in His great grace shakes us out of our comfort and complacency, our intoxication with self and sin and speaks the Truth to the lies:

• We are in a war - we have an Enemy

• We need Him to stand firm

• We need each other to stay encouraged

• He is ready, willing and able to be the Helper and Hero we desperately need

And the Truth sets us free. The prayer meeting Peter and John were a part of ended with the ground shaking. O Great God...may you shake the things in us that need to be shaken so we pray like this. And may you fill us all with the Holy Spirit so we may continue to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31)

Who wants to have a prayer meeting?

I love you guys,

Steven

Forbidden to Speak

Many of us have been conditioned not to talk about religion or politics outside of our inner circles of loved ones or friends.  The reasoning for this has often been that these kinds of conversations are delicate in nature and require empathy and compassion for such discussions to be fruitful.  Somehow, in the age of social media, many of us have made grave exceptions and opened up on these topics with strangers and bystanders aplenty.  I’m guilty of it myself at times, posting something that draws attention from people I rarely spend time with if at all.  Why do we do it?  Aren’t there just some things we can’t help but say because we feel convicted about it deep down to our core?  As Christians, how are we to respond to such chaotic subjects?  

In our focal text this week, we are with Peter and John after they have been preaching to a crowd that gathered soon after a lame man was healed.  Now they are being pressured by religious influencers of that day to stop talking about Jesus in the way that they are proclaiming He is the Christ of God.  Peter and John can’t help themselves as they continue to speak of what they know about Jesus even though they are imprisoned and persecuted for their beliefs.  One major problem for the religious leaders was that the things these Apostles were saying about Jesus clashed with their own religious beliefs and sway over the Jewish people.  On the other hand, they were finding it difficult to refute the claims of the Apostles when life-changing evidence stood before them in the presence of the lame man now healed.  Adding to their dilemma was the mass number of Jews that had come to saving faith in Christ Jesus with all of the accompanying signs and wonders that the Holy Spirit was working in and through them.  Peter and John themselves could not help but proclaim what they had witnessed and experienced firsthand with Jesus.  Their boldness and clarity in the face of such religious pressure and persecution was another testament to the religious rulers that these claims carried some kind of weight.   

As a kid, I was taught not to say certain words out of respect for others around me.  Occasionally, I would consider the moments like when I might hit my thumb with a hammer and what words might fly out of my mouth not wanting to embarrass myself by saying something dishonorable.  I must confess that over the years I’ve been guilty of too many dishonorable utterances made even with a mind disciplined about these things.  Certain things when said will disqualify our voice to those around us and as followers of Christ we do need to be aware of how we might distract others from hearing the truth about Jesus.  The reality for all of us as human beings is that there will be times when we say things which are forbidden by our culture sometimes for the right reasons and sometimes for the wrong reasons.  As followers of Christ, how can we know what to say and when to say it?  That was a question that I’m sure Peter and John were asking themselves before the lame man, before the crowd that gathered after his healing, and then again before each of these religious authorities.  The truth that they knew about Jesus was what they spoke about with everyone and they stayed focused on the gospel truth about Jesus as their primary point of discussion.  Discussing faith in Jesus was a center stage priority for Peter and John.

Today, we are tempted to talk and post about a variety of topics.  As Christians, how can we know what to share and when to share it?  The claims we have in Jesus are a lot!  To claim that He rose from the dead and lives today is a lot!  It is evidence that demands a verdict from every observer!  Let us live our lives in such a way that those who hear from us would see us as truth tellers - honorable and credible in the things that we share.  Let us begin by being first to admit where we’ve been wrong and err in our lives.  Then let us share how Jesus is renewing our minds and transforming our hearts by His truth and grace.  We come to saving faith in Jesus by admitting our sin and need for a Savior and it is how we continue as followers of Jesus. 

May our lives ever be an honorable testament to the life-changing truth about Christ Jesus.  As a church, let us concern ourselves chiefly with the interests of our Savior and King.  Let us see the interruptions and inconveniences of our lives as divine opportunities to share the gospel.  Let us prove the value of the gospel by lives lived honorably for Jesus in the face of pain and suffering that will come in witnessing the truth about Him.  Everything in this life is of secondary importance to the one prevailing truth that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again on the third day.  On this irrefutable truth, we base our life and claim that Jesus is the Christ of God and in Him we will hope and rejoice forever.

Grateful and hopeful in Christ, 

Jon

Miles of Hope

Last September I hiked 100 miles. I hiked in my socks through sand dunes and then through winding mountain paths with new friends. I scrambled up, and very carefully back down, steep buttes. I hiked through four state parks with six of my kids and a husband who was less than thrilled to participate in my 100 mile journey. We hiked on mesas, and canyon rims, and through hills of aspen trees arrayed in golden splendor that brought me to tears and filled my heart with praise for the God who would clothe nature with such beauty. I learned the trails at The Nature Institute like the back of my hand. I knew how many minutes it would take me to walk each one, and I timed it so I could watch the sun set over the Mississippi, which again and again filled me with awe. I hiked with friends, because outdoors was the one place we could safely be together. I hiked with my older kids, sharing our hearts in a way that only happens when you walk together in a quiet hollow. Sometimes I hiked by myself to be alone with the Lord. By October, I was a different person. One hundred miles and the prayers and conversation and worship and intimacy that was part of each step changed me. I was stronger and more sure of my ability to walk hard paths, but also humbled by the times my feet had slipped and I had fallen.

Heraclitus said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and he is not the same man.” And isn’t that the truth? People change. Day by day we are changed: by loss, by circumstance, by love, by choices, by pain, by growth, by time, and for the believer- by the Holy Spirit. Until one day we look back and the person we used to be isn’t recognizable to us anymore. Maybe it wasn’t 100 miles of hiking, but you’ve experienced your own journey. As we read scripture, we see how the Apostle Peter was likewise changed on his.

In Peter’s story, we can see ourselves. At times impetuous, Peter had a habit of speaking before thinking. In the gospels, he was a little unfiltered, and responded to Jesus in ways we find shocking. Peter witnessed what we couldn’t imagine- His dearest friend, dying by torture. Far removed from the event, it’s hard for us to fathom how it must have felt to see the Lord of all creation, the One who authored life, surrendering His own. We can scarcely imagine seeing Jesus die in such a way. When Peter witnessed His Savior and friend being murdered, he must have been undone. He would never be the same.

Then Jesus rose. Life was renewed and so was Peter. Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit fell, and Peter found his footing on the sure foundation that Jesus gave Him. He preached with a bold assurance that could only come from the Spirit. In the name of Jesus, he healed. In Acts 3, we see the people were utterly astounded by the healing of the man who had been lame from birth. This miracle gave Peter the opportunity to proclaim the message. Again and again, through the days and years, Peter would testify of what he had seen, and how he had been changed.

While we might wish that the Holy Spirit would not use pain as the catalyst for growth, it remains the great sanctifier. Passing though the fire or the depths with no visible means of help, we find there is nowhere else to go but to Jesus. The more often trouble sends us there, the more deeply we realize, there is no one else to whom we want to go.

Trouble would send Peter back to the arms of His Savior over and over. Near the end of his life, he wrote a letter to the scattered believers throughout Asia Minor. Christians were experiencing cruel persecution at the hand of Nero, and Peter reassured them with these words: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials...But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” At the end of it all, Peter’s life was characterized by hope- true, settled hope. Season after season, Peter proclaimed with his life “to whom else would we go?” His only hope in life and death was Jesus. And for Peter, whether healing the lame, or suffering in chains, he made the most of every encounter to tell of the Hope that was within him.

I have plans to hike 500 miles this year. In March, I’ll find somewhere in Florida, as I process what cancer and chemo are doing to my Mom. In April, I’ll backpack through the hill country of Texas, a place full of memories for me. I long to go back to Utah, to hike the Narrows at Zion, and chances are many of those 500 miles will be at the Nature Institute, where the sky meets the water in every color of the rainbow at sunset. I pray that with every step, the Lord will meet me and change me. My prayer is the same for you, friends. I’m asking Him to fill us with hope, even in this season, even in the valleys...a hope that nothing can ever take from us, a hope that pours forth from our lips, a hope that is sustained by Living Hope.

Until He calls us home,

Natalie

Wholeness and Healing

I live in downtown Alton, 6th street to be exact. It’s not an unusual occurrence to see people of different races, ages, & socioeconomic levels walk by our house daily. A fountain across from our house is turned on by the city in the summer months and again, it’s not unusual to see people stop and sit by it, play in it, and even, from time to time, clean up and bath in it. When Dane and I go for daily walks in our neighborhood, it’s not unusual to have people come up to us and ask for help. Actually it’s not all that unusual for us to have people come right up to our front door and ring the doorbell to ask for help.

I wish I could do more to help. Honestly, the problems, struggles, mental illness and situations we see are overwhelming. We’ve handed out money, food, extension cords, and various other things. But it’s obvious to me that anything we try to do or help with is just a drop in the bucket.

While I think it’s important to do what we can and trust that even small efforts are worth it, I find myself coming away from these types of experiences feeling like I wish there was far more that could be done. Holistic healing and dealing with the source of the situation rather than just the very surface of it.

Acts 3 speaks to me. A man who hasn’t ever walked his entire life is begging Peter and John for some money. Probably just expecting a few coins, surely his expectations aren’t that high. Peter makes eye contact with him and asks the man to make eye contact with him as well. When someone is in need and you make eye contact...somehow it makes it a whole lot harder to walk on by and do nothing. Peter says that they don’t have any silver or gold to give, but then he offers the man something far better, something the man hadn’t even thought to ask for, he offers the man healing and wholeness; a new life. Instantly, the man is up on his feet, the very same feet, legs and ankles that have never worked for him before, jumping, leaping, and walking.

What did that feel like? And for Peter and John it must have been amazing to be able to help the man with what really mattered, and not just what was on the surface. For the man who was healed, wow, what a miracle! He even went into the temple with Peter and John that day instead of just sitting at the gate.

I read this quote recently from a Richard Rohr book called Yes/And…

“Whole people see and create wholeness wherever they go; divided people see and create splits in everything and everybody.”

Acts 3 to me is all about Peter and John living in a holistic way. They saw the man in a way that no one else had. It’s easy to categorize and label people. But what would it look like to see people not just as rich or poor, black or white, old or young, man or woman, or whatever other binary we might use, but instead to see people just as people? How do we become holistic people who see and create wholeness wherever we go? That’s worth thinking about. That is the power of the gospel to me.

Pursuing wholeness,

Ruth

A Bride Worth Fighting For

My husband asked me the other day what I thought was harder - marriage or parenting. I don’t think there is an easy answer to that question. Both have been tremendous blessings from the Lord in my life, but they have also been two of the most sanctifying experiences. There have been days where I have been so overjoyed at the privilege of being a mom, and other days where I have wept over the difficulty of loving and leading ten children well. Most of the time, I adore my husband and I’m so very grateful I get to do life side by side with him. Some days though, we hurt each other deeply, and my heart is full of anger at him. 

If he had asked which I thought was harder; marriage, parenting, or church, I suspect we may have both answered with church. Some of our deepest wounds have been inflicted by other believers. Years later, those scars are still tender. Church hurt has impacted both of us, as well as our children. We aren’t the only ones. I know many of your stories. You’ve shared how you have been shaped by your experiences in church - the positive, but unfortunately, also the negative. We hope the church will be a refuge, but too often it’s a war zone, and our hearts are the casualties. 

Michael asked me how I could still love the church so much after all we had been through. I told him it’s because I know how lovely we can be. I see our potential. 

Over the years, I’ve heard many people reference Acts 2:42-47 as as example of how far we have fallen. “If only we could go back”, they say. It seems we’ve adopted the fatalistic outlook of our culture. I regularly see believers and even pastors criticizing the church on social media. It can feel like God’s people have given up on the church. I’m not saying we don’t rightly deserve some of the criticism. We have too often forgotten our call as ambassadors of Christ, and rather than letting the gospel be the stumbling block to those who are perishing, our attitudes and actions have been the stumbling block. But people need grace to grow, and so does the church. 

On the day of Pentecost, three thousand souls were saved. The Holy Spirit was poured out, and the response was world changing. We are here today, halfway across the world, gathered as a body of believers in Alton, IL because of the events of that day. Luke tells us what happened following that day: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Count how many times a sentence in this passage begins with the word “and”. It’s almost like Luke is trying to communicate “But wait! There’s more!” These verses describe for us what the church can look like when we are devoted to the Word, filled with the Holy Spirit, fervent in prayer and faithful in fellowship. We are a force for hell to reckon with! A church like that can change the world! I don’t know about you, but I want that!!!!! And not just in heaven, but now on earth. 

Church, we can’t go back. We live in a different culture, time and location. But we can look back at how the Spirit moved, and we can turn back to the Lord, and ask Him to do a mighty work in our midst - for His glory, our good, and for the salvation of many. Jesus told Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. We are that church, empowered by His Spirit to proclaim His gospel to the ends of the earth. Christ will never give up on His bride. Why should we? 

My prayer for us, believers at The Bridge, is that God would day by day heal our wounds as we apply the balm of His gospel love and truth to one another. If it’s true that hurting people hurt people, it’s equally true that healing people heal people. So may we speak words of life and encouragement to one another. May we long and pray earnestly for God to move in our midst in our day and in as powerful a way as He did in Acts. And oh, that he would add daily to our number those who are being saved! 

-Natalie Runyon

Who is Your Hero?

Who is your hero? 

I have asked students this question on a First Day of School survey over the last fifteen years.

Here are some of the answers - Spiderman, Superman, Batman, professional athletes, singers, mom, dad, brother, sister.  These are all good answers.  It is important to have at least one hero.  The saddest answer I saw on surveys to the question was “idk” (I don’t know).  And another sad answer was - I do not have a hero.

When Peter preaches on the day of Pentecost all he can talk about is his Hero - Jesus.  Jesus is the first word in the sermon (see Acts 2:22) and after his hearers are “cut to the heart” and ask what they should do, Peter tells them they should repent and be baptized into the name of his Hero - Jesus.

How would you answer the question today - who is your hero?  It is ok to have more than one hero, but there is only One Hero worthy of all of our allegiance and worship. 

Jesus lived, died, rose and is reigning.

Jesus prays for us.  

Jesus protects us.  

Jesus rescues us from sin and selfishness and Satan.  

Jesus paid our debt so we could be forgiven.  

Jesus pours out the Holy Spirit on us.  

Jesus will never leave or forsake all who repent and call on Him and are baptized in His Name.

May we be a people who zealously brag and boast about Jesus - Son of God and Son of Man.  King of Kings.  Savior and Lord.  Hero of heroes.

Grace and peace,

Steven

God Speaks in My Language

The story of the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles in Acts 2 is a familiar one. A violent wind...tongues of fire...suddenly each man is fluent in a different language instantaneously...all during Pentecost (Shavuot, a harvest festival), when Jews from all over the world have converged in Jerusalem to celebrate.

Have you ever asked children if they could be a superhero, what superhero power they might like to have? Usually you get answers like the ability to fly, x-ray vision, speed, and so on. In this case...the apostles are each given a language.

In researching, I’ve discovered, I totally have taken for granted the reality that the bible is translated into my language and easily accessible. I can even choose from a multitude of translations, to pick one that appeals to me most. We might not own many books but I would bet that most of us have a bible somewhere in our house or at least access to one on our technology. God speaking in our language is not really something we cherish, appreciate or even think about.

In Acts 2, we see this is a HUGE deal.

I’ve tried to learn a different language before, I took four years of Spanish in high school and am sad to say, retained very little of that education! It’s not easy to become fluent in a different language other than your native one. Missionaries usually have no choice. Full immersion in the culture and extensive tutoring is about the only way they can have any kind of success. Most missionaries have many stories of mistakes and funny things they said or did because of how difficult it is to speak and communicate fluently.

In Acts 2, this fluency is immediate. And they each are able to speak multiple different languages immediately!

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how inclusive God is, especially as we read the gospel stories and see who Jesus interacts with and how. It appears that the more people are on the margins of life the more He seeks them out...women, foreigners, the poor, the sick, etc.

I’m challenged to take an honest look at my own life and the church as a whole. I’m not sure we have gotten this basic premise right. Too often we make His message one for a few rather than for all. We make it exclusive and put up barriers to those on the margins rather than clearing the way and seeking out those on the edges. We have lots of reasons for doing this. Most of the time it happens so subtly we may not even recognize our behavior. But if we are honest and put our egos aside, we know it’s true. We’ve often made Jesus and Christianity into something that fits us and the kind of people we are most comfortable being around.

When I read Acts 2 I am reminded of the incredible inclusive nature of God, Jesus, and even The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit arrives and suddenly all language barriers are GONE, instantaneously! Wow!

Looking through church history is pretty eye opening. Do you know that there were people burned at the stake and tortured in other ways for translating the Bible from Latin to English? This was carried out by the church leaders of the day. They were extremely threatened at the notion that the common person would have access to scripture. The church leaders valued power, control, greed, and exclusivity. I would like to say these are problems the church no longer faces today. But I cannot.

I believe the Holy Spirit still fills each one of us and the outer evidence is probably in large measure how inclusive we are to those on the margins of life. This is where Jesus is found and where we need to be.

2021...let’s be more inclusive and let God speak in all languages and cultures.

Ruth

Wait for It

You’ve probably heard the saying, “It’s worth the wait!”  Hopefully, you’ve had many opportunities in life to experience that phrase proved true.  As I write this reflection, I’m a bit stressed as I await and prepare for a promotional exam at the fire department.  I find myself wishing that the test would come and go along with the stress that comes with it. 

I’ve been encouraged this week as I’ve reflected on the second half of Acts 1 and the discipline of Jesus’ disciples to pray to the LORD and wait on His direction in order to act.  Prayer is a discipline and discipline is a word for Jesus’ followers.  Prayer was a learned practice for the disciples as they had watched Jesus set THE example for them in His life and ministry.  Jesus was a man of prayer and so must be His disciples. 

In Acts 1:12-26, we see the disciples with some heavy decisions that need to be handled.  What will they do?  Just back in the first half of this chapter, we heard Jesus order His disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait on the baptism of His Holy Spirit.  In that moment, they seemed confused regarding whose kingdom they are most concerned with – their own or something greater.  After Jesus’ ascension, the disciples decide to obey Jesus through waiting and praying for His guidance.  What follows is that their lives become completely surrendered to the will of Christ as they embark on the great unknown of living as His followers. 

It’s in the prayer and waiting that God prepares His people for the work He will call them to do.  As I prepare for the upcoming exam, I am blessed to consider how it is preparing me for more.  The exam itself is not the ultimate goal so much as the personal development that comes from study and application in the meantime.  Prayer and waiting on the LORD can be like that as we see here with Jesus’ disciples.  The ends for which we pray are a means that help us develop spiritually to depend more on the power of Jesus and His desires rather than on our own base instincts or conventional wisdom. 

Running is one of the ways I condition for my line of work.  Sometimes, I’m tempted to only focus on the end of my run.  But for those of you that have experience with running, the endorphins come along the way in the run rather than at the end.  Our relationship with Jesus through prayer and waiting can be like that.  What we find in the process is that it’s worth the wait on Jesus because in our journey with Him, it’s the relationship of watching Him work that brings the greatest joy to our lives.  I’ve often envied the writings of Christian mystics because of their inclination to pursue greater intimacy with Jesus through ongoing constant prayer.  Isn’t intimacy with Jesus what we are all looking for in the first place?  There’s a phrase that is sometimes used to describe religious people – “they’re too heavenly minded to do any earthly good.”  But that statement is really impossible because the more any person truly tastes of Heaven (God’s Kingdom), they can’t help but be led to do what is for the earthly good as His Kingdom intends to come on earth as it is in Heaven.  Jesus always leads us to a greater Kingdom than our own.  Truly praying and waiting on Him is always rewarded with renewal and restoration toward our created purpose. 

At the end of this passage, we see God has chosen Matthias to be one of the twelve Apostles.  We never hear mention of that name again in the New Testament and yet we know that he carried on in the mission he was chosen for – a mission with eternal consequences for him and the rest of the world.  I can only imagine that the way Matthias was ushered into his Apostolic office became a daily reminder to him of how he should continue in it always trusting God in prayer and waiting for the LORD to provide the direction and power to perform on the call.

May we pray His Kingdom come on earth and in our lives as it is in Heaven for the sake of His call on us.  Let us stop trying to live for Him in our own power and wait on God’s Holy Spirit instead.  May we experience our greatest joy in witnessing how awesome and great is our Leader!  Jesus is always worth the wait!

Grateful and hopeful in Christ, 

Jon

A Love Letter

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach

Acts 1:1

I have always wondered who Theophilus is.  How cool is it that Luke wrote Theophilus a two volume "letter?"  The name Theophilus means friend or lover of God.  Have you ever received a love letter?  I remember receiving letters from Daria when we were in college.  I opened the letter immediately and studied every word.  I would read and reread her letters multiple times.  I wonder how many times Theophilus read the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts?

Some scholars believe Theophilus was an individual person - a friend of Luke.  Others believe that Theophilus is a name inclusive of every person who is a friend or lover of God.  This makes me wonder - how would my reading of the book of Acts change if I genuinely believe it was written to me by a friend?  I confess sometimes I read the Bible with the same kind of enthusiasm as reading a love letter.  Other times I read it somewhat disinterested.  As we prepare for 2021 how do you plan on reading the Word? 

We will read and study Acts for several months.  We will learn about all that Jesus began to do and teach and all that Jesus continued to do and teach through the Holy Spirit and the apostles.  This history is HIS STORY and if you know Christ it is also YOUR STORY. 

Reading and waiting with expectation,

Steven