By Betty Clark
This passage tells the amazing story of the travels, ministry, and persecution of the early leaders of the church, strengthened and empowered by God through the Holy Spirit. Persecution seemed to meet Paul and Barnabas and those that banded with them at every turn, even to the point of stoning Paul nearly to death.
The “simple” message of the gospel did not sit well with the religious establishment of the time. A religion bound by rules and rituals wrestled with the notion of simple grace. How could true faith in God be reduced to such a common denominator among men and women? The disciples emphasized the commonality of the human race. There was no “us and them,” as far as they were concerned.
Unfortunately today, well meaning Christians can fall into the trap of dividing our brothers and sisters into “us and them” categories rather than openly proclaiming the good news of Jesus to all, no matter if they speak, look, or act differently than we do. The disciples performed signs and wonders among the people they were trying so valiantly to persuade to Christ. Today, in a time where signs and wonders are not as common, truly it would be a modern-day miracle to see brothers and sisters from every race, every political persuasion, and every culture to unite in their shouting of “Jesus is Lord!”
Welcome!This Lenten season, the First Baptist Church of Christ will take the time to listen to the entire New Testament (days and passages are listed on the right column). Through our partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, every member of the church will be offered a free MP3 recording of the New Testament. By listening to this recording for less than half an hour each day, one can hear the entire New Testament in forty days.
At this blog, you’ll be able to read some of our members’ thoughts about what they are hearing. Our contributors reflect the great diversity of our congregation. They are male and female, older and younger, some with a seminary background and some without. As you read their questions, reflections, and observations, I invite you to join the conversation by posting a comment.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
March 11: Acts 10–15
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment