The kingdom of God, under the saving rule of Jesus Christ, is the reality to which all history is headed—a new heaven and earth, and a redeemed humanity experiencing the blessing of fellowship with God and one another forever. But this kingdom is also a present reality. The saving rule of Jesus is experienced today […]
Toward the end of the apostle Paul’s life, as he wrote to encourage his son in the faith, Timothy, he recalls the challenges he faced on his various missionary journeys. In particular, he mentions the sufferings he endured at Iconium and Lystra, which are described by Luke in Acts 14. This leads him to make […]
The book of Acts is the story of all that the risen Lord Jesus continued to do and teach through the witness of his church in the power of his Spirit. In chapters 1-12, Luke focuses on the growing church in Jerusalem and the spread of the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. In chapters 13-28, […]
Having received a vision from God in which all food was declared “clean,” Peter’s eyes were opened to see the ever-expanding redemption story of God’s love for a people from every nation. Just like all food was pronounced by Christ to be clean for eating, so Peter is to no longer refuse to be among […]
By God’s sovereign grace, Saul—who was a self-righteous Pharisee and a violent opponent of the Christian church—came to believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. He called upon his name, he was baptized, and he joined the disciples in Damascus (the very people he came to imprison). But this story shows us […]
Under the old covenant, the ceremonial laws communicated the truth that God is holy, and that he is totally separate from all that is not holy. This is why people with diseases or deformities were considered unclean and separated from the assembly of Israel. It wasn’t that these things made people evil; they symbolized the […]
The first part of the book of Acts ends with Stephen’s death and the persecution of the Jerusalem church. However, the attempts of Saul and the religious leaders to destroy the Christian church only served to bring about the fulfillment of the words of Jesus spoken in Acts 1:8, as believers were “scattered throughout the […]
Isaiah 11 describes the hope of a renewed world and a redeemed people under a righteous King. There, we learned that this King is none other than the Lord Jesus, our Immanuel. Isaiah 12 concludes the first major section of Isaiah by describing the response of those who belong to this kingdom. This chapter is […]
Today, ministry ‘success’ is often defined by visible, tangible, quantifiable, and impressive results. But God’s Word is clear that “results” are up to God alone. We can plant the seed and water the soil, “but God gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:6). So, if God alone is responsible for results (conversions, numerical growth, revival, etc.), […]
