THIS IS THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF BLOG POSTINGS ON THE TOPIC OF GENUINE WORSHIP. YOU’RE ENCOURAGED TO READ AND INTERACT WITH THESE POSTINGS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
I used to work with a senior pastor who liked to give staff members a call after Sunday worship services to debrief the morning. After talking [...]
Good day to you all, men of Mesa!
I had an outstanding trip to Italy, where I enjoyed teaching a course on the history of the Early Church to a group of college students from Liberty University. Now, I have a few days to get over jet lag, and prepare for what I think will be [...]
You are all encouraged to join us this Saturday morning for the 4th Seed Men’s Breakfast.
7:00 am
Superstition Springs Golf Club (NW corner of Power & Baseline)
$5 donation requested (though you are free to give more!)
Bring a friend (they don’t have to live in Mesa)
Our last day in our Acts study takes us from one of the least-talked-about stops on Paul’s journeys (Malta) to one of the most famous (Rome). Rome was a planned destination, Malta wasn’t. Rome was rife with controversy, Malta wasn’t. Rome was urban and complicated, Malta wasn’t. Rome would receive a most extraordinary epistle, [...]
There is no other passage in scripture quite like this one. Luke’s eyewitness account is enough to please any real sailor with its attention to detail. “The winds were against us…we had sailed across the open sea…slow headway for many days…the wind did not allow us to hold our course…we moved along the coast with [...]
A bit of hymn history for you today…
“He who is almost persuaded is almost saved, and to be almost saved is to be entirely lost,” were the words with which the Rev. Mr. Brundage ended one of his sermons. P. P. Bliss, who was in the audience, was much impressed with the thought, and immediately [...]
Two years have elapsed with Paul imprisoned in Caesarea. But now, a regime change signals that possibility that Paul might be able to get on with his traveling ministry…or at least be sent to Rome for an official trial.
INSIGHTS
“Three days after arriving.” This must have been considered an important matter by the new area ruler. [...]
Special thanks today to Thom Olmstead, our guest blogger!
Today we get the opportunity to see Paul give his defense (or defence, if you are British) before the governor Felix at Caesarea. The contrast between Paul and Felix is significant and the application for us is sobering and encouraging at the same time.
INSIGHTS
The legal team assembled [...]
The story today reads like a screenplay, with a number of roles that seem almost “over the top” in their characterizations! When actors are playing their parts, directors will often, in an attempt to get the actor to think more deeply about their character, ask them, “what is your motivation in this scene? Why is [...]
Today, we continue with the story, where Paul finds himself in between the proverbial rock (the truth of the gospel, from which he cannot shrink back) and the hard place (the Jewish population of Jerusalem, both Yahwists and Christians). Let’s be honest: Paul knows persecution is coming - it has been promised through prophecies on [...]
Bill Hartley