We’ve got new signs! Why new signs, you ask? A couple of reasons: A couple of times in our relatively recent history we’ve had a building consultant (professional visitor/opinion giver) come and take a walk through our building. One of the things we heard in both of those visits was that, “the more hurdles I […]

Paul spent significant time traveling around the Roman Empire, preaching the Good News of Jesus and starting churches in many cities. How did he decide where to go? How did he know when to move on? This passage gives us a glimpse. Acts 16:6-10 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been […]

The Council at Jerusalem Conflict in the early church came to a head in a major council in Jerusalem. The question: “Did Gentiles (non-Jewish people) need to go through the rituals of becoming Jews before they could follow Jesus?” Paul (and Peter from last week’s reading) argued against it, telling stories of how the Holy […]

Peter The early church started as a group of Jews following Jesus. Many, including Peter, assumed that it should stay this way. But then God appeared to Peter to change his mind and set him on a new path. Acts 11:1-18 Now the apostles and the brothers and sisters who were in Judea heard that […]

Saul (aka Paul) vehemently fought against the early followers of Jesus. He stood by in approval as people stoned Stephen to death and did all that he could to stamp out followers of Jesus. He thought his actions were faithful to God, but God had other ideas on the road to Damascus. Acts 9:1-19 Meanwhile […]

The Seven Chosen In the early days of the church the Apostles struggled to figure out an effective and efficient way to organize themselves. This uncertainty led to conflict. Something needed to be done to bring order to the chaos. Acts 6:1-7 Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists […]

After Jesus resurrection and ascension, His disciples tried to figure out what to do next. The first step was to replace Judas so they would once again number 12 Apostles. The discernment process involved the prayerful casting of lots, basically rolling dice to determine which of the two God called to take Judas’ place. Acts […]

Following several years of preaching, teaching, and healing, Jesus’ opponents finally gained the upper hand. Jesus knew that the end of his ministry on earth had come. He gathered the disciples together for one last Passover meal before leaving Jerusalem for a night of prayer. Knowing that death awaited placed Himself in God’s hands. Luke […]

Mary In a small, backwater town of Nazareth God appeared to a young girl with promises beyond belief. The son of God would be born. Luke 1:26-38 Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name […]