Category: Verse for the day

“He is there praying.” –Acts 9:12 The early Church was a praying Church. The Church was born at Pentecost after a nine-day gestation period of prayer (see Acts 1:14). After Pentecost, the Church devoted itself to prayer (Acts 2:42). So powerful were the Church’s prayers that sometimes the building where the Church prayed shook (Acts 4:31). The apostles concentrated on prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). The early Church was a praying Church. The immediate results of the Church’s prayers were mixed. The number of disciples “enormously increased” (Acts 6:7), but persecution against the Church likewise increased....

“An angel of the Lord then addressed himself to Philip: ‘Head south toward the road which goes from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.’ Philip began the journey.” –Acts 8:26 There is currently a best-selling series of computer training books which all have titles ending with “For Dummies.” These books contain simple step-by-step directions. They have great popular appeal, because many people feel the subjects of the books are overwhelming and that they are not smart enough to understand them. Simple, specific directions are exactly what overwhelmed people are looking for. Likewise, the Holy Spirit used this same approach with...

“Philip, for example, went down to the town of Samaria and there proclaimed the Messiah.” –Acts 8:5 Philip the deacon is an Easter saint. He shows us that because of the risen Christ: whole cities can be converted (Acts 8:14ff; see also Acts 9:35, 42), even the “least likely” people, like Samaritans, will enter God’s kingdom, persecuting the Church will build it up, and every member of the family not only can keep the faith, but also lead in spreading the Gospel (see Acts 21:8-9). The risen Christ transforms whole cities, Samaritans, a persecuted Church, the members of our families,...