In my last blog, we traveled with Philip to Samaria where he encountered a man named Simon who practiced magic arts. Simon received the message of the Gospel, but wanted to receive the Holy Spirit so that he could lay hands on others, either for profit or for personal acclaim.

In last week’s blog, we focused on Stephen’s hard-hitting message to the Council, and when he concluded, they began shouting and covered their ears and rushed at him, and when they had driven him out of Jerusalem, they began stoning him until he died. But, if you recall, that’s not

In last week’s blog, we focused on the two occasions where Peter, after he had been imprisoned, confronted the religious leaders who formed the Jewish Council known as the Sanhedrin. Peter told them in no uncertain terms: “…we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). Threats

If you recall, in the fourth chapter of Acts, Peter and John were thrown into prison overnight, but then released in the morning. After their release, they continued preaching the good news of Jesus’ resurrection, proclaiming that: “…there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men,

In my last blog, we focused on sharing, which was a hallmark of the early church in Jerusalem. We also discovered that the writer of the Book of Hebrews admonished his readers to not: “…neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:16). If you

In my last blog, we discovered that Peter and John were thrown into jail after preaching about Jesus’ death and resurrection. But their jail time did not last long, as the next morning they were released, with the “command” that they no longer speak the name of Jesus. But Peter

The title of today’s blog comes from an often-used fishing term where anglers are allowed to catch fish and then release them back into the water. No eating your catch! The whole point is that for most fishermen, the thrill comes from outsmarting those little creatures, not eating them! They

Well, it’s time to jump back into the next phase of growth in the early church in Jerusalem. We have focused upon their commitment to maintaining fellowship and prayer, and to always listening to the Apostle’s teaching about Jesus’ life and ministry, including His death, resurrection, and ascension. Peter’s first

In addition to devoting themselves to fellowship, sharing, and prayer, the early church was devoted to hearing and understanding “The Apostle’s Teaching.” And this was the subject of the last few blogs, as we considered the historical and cultural setting in which the early church grew starting in Jerusalem, and

After the birth of the early church, we looked at what the 3,000 new followers of Jesus were being taught, and it was simply “The Apostle’s Teaching.” Here is how Luke recorded it: “Those who had received his (Peter’s) word were baptized; and that day there were added about three