Focal Passage: Acts 12:6-18 

The study this week focuses on a topic that we talk about a lot but in many cases do very little of. We confess our belief in the power of prayer, but often times fail to apply that power to our lives as we should.  

Let me give you an example. All of us encounter problems in life. And, if we are believers, prayer is something we will probably do. But, most often it is not the first thing we think of doing. And for some, it is the last option they turn to after we have tried to resolve the problem ourselves and failed.  

Sometimes when we face problems we can become so focused on the situation that we forget about the power that is available to us is only a whisper away. No one can pray too much.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Acts 10:34-48 

Have you ever noticed how people react to one another in large groups or crowds?  The peculiarities which become very distinguishable?  How people begin to segregate from the larger group into smaller groups of commonalities.  

Some might call what I have just described as a clique. I have always seen that term as being judgmental and a little harsh because it has always been used negatively against a group wishing to degrade someone else. 

I say this because all of us are drawn toward this natural human behavior, and most likely, have done it ourselves. We feel most comfortable when we associate ourselves with those we know who have common interests and share similar beliefs, goals, experiences and ideologies.  Most often we don’t have anything against the other people that may be present, but we like to stay in our little pond of familiarity. [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Acts 9:32-43 

In our study for today we will be discussing an issue that many have difficulty with. Can someone be an instrument through which healing can take place? 

We all have heard examples where someone claims to have been healed through the powerful prayer or action of other individuals at a religious gathering. But we also know that not everyone who suffers from a physical condition is healed. 

Jesus healed a lot of people, but even He did not heal everyone. Even though many were, there were also many who returned home with their problem. The same is true today. There are many people who return home from these “healing services” still bearing their malady.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: 1 Samuel 18:5-16 

In this six-week study on sidekicks in the Old Testament we would not quickly assume David to be numbered as one of the subjects  David is one of the most pivotal names in the Bible. He is the king who starts a dynasty that is ultimately fulfilled in the person of Jesus the Messiah.

However, contained within all the biographies of the great men and women of the Bible are humble beginnings. In I Samuel 18, David is not the king. Rather, he is the faithful servant of the envious and hateful King Saul.  

Give your best as a follower. In the preceding chapter David killed Goliath, solidifying his renown in the land. In chapter 16, the prophet Samuel anointed David as the future king of Israel.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Acts 9:3-16 

There are times in our life when we may have done things that we thought were right but later we discovered were wrong. At first, we may feel zealous about our actions but something in the back of our minds begins to prick our conscience. Even though we think what we are doing is right, it just doesn’t feel comfortable for some reason.  

In this week’s passage we see such a scenario in the life of a man named Saul. We would later come to know him by his Greek name Paul. Paul was a devout Jew. He was also a fervent Pharisee who had received his spiritual instruction under Gamaliel. This was the same Gamaliel we see in Acts 5, warning the Sanhedrin to be careful how they dealt with the preaching of the Gospel because they may find themselves fighting against God. Obvious, that was what Saul discovered about himself. But God had other plans for Saul. [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Acts 8:26-39 

In this week’s study, we find that Stephen has been martyred and a great persecution had broken out against the Church. 

The Apostles were driven out of Jerusalem by the Jewish authorities and scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. But not all of them were forced to leave Jerusalem. It seems that many of the Jewish believers were allowed to stay, but the Hellenists Jewish believers were forced to leave the city.  

Philip, being a Hellenist Jewish believer, was one of those who was driven out. He went to Samaria and began preaching about Jesus. His message was well received and many put their faith in Jesus as the Christ. In fact, the believers had grown to such a number that it caught the attention of the Church still abiding in Jerusalem.   [Read more…]