Acts 17(01–15)

Introduction Last week we were reading of the time when Paul and his companions were in Philippi and Paul cast out a demon from a slave girl. The slave girl's owners weren't pleased and they stirred up so much trouble for Paul and Silas that they were beaten and whipped and thrown into prison. During … Continue reading Acts 17(01–15) →

Acts 15(01–35)

Introduction Over the past two weeks we've been studying Acts chapters 13 and 14, where Luke recounts for us Paul and Barnabas's missionary journey from Antioch to Cyprus to Pisidian Antioch to Iconium to Lystra and Derbe and back again to Antioch, where their journey had begun. And no doubt there were other places they … Continue reading Acts 15(01–35) →

Psalm 147

Introduction I said last week that the final five psalms in the book of Psalms are all psalms of praise. And you may have noticed as we read through today's psalm that the psalmist summons God's people to praise God four times. There's verse 1: Praise the Lord. Then there's verse 7: Sing to the … Continue reading Psalm 147 →

Psalm 146

Introduction The psalms are divided into five books and there'a short doxology at the end of the first and second and third and fourth books. So, the final verse of the first book is: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. And the final verse of … Continue reading Psalm 146 →

Psalm 145

Introduction In the first part of Psalm 144, David the king appealed to the Lord his God for victory over his enemies. And in the second part, he described the blessings which the king's people can expect as a result of his victory: they will live in peace and they will prosper and they'll have … Continue reading Psalm 145 →

Acts 14

Introduction We read in chapter 13 last week that the Holy Spirit told the believers in Antioch to set apart Paul and Barnabas for the work to which the Spirit had called them, which was to go on a missionary journey and to proclaim the good news of the gospel to the people they met. … Continue reading Acts 14 →

Psalm 144

Introduction It's been a while since we studied the psalms together, but you might recall that there's a small collection of Davidic psalms near the end of the psalter from Psalm 138 to Psalm 145. And some commentators think that they were placed here originally to remind God's people after the Babylonian exile that the … Continue reading Psalm 144 →

Acts 13

Introduction Acts 13 marks the beginning of a new part of the book of Acts. Up until now, the focus of the book has largely been on what the Risen and Exalted Lord Jesus Christ has been doing through the Apostle Peter. So, on the day of Pentecost, it was Peter who stood up before … Continue reading Acts 13 →

Acts 12

Introduction In chapters 10 and 11 of the book of Acts, the Lord made clear that salvation and eternal life in the presence of God is for everyone who believes. And the way he made that clear was by sending the Apostle Peter to preach the good news of Christ to Cornelius, who was a … Continue reading Acts 12 →

Acts 11

Introduction Last week we were studying chapter 10 and the story of how Cornelius, who was a Roman centurion and a Gentile, received a vision from the Lord to tell him to send men to Joppa to fetch Peter. And the next day, Peter also received a vision from the Lord which made clear to … Continue reading Acts 11 →