6.23.24 Acts 2:37–38 Part III

Baptism calls the believer to something and the local church to something, but of course, it also is a picture of what God has done. Again, from the blue book, “Baptism, first of all, proclaims God’s promise that Christ’s death has become our own and that he has borne our judgment.”  But the good news …

6.23.24 Acts 2:37–38 Part II

Baptism is the outward sing of an inward reality. It’s a public declaration of the repentance, the change of allegiance that has taken place in our hearts. Our statement of faith says it this way: “The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they …

6.23.24 Acts 2:37–38 Part I

If one stayed in Scouts long enough, and fulfilled certain requirements, which I can’t remember anymore, he became eligible for a subset of Scouting called The Order of the Arrow. I remember almost nothing about it other than the initiation ceremony and one other event that happened afterward.  Everyone at summer camp that was potentially …

6.16.24 Acts 2:32–41 Part III

We too could emotionally distance ourselves from a statement like that. We can picture faces in the crowd Peter is talking to who are recognizing their direct role in shouting “Crucify him.” And we sit at a distance both in time and space and ethnicity from those people: we aren’t Jews; we aren’t Romans. We …

6.16.24 Acts 2:32–41 Part II

The conclusion of Peter’s argument from Psalm 16, which we looked at last week, is that Jesus was raised from the dead. But Peter is going to go further here. He was not just raised from the dead and thus is now like all other men, walking around, going to work, doing Jesus things again. …

6.16.24 Acts 2:32–41 Part I

In the movie version of The Lord of the Rings there is a debate about what to do with the Ring of Power at the Council of Elrond. After Aragorn makes a statement, Boromir wants to know what a ranger would know about such things. Legolas then speaks up, “This is no mere ranger. He …

6.9.24 Acts 2:22–33 Part III

So let’s turn back there and do a quick overview of that short psalm. It begins with a statement of trust and the statement at the end of verse two is so helpful for us, “I have no good apart from you.” We couple this with verse 11, “You make known to me the path …

6.9.24 Acts 2:22–33 Part II

The first thing we need to notice is that everything that transpired was according to God’s will and actions. Peter is making a clear case that God and God alone is in charge. We rightly struggle when the world seems out of control from our vantage point. We question when what seems right to us …

6.9.24 Acts 2:22–33 Part I

How do we know things? One of the ways is by observing. And in observing we can make connections and put information together that could—or in some cases should—guide our decisions and actions. Let’s talk about something simple like okra. Deer like okra plants. I like okra. And over the years, I have observed that …

6.2.24 Acts 2:1–21 (again) Part IV

The second thing that may not be immediately apparent is the message of both judgment and gathering through the tongues of fire. John the Baptist says in Luke 3:16–17, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong …