Piper: Self-sufficient people who think they can negotiate with God are deluding themselves.

“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.” Acts 17:24-25 John … More Piper: Self-sufficient people who think they can negotiate with God are deluding themselves.

Greatly annoyed

And it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortunetelling.  Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God,who are proclaiming to you … More Greatly annoyed

The Jerusalem Council, grace, and how the Bible is put together

D.A Carson write in “For the Love of God, Volume 1, July 28” In Acts 15, it is critically important to understand what the dispute was about that called into existence what has since been labeled “the Jerusalem Council.” Some (Jewish) men traveled from Judea to Antioch and began teaching the believers there that even … More The Jerusalem Council, grace, and how the Bible is put together

What is missing from most prosperity preaching?

The following excerpt comes from “Twelve Appeals to Prosperity Preachers” found in the new edition of Let the Nations Be Glad.(John Piper)with a reference to our reading for today, Acts 14. Missing from most prosperity preaching is the fact that the New Testament emphasizes the necessity of suffering far more than it does the notion … More What is missing from most prosperity preaching?

God’s grace becomes visible when it makes the anguish of persecution a means of spreading the good news of Jesus.

John Piper preached a sermon, “He Saw the Grace of God and Was Glad,” from Acts 11:23. Here is an excerpt; please read or listen to the entire sermon at DesiringGod.org The Grace of God Uses Suffering In other words, the good news about Jesus Christ came to Antioch because of persecution. Barnabas saw this … More God’s grace becomes visible when it makes the anguish of persecution a means of spreading the good news of Jesus.