And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”—Acts 19:27 ESV Steven Cole comments on Acts … More Ask the right question
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
John Piper in a sermon, “Jesus Still Turns Things Around” brings this encouragement from Acts 9, our reading for today: Luke drives this home by showing the persecutor becoming the persecuted. First, in verse 23 Luke tells us that the Jews in Damascus plotted to kill him. The hunter becomes the hunted. And he escapes … More Piper: God Is Turning Things Around All Over the World
John Piper in a sermon, “The Leading of the Lord in Personal Evangelism” from Acts 8:26-40 …. the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch teaches us one of the ways God uses to evangelize the world. I say “one of the ways God uses” because it is clear from the book of Acts that … More Extraordinary Guidance
John Piper, in a sermon “Spreading Power Through Persecution” I want to encourage you this morning from Acts 8:1–8 that God rules over the sufferings of the church and causes them to spread spiritual power and the joy of faith in a lost world. It is not his only way. But it does seem to … More Don’t judge suffering too quickly
John Piper, in a sermon from Acts 7, The Story of a Stiff-Necked People: So in Acts 7:1 the high priest gives Stephen a chance to defend himself, “Is this so?” he asks. And Stephen does a very strange thing. He tells a story—a condensed version of the history of Israel. He starts with Abraham … More Stephen’s defense: a history lesson
Nehemiah 6 tells of a tough situation in Nehemiah’s life. He and the people were just about finished building the wall, but his enemies were out to get him. they intended to do Nehemiah harm(v 2) they were spreading false rumors, “invented in their own mind” v8 (that Nehemiah and the people were intending to … More God acts. God gets the glory.
John Piper: “A snake bites Paul, so they think he’s a criminal. He doesn’t fall dead, so they think he’s a god. Beware of human polls.” (Twitter, February 21, 2011) After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a … More John Piper: Beware of human polls.
Bob Deffinbaugh comments on the ending of the book of Acts: One final word about the supposedly “sudden and abrupt” ending of the Book of Acts. Many have noted the unusual ending of Acts. Some have explained this ending by suggesting that Luke intended to write yet another volume. I think that the ending of … More Deffinbaugh: Gospel-centered ending to Acts
In recent years, BASE Institute has been involved in painstaking research into Luke’s amazingly detailed account of Paul’s voyage and shipwreck off the coast of Malta, as recorded in Acts 27-28 In approximately 60 A.D., a ship carrying 276 men and a cargo of grain shipwrecked off the coast of Malta. Two of the passengers on … More The Lost Shipwreck of Paul
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 