Acts- A Church That Studies

Micah in this chiaroscuro takes us back to the cradle of David's line and exhibits the Messiah as representing a new beginning out of a famous heritage. As God unexpectedly anointed David and rescued his people upon the failure of Saul, so he will give his people David's true successor after the defeat of David's descendants. (Wiseman, D. J., Alexander, T. D., & Waltke, B. K. (1988). Obadiah, Johah and Micah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 26, p. 199). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)

Are we willing to trust the wisdom of God and to allow Him to plan our lives as He sees fit? Faith must be tested, otherwise it could not be verified.  So, we need not fear when our faith is exposed to trial that it indicates any displeasure on God's part toward us.  Rather it indicates His deep interest in and concern for us. (H. A. Ironside, 1947)

When our hop is in the Lord, we can rejoice no matter what life throws our way. In fact, we can GREATLY rejoice... Jesus is risen, so be glad even in times of pain. (From a sermon by C. Philip Green, Our Living Hope, 4/26/2011)

In a speech made in 1863, Abraham Lincoln said, "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven;  have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown.  But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.  Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. 

In the same way this letter to Thyatira shocks its readers in a few short sentences with the portrayal of the terrifying results of human sinfulness.  The theological principle that underpins this passage is that the created order of God is moral, and the violation of that moral order does not go unpunished.  Interpersonal immorality has always been destructive to human relationships, because such sins, just as the sins of false gods, pride, selfishness, etc., go cross-grain to the grand design built by God into the very fabric of life. (Palmer, E.F., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). 1, 2 & 3 John/ Revelation (Vol. 35, p. 136). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.)

Satan, failing to overthrow the church by persecution in Smyrna days, snares the Pergamum church into idolatry and fornication.  In Pergamum they sought to drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons at the same time.  This provoked the Lord. (Newell, 1935)

Satan knows man's weakness! Sin is rebellion against God's wishes and ways. It is our decision to disobey God's principles.  While Satan gets credit for bringing us to the point of decision, the choice of doing evil is ultimately ours.  We cannot blame circumstances, other people, or the spiritual world for our choices, we must own them. (Barna, George, Think Like Jesus, Integrity Publishers, Brentwood, TN (2003, P.122)

Our emotions can cause us serious problems. Emotions can confuse our thinking, disturb our hearts, sap our vitality, and disrupt our walks with God. Anger, guilt, fear, and worry take an incredible tool on our well-being. In fact,doctors tell us 70 percent of all illnesses are emotionally induced. Most of us are stretched beyond our limits. We give of ourselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, pouring our hearts and souls into our jobs and families. But we do very little to guard our hearts and replenish our fast-paced lives. (LaHaye, Tim & Hindson, Ed, Seduction of the Heart, W Publishing Group, Colorado Springs, CO (2001, p. 41))

Commentator William Hendrickson writes, 'the kingdom, then, is not for weaklings, weavers, or compromisers...It is not for Balaam, the rich young ruler, Pilate and Demas.. It is not won by means of deferred prayers, unfilled promises, broken resolutions and hesitant testimonies. It is for the strong and sturdy men like Joseph, Nathan, Elijah, Daniel, Mordecai, and Peter... Stephen.. and Paul.  And let's not forget such valiant women as Ruth, Deborah, Ester, and Lydia' (Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew [Grands Rapids: Baker, 1973, p 490] (MacArthur, John 2009).

A key to having the joy of the Lord and real maturity in your life is your ability to fix your mind upon the 'things above', and the wonderful future God has prepared for you and me. (Hocking, 1975)

In Paul's corpus to the Philippians he addresses the church's fears by reminding them "they are not alone".  He also cautioned the Church to establish a single goal and now he informs the Church that she must have "One Purpose". A healthy purpose for the Church would include four key components: Encouragement, Love, Fellowship, and Compassion.

Today, I choose to take specific steps toward my goal. I won't just dream big; I'll determine the concrete actions that will help me achieve that dream.  I choose to stop making excuses that prevent me from moving forward. (Valorie Burton, 2014)

How wonderful it is to know that others are standing right with us as we fight the battles of life. There is no substitute for the unity and harmony of the Christian church. Satan is the great divider and destroyer; Christ is the uniter and builder. (Wiersbe, W.W. 1992)

Jesus knew that people have a tendency to 'justify' themselves. We all want to think we are doing better than average, so we tend to minimize our problems to help us feel better. But minimizing our problems isn't the same thing as facing them.  One attempt to justify themselves can stand in the way of their ability to understand  themselves, and they will not change as long as they continue to do this. (Baker, 2001- emphasis added).

Scriptural teaching on divorce underscores two convictions which form a pastoral dialectic.  Following Jesus, there must be a readiness to resist divorce as an evil; divorce is opposed to God's reign, even though the believing community may tolerate it.  However, following Paul, there must be a willingness to resist facile solutions which fail to accommodate concrete and difficult cases presented by our own situations. (Wall, R. W. (1992). Divorce. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 2, p. 219). New York: Doubleday.)

If it were only hunger for significance, we might be able to at least hold this craving at bay by a good dose of discipline and a depth of resolve.  But to complicate matters, the significance addiction is aided and abetted by the phenomenally powerful trio surging inner energies  called pleasure, pride, and passion.  This trio moves within each of us, creating partnerships of power that can corrupt and devastate even the best of us.  If left in their pre-redemptive flow, these forces render us incapable of advancing the significance of Christ and His kingdom.  Stowell, Joseph M. Perilous Pursuits, Moody Press, Chicago, Il. (1994, P. 29.)

The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interested in following Christ.  They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from the. Idleman, Kyle. Not A Fan, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan (2011, 2016)

Having told the disciples that the Son of Man will not come as soon as they wish (v.22), in what way He will not come (v. 23), in what way He will come (v. 24), and what will happen first (v. 25), Christ now states in what condition the human race will be when He comes Rev. Alfred Plummer, M.A, D.D. The International Critical Commentary, T & T Clark, Edinburgh (1896, 1922, 1975, P. 408)