There’s a human trait which leads us to conform to what others expect of us. This social pressure can affect us individually and it can also affect whole groups: a herd-mentality can be created in a mob. A whole society,
Discipleship
Ephesus was a large city on the coast of Asia Minor (Turkey today). Paul previously visited it when heading home from Greece (Ac 18:19-21). Now he returns and stays for a long period, in order to establish a work which
John the Baptist, RIP
Jesus’ kingdom has been expanding, with people from across the Mediterranean world entering into it. Yet suddenly we meet a group who seem anachronistic – part of a much earlier stage in the story of Jesus. So why are they
Counterculture
Due to our sin, especially pride and idolatry, human beings always create societies which fall short of what God’s desires (Ro 3:12). Jesus, therefore, puts his people into a new kingdom which has a different lifestyle that does honour God
Back from the dead?
Life is full of disappointments – they are to be expected. Paul seems to have faced one of his in Athens. But these dark patches on our journey through life are not a sign that we’re on the wrong road.
Dead idols
Seneca, a Stoic philosopher of Paul’s day, wrote that death is just ‘non-existence’ and hence not something to be concerned about. The apostle, however, thought very differently and tackles such views head-on as he speaks, in our verses, in the
Nobility
Rest is a lovely gift from God and, at times, a very necessary one for our well-being. The city of Berea (modern Veria) becomes a place where Paul, though still working as a travelling missionary, briefly has a more restful
Upside down world
Every person has their own traits and personality. But when people come together – such as in a town or a team – the combined group can have traits and personality too. Luke uses that in Acts as he describes
Nine step strategy
Philippi was a Roman colony which gave, in Paul’s time, much adoration to the deceased Caesar Augustus. It was also a Macedonian city linked to the earlier emperors of Greece: Philip II and Alexander. So saying ‘Jesus is Lord and
Invasion
Landing on a heavily defended beach is the stuff of nightmares, as soldiers wonder if they’ll ever get off the sand alive. In a similar way, Paul & his team must have wondered how far they’d get when the Lord