Laid at the Apostles’ Feet
At least three times in Acts 4 and 5 it is said of early disciples that they “sold their possessions”, then brought what they had received from the sale of houses or lands and “laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:35, 37; 5:2). One of my earliest memories of Lord’s Day worship in the […]
Are We Driving People Away?
As we write in newspapers, bulletins, religious journals, and preach from time to time in different places, we are often met with individuals, both within and without the body of Christ, who disagree with our teaching, do not appreciate the way we present the Scriptures, and say, “You are not winning people to the Lord. […]
They Had All Things Common
Acts 4:32 says, “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul: and not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own: but they had all things common”. The above verse is a commentary of the spirit of the church shortly after it began […]
Are Psychics Real?
We have seen them on TV commercials and read their ads in newspapers and magazines. A good number of people are place great confidence in their predictions. What about these psychics? Several points should be considered: Can we really put our faith in psychics? Or should we stay away from them because all such things […]
The Apostles’ Prayer to God
When the chief priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees realized they could not punish Peter and John for healing a lame man and preaching in the temple, they released them with a stern warning to cease preaching “in the name” of Jesus (Acts 4:18-22). The apostles had already told the council “we […]
Man or God?
Through Peter’s healing of the lame man in the temple (Acts 3:1-8), God gave strong evidence to all, certainly to the rulers and teachers of the people, that He approved Jesus and the work He had done. And while the rulers acknowledged that they could not deny a marvelous miracle was done (Acts 4:16), for […]
“And in the Evening”
God, in His infinite wisdom, provided the scriptures for mankind written in a language perfectly suited for the message of redemption. The Koine Greek, which fell out of use in the centuries after the New Testament era, was a wonderfully precise and vivid language. It is certainly worth the Bible student’s time to carefully investigate […]
A More Excellent Way
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:31, “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” He devotes 1 Corinthians 12 to the identifying of the spiritual gifts. His main purpose is to show the Corinthians, who were evidently arguing over which gift was better, that there is something far […]
By What Power?
In Acts 4 the chief priests and Sadducees were angry at Peter and John for teaching about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead in the temple. They arrested them and threw them into prison overnight. Peter had preached to a large crowd who had gathered because of an astonishing miracle Peter had performed — […]
A Matter of Authority
Our liberal-minded brethren have argued that the church is authorized to extend benevolence to non-saints. Yet, every example of church benevolence is that of helping saints in need (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37; 6:1-6; 11:27-30; Romans 15:25-26; 1 Corinthians 16:1-3; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5; 9:1-2). This constitutes a binding pattern for benevolence. It is interesting that some will […]