Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise. —Proverbs 20:1 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit… -Ephesians 5:18 Alcoholism and drug addiction are major blights on our culture. Adults (ages 18+): 16.6 million adults ages 18 and older3 (7.0 percent of this age group4) had an AUD (alcohol use disorder) in 2013. This includes 10.8 million men3 (9.4 percent of men in this age group4) and 5.8 million women3 (4.7 percent of women in this age group4). About 1.3 million adults received treatment for an AUD at a specialized facility in…

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight…. Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. —Acts 20:7, 11 Awhile back I read “Heavenly Man” which is about the underground church in China. The author told of westerners coming over to China to help, but when the westerners spoke it was for only an hour or less. It was greatly appreciated that these people would come to China to help the church, but they were eventually asked not…

But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. —Acts 19:9 If atheists do not believe in God then why do they believe they have to speak against Him? Are they out to save the world? Do they believe it is needful to encourage others to not believe in God as well? Are they seeking to force their godless religion on others? Why do they think they have to push their wicked, stubborn rebellion on others? There are those, as in the verse above, that just feel the need to not only be stubborn and reject the good news about Jesus, but that they must also…

…there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. —Acts 10:36 And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.” —Acts 10:42-43 Sin puts a person at odds with God. Romans 5:10 tells us that before a person trusts the Lord Jesus Christ they are an enemy of God because of being a sinner. But, “we have been made right in God’s sight…

The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers. —Acts 9:31 The church in the United States has experience peace for a long time. It is possible according to the verse above for the church to grow during a time of peace. How does that happen? Well we are told that the church grew stronger because it lived in the “fear of the Lord” and it also grew in numbers “with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.” What is the fear of…

You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! —Acts 7:51 I am sure you have heard parents say proudly, “I am not going to force my child to go to church; I will let him make that choice for himself when he gets older.” But they have no problem sending their child daily to a godless public school where he will learn nothing about God and be encouraged away from God. Parents who say this do so because they themselves are not faithfully following God and in most cases…

God sent Moses to be their ruler and savior. —Acts 7:35 Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. —Acts 7:37 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. —John 17:18 The teacher sent the student to the office with the class attendance for that day. The trucking employer sent a driver to pick up merchandise that was to be delivered elsewhere. The king sent his herald to make a declaration to the people. All these were sent in the authority of the sender to accomplish what the sender…

But then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. —Acts 7:18 Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. —Exodus 1:8 Those who do not know, understand or remember what has happened in the past are bound to make massive mistakes in the future. America came into existence so the people could come out from being under the rule of a tyrannical leader and worship according to God’s desires and not the king’s. We are well into the process of becoming an administrative state where religious liberties will be taken away and…

So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word… So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too. —Acts 6:2-4 Can you imagine a heavy equipment operator performing brain surgery? Or, how would you like to sit in the dentist…

We must obey God rather than any human authority. —Acts 5:29 Obedience to God will put the followers of Jesus at odds with the worldly culture around them. Here in the U.S. if was been “relatively comfortable” to follow Jesus, but those days could be coming to an end. “Experience and history have shown us that if the government redefines marriage to grant a legal equivalency to same-sex couples, that same government will then enforce such an action with the police power of the State. This will bring about an inevitable collision with religious freedom and conscience rights. The precedent established will leave no room for any limitation on what…