Dana Hagstrom – Be Still…

Galatians 1:1-24 – The True Gospel

We’re taking a short detour from the Book of Acts to pick up one of Paul’s letters to the people in Galatia. Paul used letters as a way of communicating with believers to encourage them and keep them on track. He was well acquainted with how the world offered little support to Christians. Paul also knew how fragile the faith of new believers could be if challenged. Since Paul couldn’t stay in one place for long, he hoped his letters would fill in the gaps.

Paul’s letter starts with a blessing and a reminder of who Jesus is. The tone then shifts to astonishment and correction about the Good News these people have started following. Paul was “shocked.” Was it because of how quickly they turned away or that they didn’t know any better to ignore a contrary message? Continue reading “Galatians 1:1-24 – The True Gospel”

Acts 15:1-35 – Spread the Word

Read Acts 15:1-35

What did you learn from today’s passage? Was it realizing what the “sticking points” were for accepting Gentiles? Was it seeing how the new believers navigated difficult discussions and decisions? Was it wanting to follow Paul’s example of faith and acceptance?

The whole notion of circumcision, while I understand its significance, still seems a bit odd to be such an important “requirement.” It was this issue that ended the first missionary journey abruptly, sending Paul and Barnabas back to Jerusalem, back to the “headquarters” of the new believers to meet with the elders and apostles. Already we have a good example of problem solving. Continue reading “Acts 15:1-35 – Spread the Word”

Acts 14:1-28 – A Divided Audience

Read Acts 14:1-28

Good things were certainly happening for the kingdom, but certainly not without peril to the lives of our missionaries. From the way our author, Luke, describes it, Paul wasn’t phased by the threat of being stoned; he just kept on with his message elsewhere. People were listening and believing in what Paul and Barnabas were preaching about. How could you want to stop that momentum?

However, we’re seeing a pattern develop here. Division. Not everybody is on board with what’s being preached. Those in opposition are turning to violence. Are they perhaps feeling threatened or think they can shut down this Jesus rhetoric if they harm the source? The truth will never be silenced. Continue reading “Acts 14:1-28 – A Divided Audience”

Acts 13:13-52 – Claim Your Joy

Read Acts 13:13-52

So, there is no confusion: Saul is also known as Paul, and going forward we’ll use his Greek name, Paul. There can be misconceptions about the name change, but it would have been common in those days to have both a Hebrew name (Saul) and a Greek name (Paul). It’s easy to think of Saul as the bad guy and Paul as the good guy, but it’s the same guy, and there was nothing divine about his name change like we’ve seen in the Bible before.

Paul was about to be used by God in mighty ways. In this moment where it all began, he could not even fathom what he was about to encounter: miracles, works of the Holy Spirit like this, and even disaster. But those stories will unfold in due time. For now, we need to get to know Paul as one of the greatest Christian leaders of all time. Continue reading “Acts 13:13-52 – Claim Your Joy”

Acts 13:1-12 – Follow the Holy Spirit

Read Acts 13:1-12

Were you impressed by how quickly the men praying in Antioch heard the Holy Spirit and then immediately acted on the message? It sounds like the message fell upon the group, rather than just one person. Such a great confirmation for Saul and Barnabas to start their missionary journey!

Have you ever experienced anything like that? For these believers, there was absolutely no doubt what should be happening next because of a profound message from God. We can only long for and expect to hear from God in this way. His messages are often a lot more subtle. For Saul and Barnabas, the clear direction was to go, but go where? Continue reading “Acts 13:1-12 – Follow the Holy Spirit”