Andy Talks

There is much conflict in this passage today. Festus doesn’t see anything worthy of charges against Paul.  Yet to turn him loose would bring conflict with the religious leaders.  So, here he is, stuck. Sometimes we feel like that, don’t we?  We are in conflict often. Sometimes, the only way forward is a choice that we may not want to make. Sometimes, there is no way forward, and we just have to tr...

Paul preaches to Felix about the Christian life. And Felix has this reaction. He’s afraid!  He’s scared of all this means and what this may look like. It reminds me of the quote about Aslan from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Is he (Aslan, the Christ figure) safe?  No, but he is good.  Jesus is not always safe. He may scare us and call us into the things that frighten us. But we can be as...

In our All Saints Sunday sermon from our Traditional service, Andy shares with us from 1 John 3: 1-3. We have hope, but we don't always have certainty. But we have can have hope because hope is a person.  And that person is Jesus!

Paul argues today about the power of the resurrection.  Jesus is raised.  The resurrection is real, and it changes everything.  Jesus Christ has overcome even death.  And if Jesus has overcome even death, then what do we have to be afraid of?  If a death has been defeated, then nothing in life or death can come against us.  We have nothing to fear.  Do not live a life of fear! Join us for our dail...

Sometimes, we can get so comfortable in our lives that we don't want to, for we may even forget how to follow Jesus.  Today we see the religious leaders; they didn't like Jesus disrupting things.  He was messing with the way things always were.  He was calling them out of their comfort and on to being faithful.  That's hard.  We may not always want to do it.  But let us never mistak...

Today is Halloween.  Do you know the religious history of this day?  A lot has happened throughout church history, from Martin Luther to the celebration of our saints and those who have passed into the Church Triumphant.  After all, we are surrounded by a mighty cloud of witnesses!  So, while we may not think about it, today has some deep religious meaning!    Join us for our daily reflections wit...

Sometimes, we feel the pressure that it is all up to us. Don’t worry. God’s got this.  We see that Paul is nearly killed. There is a plan to ambush and kill Paul. But, Paul is saved, and in his saving, Paul is headed further down the road to where God wants him, in Rome, preaching. We may not always understand what is happening at the moment. It may not always make sense. But we know that God is a...

In our Traditional sermon from October 29, 2023, we hear the story of the widow and Elijah. She had given all that she could give, and now Elijah wanted more?  You can't get blood from a turnip. But when we look closer, we see that her call to give was actually her call to live.  When we give, we actually find life.         

We see Paul continue to be very smart.  The Lord has told him that he was to go to Rome and testify about Him. That is where all this is headed.  But before we get there, we see some internal conflict among the religious leaders. We see a fight among the Sadducees and Pharisees. But who were these people?  Who were these groups?  What did they represent?  What did they believe?  Today, we’ll look...

Paul plays his Roman citizen card today.  Paul tells the soldiers beating him that he is a citizen of Rome, and they stop what they are doing immediately. They are not allowed to do that.  Paul’s destination to Rome continues.  He is heading there, for the glory of God. It is interesting that Paul had been telling the people his testimony, telling them what God had done, but they would not listen....

Paul finishes his testimony today.  He tells of how Jesus has changed him.  Jesus changes lives, y’all.  We see that Paul told all the folks all that he did, and after he was saved, folks didn’t want to believe him. They knew all that he had done, and it was hard to let go of his actions.  We should learn to forgive ourselves for our past mistakes and, in the same way, learn to forgive others of t...

Paul gives us his background today. We see all that he has done, all he has learned from, all that has happened in his life. He was uniquely positioned to make a difference for the kingdom by bridging the gap between the Gentiles and the Jews. He had that ability because of who he was.  Today, God has you where He has you for a reason. Maybe that reason is to learn. Maybe it is to act.  Prayerfull...

In our Traditional message from October 22, 2023, Andy shares with us from 2 Timothy 2: 1-10.   Why do we teach?  We find that when we pour into others, we are the ones who are blessed. It is in the giving that we receive!

Today, we see Paul begin to really see the opposition that was going to come to him. Individuals stir up much trouble and try to even kill him. They assume the worst about Paul, that he did something to offend them when in reality, he went out of his way to avoid doing just that.  Their worst-case assumption leads to riots and much trouble.  Today, do we assume the best of each other or the worst...

Paul gets to Jerusalem today.  There was much concern among the Jewish believers that Paul had been telling Jews to ignore the law, so the church leader asked Paul to participate in some of the rituals. Because for Paul, it wasn’t about the rituals; it was about Jesus.  It is easy for us to confuse the means for the end. The end is knowing Jesus. That’s what matters. The means is how we do it, and...

Paul is told twice today, don’t go to Jerusalem.  If you do, it will end badly for you.  You will die. But Paul says he is called to go, even if it means his death.  He is called by God to do this, so he has courage.  Courage is not being afraid. Courage is being afraid and doing the right thing anyway. Stay rooted in the Spirit. Listen to God, listen for His voice, and stay rooted in His call.  H...

Paul gives his last words today to the church in Ephesus. He knows he is heading towards Jerusalem, and while he doesn’t know exactly what awaits him there, he knows that it will not be good.  He knows through the Spirit that suffering will come.  So, as he leaves these people he loves, he shares his last words for them with them. Protect and love the church.  This is what Paul wants them to know....

Stealing a title from John Wesley today!  We see Paul preach for so long that a young man falls asleep and falls to his death. But, the text tells us several times about the “breaking of bread,” or Holy Communion. And we see this young man is brought back to life. Communion is a gift from God.  It brings us back to life. It restores us.  It gives us the grace necessary for the living of life.  Wes...

When we think of encouragers in Scripture, we don’t always think of Paul first. But when we read today, that is exactly what we find. Paul encourages his disciples. Then, he goes to Macedonia and encourages the Christians there. Even when forced to flee from a plot against him, Paul takes folks with him on the journey and pours into them. We don’t always think of Paul as one who encourages. But th...

A riot breaks out in Ephesus.  It’s going bad, bad, bad. But Alexander speaks up, and he speaks peace to a bad situation. This is such a wonderful example for us.  Our lives and our world are filled with things that create such negativity. That creates such worry.  Paul tells us to think on things that are noble and pure.  This passage, I think, asks two questions for us. First, what are we fillin...

Today, we see God doing great things through Paul. So great that folks begin to try to try to imitate Paul, casting out demons not “in Jesus” name but “in the name of Jesus who Paul proclaims.”  In other words, these people didn’t know Jesus.  They knew about Jesus.  It isn’t enough for us to just know about Jesus. We have to know Jesus. Our faith is personal; it is about that relationship that we...

Today, we see Paul talk about conversion and baptism. Like Apollos before, Paul meets some people who do not have the full story of salvation and the Gospel. Paul explains the truth to them, and they are baptized in Jesus’ name.  You may have met some churches that baptize in “Jesus’ name.”  We take a few minutes to unpack what is happening here.  But always remember that baptism, and salvation, a...

Today, we meet a person who is very important to Paul's ministry in Corinth.  Apollos.  We learn from the Word that he is a gifted speaker and very powerful.  He is doing amazing things for the Kingdom. But he also doesn't know the full story. This passage forces us to ask two questions of ourselves. Who in our lives are we pouring into or mentoring?  And who in our lives is pouring into...

In our Traditional message from October 1, 2023, Andy shares with us from John 15: 9-17. Our colleges do a great job of "making disciples," even better than the church. They provide identity and community. So should we, so must we, as the church. How can we do just that?

Paul is a tent maker, and he connects with Pricilla and Aquila. They work together. They labor together. Work is sacred. Work is not something that is a punishment of the Fall, but if we go back and read the Creation, we see that God gave Adam and Eve a job to do.  Now, the Fall complicated things, but work is a good thing.  A sacred thing. God gave us purpose and work. Today, attend to the work r...