David Bahn - Reflections

Peter's simple word of grace had an outsized impact. Luke tells us, "When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, 'Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.'” This is God's gift - sending Jesus to save us, and sending messengers to bring his word to us. Add to that the gift of the Holy Spirit who moves our hearts...

That whole being saved thing must be important. It is a biblical term. So back to the question, "Saved from what?" It just might be that we are being saved from ourselves and our own short-sighted ideas of good and evil, right and wrong, truth and lies. We get it so wrong. Want proof? How often do you check your foundational belief system against the Bible? How often do you look for a lo...

Peter is not one I would think of as patient - based on his track record as a disciple of Jesus during his  three year ministry tour. He was more prone to brash declarations, self-confident pronouncements, and talk-now-think-later speeches. But he seems to have learned something from his time with Jesus, the on-going spiritual formation in the days following Jesus' resurrection, and his experi...

Next time someone new sits in your pew, or a new worship song is introduced, or a new group of leaders comes forward, welcome them. We have been grafted into the vine. Neither they nor we are entitled to this. But there is room for more. And God wants all people to be saved. We're all welcome in Christ's church. The proof of this is in the cross of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit in...

We also know under what circumstances we are to give thanks. When we experience God's special and particular favor we should thank God. When we see a beautiful sunset: thank God. When we receive a special gift: thank God. When we are healed: thank God.  We must also thank God in difficult circumstances. "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God&#...

Jesus' first disciples were chosen for a purpose – and so are we. In his mercy, love, kindness, and grace he chose us to receive the forgiveness of sins and salvation through faith in Jesus. Sometimes that may seem to be a burden. But in the end we will rejoice in his grace to us. We and all creation will praise him for his glorious grace. For we have been chosen: a far greater blessing than i...

We experienced a wonderful Sunday-after Easter worship service while traveling earlier this year. The pastor made the point:  When Jesus said, "Peace be with you!", it wasn't a wish. It was a gift.  This is God's gift to us. We have peace with God. It is a given. That being so, we must live at peace with one another. God's gift of peace calms the heart and makes peace possibl...

We don’t always fear God and do what is right. We are all too aware of our sins in thought, word, and deed. The idea of being judged totally impartially is maybe not totally welcome. We’d prefer not to be shown that we stepped out of bounds, were offsides, or didn’t make the play. A totally impartial judgment might not be what we want. Thank God Peter reminds us that, “everyone who believes in [Je...

I wonder if I could use a bit of Cornelius' curiosity. Rather than reading the first few paragraphs of a book I've been given, I may need actually to read the whole book. Rather than leaning on the truth that there's nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), perhaps I should be more humble; that doesn't mean I know everything under the sun that is to be known. I'm pretty qu...

We are individualists. We think about how the political climate will impact us individually. We consider our relationship with God to be a personal and individual issue. While these things are true, God's vision is far wider. He wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. But he doesn't want those who come to faith to be alone in their faith walk. We're better...

Peter goes to great lengths to determine just what is going on in this encounter with Cornelius.  Why did you ask me here? What do you have to say? What do you want from me? He's not jumping to any conclusions here. He's probing carefully to discern what is happening and how he is to be part of it. Is it because Jesus is gone now? He's ascended to the right hand of God. He's not ri...

The phrase which Luke uses throughout this book, The Word of the Lord grew,  is coming true before our eyes. It may not appear to be that chaotic to our sensibilities. But trust me it was. And for this time - even though God does want things done decently and in order - there will be some chaos. Not 100% chaos, but I'm thinking maybe 75%. What do you think?

This is totally new territory for Peter. He will feel his way forward, all the while thinking, What does this mean? Peter will now be invited to share God's message with Cornelius. He'll hear it for himself. Peter will have the grand opportunity to tell Cornelius and his household what this means . It means that the gospel message is for Jew and Gentile. It means that God really does love...

However long Cornelius prayed, God did (finally?) answer. Peter was dispatched. New things are on the horizon. God's story will continue to unfold. I like to say that we overestimate what we can do in the short term and way underestimate what God will do in the long term. God's timing is perfect and gracious. His answers are always good. That's why we pray faithfully without ceasing an...

Jesus himself had 12 partners, three special ones and one beloved disciple. He sent his disciples out two by two in their mission efforts. This is God's design, summarized in the words, "Don't go alone." I thank God for Diane, my partner in life and ministry, as well as others who have come along side of me in each realm. Fellow pastors and friends, church leaders and members, te...

Jesus taught us to pray for all manner of things. He also taught us to pray,  Thy kingdom come. And in that prayer raised our eyes beyond the urgent needs of the moment to the eternal needs of all people. When we pray  Thy kingdom come,  we're praying that people are brought to faith in Jesus, that his gracious reign and rule would take root in our hearts and in the hearts of others. That pray...

I believe God’s promises about prayer, but I’m not sure I believe in prayer. To say I believe in prayer is too broad. It’s as though prayer itself is something to believe in, as opposed to believing in the One who has promised to hear and answer prayers – albeit conditionally. And that conditionally part is why I don’t like to say I believe in prayer. The Bible is clear about this: God promises to...

The Gospel message has been around the world. Believers from every tribe, nation, people, and tongue have heard and believed the Good News of Jesus. But there might be someone in your personal sphere of relationships who would test the limits of your gracious welcome. Perhaps God will bring someone into your life who will push out the boundaries of your sensibilities. In the meantime we can be tha...

You and I may wish for a healing we have not yet received. We may yearn for a tomorrow that is yet to come. We may be praying for God's work in the life of a loved one, and wonder whether we'll ever see it. The most important thing for us is to hold onto the promises of God, and trust him for all good things. Dorcas and Aeneas are wonderful examples (among many others) of God's direct...

t’s good to live a well-planned life that way, with our weeks goals, appointments, and schedules all lined out. That way we don’t waste time. But as we plan our weeks, we do well to leave room for the Spirit of God to interrupt our plans and take us places we had not known of or planned on. Who knows what God may have planned for us? After all, God has prepared good works in advance for us to do,...

People can be famous for spaghetti sauce, space exploration, athletic prowess, financial success, beauty, or any number of things. We are called to a different kind of fame - a fame of love and good works. To be famous for such things requires a spirit of humility. Rather than doing good works to be seen by others, we are commanded to do them in a way that God receives the glory.

You don't have to sell someone a bill of goods. You don't have to know all the answers. You just need to be a friend who is willing to let someone know that there is a place where they can hear of God's grace and love, that honors Jesus and his truth, and where the Holy Spirit is at work. When people do that, the word gets out, Jesus gets the glory and people get saved.

You don't have to sell someone a bill of goods. You don't have to know all the answers. You just need to be a friend who is willing to let someone know that there is a place where they can hear of God's grace and love, that honors Jesus and his truth, and where the Holy Spirit is at work. When people do that, the word gets out, Jesus gets the glory and people get saved.

Whether we crave attention, credit, or glory, we all struggle with this temptation of self-idolatry. Thank God for examples like Peter and for a Savior like Jesus. Give him the glory. For some of his most important work is that which he does in people's hearts who awaken to this danger and seek again to bring him the glory that only he deserves.

Perhaps your life is going well. Praise God and rejoice in the Good News of Jesus. Things in your life may not be going well now. Praise God and rejoice in the Good News of Jesus. Even when the news is bad the Good News of Jesus is still good!