Penhold Church of Hope

After his customary preaching in the synagogues, Paul debates with philosophers of Athens. In doing so, we discover some insights into how we can share the Good News to a modern audience who are not that different from the ancient Athenians.

Escaping from Thessalonica, Paul finds an eager audience in Berea ready to examine Paul's words, setting an example and challenging us to remain engaged in God's Word.

As Paul continues his second missionary journey, we find him using and explaining God's Word to point his listeners to Jesus the Messiah. For this, they are accused of turning the world upside down and serving another king, King Jesus. Would anyone accuse us of the same thing?

Paul and his companions arrive in the town of Philippi. Despite the lack of a synagogue, being hounded by a demon-possess woman, and getting thrown in jail, we see God work out all these things for good, as He continues to do today.

Knowing God's will can be a tricky exercise as Paul experienced on his second missionary journey. It is more than simply doing what is good or arriving at a particular destination. It is about allowing God to continuously move you in the right direction.

When Paul returns to Lystra on his second missionary journey, he visits a young disciple name Timothy. In Paul's visit and Timothy's willingness to join Paul on his journey, we see the need for intentionality and sacrifice in order to share the good news of Christ.

With the lighting of the candle of peace, we are reminded that Christ's arrival ushered in a reign of peace that is offered to anyone who accepts the invitation into His kingdom.

Celebrating the third Sunday of Advent and the lighting of the candle of joy, we discover true joy is neither found in nor hindered by our circumstances. Rather, joy comes from the hearing and understanding of God's word.

The angel Gabriel, having delivered the message of the promised Messiah to Mary, assured her of the truth of his words: "For the word of God will never fail." This same promise that grounded the faith of Mary remains the source of our faith and trust in God today. His words never fail. 

As Advent season begins, we recall the fulfillment of God's past promises and look ahead with hope at what is yet to come.

The opening verses remind us that worship rightly begins by recognizing God's glory and the dangers of misplaced worship.

Just after the church in Jerusalem arrived at a united resolution regarding Gentile Christians, we find Paul and Barnabas in "sharp disagreement" over John Mark. A careful reading of this passage in Acts reveals a clash of priorities and personalities but also the possibility of disagreeing while remaining united in Christ.

Controversy and disagreement has been part of the church from the beginning as we find in Acts 15. The way it was handled back then still helps us today to work the many issues affecting the church.

As Paul and his companions make their first missionary journey, we see the power of God's Word to change lives even in the face of opposition.

In Paul's first sermon recorded in Acts, he shows us exactly how he should see the unfolding of history and reality: God is the God of everything.

In Acts 13, the book begins to focus on the commissioning and ministry of Paul and his companions and reveals some truths we can apply to our own commissioning, beginning right in our own homes and hometowns.

What was that prompted the church to pray for Peter in jail even though the apostle James had been killed and allowed Peter, locked in chains and awaiting his trial, to sleep so soundly? Trust in the sovereignty of God.

Upon hearing the surprising news of God's outpouring of His saving Spirit on the Gentiles, the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch to see this for himself. What we witnessed was the unmistakable work of God's grace and a reminder that we need to be looking out for and rejoicing in God's ongoing work all around us.

In the healing miracles of Aeneas and Dorcas, we find Peter acting like Jesus, His Teacher. Yet, it took an divinely arranged encounter with the gentile Cornelius to change his mind to thinking like Jesus.

While most conversions to Christianity are not as dramatic or world-changing as Saul's, nonetheless, we can likely see the same elements in our own conversion and live according to the same Spirit that empowered the apostle we know now as Paul.

Sent by the Spirit down a desert road, Philip's obedience demonstrates the impact of fulfilling His divine appointments.

In contrast to Simon the magician who wanted to pay for the Spirit, many Samaritans in Acts 8 chose to freely receive him. Yet the peculiar nature of the Spirit's arrival among the Samaritans prompts a deeper discussion into how we should understand the Holy Spirit and his interaction with believers today.

Simon the magician "believed and was baptized" yet he stands as a warning when our belief and focus is on signs, and not in the One to whom the signs point.

In whatever way persecution comes upon the church, we find God using it in various ways to stir up His people and spread His Good News.

The longest speech in the book of Acts is not by Paul or any other apostle. Rather, filled with wisdom and power through the Spirit, God used Stephen, a deacon selected to run a food distribution program in the early church, to deliver the gospel in the most trying circumstances.