Sharper Iron from KFUO Radio

Rev. Carl Roth, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 23:12-35. Paul’s enemies conspire to kill him, Paul’s nephew learns of their plot and reveals it to Claudius, the tribune. The tribune recognizes that the delicate peace in Jerusalem could be quickly shattered, so he provides an enormous guard of soldiers to transfer Paul safely to Caesarea. C...

Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz, pastor and evangelist at Trinity Lutheran Church in Denver, CO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 22:22-23:11. Paul’s mention of his mission to the Gentiles reignites the crowd’s murderous intent against him. The tribune once again intervenes; this time, he has Paul prepared for interrogation by flogging. Paul makes use of his rights as a Roman citizen, not only so...

Rev. Dr. Adam Filipek, pastor at Holy Cross and Immanuel Lutheran Churches in Lidgerwood, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 21:37-22:21. When Paul uses Greek to address the tribune who arrested him, the tribune is confused as to who Paul is and what is happening. The tribune therefore grants Paul the opportunity to address the crowd; Paul does so in Hebrew in an effort to bring his f...

Rev. James Neuendorf, church planting missionary in Puerto Rico, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 21:17-36. Tensions in Jerusalem between Jews and Gentiles were running high in Jerusalem when Paul arrived there after his third missionary journey. While the Church together rejoices over God’s work among both Gentiles and Jews, they are concerned over the false rumors being spread about P...

Rev. Charles St-Onge, missionary pastor at Ascension Lutheran Church in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 21:1-16. Paul and his companions continue their journey toward Jerusalem, taking short trips by sea along the coast before a long voyage across the Mediterranean Sea to Tyre. Those who encounter Paul along the way know the same thing he knows: suffering awai...

Rev. James Sharp — pastor, teacher, and missionary in Montevideo, Uruguay, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 20:17-38. Paul calls the Ephesian pastors to Miletus where he addresses them in person for the final time. He reminds them of his ministry among them in which he proclaimed Law and Gospel faithfully to all people. He now must go to Jerusalem, even if it means suffering, for his on...

Rev. Luke Zimmerman, pastor at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mechanicsburg, PA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 20:1-16. By this point in his third missionary journey, Paul has his face to return to Jerusalem. He leaves Ephesus to visit churches in Macedonia and Achaia. Several companions travel with Paul, including Luke. In Troas, Paul stays an entire week, allowing him and h...

Rev. Sean Daenzer, director of worship for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and chaplain at the International Center in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 19:21-41. Paul’s lengthy ministry in Ephesus was not without controversy and trouble. A silversmith named Demetrius has felt economic pain from Christian preaching, and he rightly sees that Paul’s preaching of the one t...

Rev. Zelwyn Heide, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Hannover, ND and Zion Lutheran Church in New Salem, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 19:1-20. Paul’s third missionary journey takes him to Ephesus, as he had previously hoped. In visiting with the Christians there, he finds some who have been inadequately taught concerning the Holy Spirit and Christian baptism. Paul remedies...

Rev. Shawn Linnell, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Blair, NE, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 18:18-28. Luke narrates the end of Paul’s second missionary journey in quick succession. The apostle leaves Corinth and stops briefly in Ephesus, where he leaves Priscilla and Aquila. Paul continues on to Caesarea and Jerusalem before returning to Antioch. After a while, he starts on his...

Rev. William Terjesen, pastor at the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Peekskill, NY, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 18:1-17. Paul leaves Athens and goes to Corinth, where his trade of tentmaking opens the door for him to proclaim the Gospel to Aquila and Priscilla. Paul’s work in Corinth followed his pattern elsewhere. He preached in the synagogue until the rejection of the Jews sen...

Rev. David Vandercook, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in North Little Rock, AR and Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church in Maumelle, AR, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 17:16-34. The gross idolatry in Athens distressed Paul, yet he was undeterred from preaching the Gospel there both in the synagogue and in the marketplace. His preaching of Jesus and the resurrection caught the attentio...

Rev. Brian Flamme, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Roswell, NM, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 17:1-15. Paul and his companions make their way to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue. For three Sabbath days, Paul preaches to them from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. Some believe, including many leading women. Yet some of the Jews in Thessalonica become jealous. The...

Rev. Joel Heckmann, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Okarche, OK, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 16:16-40. In Philippi, Paul and Silas are harassed by a demon-possessed slave girl. When Paul casts the demon out, the girl’s owners are only concerned about their lost income, a reminder of the danger of idolatry toward money. They have Paul and Silas beaten and thrown in prison. Y...

Rev. Nate Hill, pastor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Winchester, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 15:36-16:15. Paul and Barnabas make plans for a second missionary journey together, but they disagree over whether or not John Mark should accompany them. Their disagreement serves to send the Gospel in two directions: Barnabas and Mark go to Cyprus, while Paul takes Silas with hi...

Rev. Mark Squire, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 15:22-35. Having reached concord under the Word of God, the church in Jerusalem sends a letter to the church in Antioch by the hand of Judas called Barsabbas and Silas. The church in Jerusalem writes for the purpose of brotherly encouragement. They honestly acknowledge that the ones...

Rev. Steve Andrews, pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lee’s Summit, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 15:1-21. When men from Judea come to Syrian Antioch claiming that Gentiles must be circumcised to be saved, Paul and Barnabas know that the heart of the Gospel was at stake. The church in Antioch sends Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to settle the matter according to the Word o...

Rev. Matt Ulmer, pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Bishop, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 14:8-28. In Lystra, a lame man hears Paul’s preaching in faith; by the power of Jesus Christ, Paul gives the man healing. The crowd in Lystra sees the sign and thinks that Paul is Hermes and Barnabas is Zeus. Though we may see ourselves as beyond such idolatry, we still often give credit...

Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 13:42-14:7. The people respond to Paul’s sermon at the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch by begging him to return and speak again. However, when almost the entire city came the following week, the Jews were filled with jealousy and began to contradict Paul and Barnabas. The apostles’ respon...

Rev. Mark Barz, pastor at Crown of Life Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 13:13-41. Paul and Barnabas continue on their missionary journey, even as John Mark leaves them to return to Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas make their way to Antioch in Pisidia, going first to the synagogue. There, they are invited to speak on the texts read for the day, so Paul pr...

Rev. Tim Koch, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Linn, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 12:24-13:12. Despite the persecution against the Church, the Word of God continues to increase and multiply. The Holy Spirit directs the church in Antioch to set apart Barnabas and Saul for a missionary journey. Taking along John Mark, the missionary team starts by heading to Cyprus, Barnabas’ ho...

Rev. Tim Eden, pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Bryan, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 12:1-23. St. Luke turns our attention back to Jerusalem, where Herod Agrippa has discovered that persecuting the Church is politically expedient. He kills James the son of Zebedee and arrests Peter, putting him under heavy guard lest he escape once more. In the face of such hatred and worldly...

Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 11:19-30. The Church continues to scatter after Stephen’s martyrdom, taking the Word with them. Many Jews heard the Word, even as the Lord began to open more doors for the Gospel to be proclaimed in Gentile contexts, particularly in Antioch in Syria. When the church in Jerusalem hears this news,...

Rev. Philip Hoppe, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Colby, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 11:1-18. News concerning what happened at Cornelius’ house quickly makes its way around the Church. When Peter returns to Jerusalem, some oppose him because when he took the Word to the Gentiles, he stayed with them and ate with them. The fact that St. Luke records Peter’s recounting of t...

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor at Bethesda and Faith Lutheran Churches in north St. Louis County, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 10:34-48. Led by the Holy Spirit, Peter proclaims the good news to Cornelius and his household. Peter preaches the good news that people are not made acceptable to God by their nationality, but only on account of Christ Jesus, who is Lord of all, Jews and...