Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder
1,571 episodes - English - Latest episode: 23 days ago -Be With Me is a daily 7 minute chronological walk through the New Testament hosted by Michael Smith. It is for everyone who is curious about what Jesus actually said and did in the gospels. Most episodes will leave you with at least one good thought to chew on for the rest of the day. We start with the Bible and hopefully end with Awe. We are walking through the chronological events of Jesus' life and then thoughtfully considering them. It is meant to spur the devotional life of the Christian and the not-yet-Christian. We occasionally venture into the Old Testament when it helps our understanding of the New Testament events. Everybody has 7 minutes. Everybody needs to wonder. Be With Me is hosted by Michael Smith who has absolutely no special qualifications to do a podcast. He is not a pastor. He has not been to seminary. He does not lead a mega-church. He is not a professional and he has no more credentials than you do. He does, however, follow a great God with an observant eye and a curious heart. Each day, he starts with a study bible and aims for astonishment. ‘be with him’ for 7 minutes as he sets out daily to discover the God who invites us to ‘Be With Me.’
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Episodes
The Spirit “has A Fall” S5e73 Acts10:44
January 07, 2022 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.41 MBSend us a Text Message. The Spirit has a fall today. It is directional, it is weighty, it is generous, it is abundant, it is unexpected, it is uncomfortable and it is toward people I am not that fond of. Welcome to another great moment in Church history. The HOLY SPIRIT VOTES WITH HIS FEET and lands on gentiles. The specifically-mentioned-circumcised-historically-Jewish believers have been pointedly WITHHOLDING baptism for a number of years from those who don't look just like themselves....
Believing Comes With Benefits S5e72 Acts10:43
January 06, 2022 09:00 - 6 minutes - 4.56 MBSend us a Text Message. Knowing and Believing are two different things. One is a head thing. One is a heart thing. The people that hear Peter's message KNOW everything. But they lack one thing: BELIEF. Unfortunately, we all sit under the reality of sinfulness. Do you doubt it? Then just go for a drive and listen to the words that come out of your mouth. Or, record your words for a day. Worse, record your THOUGHTS for a day or an hour. And of course we want a JUST God and a just w...
Twin MISTAKES Of Mis-fellowship And Mis-worship S5e71 Acts10:33
January 05, 2022 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.31 MBSend us a Text Message. Cornelius makes the mistake of MIS-WORSHIPPING Peter. Peter makes the mistake of MIS-FELLOWSHIPPING Cornelius. The Lord smashes both these PEOPLE together to help fix both PROBLEMS. It is an important moment in Church history. It is important to the Lord for us to worship HIM only. It is important to the Lord that we open the doors of the church to the people He values. We still struggle with the same issues today. What do we hyper-value? My diet? Nature? Plea...
Embrace Conviction. S5e70 Acts10:28
January 04, 2022 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.52 MBSend us a Text Message. The lightbulb finally turns on for Peter. The three visions about Iguanas and birds weren't just about dietary habits. The Spirit then verbally chimes in to say, "ACCOMPANY THEM (the gentiles) WITHOUT HESITATION." This is big, as there has been a couple of thousand years of hesitation. Of note, this is Peter's perception and understanding and interpretation of the Old Testament principles. Unfortunately, there were lots of "add-ons" from Jewish custom that were n...
There Are Iguanas In Heaven S5e69 Acts10:16
January 03, 2022 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.37 MBSend us a Text Message. Iguanas are a picture of something once not chosen that are now chosen. Jewish dietary regulations, founded by God are now being changed by God. He's sovereign. It is His prerogative. But I don't LIKE IGUANAS. I never have and never will. Such is Peter's response. So the Lord runs through the vision AGAIN. Still Mr. Knucklehead. Then a THIRD TIME. You'll never believe this, but STILL Mr. Knucklehead Peter. Get this, Peter, says NO to the Lord's voice either ...
What Does God Think About Iguanas? S5e68 Acts10:13
January 02, 2022 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.2 MBSend us a Text Message. The Lord tells Peter what He thinks about Iguanas. Peter basically says to God, "No. You don't think like that." And, this being Peter, he is quite emphatic about what he (Peter) thinks the Lord is thinking. This is one second after the Lord tells Peter what He thinks about iguanas. This is to free Peter and his people with regard to DIET, but also with regard to PEOPLE. The Lord is busting His Church out of Jewish-uniqueness into EVERYBODY. He does this first...
In 2022, These Are My People. S5e67 Acts10:9
January 01, 2022 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.09 MBSend us a Text Message. Some of you will be "listening in the New Year," as this drops for my first responders on New Years Day, 2022. You will not be the first to consider your priorities, your strategies and your disciplines. If this is part of your auditory resolutions, then I am humbled to be a part of it. Join me in thinking ahead towards the end of 2022. Wouldn't we all like to think back on 2022 and find evidence of the faithfulness, steadfastness and mercies of God. I think i...
What Does Your GIVING Smell Like? S5e31 Acts10:4
December 31, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.46 MBSend us a Text Message. Good giving is like a fragrant offering before the Lord. If so, what does your giving smell like? Today we are introduced to a gentile man with an incomplete view of God, but a spot-on view of giving. His name is Cornelius, a roman Centurion. He demonstrates excellent HABITS OF THE HEART including this generosity. He is devout, that is, his spiritual efforts are priorities. He is prayerful. It is always a good thing to reach out towards God in mental conversa...
Our ONE CHANCE For “sainthood” S5e65 Acts9:41
December 30, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.15 MBSend us a Text Message. Tabitha becomes a SAINT twice. Tabitha becomes a NON-saint twice. Most of us will only get ONE CHANCE TO BECOME A SAINT. You don't need a committee. You can do it today. First let's start by defining terms. We have got everything BACKWARDS. According to the Bible a SAINT = a LIVING believer. After we die we are called "witnesses", but never saints. Let's look at the life of Tabitha: 1. NOT A SAINT: All people start out as living NON-BELIEVERS. No one is born ...
Tabitha Was Wasn’t Was Wasn’t A Saint S5e64 Acts9:37
December 29, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 4.92 MBSend us a Text Message. Life here is pretty difficult. People get paralyzed. People get ILL. Everybody DIES. Where is God in all of this? Why is there suffering? Who is with me in all of this? Does God even care? Nope. Not gonna answer all of those in seven minutes. Peter steps into the pain of some real people. Aeneas is from Lydda, 23 miles from Jerusalem. Tabitha is a little further up the road in Joppa. Peter goes both places and finds the pain and suffering of mankind. But, God...
COMFORTING The Uncomfortable S5e63 Acts9:31
December 28, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.05 MBSend us a Text Message. Hey, I learned something today. The Lord is a God of COMFORT. Who knew? Apparently not me. And, it is OLD news. He's been in the comfort business a long time and will be in the future. And I am supposed to be a participant as well as a recipient of this comforting. Comfort is part of God's CHARACTER. It is in His DNA. Comforting the spiritually and relationally grieving is right up His alley. Comforting is often DELIVERED by people. Wait, I am one of those...
Spiritual “WAITING” S5e62 Acts9:30
December 27, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.37 MBSend us a Text Message. Do you ever feel like you are in a spiritual holding pattern? Like you are just WAITING for something else to happen? If so, you are in good company. Moses, Abraham, and now SAUL all "wait" for more than a DECADE to do their big thing. Saul gets saved and then is discipled somehow by Jesus for 3 years in Arabia. He then goes to Jerusalem for 15 days. They want to kill him there too. He's apparently irritating enough and threatening enough to want to kill him in ...
1000 Days Of Christian Maturity S5e61 Acts9:23
December 26, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.06 MBSend us a Text Message. If I come back to you and your faith 1000 days from now, will it have matured? What plans are you enacting NOW to make that happen THEN? Today's bible lesson is 1000 days long. Saul does a few things immediately. He gets un-blinded, he gets baptized and he starts to immediately proclaim Jesus. Then there is a 1000 day window of time. We know he is persecuted. Oh the great irony of the the HUNTER of Christians becoming the HUNTED by the Jews and King Aretas IV...
Christmas Is CONFOUNDING S5e60 Acts9:22
December 25, 2021 09:00 - 6 minutes - 4.82 MBSend us a Text Message. Christmas is a little confounding. The whole concept, much less the reality of God coming down is both wonderful and scary. Certainly we need the help. We need it globally and in the intimate locality of our hearts. Some day Jesus will come as the great Inter-Galactic-Champion in glory, power, destroying evil, and giving all their due in judgment. But not today. Today is Christmas morning. Today we find Jesus as He is most ACCESSIBLE. Let's start with that. Jes...
Getting A KNUCKLEHEAD For Christmas S5e59 Acts9:17
December 24, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.42 MBSend us a Text Message. My gift to you this Christmas is MURDERERS, adulterers, the unkind, those of the wrong political party, from the wrong country, of the wrong color, wrong language, and of the evil sort. In short, I am going to give you KNUCKLEHEADS for Christmas. It is the best Christmas gift you'll ever get! This is the body of Christ. These are His people. By receiving it, you say God is THIS BIG: Big enough to welcome home sinners of LARGE sins. Ironically, YOU NEED these peo...
Crisis Of A Man IN FELLOWSHIP S5e58 Acts9:13
December 23, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.4 MBSend us a Text Message. By my count, Ananias gets to 8 crisis points before he decides whether he will follow and obey what the Lord asks of him. It is always best to read these encounters as if you don't know how they will turn out. Let's not read the stunning conclusion just yet. Let's sit with him in his eight crisis. It is not everyday that Jesus appears to you in a vision and tells you to go specifically to your arch enemy. In fact, this guy has been HUNTING him for 135 miles. ...
CRISIS Of A Man OUT OF FELLOWSHIP S5e57 Acts9:9
December 22, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.44 MBSend us a Text Message. Anyone outside of FELLOWSHIP is in CRISIS. There is essentially NO SUCH THING in the functioning Body of Christ. Fellowship is defined today as sitting KNEE TO KNEE with those in His church. When Saul is converted, he has no Christian friends. ZERO. Nada. In fact, he's been arresting those who "call on His name." Technically, Saul should arrest himself, but that is another matter. What the picture to take home today is Saul, blind, hungry, thirsty and ALONE. H...
I Must Have Been Wrong About Jesus S5e56 Acts9:1
December 21, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.2 MBSend us a Text Message. Saul, like lots of people, thinks Jesus is definitely dead and definitely NOT resurrected. His actions of murderous threats, accessory to murder, probable murder, murderous consent, imprisoning, and beating followers of Jesus are perfectly consistent with his thoughts. Then Jesus shows up. After hearing His voice, he still cannot believe it. "Who are you, Lord?" A: "I am Jesus". So here is what that means in Saul's head: 1. Jesus is alive 2. Jesus is resurrected...
Begging For Baptism S5e55 Acts8:36
December 20, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.22 MBSend us a Text Message. 1. The first thing to KNOW is that Jesus is in every Old Testament Book. 2. The first thing to LEARN is about the Good News of Jesus. 3. The first thing to OBEY is to be BAPTIZED. If you BEG FOR IT, you are probably understanding it perfectly. Phillip teaches the Eunuch from Ethiopia on a 100 day trip back home from Jerusalem. We don't know how long it takes, but we know where they started: 700BC in the book of Isaiah. When Jesus did a similar Old Testament summa...
Real BELIEF Starts With QUESTIONS S5e54 Acts8:34
December 19, 2021 09:00 - 6 minutes - 4.67 MBSend us a Text Message. Real belief usually starts with real questions. If the physical world we live in has crashed into the spiritual world, you'll likely have some questions. If God really really really has come down, you'll have a few inquires about it. If you are introduced to Jesus 'one day,' you will want to know about the thousands of years of planning that went into that moment. Do you have some spiritual questions? If so, you are in good company. In fact, you are in EXCELLEN...
Who Is Isaiah 53 About? S5e53 Acts8:34
December 18, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.37 MBSend us a Text Message. If you read the book of Isaiah, you likely will get to a few sections where the writer refers to a person not HISTORICALLY, but in a future PROPHETICALLY. He wrote this stuff down in 740BC that was to come true in 33AD. Today we see a real guy, making a real inquiry of Phillip who the Lord sent to answer his questions. He is reading Isaiah and in in one of the sections that points forward to the "Suffering Servant". Any diligent reader of Isaiah 53 should be askin...
Eunuch Means WHAT Again? S5e52 Acts8:27
December 17, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.5 MBSend us a Text Message. A man is on an 8 month pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is where His people live. It is where His temple is. It is incredibly important for Jews and for devout, God-fearing gentiles. How'd you like to have everybody down through history know that you had your testicles cut off, but NOT KNOW YOUR NAME. We find that here in this really cool man: the Ethiopian EUNUCH. He has travelled the same distance as from LA to NYC in the USA. He takes a chariot or maybe more tha...
New Believers MESS UP S5e51 Acts8:24
December 16, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.45 MBSend us a Text Message. Simon, a brand new believer, messes up. This is pretty much like every new believer that I have ever met, so don't be discouraged. He gets a rebuke from Peter that is incredibly thorough. So, THEN WHAT? How does he respond? Stick around and find out in 7 minutes. Simon starts strong, with belief and baptism. Have you believed? Have you been baptized? But his heart isn't pure, his thoughts are tainted, he's in the bond of sin and there is some wickedness hangi...
Giving Up My ‘GREATNESS’ S5e50 Acts8:13
December 15, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 4.98 MBSend us a Text Message. The gospel eventually has to "go on the road from Jerusalem." It first goes with Philip to Samaria. It is there where we find what happens when "self-greatness" gets swallowed up by REAL GREATNESS. Simon is a real guy who thinks he is really something. In fact, people around him think so too. But what happens when the junior-great-amazer encounters the REAL-GREAT-AMAZER? He is among the first people from a "foreign country" (is any country really foreign to the ...
1st RAVAGING Of The Church S5e49 Acts8:3
December 14, 2021 09:00 - 6 minutes - 4.81 MBSend us a Text Message. Today we move from the 1st martyr (Stephen), to the 1st persecution of the Church. It is called a RAVAGING. It is the 1st Ravaging. It results in the 1st Scattering and the 1st geographically displaced evangelist (Phillip). Some New Christians were getting their houses searched, being captured and dragged off. It must not have been fun. Perhaps they were wondering whether God fell off His throne or something. "How could a just God let this happen?" They don't ...
Catalyst For PERSECUTION S5e48 Acts8:1
December 13, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.34 MBSend us a Text Message. With the stoning of Stephen everything changes. It becomes OK to persecute the FOLLOWERS of Jesus unto DEATH. This gets everybody's attention in Jerusalem to the point that they are scattered to the world. Up to this point in Acts, the WORLD has come to Jerusalem. Now, Jerusalem believers go to the WORLD. Stephen catalyses this change in the ministry model. For believers, don't be SURPRISED if you are Persecuted. It is a good marker. Don't miss this MOMEN...
Rock Skipping Contest With Knute S5e47 Acts8:1
December 12, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.48 MBSend us a Text Message. Between the moment you DECIDE to have a ROCK throwing event, and you actually THROW a rock, some stuff has got to happen. You have to FIND GOOD ROCKS. You have to change locations and position. You have to take off your JACKET. You have to find somebody to take care of your jacket so it is not stolen or misplaced. You may have to trash-talk a little. THEN you throw a rock. So, there is TIME. It doesn't happen instantly. Well, SAUL is the guy who is recognized...
Teaching My Children How To DIE WELL S5e46 Acts7:60
December 11, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.47 MBSend us a Text Message. I'm 60% sure it was DL Moody who when finding out he was terminal said, "Gather my children about me and I will teach them how to die." Stephen gives us a crash course in Acts 7. The people around him were not listening to his 'lesson', they literally had their fingers in their ears. Let's do a better job hearing his wisdom. 1. Be full of the Holy Spirit: die a believer. What is plan b? 2. Pursue the character and characteristics of God in the ways we have availa...
CANCELLING the Cancel Culture Of 33AD S5e45 Acts7:57
December 10, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.47 MBSend us a Text Message. Stephen gets CANCELLED in 33AD. They STOP THEIR EARS. They stick their fingers in their ears and loudly say, "Nanny nanny poo poo, I'm not listening, I'M NOT LISTENING!" The marketplace of ideas is closed for the season. They actively, actionably, overtly STOP listening. Must have been weird. Isn't Stephen supposed to be a bearer of the GOOD NEWS? Yup. But first, he is the bearer of the bad news. This is the offense of the Gospel. The offense of Jesus. The...
DARTH VADER Is Your Father S5e44 Acts7:51
December 09, 2021 10:00 - 7 minutes - 5.36 MBSend us a Text Message. "Luke, I AM your father." It is one of the great revelation moments in the Star Wars epic. The problem is, it is DARTH VADER who is speaking. Luke finds out that his heritage is one of ongoing, unspeakable evil. He finds out the stock that he is from. In today's podcast, so do the leaders of Jerusalem. It is not God's fault: He has consistently sent opportunities, and His presence, and His favor, and His witnesses in the prophets, and even His nearness in the...
You’re (not) The BOSS OF ME S5e43 Acts7:39.mp3
December 09, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.39 MBSend us a Text Message. Stephen is summarizing 2000 years of mankind's response to the call of God. It is not a pretty picture. Repeatedly, they cry out: "You are NOT THE BOSS OF ME." All along, we see a history of God that is quite flattering. "I have seen. I have heard. I have come down. I deliver. I have sent. I will be with you." He does so with Patriarchs, promises, covenants and His presence. Yet, our early brothers and sisters just would not have it. They "refused to obey....
Like The FACE OF AN ANGEL S5e41 Acts6:15
December 07, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.4 MBSend us a Text Message. Stephen goes from being a FREE man, to a SEIZED man, to a STONED man in a very short window of time. Watch as God is with him in a way so real that even the bad guys around him note that he has a face like that "of an angel". To those watching, it would have been awe-filled, other-worldly, and terrifying. In Stephen's hour of need, the Lord is with him in an intimate way. His wisdom is dialed up so much that they couldn't withstand the wisdom with which he spea...
BALLOON Of Believers Fills Up S5e40 Acts 6:7
December 06, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.5 MBSend us a Text Message. There is a newly formed, giant BALLOON of believers forming in Jerusalem. In it are all the devout Jewish people from all over the world who have chosen to return to Jerusalem to follow the One true God. There are also non-Jews, Gentiles who have decided God is the real deal. They are proselytes, those who have converted to Judaism. Because God has been incredibly geographic, national, and local up til now, they too move to Jerusalem. They are primed to become b...
Complaints In The Church. S5e39 Acts6:1
December 05, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.47 MBSend us a Text Message. Has your church failed you? Do you have complaints against your church? If so, you are not the first. It is on the first page of book of the church (Acts). It is also here in Chapter 6. But here is the challenge: YOU will likely be a part of the solution. It will be an all-hands-on-deck situation. YOUR HANDS will be the hands of the church. A legitimate complaint is brought regarding a distinction between two groups in the church. This would be a discriminatio...
BEATING The 12 Into JOY S5e38 Acts5:40
December 04, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.38 MBSend us a Text Message. Matthais has been an Apostle for just a few days. He immediately gets arrested, imprisoned, interrogated, detained strongly, and then here today BEATEN. What a ride. Rather than be discouraged, he REJOICED with the other 11 Apostles, for being recognized as being with Jesus. "I'm with Him". He is privileged to suffer for the name of Jesus. He goes to bed that night probably saying to himself, "I had a GREAT day." Maybe even after the scattering of the discipl...
He HELPED ME With REPENTANCE S5e37 Acts5:31
December 03, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.36 MBSend us a Text Message. Peter and the other arrestees are un-arrested. Those who arrested the apostles are now arrested themselves by favor of the people. They cannot do what they want. The people have turned enough to actually protect the Apostles. Today we learn of the activity of the Father, Son and Spirit in helping the believer. Our passage says that Jesus is exalted "to give repentance." Wait, I don't repent all by myself? Isn't that MY job in this process. Well, it is such...
Angel Works UNBEKNOWNST To Person Place Or Thing S5e36 Acts5:23
December 02, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.25 MBSend us a Text Message. The work of an angel charmed me today. He worked UNBEKNOWNST to person, place or thing. A guard was there and did not notice. He was standing in the (likely) exact place of the angelic activity. There was an intact, secure lock on the door that provided no impediment to the purposes of the angel. I wonder about the unbeknownst-ness of angels today. We know they are out there and doing stuff, it just remains unbeknownst to us. This is yet another of the outpou...
DARE To Believe! Acts5:13 S5e35
December 01, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.36 MBSend us a Text Message. Everything is going swimmingly. The Holy Spirit is going ballistic. Even Peter's shadow has power to heal bodies and minds. The other apostles hands are doing wonders. No surprise, multitudes are being added to the LORD and are enjoying the togetherness of the church. This is what is expected out the the book of ACTS. And then this happens: "None of the rest DARED join them." Now they esteemed the believers. But who doesn't esteem a person of conviction, cou...
Marriage Money Lies:a Matter Of Life Or Death S5e34 Acts5:11
November 30, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.41 MBSend us a Text Message. A whole marriage gets killed at the end of this story. Now that we hear about it, we are going to be responsible for the reason WHY. Yikes. Let's pay heed and not do what they do. A whole marriage agrees to lie to men and God about how much land was sold for. It is the world's smallest conspiracy. They agree to sell. They agree to lie about the amount. Then they stick to their story when asked. It results in the death of a marriage. In a lot of ways it is a ...
Financial COURAGE=financial ENCOURAGEMENT S5e33 Acts4:36
November 29, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.46 MBSend us a Text Message. So there's a guy named JOE. But they don't or won't call him Joe because of his behavior. His courage has so affected others that they call him, "Son of Encouragement", that is, Barnabas. Here we see one of his 'categories' of encouragement: it is with being a generous GIVER. His money is where his mouth is. Better, his money is where his heart and soul are. His activity demonstrates belief. He is living proof that the Holy Spirit is on the planet, indwelling p...
Stretch Out Your Hand To Your (wo)man S5e32 Acts4:30
November 28, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.26 MBSend us a Text Message. Oh for spiritual friends to lift our voices together to the One true God. May the Holy Spirit help us bring scripture to mind to help us make sense of the moment. Lord, You are at work, and I want to be a part of it! I voice my trust in Your activity here. Let me participate in the building of Your kingdom. Do what Your hand and Your plan desire. Grant me a voice to speak with boldness in alignment with You. Stretch out Your hand to heal and do Your wonders in pe...
Civil DISobedience=spiritual Obedience S5e31 Acts4:19
November 27, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.17 MBSend us a Text Message. Peter and John wake up in prison after healing a lame guy with faith yesterday. They do not know if this day will be their day of crucifixion. It happened to the last guy that got arrested in Jerusalem. Here's the good part: standing with them is the previously lame, then leaping, now STANDING guy. He's there. There have been three venue changes. It didn't happen by accident. Apparently the offense is the healing and preaching of Jesus' name, so my guess is th...
Salvation In No Other S5e30 Acts4:12
November 26, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.36 MBSend us a Text Message. Buckle in for one of the 'best' verses in the whole book of Acts. And there is salvation: Yeah! rescue. Hope. In no one else: Exclusive. Not me, not politicians, not athletes, not the powerful or beautiful. For there is no other name under heaven: Inclusive invitation to all the world who call. Given among men: this is a universal, world wide GIFT. By which we MUST be saved: There is a demand. It is insistent. As to the insistence, Jesus said the same thing to ...
Fall On The (corner)Stone.s5e29 Acts4:11
November 25, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.17 MBSend us a Text Message. Peter takes an Old Testament verse about the Messiah and quotes it before the Jewish authorities. But to sharpen his statement about Jesus, Peter starts it with, "This Jesus is...(Then here he quotes Ps 118: 22, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.)" Peter claims directly that JESUS is the one talked about in Psalm 118. He claims that Jesus is God. Either He is, or He isn't. How did Peter get so bold about this psalm? Well, you don't ...
You’re Filled. Now Act Like It. S5e28 Acts4:8.mp3
November 24, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.39 MBSend us a Text Message. The same nasty administration that killed Jesus a few weeks prior, arrests John and Peter. It must have been terrifying. I wonder if they said these words, "I wonder if we get crucified tomorrow?" It might have been the scariest arrest of all time. Similarly, we do not know what is going to happen to us today. We do not know the challenges and temptations ahead. We do not know how our faith and our FILLING will be tested. Peter is the unrivaled chief KNUCKLEH...
I’ve Told You Since p.14! S5e27 Acts3:25
November 23, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.04 MBSend us a Text Message. On Page 14 of my Bible, the Lord tells Abraham that "in him all families of the earth are going to be blessed." Today, in we find out exactly HOW the Lord plans to pull this off. Peter in a speech that will be interrupted by his arrest, pleads with his Jewish audience. He tells them not to FORGET WHO THEY ARE. You are SONS OF THE PROPHETS. Well, what do they have to say about this era and this Jesus? They point to Jesus. Moses? Yes. Samuel? Yes. Abraham? Yes. ...
I want TIMES OF REFRESHING! s5e26 Acts3:20
November 22, 2021 09:00 - 6 minutes - 4.84 MBSend us a Text Message. Who doesn't want some TIMES OF REFRESHING? Nobody. Who doesn't need it? Nobody. Ironically, this extra-breathing-space comes from being CLOSE. the RELIEF comes by His PRESENCE the recovery is by recognizing the freedom comes by dependence and the refreshing comes by relationship. We live in a tough world. Fallenness and sin and confusion and ignorance and trouble are all around us. Spend 7 minutes today and let's together seek His PRESENCE. For in it, are TIME...
Where Do Blotted-Out Sins Go? S5e25 Acts3:19
November 21, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.11 MBSend us a Text Message. Peter gets to the dramatic action-point of his sermon and charges his audience, "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be BLOTTED OUT. You may ask along with me today, where exactly do these sins go? Where might I find them? First, know that we are not the first to sin or to be blotted. David, one of the best sinners of all time, had his sins blotted. Peter reminds his audience of this by using David's words from Psalm 51: "Have mercy on me, O God...
Step #1: You Are A KILLER S5e24 Acts3:15
November 20, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.01 MBSend us a Text Message. Peter doesn't exactly hold back in his next little sermon: Step #1: You are a KILLER. You killed Jesus. Denied Him. Delivered Him over to Pilate, who BTW had decided to free Him. Just to add insult to injury, you wanted a Killer released Barabbas, instead of the Author of Life; the Holy 1, the Righteous 1. Step #2: Get to know this God you killed. Start with this: He is the AUTHOR OF LIFE. Who gets killed. And then gets RAISED from the dead. Mind Blown. Step...
Lame Legs Leaping Into Our Laps S5e23 Acts3:8
November 19, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.3 MBSend us a Text Message. LEAPING is a rare human activity, at least as far as the Bible is concerned. It is really only mentioned ONCE in the New Testament. It is the response of a lame man healed by Peter in the name of Jesus. LEAPING is also rare in the Old Testament. Isaiah writes of it prophetically in the context of the response of the people of God to God SHOWING UP in a new way. Isaiah 35 is all about that idea. Specifically, and also uniquely, he writes about the lame leaping on ...