“Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” Acts 16:25   So, what is a “midnight praise” you may ask? A midnight praise is when you praise God even in a moment when everything’s gone wrong. In fact, a midnight praise is kind of an oxymoron, because it’s those moments that you feel the least like praising God, but you do it anyway.  After all, to “praise” means you’re celebrating something good or great that’s happened. Paul and Silas were simply doing what they had been sent by God to do;[…]

“When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’ But he replied, ‘There is not a jar left.’ Then the oil stopped flowing.” 2 Kings 4:6 The widow woman in need of a financial miracle after her late husband had left her drowning in a sea of debt, was given clear instructions from God through the Prophet Elisha. “And Elisha said, ‘Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into[…]

“But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders.”  Acts 14:3   Suppose you were invited to speak to a group; maybe a civic club, a local college, or a community group of some kind, and suppose that with this invitation to speak you were given a very limited amount of time to share with your audience. Maybe you would have within yourself the ability and expertise to speak on a variety of topics, but you[…]

“Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do.”  Acts 13:39   What was once so pristine, shiny and beautiful was now splattered and covered in blood. The Alter and Ark of the Covenant had the blood of sheep, goats and birds on them. It was a bloody mess, but that mess was necessary and saved lives. Hebrews 9:22 says that, “In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” All of this would change one day[…]

“For you have rescued me from death;  you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.” Psalm 56:13  Everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief. At the cost of twenty-thousand lives, the rebellion was over. But not everyone was celebrating. As we see in 2 Samuel 18, instead of shouting and dancing in victory, David walked away in great sadness. Despite Absalom’s open betrayal and effort to kill him, in David’s eyes, Absalom, “young Absalom,” was still his son and David’s heart ached at the news of Absalom’s death. While[…]

“We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” Acts 15:11  Depending on where you’re from, the word “barbeque” can mean different things. To a Texan, BBQ is smoked brisket, but when a Missourian hears the word BBQ, they probably think of smoked ribs. Where I’m from in Eastern North Carolina, we’ve got our own brand of BBQ too, and some distant relatives of mine have gotten pretty famous by sticking with a simple recipe that’s been handed down for generations. In fact, they can trace the origin of their simple recipe[…]

“Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!” Acts 10:4b Roman officers weren’t known for their acts of kindness and generosity, but Cornelius was a little different than the rest. I’m sure it wasn’t without hard work that he rose through the ranks to become a respected Roman officer, charged with an entire Roman regiment. He obviously had proven his allegiance to Caesar and the Roman government, or such a position of stature and authority would never have been granted to him. In spite of such allegiance, Cornelius had an even greater allegiance, and[…]

“So, beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.”  Acts 8:36 The Gospel was starting to spread like wildfire, but it wasn’t necessarily by choice. The early Church was coming under great persecution by the religious power brokers of the day, so they began to spread out, leaving Jerusalem. But everywhere they went, they took the Gospel with them. Judea, Samaria, and towns along the way were hearing the Good News for the first time, and “Great Joy” was filling the cities and villages. You would think that after a while our adversary would finally[…]

“When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, 5 she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the Lord.” 1 Kings 10:4-5   Some years ago, I was tasked with remodeling an area in the church I was pastoring, so I set out to get ideas that would help me create the perfect look. Walls had been torn down, electrical had been redone and everything[…]

He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. Acts 7:60  Forgiveness is given to those least deserving, which is what can make it so hard. It’s not easy to forgive, especially the one who isn’t seeking or asking for forgiveness. When someone isn’t sorrowful for what they have done, it makes it so much harder to forgive that person, especially when it’s personal. When you’ve been personally wronged, mistreated, or misrepresented it makes forgiveness a lot more difficult. As Stephen was being stoned by his accusers, his last words were,[…]