Acts 29...
The church continued... (and a short announcement)
Lord, thank You for leading us through the book of Acts and revealing Your work in the early Church. As we now turn to Paul’s letters, we ask that You prepare our hearts and minds to receive Your truth. Thank You for Your unending kindness and faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A community of Jesus-followers, both local and global, united around the Word of God, empowered by the Spirit of God, and dedicated in all things to the glory of God!
I hope that as we explored the book of Acts, you saw how naturally it continues from the Gospel of Luke - shifting from Jesus’ life and ministry to the birth and growth of the Church. So much of the story is anchored in Jesus’ resurrection and Paul’s incredible encounter with Him on the road to Damascus. My prayer is that as you read, you caught a glimpse of the bigger picture: the same Church that began back then is the one we’re a part of today.
Here’s the thing: you can’t truly love God without loving His Church. It’s like being married but not loving your spouse - not a perfect analogy, but you get the idea. As we dive deeper into Paul’s letters to the churches he helped establish, this truth will become even more clear.
“The immense tragedy of the contemporary church is that most people worship their work, work at their play, and play at their worship.”
“A. W. Tozer, a man who was a prophet to the modern church, put it this way: We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit. The words, “Be still, and know that I am God,” mean next to nothing to the self-confident, bustling worshiper in this middle period of the twentieth century.”
Personal announcement:
We’re just moments away from welcoming Marlie-Grace Steyn into the world! And when I say moments, I mean hours—her due date is today, and I’m officially on call, ready to head to the hospital at any moment. With that in mind, I’ll be taking a short break from daily writing, but I’ll be back soon after we’ve settled in at home. When I return, I’m excited to dive into Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon with you!
As far as the daily writing, I recently heard someone say, “Keep writing, even if only your mom reads it.” In my case, my wife :) Because writing is as much about what it’s doing in me as anything else. I know that some may feel overwhelmed by the daily emails, while others have found them to be a helpful way to stay in the Word or something they can revisit when they have more time. Whatever the case, I want you to know I’m truly grateful for the texts and encouragement I’ve received from many of you. And if you ever feel like you need to ‘unsubscribe,’ I promise—no hard feelings! As long as you stay in the Word and continue to get to know the God of the Bible.
Congratulations! On the arrival of Marlie-Grace Steyn ! Praising God with you !