Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
Acts 12:1-5 Introduction Is life fair? I suppose that depends on what we mean by ‘fair.’ When we complain that life is just not fair, what we normally mean is that we feel that it is not right that this bad thing is happening to us or someone we care about. We might say the … Read More “When Life is Not Fair” »
One of the questions that Christians disagree on is whether Christians can serve in the military. It is a complicated issue and people on both sides have strong convictions. Quoting “turn the other cheek” or “love your enemy” should not shut down the conversation. Those verses are part of the conversation but they are not … Read More “Soldiers in Luke-Acts” »
Acts 9:26-30 Introduction Have you ever found yourself in the position of being an outsider? This can be because of almost anything. It could be because you are the new person in a community. It could be because you are the smallest person in gym class. It could be because you are the only Christian … Read More “The One Who Steps In” »
Acts 16:6-10 Introduction Over the past number of weeks we have been going over the markers of a mission edge church. Remember what we meant by a mission edge church: a church that gets onboard with the mission Jesus is already on. While we may not know what that is exactly at the beginning, we … Read More “Contextually Responsive” »
Should Christians seek to be winsome in their interactions with the non-Christian world? That is becoming more and more of a debate, partially based around Tim Keller’s thoughts on this. You can get caught up a bit on what Tim Keller says and how his critics have responded here. First, we need to have some … Read More “In Defence of Winsome Christianity” »
Acts 2:42-47 Introduction What is the process by which new people come to faith in Jesus? There are accounts of God speaking directly to people by dreams and visions but most often this takes place through the witness of other Christians. Just to give you a very short overview of my journey, I was raised … Read More “Anatomy of a Church: Witness” »
Acts 2:42-47 Introduction Amanda and I have been part of a wide variety of churches, both in pastoral ministry and as laypeople. One of the things that we have been able to experience is different sizes of churches. The church where both Amanda and I were baptized and where we were married, probably today has … Read More “Anatomy of a Church: Community” »
Acts 2:42-47 Introduction Some people see the many different denominations within the church to be a major problem. If we all believe in Jesus, shouldn’t there just be one church? Technically there is only one church, that which the Apostle’s Creed calls the “holy catholic church” or universal church. But one church doesn’t mean that … Read More “Anatomy of a Church: Worship” »
Acts 16:11-40 Introduction How does one become a Christian? That seems to be a fairly reasonable question. If we claim to be Christians, then we better know how one becomes a Christian. I don’t think that I’m straying into heresy by saying the way to Christianity is through Jesus. There are those who believe there … Read More “The Ways to Jesus” »
Acts 16:6-10 Introduction How many of you like to go on long car rides? This can be especially nice at this time of the year when the leaves are changing and before the snow comes and everyone forgets how to drive. There are a couple of ways you can choose to do one of these … Read More “Where is the Spirit Calling Us?” »
Acts 16:1-5 Introduction How committed are you to the Church? I don’t mean specifically Queen Street Baptist Church, although there is overlap with what I’m talking about. I mean more specifically, how committed are you to being the Church? When I have talked to Christians of older generations about commitment, the response was usually somethings … Read More “Full Dedication” »
Acts 15:36-41 Introduction I want you do something. Without look around the room, I want you to think back. Is there any person who is a part of this church that has disappointed you? Is there anyone who said or did something that really bothered you? Has there ever been a time when you saw … Read More “Messy Relationships” »
Acts 15:22-35 Introduction When you are reading a story, one of the important steps for understanding is identifying the major characters. This is true whether you are reading William Shakespeare or reading a Superman comic book. It is also true when reading history. I have an interest in reading both ancient history and the history … Read More “The Acts of the Holy Spirit” »
Acts 15:1-21 Introduction When you think of the different events put on by the church, what is your favourite? Is it the worship service? Bible studies and prayer meetings? Potlucks and other meals? Where do business meetings fit into the ranking? When I was just starting in ministry, I was warned about how bad church … Read More “Agreeing When We Disagree” »
Acts 14:8-20 Introduction Most likely, you have expectations for any situation you are facing. You may not know all the details and your expectations may be wrong, but you do have expectations. At a previous church, one where I was expected to wear a suit and tie to each service, I snuck out during a … Read More “What Should You Expect?” »
Acts 13:44-52 Introduction It was approximately thirty years ago. I had just come out of a period of atheism while a student at Brock University. I had come to believe in a God but I had no idea what religion I should follow. Christianity seemed too obvious, being the most common religion in Canada and … Read More “The Ups and Downs of Sharing Faith” »
Acts 13:13-43 Introduction One of my favourite things is studying history. In another life, I could have seen myself as a history teacher rather than a pastor. I like history because it is interesting and often entertaining. But I love history because it is relevant to today. Spanish philosopher George Santayana is credited with the … Read More “Learning From History” »
Acts 13:1-12 Introduction A few months ago, it was the twenty years ago that I was ordained. It was at Queensway Baptist Church in Brantford, and it took place on mystery last Sunday there before starting at a new church. It was a meaningful service but it really was one step in a long process … Read More “Called By God” »
Acts 12:20-25 Introduction I’m going to give you a little bit of insight on how I go about picking passages to preach on. I enjoy preaching a series, preferably on a book of the Bible. I like this because it forces me to get outside my own area of interests and to be challenged by … Read More “One God” »
Acts 12:1-19 Introduction It does not take us long before we discover that life is not fair. Children at a young age complain that things are not fair. They sense a disconnect when someone gets something good that they didn’t get or if they get punished and someone else doesn’t. It just isn’t fair! As … Read More “When Life is Not Fair” »
Acts 11:27-30 Introduction What is the question that the world is asking about the church? Believe it or not, the main question is not about which church is the true church. People are not lying awake at night wondering of the Anglicans or the Pentecostals or the Baptists have a corner on the truth. That … Read More “The Church Being the Church” »
Acts 10:1-33 Introduction How common would you say prejudice is? We might be inclined to think that we are not as prejudiced as some other people. But then that is a form of prejudice. Here is an example. I find that Canadians point to Americans as people who have really struggled with racism. We hear … Read More “Facing Our Prejudice” »
Acts 9:19b-30 Introduction Has there ever been a time when you have felt rejected, like the whole world was against you? Perhaps the supports that once been there were now gone. Do you remember what that was like? And have you ever been in that position and someone came forward to support you? It may … Read More “Who Are You Advocating For?” »
Acts 9:1-20 Introduction I want you to think about the person you would most be surprised to become a Christian. It could be someone famous, perhaps a musician or an actor or a politician. Maybe it was someone who is a known criminal or is had had a particularly immoral life. Maybe it is someone … Read More “An Unexpected Christian” »
Acts 8:26-40 Introduction I have often felt like the story of the Ethiopian eunuch is one of the strangest in Acts. It’s not the picture of Philip running alongside the horse drawn chariot, listening to what the man was reading. Nor is it the way the Holy Spirit takes Philip away immediately after, making it … Read More “Enabling Faith” »
Acts 8:1-8 Introduction Back when I was in my mid-20s, I went on my first mission trip. It was with the organization Operation Mobilization. I was pretty excited to go overseas and preach the gospel. And I as feeling a bit overconfident as well, if I am honest. The Canadians met in Oakville and got … Read More “The Church Scattered” »
Acts 7:54-60 Introduction Have you ever thought about what it will be like when you die? I don’t mean passing into the afterlife but in the hours and minutes leading up to it. I know that sounds morbid and yet it is something we will all experience. I have spent time with a lot of … Read More “Filled With the Holy Spirit” »
Acts 7:51-53 Introduction Have you ever been having a conversation with someone and you realize that you have come to a crossroads? You can see the next thing that you plan to say in your mind. You know that if you say that, there is no going back. Not only will it change the direction … Read More “Resisting the Holy Spirit” »
Acts 7:44-50 Introduction Many years ago, I was at a revival service here in St Catharines and I heard something that I have never forgotten. Interestingly, it was in his sermon but in his appeal for the offering. As he was asking people to dig deep into their wallets, he told us that God was … Read More “Let God Out of That Box” »
Acts 6:8-15 Introduction I want you to think about a time when a person or a group of people were very upset with you. Not just slightly annoyed but downright angry. Now I want you to think about what it was that made them angry. How accurately were they interpreting the facts of what you … Read More “Causing Offence” »
Acts 6:1-7 Introduction With this being Remembrance Sunday, I can’t help but think of conversations I have had in the past with veterans, especially of the Second World War. I was blessed in my previous church to have a good group of WW2 veterans that I was able to get to know and hear their … Read More “All Jobs Matter” »
Acts 5:33-42 Introduction As many of you know, I have a great interest in military history. It is not to glorify war but to learn from what happens to humanity when put in the most difficult situations. There are often practical life lessons, and even lessons for us as a church, even if the weapons … Read More “The Church Will Not Be Defeated” »
Acts 5:12-32 Introduction This time of COVID-19 has been a chapter of the church unlike anything that I can remember. It has challenged us to to rethink everything that we have just taken for granted. What does it mean to worship? What does it mean to gather? What does it mean to care for one … Read More “When to Say Yes and When to Say No” »
Acts 5:1-11 Introduction Every once in a while I get the urge to write a devotional on the most disturbing passages in the Bible. There are a number that could be included and one of them would be the story of Ananias and Sapphira. This is the story of a married couple in the church … Read More “A Disintegrating Church” »
Acts 4:23-37 Introduction I remember being at a ministerial and I pointed out that John had been a Baptist. The Nazarene pastor reminded me that John may have been a Baptist but Jesus was a Nazarene. That’s when another pastor stated in heaven, we would all be the United Church. I’m not suggesting that any … Read More “Becoming the United Church” »
Acts 4:13-22 Introduction You may or may not know that I took a number of years off pastoral ministry between my previous churches and coming to Queen Street Baptist Church. But of course we still needed to eat and so that meant I needed to get a job. At that point, I had been a … Read More “Qualifications for Serving Jesus” »
Acts 4:1-12 Introduction I will confess to you that I’m horrible when it comes to directions. Whenever we go on a trip, I completely rely on Amanda. My confidence in her surpasses that of any GPS. If I don’t have Amanda, I definitely rely on the GPS directions on my phone. But what did people … Read More “Jesus is Our North Star” »
Acts 3 Introduction At some point in 2019, just a few people contracted a virus that we now call COVID-19. At the time it probably looked like a small thing. I don’t even know how sick those first people got. I am sure that if you could go back and explain to them all that … Read More “Blowing the World to Kingdom Come” »
Acts 2:42-47 Introduction I want you to imagine you were doing a public performance of some kind. It could be a speech, some music, presenting something you have made, whatever you are passionate about. You present your skills to the public. After the performance, someone comes up to you and says, “I was just filled … Read More “Having an Awful Effect” »
Acts 2:22-41 Introduction Have you ever had a recurring dream? It may not be exactly the same dream but it is the same sort of dream or it happens at the same place or it includes the same people. I have had a number of recurring dreams over my life, usually repeating frequently during a … Read More “Death Defeater” »
Acts 1:12-26 Introduction I want to be careful in what I predict, but I want to say that I hope that this is my final congregation of my pastoral career. I realize that I still have a lot of time before I retire, but the thought of going through the process again is not appealing. … Read More “Where is the Justus?” »
Acts 1:1-11 Introduction Have you ever been in the awkward experience of expecting someone to do something and you are not sure if they are going to do it? You are hanging on their every word and action, hoping that that they will get around to what you want them to do or say. It … Read More “Can I Get a Witness?” »
Most of my recent sermons can be found here. However, this sermon was one that I recently preached at Walmer Road Baptist Church and I thought I would share it here. Acts 2:1-21 Introduction I am the pastor of Queen Street Baptist Church. But I am not a lifelong Baptist. In fact I have been … Read More “Being a Pentecostal Christian” »
A message based on Acts 2:42-47 and preached at Queen Street Baptist Church. You can watch the video here. Introduction A few weeks ago, we took a trip into the past to observe the activity of the early church. We looked at the way we go over a family photo album or an online collection … Read More “Being an Acts Church: Part Two” »
One of the most important events in the history of the church was the inclusion of the Gentiles among the followers of Jesus. Originally, the church was made up of all Jewish believers in Jesus. But by the end of the first century, the church was majority Gentile. When did this process begin? Some may … Read More “A Eunuch, A Centurion and the Welcoming of the Gentiles” »
A sermon based on Acts 2:42-47 preached at Queen Street Baptist Church. You can listen to the audio here. Introduction When my mother was getting near to the end of her life, one of her thoughts was about the things that were going to be passed on to me. To be honest, she didn’t care about … Read More “Being an Acts Church: Part One” »
Luke records Paul’s conversion three times in the book of Acts. First in the third person in chapter 9 and then twice in the first person in Acts 22 and 26. The problem is that at first glance, Luke seems to contradict himself. Acts 9 says that those with Paul heard but did not see, … Read More “Do Acts 9:27 and Acts 22:9 Contradict Each Other?” »
A devotion based on Acts 16:30. In this story, God releases Paul and Silas from jail in the city of Philippi. When the jailer discovered what had happened, he was prepared to commit suicide as he knew the punishment he would face from his superiors. He was surprised, therefore, to discover that the prisoners had … Read More “Devotions: Acts” »
There are certain scholars that I know I can go to their books and find good solid evangelical scholarship. I. Howard Marshall is one of those scholars and his Acts commentary is no exception. The Tyndale commentary series has been out for some time. Because it is a less technical series and is aimed at … Read More “I. Howard Marshall and the Book of Acts” »
As part of a course that I am teaching on Acts at Emmanuel Bible College, I assigned World Upside Down: Reading Acts in the Graeco-Roman Age by C. Kavin Rowe. While understanding this aspect of context is very important for studying the New Testament, it is especially important for understanding Acts. Acts is steeped in … Read More “World Upside Down” »
A sermon preached at First Baptist Church based on Acts 4:32-35. Introduction Sometimes we have preconceived ideas about what something looks like. I remember the first time I met Mike Allen, the former padre in Meaford. He had read Unmasking the Pagan Christ before we met. The first thing he said to me was that … Read More “How Do You Recognize a Good Church?” »
One of the things that I like about Luke is that he has a special interest in the role of women. In both his Gospel and in Acts, Luke often pairs men and women, giving examples of similar miracles or other events, each from the perspective of each gender. This should cause us to reflect … Read More “Male-Female Pairs in Luke-Acts” »
Acts 16:25-34 Introduction There are things about church that you just do not need to know. You do not need to know why churches started using pews or organs or why other churches have stopped using them. You do not need to know all the differences between all the different denominations. You do not need … Read More “Which Way to Heaven?” »
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as … Read More “A Church That Acts” »
