Celebrating Holy Spirit Power We’ve talked about the four main Christian holidays. These celebrate that Jesus came to earth (Christmas), died so we could live (Good Friday), overcame death to prove his mastery of it (Easter), and having completed his mission, he gave us a gift (Pentecost). Pentecost is the conclusion of the Easter story. […]
Celebrate Jesus’s Return to Heaven, Which Prepares the Way for Pentecost In my post The Four Main Christian Celebrations, I list for holy days (holidays) that smartly recognize Jesus and succinctly outline the key elements of his life and what he did for us. These Christian holidays are: I wonder if I should add Ascension […]
Acts Bible Study: Day 4 Today’s passage: Acts 2:42–47 Focus verse: And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47) After Jesus’s followers receive Papa’s gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Luke describes what happens next. It’s huge. First, they dedicate themselves to learning more about Jesus from his […]
Using the Word “Lord” Leads to Confusion One of the names for God in Hebrew is Yahweh (YHWH). Yet most translations of the Bible don’t use Yahweh. Instead, most use Lord. This may be because some Jewish people dare not say this name for God aloud. Yet substituting the word Lord for Yahweh often makes […]
Acts Bible Study: Day 3 Today’s passage: Acts 2:1–41 Focus verse: When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. (Acts 2:6) Just before Jesus returns to heaven, he tells his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for a present that Papa will send: the gift […]
Peter’s Powerful Sermon The first sermon in the book of Acts: Acts 2:1-41 (specifically Acts 2:14-36). Setting: Jerusalem on Pentecost Speaker: Peter Audience: Jews from many nations Preceding Events: The Holy Spirit arrives and empowers the disciples to speak in other languages. Unable to comprehend what is happening, some in the crowd conclude that the […]
Christmas and Easter Focus on Jesus, Preparing for Pentecost to Complete His Work and Reveal the Holy Spirit Though it’s been co-opted by secular society, Christmas remains as the most popular Christian holiday, celebrating the birth of Jesus. Next in notoriety stand the tandem of Good Friday, remembering the execution of Jesus, and Easter, celebrating […]
Embrace Annual Cycles of Worship to Provide a Regular Rhythm to Our Faith Journey Some churches follow a church calendar throughout the year to guide them into seasons of worship. This provides an annual rhythm to their embrace of God. Other churches are less structured in their approach, focusing on two major biblical holidays: Christmas […]
On Pentecost Sunday God Gives Us the Holy Spirit Pentecost Sunday occurs fifty days after Resurrection Sunday (Easter). It’s a significant event in the early church. That’s when the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus’s followers in an extraordinary way. The Holy Spirit empowers team Jesus to share his good news with others with amazing power. […]
New Format Now Available The The Victory of Jesus audiobook is now available. In addition to audiobook, it is also available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover formats. The audiobook is auto-narrated by Maxwell. The Victory of Jesus is a devotional to celebrate the victory of Jesus in this 50-day devotional that spans Easter to Pentecost. […]