When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice. (Acts 5:33-39)
Category Archives: Christianity
Real Victory
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
-John 12:12-13
On Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem for the last time. All four Gospels record what is known as the triumphal entry. By the end of the week the crowd had turned, and those shouting “Hosanna” would shout “crucify him.” The triumphal entry appeared to be Jesus’ finest hour and the crucifixion appeared to be his greatest defeat. Things are not always as they appear. Christians recognize that Jesus’ most important work was done on the cross, as he humbly submitted to the will of the Father. Continue reading
Palm Sunday: the Triumphal Entry
Reblogged from March 28, 2010
Several well known statements are found in Psalm 118:1-25: “His steadfast love endures forever,” “this is the day the LORD hath made,” “the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and even others still. Verse 25 reads “Save us, we pray, O LORD” in the ESV; “O LORD. we beseech thee, save us now!” in the King James. The Hebrew word rendered in English as save now is hosanna. Continue reading
The Fourth Man in the Fire
In Daniel chapter 3, Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego were called to appear before King Nebuchadnezzar. They were charged with not worshiping the gods of Babylon nor bowing down the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar himself. He is willing to give them another chance, and if they will bow down then all will be well. But instead:
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” -Daniel 3:16-18 Continue reading
Chicken Church
Earlier this week I took my mother to lunch at the Big Chicken. Anyone from north Georgia, particularly the greater Atlanta area, knows about the Big Chicken, which is actually a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, in Marietta. The thing is a landmark and part of life in Atlanta, like the Coca-cola museum or Turner Field. It is certainly no accident that the building looks like a chicken.
The Church by the Sea in Tampa Bay, Florida may be another story. My mother told me she saw it this morning on Headline News (HLN). Church members say it’s not unusual to see tourists stopping to take pictures. What do you think? Is it a great coincidence or a bit of careful planning that resulted in the big chicken church?
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And here’s my thought: If tourists drive out of their way to snap pics of a church that just happens (if that’s the case) to look like a chicken, they will also see Jesus on the cross. Is that not what the church is called to?
One Person’s Testimony
We’ve all heard stories of a single vote that decided the fate of an election, or remember the lesson of the Knight Rider: One person can make a difference. But have you ever been alone in a crowd when it comes to Christian faith? Even if no one says anything negative, the temptation is to clam up about anything religious, to simply go with the flow. Can one believer really make a difference? Continue reading
Fred Luter’s Call for African-American Missionaries
Fred Luter with Tom Elliff
Fred Luter is the first African-American to serve as SBC president. But of the 4,900 missionaries serving the International Mission Board, only 27 are African-American. That’s only 1/2 of 1%, despite the fact that 1 million of the SBC’s 16 million members are African-American. There are far more Hispanic and Asian missionaries in the field, and Luter would like to promote change.
“A lot of our African American churches are in the ‘hood,” said Luter, who pastors Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, La. “It’s a daily fight every day. [People ask me], ‘Why do I need to go to Africa, Asia or Europe? We need to get people saved in this community.'” “It’s a both/and approach,” Luter said. “We need to reach the people in our neighborhoods and get African Americans out on the foreign field.”
Read this article in full at Baptist Press.
Do Unto Other Bloggers…
Coffee with Jesus – Doable
I was reading a list of blog writing tips on Chief of the Least, and he ended by asking for additional advice. I jotted down what I consider the usual for the beginning blogger, then stumbled onto something profound: stats are people too. Continue reading
A Short Lesson About Reading the Bible
There’s an old saying about a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. The key to understanding scripture is context. If you quote half a verse to support any argument, the first thing I’m going to do is go find the whole verse, then read the whole paragraph. We need to know who is writing, to whom, and under what circumstances before applying any particular verse to our situation.
There are always critics of religion in general and of Christianity in particular that insist religion was invented or the Bible was written to control people. Roman emperors used religion to build an empire, Medieval kings used it to build wealth and add territory, and Christians today use scripture to justify everything from suppressing women to persecuting homosexuals. Sadly, to some extent, each of those arguments have some merit. Emperor Constantine made the switch from persecuting Christians to embracing Christianity in order to defeat the enemies of the Roman Empire. I think we should blame Rome for that, not Christ. The problem with the Middle Ages is that the vast majority of Europeans were illiterate. If the kings and knights of Medieval Europe could have read the Bible for themselves, they would not have been so easily manipulated. Thank God for Gutenberg, am I right? Which brings us to today. Continue reading
A Lesson for Those Who Serve
Church people are notoriously bad tippers. This is certainly not news to me, and I consider myself something of an expert. I worked at Shoney’s while in high school, Chick-fil-A during college, and am today an ordained minister. With much apology I realize the above statement is true. The worst case I ever heard of was a church group going out on a Sunday afternoon following their morning service. After being served by the cook and wait staff, they informed the waitress they would not be leaving a tip because they believed it was wrong to work on Sunday. Let me repeat: AFTER they ate the food the cooks worked to prepare and the waitress worked to serve, they told her it was wrong to work on Sunday. That’s the opposite of sharing the Gospel. If those are really your convictions what you should do is NOT eat out or shop on Sundays.
Yahoo News recently carried this story of a waitress fired from Applebee’s for posting a receipt online. Continue reading
The Master's Table 