A New Year, A New Look

Near the end of 2016, I kind of got away from posting as often as I had in the past. I consider myself an “occasional blogger,” but over the last few months I kind of became a “rare blogger” (if that’s even a thing).

So, with the start of the new year, I thought I would make an effort to blog a little more and with that, I thought I’d give the blog a new look. With the free WordPress themes, it was pretty easy to do.

I’m not one for making a bunch of resolutions (or any most years), but I ran across a verse last week while preparing for our New Years Day church service.

Early in the book of Acts, Peter and John performed a miracle that gathered a lot of attention. With a captive, intrigued audience, Peter and John began to preach about Jesus and His resurrection.

Their message brought opposition from some of the religious leaders and Peter and John were questioned about how they were able to heal this man.

After responding to their accusers that it was through the power of Jesus that the man was healed, the religious leaders made this observation about Peter and John:

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”
(Acts 4:13)

As we begin  a new year, whether we make a list of resolutions or not, that would be a great way to be described – that people would recognize as someone who had been with Jesus.

Happy New Year!

 

90 Day Challenge – Week 5

Yesterday’s reading completed Day 35, which signified the end of week 5 in our 90 Day Challenge. Now that we are over one-third of the way through, hopefully we are saying consistent in our reading and, more than that, growing in our understanding of God and His Word.

We are moving swiftly through the book of Acts and it presents such a great picture of what the church should look like. As they met together, they shared whatever they had with one another and met each other’s needs. Because of how they loved each other and treated each other, God brought more people into their fellowship. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of a group that loved genuinely and served selflessly?

As persecution comes on the church, the followers of Jesus spread out from city to city and village to village. As they went, they shared what they knew about Jesus. As you read the sermons and testimonies that were shared, the followers of Jesus always came back to His life, death and resurrection. It was simply about Jesus.

Hopefully we are reminded and encouraged to simply share what we know about Jesus with those we encounter. Keep up the good work in your 90 Day Challenge.