iBelieveBible

07/30/2021

Acts 6:8-8:3 is a lengthy section that revolves around the arrest, testimony, and ex*****on of Stephen. This is a pivotal moment in the book of Acts, where the Jerusalem church faces its strongest and most dangerous opposition yet, and many of the believers who had chosen to gather together back in chapter 2 are forced to scatter abroad. On the one hand, it's a tragedy to see a gifted and passionate man have his life snuffed out so prematurely while only trying to do good. On the other hand, this event catalyzes the church to move forward with their God-given mission to spread his message into all the earth.

Photo by Valentin Salja on Unsplash Stoning StephenActs 6:8-8:3 is a lengthy section that revolves around the arrest, testimony, and ex*****on of Stephen. Stephen was one of the seven deacons appointed to serve food to widows in the church. But his ministry takes a sudden and drastic turn

07/23/2021

In the second half of Acts 5 and the entirety of Acts 6, we get a glimpse into the lived reality and lifestyle of the church in its earliest stages. The Apostles run into conflict with the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees, and the overall Temple establishment. The earliest followers of Jesus take after their teacher by willingly enduring suffering, even considering it a reason to celebrate. We also see the importance of service and care for the needy in the early Christian movement, as the selection of the first Deacons makes clear.

Photo by Adrian Infernus on Unsplash In our last post, Acts 4:32-5:16 | Into The Fire (part 1), we looked at the way the power of God was manifested in the early church, bringing both healing and care for the needy and sick, but also destruction to the manipulative

07/09/2021

This week I want to focus in on a famous story from the book of Acts that has sometimes rubbed people the wrong way. The story of Ananias & Sapphira parallels a handful of other stories in the Bible, and yet it tends to run contrary to many people's perception of the Bible as consisting of a brutal and mean Old Testament and the nice, loving New Testament. As a matter of fact, this story says, here we are in the New Testament, and two people are about to drop dead for their sins. It leaves many people scratching their heads and wondering ... why?

This week I want to focus in on a famous story from the book of Acts that has sometimes rubbed people the wrong way. The story of Ananias & Sapphira parallels a handful of other stories in the Bible, and yet it tends to run contrary to many people's perception

07/04/2021

Acts 3 brings a new conflict into focus. While the disciples of Jesus have been filled with power from the Holy Spirit in the previous chapter, the demonstration of this power in public will bring them into conflict with the Temple establishment. There are, in effect, two temples now in Jerusalem. One of made of stone by human hands, and one made out of human hearts. Something significant is bound to happen.

The new Temple shows it's powerActs 3 brings a new conflict into focus. While the disciples of Jesus have been filled with power from the Holy Spirit in the previous chapter, the demonstration of this power in public will bring them into conflict with the Temple establishment. There are, in

06/20/2021

We are starting a new blog series on our website, walking section by section through the book of Acts! This book is the origin story of the church, and gives us an incredible, powerful picture of who and what the church is meant to be. Especially after the last couple years, where many people are reconsidering what it means to "do church," studying the book of Acts is absolutely essential for Christians who want to keep their vision of what it means to live for the Kingdom of God.

Photo by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash Learning to "Do Church"Over the next few months, we will be walking through the book of Acts bit by bit. Some weeks it'll be one chapter at a time, and other weeks it'll be larger chunks of text grouped together. With this blog

04/26/2021

Over on our Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/ibelievebible/) we have been posting a series of info graphics talking about the concepts of dating, "courtship," marriage, and so called "Biblical dating principles" that seem to be very popular topics for sermons these days. I thought I'd give people a walk-through of some of the issues relating to the theme of romance, love, and finding a spouse in the Bible. There are some surprising points we overlook, and I wanted to help us clear away the clutter and think carefully about this topic. Many pastors get away with some lazy interpretation when they preach "Biblical dating" sermons. The reality is a bit more complicated than people give it credit for. Take a look and let me know what you think! There may be more things to add to this sometime soon.

02/28/2021

The Spirit of the Lord rested on Jesus. Why? For what purpose? Well, Jesus said it pretty plainly, quoting from Isaiah:

"“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4:18-19 ESV)

Study more with us at https://www.ibelievebible.com/

02/26/2021

The Bible has some unsettling laws in the Old Testament about slavery. But they sit alongside principles that are meant to clue us into the greater point of the story: God is pointing people towards freedom.

To put it more shortly, the Bible said “Do not oppress them!"

Study more with us at https://www.ibelievebible.com/

02/26/2021

This passage in Deuteronomy 15 describes how the Israelites were meant to handle debt. It’s a remarkable thing that often gets overlooked. What do you think this system would say about God?

Study more with us at https://www.ibelievebible.com/

02/25/2021

The parts of the Bible that may seem “regressive” or “backwards” contain principles that many modern people still struggle to actually live by.

“Be nice to foreigners.” Some things we apparently never quite learn.

02/24/2021

In the Hebrew Bible (a.k.a Old Testament) we often encounter a strange mix of very disturbing, seemingly unjust laws, and much more enlightened, fair, and egalitarian principles. Sometimes there are even different versions of the same principle that seem to have gotten more lenient and gracious over time. Some theologians have referred to this as “progressive revelation.” All of scripture is true and good, but more parts are communicating what people were ready for at a specific point in time. Today, we can’t appreciate these parts of the Bible properly without following the whole story arc of the entire Bible, to see where things ultimately ended up. In the case of the Bible and slavery, the Israelites were set free from slavery but still permitted to own slaves themselves. However, the Torah heavily regulated what was and was not allowed, and included many laws, rituals, holidays, and requirements that drove home the point that slavery was a bad thing. In the New Testament, the church is launched with no power to effect political or legal change, so the apostles had no power to outlaw slavery. Instead, they created a community where everyone saw and treated each other equals, where poverty was robustly addressed, and differences of social class were eroded. To treat Old Testament passages as if the story of redemption in Christ and inclusion of all people never happened is to devalue the context and progressive storytelling of the Bible. Unfortunately, a flat and un-nuanced telling of the biblical story by modern Christians has often made this unclear for many people seeking the truth. We have work to do in that area.

The short version: God cares deeply about the oppressed and marginalized, in whatever form they take.