In this worship gathering, we hear a message from Acts 3 in which the apostles Peter and John bring healing to a man born lame. That man sat begging at the Beautiful Gate to the temple each day, as he had no means of earning an income. He hoped for money, but instead, Peter and John gave him the best gift possible. This attracted a crowd, so Peter gave a speech in which he explained how Jesus has power to heal by the power of his name. How can we apply this to our own lives? Watch and find out. You can watch the message below, or the entire worship gathering below that. The audio-only podcast version is linked at the bottom. (Go to your favourite podcast app and subscribe to “Passionately His” today!)
Month: November 2023
Do not fear!
On Wednesday, a speeding car, headed for the Rainbow Bridge on the US side of Niagara Falls, went airborne and exploded. Two people, occupants of the car, died as a result.
The reaction was swift and decisive: all four Niagara-area border crossings were closed. Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Canada Border Services Agency swung into action.
For some, I suspect there were memories of 9/11 swirling like the water at the base of the falls.
Yet what started as a potential terrorist threat turned into an inconvenience. It was deemed that there was no threat to national security on either side of the border from the incident.
I’m sure that many people, especially in border communities, were put on edge by the whole affair. And as we are bombarded with news (except from Facebook, here in Canada), it is easy to become obsessed over such an event.
And that obsession can easily turn to fear. But it doesn’t have to do so.
There are always tragic things going on in the world; with 8 billion people on the earth, it’s inevitable. But we need not fear, if we are followers of Jesus.
It may sound strange to your ears, but there are a lot of people who live in fear of the next piece of bad news happening across the globe; they’re concerned that something is going to trigger the end of the world, that Armageddon will be the next news story.
While it’s true that the end of the world as we know it will come to pass, and it could be soon, the reality is that we don’t know when it will happen, nor what will trigger it. And if we follow the Lord Jesus by faith, it will not be something about which we need to worry.
Why? Because “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46.1, NLT). So? “So we will not fear…” (Psalm 46.2a, NLT).
By all means, pray for the families and friends of those who died in the accident. Pray for those who work to protect national security on both sides of the border. But don’t fear. God’s got this, and if you trust the Lord, God’s got you.
Did you know that Encouragement is available in audio format? Here’s today’s; feel free to subscribe using your favourite podcast app!
A snapshot of the prototype
In this worship gathering, we hear a message from Acts 2.42-47 that describes what the life of the early church was like – and how we can use that as a model that will guide us toward God’s preferred future for his church in our time. You can watch the message below, or the entire worship gathering below that. At the bottom you’ll find a link to listen to the audio podcast of the message.
“Those who were being saved”
It’s no secret that the Christian church is falling on hard times these days. In mainline churches mostly – though more conservative churches are not immune – congregations are shuttering their doors because they can’t afford to keep the lights on or pay the preacher. It’s a sad state of affairs. Thankfully, it’s not a universal problem, but it’s a problem nonetheless.
I was speaking with a colleague the other day who is helping congregations in his area make some tough decisions about their future. When there was talk of churches coming together, so that there was something of a ‘critical mass’, one response that he got was that the person didn’t want to gather with others, he wanted to go to his own church. Some said that if their churches were to close, they’d just stop going to church altogether.
I was as astounded as my colleague at such an answer. Those people don’t have a relationship with the Lord; they have a relationship with a building.
Right now, I’m working my way through the book of the Acts of the Apostles at St. Paul’s Church, Nobleton. The part of that book I’ve spent the most time in over the years has been the latter part of chapter 2, which gives a snapshot of what the early church was like. But, as so often happens when we read the Bible, God highlighted a part of that passage that I had not emphasized to the same extent in the past.
Acts 2.47b says, “And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved” (NLT).
I’ve always emphasized how, in the early church, growth was a natural outcome of being faithful disciples of Jesus gathered together. What I hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about – perhaps I just assumed – is that those who were added to the church each day were those who were being saved.
That is, the early church was composed of people who actually believed the gospel, people who had growing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, along with their children.
In that context, it made perfect sense: why would anyone join a movement if he didn’t believe in what the movement stood for?
Over time, as the church became accepted in culture and institutionalized, people starting joining the church who may not have had true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus anticipated this when he told the parable of the weeds among the wheat. When the disciples asked Jesus if he wanted them to go and pluck out the weeds, Jesus assured them that it would be taken care of at the harvest (Matthew 13.24-30).
As we’ve seen the decline of the institutional church, it seems there are fewer and fewer weeds among the wheat. That is, there are fewer and fewer people in local congregations who are not committed to the Lord. As the church becomes less of a cultural norm for people, we’re going back to the ways of the early church, where only those who want to commit to the Lord are being part of the body of Christ.
Of course, the loss of some of those people who were not committed to the Lord means reduced giving, and some churches find themselves on the brink of closure.
It’s like we’ve come full circle: it took a couple of thousand years, but the church has the opportunity to learn from the nascent days of the faith and become like the post-Pentecost church, where the growth comes from those who are being saved, those who actually want to live in relationship with the Lord.
It seems paradoxical, but it’s an exciting time to be the church, holding forth light in the darkness, hope amid despair. But to see the church thrive in a hostile culture, it means doubling down on our level of commitment to what Jesus has done for us, and will do for others.
Let’s be among those who are being saved, and let’s call others to this radical, eternity-changing life as well.
Hope in the Resurrection
In this worship gathering, former intern Christine Samuel brings a message from 1 Thessalonians 4 highlighting our hope in the resurrection. The message alone is below, and the entire worship gathering can be viewed below that.
Bad News and Good News
In this worship gathering, we hear a message from Acts 2.14-41 that explains the importance of one of the most impactful speeches ever given – Peter’s sermon following the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Why does it matter? It matters because as the disciples of today, we are called to make the disciples of tomorrow, to be witnesses of the good news of Jesus for our time. You can watch the message below, or the entire worship gathering (which includes an act of remembrance) below that. The audio podcast of the message is linked at the bottom.
A blast from the past
Want to hear two words that constitute a “blast from the past”? Try these: Blockbuster Video.
The last franchise in Canada closed over a decade ago, and yet, interestingly, the phone number of one long-defunct branch in Calgary still appears in the local Yellow Pages.
(Come to think of it, “Yellow Pages” could be two other words that constitute a blast from the past!)
I read an article this week that gave the reason why the video shop is still appearing in the directory: the telephone number is still active. (I’m not sure who’s paying the bill for a phone connected to a store that no longer exists, but that’s not really the point.)
This got me thinking, though: how often do we think something is in the Bible when it isn’t? I mean, if Blockbuster Video still shows up in the Calgary phone book, but doesn’t exist, it’s possible that we might think something would appear in Scripture, but doesn’t, right?
Here’s an example: “Money is the root of all evil.”
Nope.
What the Bible does say is, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6.10, NLT). There’s a big difference between saying that money is the root of all evil, and saying that the love of money is the root of all evil. Money, after all, can be used to build God’s Kingdom; the love of money is actually a competitor to God’s Kingdom.
Here’s another example: “God helps those who help themselves.”
Nope.
What the Bible does say is…not really close to that at all. The saying apparently has its roots in ancient Greek drama, but because there are Bible passages that are similar, and it makes us feel like we can somehow contribute toward our salvation (which we cannot!), we tend to attribute it to Scripture.
So before you go citing something as God’s Word that really isn’t at all, do your homework. The device on which you are reading this gives you all kinds of tools to help you.
Passionately His 