The Apostle Paul had some of the strangest life experiences of any one person in the Scriptures. A culturally diverse and highly educated man, “Saul” (his original name) took his religion so seriously that he sought to annihilate this new sect called “The Way” (the early church’s original name). So zealous was Saul that he was named as being there and consenting to Stephen’s death – the church’s first martyr. One day Saul had a life-altering encounter with Jesus Christ. Traveling down the road with a team of men, Saul was struck… Read More
“Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”Acts 7:58-60 ESV As believers and followers of Jesus we can expect resistance and persecution. The spirit of anti-Christ is vehemently opposed to… Read More
Our church is beginning 2017 with 21 days of prayer and fasting. It’s something that was actually initiated by our denomination, The Foursquare Church, which has provided an app to help guide us through the 21 days. (Search “Foursquare prayer” in the App Store.) In my devotion times I have been especially sensitive to passages of Scripture that mention prayer or fasting. Today, when I read Luke’s account of Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River, I noticed this phrase: “…when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens… Read More