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Category: With Audio

Faith, Fear, and Face Masks

And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world. So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. Acts 11:28-29 I’ve been surprised by how controversial face masks have become.…
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Unhelpful Things Christians Say

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch . . . And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. Acts 11:19-21 Often, in the midst of painful trials, well-meaning Christians…
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Set in My Ways

If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way? Acts 11:17 I’ve been in and around enough churches in my life that I’ve become familiar with this argument against change, “That’s just…
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You People

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” Acts 11:2 It’s always amazed me how quickly an addict can become judgmental towards others. In treatment himself, only a few days sober, the newly recovered addict suddenly has the audacity to look…
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Certificate of Participation

Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Acts 10:34-35 Over the years, I’ve run several marathons and have finished them all except one. That one, I walked off the course halfway through, taking the bus of shame…
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Playing God

When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” Acts 10:25-26 When I worked in the ER, it wasn’t uncommon to care for those who’d been in motor vehicle accidents caused by an intoxicated driver. There…
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Priorities and Excuses

So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Acts 10:29 In my addiction, I made a priority of using, committing a tremendous amount of time and effort into the getting, consuming, and hiding of my pills. I let very little get in the way of my appetite. Everything else took a backseat, while…
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Christian Bigotry

You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. Acts 10:28 I grew up in a Christian home with wonderful parents who lived good lives. I was never taught…
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Am I Going Deaf?

About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” Acts 10:3 My family thinks I’m losing my hearing. They may be right, but I don’t only have a physical problem with my ears. Often, I’m preoccupied enough that I don’t…
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Judgmental, Arrogant, and Mockulatory

Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. Acts 9:36 Today’s passage tells of Aeneas and Dorcas, one healed of paralysis and the other raised from the dead. I must admit that their names always make me laugh. One sounds unfortunately like a body part and one sounds like an…
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