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So even the first chapter of Acts has a couple funny parts. But first a little scene-setting: Luke and Acts are basically a pair. Same author, same audience, same challenges. Probably written about 50 years after Jesus died. Like the other gospels, not written to document facts like modern history but to make an argument
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So there’s no great spiritual lesson in this, but Acts 20:7-12 will make you appreciate even the most long-winded preacher you know. Paul is on a farewell tour, and on his last night in Troas the community of believers gathers in an upper room for a final dinner (which some scholars point to as an
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The homestretch of Acts isn’t all that funny, nor does it strike me as all that inspiring. But it could be because it’s so relevant. George Will once called football the marriage of the two worst American vices: violence punctuated by committee meetings. From the point at which Paul arrives in Jerusalem in Acts, the
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OK so let me tell you about Acts 19, because it has the only Bible passage I ever preached on, which is also one of the cartooniest stories of the Bible. Over the almost 30 years (!) since I preached on it, I’ve come to realize a few things that put it in a different
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I always thought the people of Athens got a raw deal in Acts, but maybe not. Acts 19 has my very favorite story – it’s very Hanna Barbera-funny, and it was the first Scripture I preached on (and technically the only one I’ve preached on, I guess). But I’m going to save 19 for another
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There are a couple of funny moments and a few great stories in Acts 14-16, but I guess the question for the night is “Who do you listen to, and what are they keeping you from seeing?” So the second half of Acts is basically just Paul running around the Mediterranean getting beat up for
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Whose voice would you recognize in the dark? Acts 12-13 isn’t particularly memorable, plot wise, but all the humor and weirdness of Acts shows up plenty. (If you’re scoring at home, this Acts-reading thing is going to go on for a while; we’re not at the halfway point yet.) We’ve got prisons and preaching and
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Back when I was a kid and wanted to grow up to be a basketball coach, one thing that sunk in was the importance of playing “away from the ball.” When you have the ball in your hands, everyone is focused on you. But in order for a team to be successful, you need the
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You could say that Acts 6-8 is the part of the story when things begin to go off the rails. But only if you are open to the possibility that “off the rails” is exactly where God wants them to be. Regardless, there are at least five fascinating characters and a couple funny things in
Reading Francis 