Acts 16:9-15 Lydia...
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Object:
Acts 16:9-15
Lydia, the woman in the reading from Acts, is described as a seller of purple cloth. Why purple? Why is purple cloth any different from blue cloth, or green cloth, or orange cloth? In Jesus' time, purple was the color of royalty. Purple cloth was purchased by the affluent and wealthy. In that time, fabric could not be colored in just any hue. Dyes were natural, and common colors were earthy -- browns, yellows, greens. Purple dye was created by crushing thousands of tiny shellfish. The dye was rare, and the fabric said to be worth its weight in silver.
Leah T.
Acts 16:9-15
Chicago, Illinois, October 8, 1871, Dwight L. Moody stepped to the pulpit to preach to his waiting congregation. Weariness and fatigue weighed heavily on his tired body. The work of ministry, the hours demanded, and his workload pushed him to the limit of his physical abilities. His sermon title and text was, "What Will You Do Then with Jesus Who is Called the Christ?" He preached from the depths of his heart and soul to the multitudes gathered in that church building. He always gave an opportunity for people to respond to the gospel message. But this day he was exhausted and at the end of the message he did something he never had done before and would never do again. He looked straight into the eyes of his people and said, "Now I give you a week to think that over. And when we come together again, you will have opportunity to respond."
His musical director, Ira Sankey, moved forward and began to sing. As the song progressed, the blare of sirens could be heard in the streets of Chicago. Voices could be heard, "Fire, Fire," and within minutes fire devastated the city of Chicago that day in October 1871. The death toll ran into the hundreds. A hundred thousand people were left homeless. Businesses were ruined. Lives changed forever. A few months later said Dwight L. Moody said, "I would give my right arm before I would ever give an audience another week to think over the message of the gospel. Some who heard that night died in the fire."
When Lydia and those at the edge of the water that day heard Paul tell the wonderful news of the gospel, they responded positively. We should never put off making a decision to follow Jesus.
Derl K.
Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5
Some people look at me like I have two heads when I tell them this, but one place I would love to see is Alaska, even in the winter! I have never been there, and I would love to take in the rugged beauty of Kenai Fjords National Park or Mount McKinley. But one of the greatest things I'd like to see is the "midnight sun" that gives Alaska's summer its particular distinction. In the northernmost part of the state, the sun never fully goes down, giving that area 24 hours of daylight around the summer solstice.
This passage in Revelation puts an Alaskan summer to shame. In New Jerusalem, there will be no night, any night! The radiance of the tangible presence of God will be all the light that city will ever need!
Craig K.
Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5
There have been times in Darlene's life when she felt as though she lacked a clear sense of direction. Distractions during the day, including responding to requests from her children, leave her little time to contemplate important matters such as her relationship with Jesus.
"I have to find time each day, removing myself from the distractions to find my true compass," she states. Darlene enjoys quiet walks in a park near her home. Another favorite is a walk through the forest. "The guiding light," she claims, "is the still small voice of the Holy Spirit." In her hectic life Darlene realized that she needed to slow down in order to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit. Another spiritual discipline that she finds helpful is prayer. She discovered that prayer is less about what she says but more about listening, which she does on her walks.
Time set apart daily gives her the perspective she needs. No matter how hectic her days are she purposely removes herself to spend quality time with God.
The apostle John had a powerful vision, "And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God." In the New Jerusalem that he saw there was no temple. The temple had played a central role for centuries and was viewed as the dwelling place of God, but in his vision the temple was now gone. The significance is that according to John in the future there would be no need for the temple because God would dwell in the lives of all people.
Tim S.
John 14:23-29
"I do not give to you as the world gives." How many times have you been embarrassed by giving an inferior gift? Maybe you give someone you care about a nice gift card to a restaurant they like, while their gift to you is a new car. Whoa! Most people would turn down the car -- it's too much! That is not how the world gives! We expect to exchange gifts of similar or equal value. They may not always match in monetary value, but they should roughly equal out when all factors -- effort, time, money, desire, sentiment, and so on -- are taken into account. We don't know how to handle ourselves when someone gives us a gift that we could never return -- like a new car … or eternal life. But thankfully, Jesus does not give as the world gives. His giving is done in terms of not justice, but grace.
Leah T.
John 14:23-29
Spouses of famous people can be smothered by the notoriety of their husband/wife. That was not the case of Anne Morrow Lindberg, the wife of Charles Lindberg. Through his love Anne developed and matured. In his book, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life Charles Swindoll shares her success story. In her own words she writes: "To be deeply in love is of course, a great liberating force and most common experience that frees … ideally, both members of a couple in love free each other to new and different worlds … The sheer fact of finding myself loved was unbelievable and changed my world, my feeling about myself." Through that love she discovered confidence, strength, and a ripening character. Anne Morrow sensed from Charles' love that he believed in her. Consequently, she began to believe more in herself and realized that she could do more than she thought possible.
Jesus Christ can free our lives and give us unbelievable confidence and power to love unreservedly. He reverses the self-centeredness to other-centeredness. He has the ability to forgive our rebellious acts of sin. His Holy Spirit meanwhile has the ability to cleanse our sin-infested heart. These actions of God produce within us a deep love for him and the world around us.
Derl K.
Lydia, the woman in the reading from Acts, is described as a seller of purple cloth. Why purple? Why is purple cloth any different from blue cloth, or green cloth, or orange cloth? In Jesus' time, purple was the color of royalty. Purple cloth was purchased by the affluent and wealthy. In that time, fabric could not be colored in just any hue. Dyes were natural, and common colors were earthy -- browns, yellows, greens. Purple dye was created by crushing thousands of tiny shellfish. The dye was rare, and the fabric said to be worth its weight in silver.
Leah T.
Acts 16:9-15
Chicago, Illinois, October 8, 1871, Dwight L. Moody stepped to the pulpit to preach to his waiting congregation. Weariness and fatigue weighed heavily on his tired body. The work of ministry, the hours demanded, and his workload pushed him to the limit of his physical abilities. His sermon title and text was, "What Will You Do Then with Jesus Who is Called the Christ?" He preached from the depths of his heart and soul to the multitudes gathered in that church building. He always gave an opportunity for people to respond to the gospel message. But this day he was exhausted and at the end of the message he did something he never had done before and would never do again. He looked straight into the eyes of his people and said, "Now I give you a week to think that over. And when we come together again, you will have opportunity to respond."
His musical director, Ira Sankey, moved forward and began to sing. As the song progressed, the blare of sirens could be heard in the streets of Chicago. Voices could be heard, "Fire, Fire," and within minutes fire devastated the city of Chicago that day in October 1871. The death toll ran into the hundreds. A hundred thousand people were left homeless. Businesses were ruined. Lives changed forever. A few months later said Dwight L. Moody said, "I would give my right arm before I would ever give an audience another week to think over the message of the gospel. Some who heard that night died in the fire."
When Lydia and those at the edge of the water that day heard Paul tell the wonderful news of the gospel, they responded positively. We should never put off making a decision to follow Jesus.
Derl K.
Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5
Some people look at me like I have two heads when I tell them this, but one place I would love to see is Alaska, even in the winter! I have never been there, and I would love to take in the rugged beauty of Kenai Fjords National Park or Mount McKinley. But one of the greatest things I'd like to see is the "midnight sun" that gives Alaska's summer its particular distinction. In the northernmost part of the state, the sun never fully goes down, giving that area 24 hours of daylight around the summer solstice.
This passage in Revelation puts an Alaskan summer to shame. In New Jerusalem, there will be no night, any night! The radiance of the tangible presence of God will be all the light that city will ever need!
Craig K.
Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5
There have been times in Darlene's life when she felt as though she lacked a clear sense of direction. Distractions during the day, including responding to requests from her children, leave her little time to contemplate important matters such as her relationship with Jesus.
"I have to find time each day, removing myself from the distractions to find my true compass," she states. Darlene enjoys quiet walks in a park near her home. Another favorite is a walk through the forest. "The guiding light," she claims, "is the still small voice of the Holy Spirit." In her hectic life Darlene realized that she needed to slow down in order to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit. Another spiritual discipline that she finds helpful is prayer. She discovered that prayer is less about what she says but more about listening, which she does on her walks.
Time set apart daily gives her the perspective she needs. No matter how hectic her days are she purposely removes herself to spend quality time with God.
The apostle John had a powerful vision, "And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God." In the New Jerusalem that he saw there was no temple. The temple had played a central role for centuries and was viewed as the dwelling place of God, but in his vision the temple was now gone. The significance is that according to John in the future there would be no need for the temple because God would dwell in the lives of all people.
Tim S.
John 14:23-29
"I do not give to you as the world gives." How many times have you been embarrassed by giving an inferior gift? Maybe you give someone you care about a nice gift card to a restaurant they like, while their gift to you is a new car. Whoa! Most people would turn down the car -- it's too much! That is not how the world gives! We expect to exchange gifts of similar or equal value. They may not always match in monetary value, but they should roughly equal out when all factors -- effort, time, money, desire, sentiment, and so on -- are taken into account. We don't know how to handle ourselves when someone gives us a gift that we could never return -- like a new car … or eternal life. But thankfully, Jesus does not give as the world gives. His giving is done in terms of not justice, but grace.
Leah T.
John 14:23-29
Spouses of famous people can be smothered by the notoriety of their husband/wife. That was not the case of Anne Morrow Lindberg, the wife of Charles Lindberg. Through his love Anne developed and matured. In his book, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life Charles Swindoll shares her success story. In her own words she writes: "To be deeply in love is of course, a great liberating force and most common experience that frees … ideally, both members of a couple in love free each other to new and different worlds … The sheer fact of finding myself loved was unbelievable and changed my world, my feeling about myself." Through that love she discovered confidence, strength, and a ripening character. Anne Morrow sensed from Charles' love that he believed in her. Consequently, she began to believe more in herself and realized that she could do more than she thought possible.
Jesus Christ can free our lives and give us unbelievable confidence and power to love unreservedly. He reverses the self-centeredness to other-centeredness. He has the ability to forgive our rebellious acts of sin. His Holy Spirit meanwhile has the ability to cleanse our sin-infested heart. These actions of God produce within us a deep love for him and the world around us.
Derl K.
