
Acts 19:11-12
"And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that cloths or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out."
These passages in Acts 19:11-20 offer a powerful look into the contrast between authentic spiritual authority rooted in God and the human tendency to mimic or commodify it through rituals, blended traditions, and objects.
This scene unfolds during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, a city steeped in idolatry, magic, and spiritual curiosity. The Holy Spirit was moving mightily, demonstrating God’s kingdom through undeniable signs. Here, God uses everyday items, handkerchiefs (likely sweaty rags) and aprons (work garments from Paul’s tentmaking), as conduits for healing and deliverance. Notice the emphasis: It’s God doing the miracles through Paul. The cloths aren’t inherently magical; they’re points of contact for faith, apparently saturated with the anointing of a man fully yielded to the Holy Spirit. Though why the anointing of The Holy ...
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2 Corinthians 11:14
"And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
He's not outside our church, he's already inside. He knows our language, he practices our rituals, he raises his hands in worship, he knows the verses and can even preach them. But everything he touches he corrupts, and twists, and he has one desire, to take a church that once belong to Jesus Christ and make it a place where Jesus isn't welcome.
He'll promote sermons that can fill at church but leave your soul empty. He'll encourage worship that is more like entertainment, sermons like talk shows, and while the congregation applauds, the spirit of God mourns. The Scriptures warn that the enemy comes not as an obvious outsider, but as a familiar figure embedded in the heart of the church. And this extends to his agents who mimic godliness while sowing corruption.
Paul’s concern in 2 Corinthians 11 isn’t just theoretical; it’s a direct response to...
What did Jesus say about himself?
John 5:17-24
Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not ...
Acts 22:14-16
And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
Paul (formerly Saul) is retelling his conversion experience while defending himself before a crowd in Jerusalem. Paul is a Jew, educated at the feet of Gamaliel, zealous for God, persecuted Jesus' Way to the death, binding and delivering them to prison, both men and women. While journeying toward Damascus to take those Christians who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished. On his way a great light from heaven, a blinding light knocked him to the ground, a supernatural intervention that symbolized the overwhelming power of God’s presence. He fell to the ground and heard a voice. The voice he heard wasn’t just any voice; it was Jesus Himself, identifying personally with His persecuted followers.
Acts 22:7-10
"Saul, Saul, why are ...
Psalm 41:1-3
"Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health."
In the Hebrew language, poor "dal," can also mean the weak, afflicted, or lowly, not just the economically destitute. The promises here is deliverance in trouble, preservation of life, blessing in the land, resistance against enemies, sustenance during sickness, and restoration to health. That promise serves as encouragement that acts of mercy align with His divine justice and invites God’s reciprocal care.
There are a lot of good applications one can make of this promise. A lot of good acts that you might find yourself practicing; charity, advocacy, or simple kindnesses. But what do you suppose this is really all about? Why does God bless "the one who considers the poor"
At its heart, it's an expression of a ...
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
In the raw vulnerability of Martha’s grief, as her brother Lazarus lies dead, Jesus proclaims Himself the resurrection and the life, a beacon of hope that pierces the finality of death. This isn’t merely a future assurance; it’s an invitation to eternal life through belief, where physical death loses its ultimate power, and spiritual vitality begins now. A new nature is brought to life. Not an additional gift added to the old life. The old life is put to death. Sin no longer masters over you. You are no longer slaves to sin. This is the language of the New Testament and the hope of most every Christian. But is it reality?
The miracle of Lazarus' resurrection unfolds with profound symbolism: Lazarus emerges from the tomb alive, but still bound in his graveclothes, his face wrapped in cloth, and still carrying the stench of decay (John 11:44). Jesus commands, "Take off the graveclothes and let him go." Hold on...
Acts 9:17-19So, Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.
Acts 9:18"Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight."
Galatians 1:15-17"But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus."
Hebrews 10:25 - The Verse That Convicted Me"not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
Ephesians 4:11-16"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
"Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled."
"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you"
"Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit"
"If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well."
"warns of this very thing: a root of bitterness that "causes trouble and defiles many."
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
For his anger lasts only a moment,but his favor lasts a lifetime;weeping may stay for the night,but rejoicing comes in the morning.
"You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace."
"Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God."
"Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness."
"This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
"Abide in me, and I in you" (John 15:4-5).
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."
"Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ"