The Missing Ingredient: Why Repentance Matters in the Gospel Message

A Reflection on Acts 3 and the Healing at the Beautiful Gate

Every year at Thanksgiving, my oldest child and I make pies together. It’s become such a beloved tradition that we now make two pies to satisfy our growing family. These aren’t health-conscious pies—they’re full sugar, utterly delicious creations. But imagine if we made them with every ingredient except the sugar. The entire character of the pie would change. We wouldn’t need to make two because nobody would ask for seconds.

Sometimes we do the same thing with the gospel message.
Continue reading →

When we look into the mirror of God’s Word, what do we see reflected back? This question becomes particularly challenging when we examine Acts 2:41-47, which describes the early church immediately following Pentecost. What we find there is both inspiring and convicting—a picture of devotion that makes many of us squirm in our seats.

Continue reading →

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” – John 20:21

Fear gripped the disciples as they huddled behind locked doors on that first resurrection evening. Their leader had been crucified, the tomb was mysteriously empty, and rumors swirled that they might be next. Into this atmosphere of terror and confusion, Jesus suddenly appeared with a greeting that would transform not just their evening, but their entire purpose: “Peace be with you.”

But Jesus didn’t stop with comfort. He immediately commissioned them with words that echo through the centuries to every believer today: “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
Continue reading →