Author Archives: Stephen McDonald

We saw last time how the Lord Jesus opened Lydia’s heart to believe the message Paul brought, and she was saved. Luke records for us here the conversion of one more person, but by the end of the chapter, there is already a group of believers meeting at Lydia’s house (v40). How does the churchContinue reading “What Must I Do To Be Saved? (Acts 16:16-40)”

We saw that conflict is a part of life in the church, we saw that last Sunday. And one reason why conflict arises is that we have expectations. We expect that the church will do this, or be like that. We have expectations of other Christians. We expect things of ourselves. What do we doContinue reading “Open Doors to Open Hearts (Acts 16:1-15)”

“In the summer of 1932, the [Monroe Baptist] church actually split into two rival factions as to who should be the pastor. One side was backing the Reverend W. W. Hill, an old-school preacher who had just been ousted; the other was supporting Professor Foster, a starched man with a standoffish wife and brilliant childrenContinue reading “Christians in Conflict (Acts 15:36-41)”

The big question in Acts 15 is ‘What do I have to do to be saved?’ If we insist on anything in addition to faith in Jesus for ourselves or anyone else to be accepted by God then we have fallen for the trap of legalism. When we last looked at this chapter one monthContinue reading “Controversy Settled? (Acts 15:22-35)”