Posts by John Staiger (Page 93)

If Ananias and Sapphire were the first church members to die during the contribution, then Eutychus was the first to die during the sermon.Troas is well known to Christians as the place that Paul and Luke worshipped with the saints specifically on a Sunday. Luke records in his travel log: “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread” (Acts 20:1). It is at this point that some of my brethren leave the text as if…

Showing overt interest in a man just wasn’t done in the time of King Saul. Especially if you were a princess. Michal was the second daughter of King Saul (1Sam.14:49) and she made no secret of her interest in the giant-slayer (1Sam.18:20).Daivid’s rise to prominence as a mighty warrior evoked jealously in King Saul (1Sam.18). This envy was probably the reason that Saul reneged on his promise to give his first daughter, Merab, in marriage to David (1Sam.18:19). When Saul…

(2 Samuel 15-17) No one was as smart as Ahithophel in his day. He was the renowned counsellor of King David. Both David and Absalom considered his advice like that of a prophet of God (2Sam.16:23). But he obviously had ambitions of his own.When Absalom conspired against King David, Ahithophel did the numbers. He calculated that he, as counsellor to the new king, could defeat David. And, left to himself, Ahithophel would have indeed ruled over the Kingdom. Absalom would…

(Leviticus 10) There was a time when a sermon on obedience wasn’t complete without reference to Nadab and Abihu. Their sudden incineration at the hands of God was considered fair warning to all who might choose a similar path.The simple act of offering ‘strange fire before the Lord, contrary to His command’ cost them their lives (Lev.10:1-2). Nadab and Abihu, two of the four sons of the Aaron, the High Priest, served God at the highest levels of spiritual responsibility…

(2Tim.4:10; Col.4:14; Philemon 24) I made a friend of an old elder in a distant congregation many years ago. I really enjoyed his faith and wisdom. Because of distance, I could only visit face to face with him every few years. On one visit I asked him why he was no longer an elder. Unable to contain his sadness, and with tears in his eyes, he said, “Because my son has forsaken the Lord and broken up his family.”The apostle…

(Acts 9:36-42) “If” I am ever in need of prayer because I am nigh unto death, it goes without saying that I would appreciate your prayers. And, if I may be so bold as to make a suggestion in advance (lest it ever happen): “Please, get down on your knees and pray for a complete and total recovery—a recovery, right then and there! No small prayers-thank you!”If the apostle Peter had gone into that upper room with the faith and…

(Acts 5:1-11) Unsurprisingly, Ananias and Saphira do not appear in sermons on ‘Giving.’ What we modern church folk find distasteful—i.e. talking about a couple being struck dead for reneging on their contribution—is presented as being all-in-a-day’s-work for the apostles.Luke’s summary statement confirms that their sudden demise had the affect desired by the Holy Spirit: “Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events” (Acts 5:11).You really can’t appreciate the gravity of the sins committed by Ananias…

(3 John) Until you meet your own personal Diotrephes you may never know the level of loyalty their personalities engender.I met mine in my earliest days of preaching. A man that I doubt is still alive. He was your typical church bully. He divided the church and eventually ran what was left into the ground. To talk to his supporters, you would think that everything was all someone else’s fault, but none of his. But like all those caught in…

(Acts 1:15-26) Anyone who has ever replaced a very popular person in a leadership position knows that feeling of never being able to measure up.Much easier is replacing someone who left a mess behind. In Matthias’ case, Judas’ mess was absolute.What kind of feelings were being felt by Matthias and Barsabbas as they stood waiting to see which of them would be selected as the replacement 12th apostle, we don’t know. We do know that both these men were of…

(Luke 23:6-17) You can see the Headline now: JESUS AWARDED NOBEL PEACE PRIZEYes, it was Jesus who brought reconciliation between Pilate and Herod. Pilate was the ruling Roman Governor and Herod Antipas was the Tetrarch of the province of Galilee. It is believed that Pilate had made an enemy out of Herod when he slaughtered a group of Galileans in Jerusalem during the animal sacrifices. The incident is related by Jesus in Luke 13. Pilate took no regard for Herod’s…