Dr Paul Allen

Does prayer make any difference? Absolutely! And prayer makes a difference because the living God , the Holy Spirit , lives inside the one praying. Further, when God’s people get together and pray as a community, amazing things happen! I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of those before-and-after photos advertising the latest weight loss and fitness program. The Bible gives us a pretty neat before-and-after picture of the early church. Before the Holy Spirit empowered the church at Pentecost , the apostles are waiting, hiding, and hoping. And they’re praying. Then Pentecost occurs. The fire falls. The Spirit empowers. And things begin to happen. Thousands are saved and added to the church. Miracles occur. Healing takes place. The impact is so tangible that the church leaders start getting in trouble for bringing attention to the crime of the unfair crucifixion of Jesus. Peter and John heal a crippled man at one of the Temple gates and it lands them in jail where they take a beating and

English: Ascension of Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” ( Acts 2:12). Jerusalem at Pentecost was filled with “ Jews , devout men, from every nation under heaven.” Many of these undoubtedly were pilgrims, visitors from other lands who had come to Jerusalem for the feast, but some may have been people who had been raised in other places and had taken up residence in the city for religious or educational purposes. In any case, Luke is clear that all of them were Jews, some by birth and some by conversion. And they were “devout men,” a term used for those who obey God’s law faithfully and reverently. These Jews were attracted by the “sound” of the wind or of the disciples’ speech in foreign tongues. They came together, and coming closer they were able to hear what the disciples were saying. This led first to confusion and then to amazement, for they could hear the disciples speaking in th

Nicolaes Knüpfer - Christ before Herod Antipas - WGA12216 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 11:1 –6 “Go and tell John…the blind receive their sight and the lame walk…the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (vv. 4–6). Among the more persuasive evidences for the authenticity of Scripture is the Bible’s willingness to tell the whole truth about the people it describes even when they look bad. Scripture does not hide the faults of the great heroes of the faith. The authors of the various biblical books could have passed over the occasions on which figures like Moses doubted the Lord (Ex. 4:1–17). Such episodes are included because the apostles and prophets, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, knew they had to tell the truth about these people, warts and all. Of all people, we would expect John the Baptist to have the fewest doubts about the person and work of Jesus . After all, he is the Messiah ’s forerunner and has already bapti

What is truth? Deutsch: Was ist Wahrheit? Français : "Qu'est-ce que la vérité ?" Le Christ et Pilate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) 1. Don't say Jesus died when he was 33 years old. The common assertion seems reasonable that if Jesus "began his ministry" when he "was about thirty years of age" (Luke 3:23) and engaged in a three-year ministry (John mentions three Passovers, and there might have been a fourth one), then he was 33 years old at the time of his death. However, virtually no scholar believes Jesus was actually 33 when he died. Jesus was born before Herod the Great issued the decree to execute "all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under" (Matt. 2:16, ESV) and before Herod died in the spring of 4 B.C. If Jesus was born in the fall of 5 or 6 B.C., and if we remember that we don't count the "0" between B.C. and A.D., then Jesus would have been 37 or 38 years old when he

Duccio di Buoninsegna 027 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 9:9 –13 “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners’” (v. 13). Tax collectors are among the most reviled people in Jesus ’ day because of the corruption associated with the office. Customs duties on goods transported through Galilee are among the taxes collected, and it is likely that Matthew, whom we meet in today’s passage (Matt. 9:9), gathers these fees. In his work he collects a set amount for Herod Antipas , the ruler of Galilee, who in turn sends it to Rome . Matthew is free to assess the value of the goods carried through his region and, like other collectors, demands a tax higher than what the government requires and keeps the difference for himself. This offers ample opportunity for unjust taxation, giving the people reason to hate tax collectors. Galilee also views the tax collectors as traitors, for they are representatives of Rome’s op

Herod (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) MATTHEW 11:1–6 “Go and tell John … the blind receive their sight and the lame walk … the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (vv. 4–6). Among the more persuasive evidences for the authenticity of Scripture is the Bible’s willingness to tell the whole truth about the people it describes even when they look bad. Scripture does not hide the faults of the great heroes of the faith. The authors of the various biblical books could have passed over the occasions on which figures like Moses doubted the Lord (Ex. 4:1–17). Such episodes are included because the apostles and prophets, under the Holy Spirit ’s inspiration, knew they had to tell the truth about these people, warts and all. Of all people, we would expect John the Baptist to have the fewest doubts about the person and work of Jesus . After all, he is the Messiah ’s forerunner and has already baptized Him, recognizing Him as the Father’s Anoin

JUDAEA, Herodians. Herod Antipas. 4 BCE-39 CE. Æ 18mm (4.98 g). Dated year 34 (30 CE). Palm branch; L LD (date) across fields / Legend in two lines within wreath. Hendin 517; RPC I 4926. VF, black patina with reddish earthen deposits, a little rough. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 15:1 –20 “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (vv. 19–20a). Herod Antipas is not the only Palestinian whose curiosity is piqued when he hears of Christ’s ministry (Matt. 14:1–2). Some of the religious authorities in Jerusalem also want to investigate the carpenter’s son from Nazareth . Pharisees and scribes from the capital city confront our Lord in today’s passage (15:1). These men are likely official representatives of the Pharisaic and scribal movements, both of which the common folk hold in high esteem. Our Savior has encountered little but antagonism from the scribes and Pharisees in Galilee (

Masolino - Banquet of Herod - WGA14245 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 14:1–12 “He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother” ( vv. 10–11 ). Because He is unwilling to make His ministry into a sideshow that performs wonders for those who will always find a reason to deny Him, Jesus does not do many miracles in Nazareth ( Matt.13:58 ; see 12:38–42 ). Still, the acclaim from our Lord’s earlier works spreads throughout Galilee and reaches the tetrarch Herod, otherwise known as Herod Antipas , who rules the region ( 14:1 ). Herod Antipas was a son of Herod the Great, the king who attempted to kill Jesus shortly after His birth ( 2:16–18 ). Upon hearing of our Lord’s ministry, Antipas suggests that this Jesus is none other than John the Baptist , back from the dead ( 14:2 ). This gives Matthew an opportunity to bring us up to date on John’s situation, especially since Herod Antipas ind

Small Passion: 16. Christ before Herod (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 11:1–6 “Go and tell John…the blind receive their sight and the lame walk…the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” ( vv. 4–6 ). Among the more persuasive evidences for the authenticity of Scripture is the Bible’s willingness to tell the whole truth about the people it describes even when they look bad. Scripture does not hide the faults of the great heroes of the faith. The authors of the various biblical books could have passed over the occasions on which figures like Moses doubted the Lord ( Ex. 4:1–17 ). Such episodes are included because the apostles and prophets, under the Holy Spirit ’s inspiration, knew they had to tell the truth about these people, warts and all. Of all people, we would expect John the Baptist to have the fewest doubts about the person and work of Jesus . After all, he is the Messiah ’s forerunner and has already baptized Him, recog