White Horse Inn Blog

The religions of the world teach doctrines that are believed to be timeless eternal truths. They contain moral and ethical instructions, which if applied will place adherents on the path to the good life here and now, and possibly nirvana in the next. But according to the apostle Paul in his numerous speeches in defense of the Christian faith recorded in the book of Acts, the Christian faith is not a program of life improvement founded on timeless truths, but is rather a truth-claim associated with particular historical events. The hosts will unpack the significance of this important distinction on this edition of the program as the wrap up their brief survey of the book of Acts.

We often hear Christian leaders say things like, “I’m not inviting you to join a church, but to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus.” So in this approach, everything that is formal, official, planned, and public is seen as mere church-ianity, while genuine Christian experience is informal unofficial, spontaneous, and private. But is this biblical? Would the apostles agree with this kind of anti-institutional approach, or would they recognize it as part of the spirit of the age? The hosts will discuss these questions and more as they walk through Paul’s farewell address to the elders of the church of Ephesus in Acts 20.

As part of their yearlong study of the Great Commission, the hosts have been focusing on key events in the book of Acts where Christ’s mandate to preach the gospel, to baptize, and to make disciples of all nations is being worked out on the ground. In this program they’ll walk through Acts 18 and 19 to see how Christ is advancing his kingdom in this age, not by the power of the sword, but through Word and Spirit as we find the apostles reasoning in the synagogues and marketplaces about the basic truth-claims of the Christian faith.

On this edition of White Horse Inn, the hosts take a look at the conversion of St. Paul and the numerous sermons that he and others preached from Acts 9 through 17. In all of these sermons, the message appears to be the same. The focus is Christ-centered, and the emphasis in particular is on his sacrificial death and resurrection from the dead. The hosts also discuss the different tactical approaches that Paul uses in a Gentile context as he delivers his famous Mars Hill address in Athens, Greece.

Continuing their series through the book of Acts, the hosts arrive at chapter 8 where they find Philip talking with an Ethiopian about the meaning of Isaiah 53, which says in part, “All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Like Philip, the hosts take this opportunity to walk through the text of the original prophecy, showing how the Servant Songs of Isaiah are ultimately fulfilled in the gospel of Jesus Christ. White Horse Inn: know what you believe and why you believe it.

In Acts chapter 5 we read that the apostles were arrested and imprisoned for speaking about Jesus, and that an angel set them free and spoke to them about their mission. So what was it that the angel said? Did he mention anything about working for social justice? Was there anything about “being the gospel.” No, the angel simply told the apostles to go and “speak to the people all the words of this life.” And so they went back to teaching and preaching. On this edition of White Horse Inn, the hosts continue their series through the book of Acts as they unpack the implications of the Great Commission.

What was the basic message of the world’s earliest Christian missionaries? Did they focus on psychological or emotional wellness, having your best life now, or moral or political agendas? Is the essence of Christianity living life Jesus’ way? On this program the hosts continue to unpack the radical message of the Great Commission as it’s unpacked throughout the book of Acts. Focusing on chapters 3 and 4, they discuss the early emphasis on Christ’s death and resurrection, and the fact that there is “no other name under heaven…by which we must be saved.”

Many Christians today are preoccupied with the extraordinary over the ordinary. They see God at work only in the big events such as revival meetings or stadium sized worship events. But in the second chapter of Acts we find the apostles engaged in the proclamation of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments. Is this merely “church-ianity” or is this the apostolic fulfillment of the Great Commission? That’s our topic for this week as the hosts continue their study of Acts chapter 2.

In the second chapter of Acts we find the apostles gathered together at the Feast of Pentecost, receiving the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. But what did the Spirit enable them to do? What was the result of this supernatural outpouring? The result was a sermon. Peter, a man who had recently denied even knowing Jesus, began to proclaim Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament with boldness and conviction. The hosts are continuing their series through the Book of Acts on this edition of White Horse Inn.

In the Great Commission, Jesus told his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” But what did this commission look like on the ground? What kinds of things did the apostles actually do in order make disciples of all nations? That’s what’s on tap this week on White Horse Inn as the hosts begin a new mini-series through the Book of Acts.