Persecution breaks out, the believers scatter, and what looks like the worst thing that could happen to the church becomes the means by which the gospel spreads. The people who fled kept preaching wherever they landed, and Philip ends up in Samaria, of all places, bringing the message to people the Jews had long despised. We also meet Simon, who wants to buy the Spirit's power, showing how quickly faith can curdle into a hunger for status. This chapter speaks to anyone whose life got blown off course and who wonders what God could possibly do with the pieces.

The Rev. David Bass, pastor of St. Michael Lutheran Church and School in Ft. Myers, FL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 8:1-25.

To learn more about St. Michael Lutheran, visit smlcftmyers.com.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

It is hard to imagine praying for the people actively trying to kill you. Stephen does exactly that, asking God to forgive the very men stoning him while a young man named Saul watches at the edge of the crowd, holding the coats. The first Christian martyr dies praying for his murderers, and one of those murderers becomes the missionary who later carries the gospel across the empire. This chapter shows what it looks like to die the way Christ taught us to live.

The Rev. Mark Loder, pastor of St. James Lutheran Church & School in Howard Lake, MN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 7:23-60.

To learn more about St. James Lutheran, visit stjameshl.org.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

The early church hits a snag in its efforts to take care of the vulnerable among them: some widows are being overlooked in the daily distribution of food, and people are upset. Rather than ignore it, the apostles appoint seven trustworthy men to handle the work so the preaching can continue, honoring both practical care and the ministry of the word. One of those seven, Stephen, turns out to be so full of grace and power that he is hauled before the council on false charges. This episode shows a church learning to serve tables and proclaim Christ at the same time.

The Rev. Steven Theiss, serving St. John Lutheran Church (AALC) in Pocahontas, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 6:1-7:22.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

The apostles are arrested, freed by an angel during the night, and found the next morning right back in the temple, preaching, which is the last thing their jailers expected. As the authorities scramble, a respected teacher named Gamaliel cools the room with a shrewd warning: if this movement is merely human, it will collapse on its own, but if it is from God, you will not be able to stop it, and you may find yourselves fighting against God. The apostles are flogged and released, and they leave rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name. This chapter puts a hard question to all of us: are we willing and worthy to suffer for the faith?

The Rev. Dr. William Knippa, pastor emeritus in Austin, Texas, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 5:12-42.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

A community so generous that no one claimed anything as their own sounds like a dream until the next scene turns deadly serious. Ananias and Sapphira sell some property, keep part of the money, and lie about it to look more sacrificial than they were, and what condemned them was the pretending. The early church needed to learn that the God who fills his people with grace is not mocked by play-acting. This episode is a sober word for every Christian tempted to manage an image instead of living honestly before God.

The Rev. David Boisclair, senior pastor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Overland, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 4:32-5:11.

To learn more about Our Redeemer, visit ourredeemerstl.org.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Peter and John heal a man crippled from birth, and their reward is arrest. By the time the guards haul them in, the number of believers has grown to about five thousand, and the temple authorities have seen enough. The next day the two apostles stand before the same council that had condemned Jesus, with Annas and Caiaphas presiding. The order is blunt: stop speaking in this name. Peter and John refuse, because they cannot keep silent about what they have seen and heard.

The Rev. Jacob Hercamp, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Noblesville, IN joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 4:1-31.

To learn more about Christ Lutheran, visit clc-in.org.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Luke gives us a snapshot of the first church that still makes congregations homesick: devoted to the apostles' teaching, to the breaking of bread, to prayer, and to one another. Then a man lame from birth, who has begged at the temple gate his whole life, asks Peter for money and gets something he never imagined instead, walking and leaping in the name of Jesus. This chapter holds together the ordinary rhythms of church life and the extraordinary power that runs through them. It speaks to anyone who has settled for begging at the gate when God meant to bring them inside.

The Rev. James Hopkins, pastor of First Lutheran Church in Boston, MA and a chaplain in the U.S. Navy Reserve joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 2:42-3:26.

To learn more about First Lutheran in Boston, visit flc-boston.org.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Weeks after denying he even knew Jesus, Peter stands before a crowd in Jerusalem and preaches that the man they crucified is Lord and Christ. When the words land and the people ask what they should do, Peter answers with repentance, baptism, and forgiveness rather than a load of guilt, and three thousand are baptized that day. The same Peter who crumbled before a servant girl now cannot be silenced, which tells you what the resurrection does to a coward. This episode is about the power of plain preaching and a promise that reaches as far as the Lord will call.

The Rev. Matthew Kusch, pastor of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Elgin, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 2:22-41.

To learn more about King of Glory, visit kogelgin.org.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Have you ever wished God would do something so plain that no one could explain it away? Pentecost is that kind of morning, when a sound like a violent wind fills the house, fire rests on each of them, and ordinary Galileans start speaking languages they never learned. The same Spirit who turned frightened followers into bold preachers is the one given to the church to turn the world's eyes toward Christ. This chapter is the birthday of the church and a study of what the Spirit was actually given to do.

The Rev. Benjamin Meyer, pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Condit, OH, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 2:1-21.

To learn more about Hope Lutheran Church, visit hopelutheransunbury.org.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Jesus has risen, the disciples have him back, and the first thing he tells them is to wait, which may be the hardest command in the book. Then he is taken up, and two angels gently ask why they are still staring at the sky. Most of the Christian life is lived in that in-between space, after the promise and before the fulfillment. This first episode sets the table for everything that follows and speaks to anyone weary of waiting on God.

The Rev. John David Duke, Jr., pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Buffalo, NY, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 1:1-26.

To learn more about Salem Lutheran, visit salembuffalo.com.

The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].