by Matthew Borgstrom | Aug 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
In the opening verses of Acts 18, we discovered that God’s messengers would need to be encouraged to persevere, but we also know that God’s messengers would need to be protected. Throughout Scripture, there are many ways that individuals and God’s people as a whole...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Aug 10, 2025 | Uncategorized
Do you go to the word for encouragement like the Psalmist when you feel like you’re in that kind of state? If not, why not? Perhaps you do not believe that the word will help you; that it only contains some truths that help some people at some times? Or perhaps you’re...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jul 28, 2025 | Uncategorized
In Acts 17, Paul has continued to rely on reasoning from the Scriptures, regardless of the setting. Imagine if Paul tried to tamper with the method or the message in an effort to make the gospel more acceptable or rational to the idolaters of Athens. All he would have...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jul 20, 2025 | Uncategorized
In Acts 17:11, Luke points out something different about these listeners in Berea. They were more noble-minded or open-minded than the Thessalonians. Don’t think of these people as squishy with no convictions, thus being open-minded to every new-fangled idea that...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jul 14, 2025 | Uncategorized
In Acts 16, the progress of the gospel came through the missionaries being redirected, harassed and even imprisoned. Keep in mind that all of those circumstances were the direct result of bringing the good news. So the question for us is this: How are we willing to...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jun 29, 2025 | Uncategorized
In terms of redemption, God’s power is most notably shown when he acts upon the recipient of his salvation. Accordingly, listen to what the Apostle Paul writes in a couple spots…Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jun 22, 2025 | Uncategorized
In order to consider God’s providence in salvation, first, consider your own salvation. When is the last time you thought about all the details of your life and specifics surrounding the time of your conversion? Would it not take a Sovereign God to accomplish...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jun 15, 2025 | Uncategorized
The Bible teaches that fearing the Lord and trusting in the Lord are inextricably linked. Consider this well-known Proverb–Prov. 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted. What are a husband’s common fears that can cause...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jun 1, 2025 | Uncategorized
According to Hebrews 5, throughout his life, Jesus learned obedience through increasing difficulty with the result that he would be prepared to take this final step of obedience by submitting to the Father’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane.It’s this real fight of...
by Matthew Borgstrom | May 25, 2025 | Uncategorized
The very last verse of this section contains the theme of this final section–Acts 16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in numbers daily. That outcome is highly expected after the teaching, preaching and encouragement...
by Matthew Borgstrom | May 18, 2025 | Uncategorized
Now that the equality of everyone’s status of salvation by grace through faith has been established, whether Jew or Gentile, does that settle everything in the Acts 15 controversy? With this biblical teaching on justification reinforced, can the church function as it...
by Matthew Borgstrom | May 12, 2025 | Uncategorized
Instead of supplying comprehensive guidelines for a godly wife, Proverbs 31:10-31 demonstrates the outcome of living by the wisdom principles in the Proverbs. So the takeaway from this passage is not that the wife has to go start her own business or make her own...
by Matthew Borgstrom | May 5, 2025 | Uncategorized
In Acts 15, it is apparent that Jews and Gentiles have been saved by grace and both Jews and Gentiles have been called to be holy. This is directly related to being redeemed by God to be his own possession and when God’s make someone his own possession, that person...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Apr 28, 2025 | Uncategorized
There are two major perversions of the gospel that have existed since the time of the New Testament. Both are derived from merely adding Christ to one’s life without giving up what was driving one’s life to begin with. The one from Jude 4 is the antinomian version...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Apr 20, 2025 | Uncategorized
Instead of having these things tied together in our minds (God’s preservation and our faithfulness to pursue him), we often have the same desire as David, but not the same commitment. In other words, we have a hope that God’s preserving promises will come to pass, but...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Apr 14, 2025 | Uncategorized
Despite how easy it is to view our human bodies as a whole made up of many necessary parts, what hinders us from living out 1 Cor. 12:25-26 in the body of Christ? Here are a few answers: Selfishness—being only concerned with how we are doing (“I’m a hand, so I could...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Apr 7, 2025 | Uncategorized
As the church is acted upon by God’s supernatural power, including being granted spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit, how would God seek to protect the church from pride in light of receiving such spectacular grace? The reason this is a relevant question is that we...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Mar 31, 2025 | Uncategorized
Take note of the following verses that describe the Apostle Paul’s steadfast mindset towards ministering to others— Acts 20:24 But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Mar 24, 2025 | Uncategorized
What incredible truths in order to gain a proper perspective of God’s righteousness in his judgment of sinners? In Acts 14:17, Paul declares that God treats rebellious sinners with goodness! Think about this city of Zeus worshippers in Acts 14 and keep in mind that...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Mar 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
When there is an ongoing resistance to believing and obeying Christ, then there is a competing desire in one’s heart that is the master of that person. In this case, jealousy exposes the presence of a false god in the heart. Reason being, jealousy leads to a complete...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Mar 10, 2025 | Uncategorized
At the end of Paul’s sermon in Acts 13, he has put a fork in the road for the listeners to either receive the teaching or reject it. That begs the question: When the message of truth comes to us, what do we do with it?I’m not referring to a one-time acceptance...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Mar 3, 2025 | Uncategorized
The sermons in the book of Acts typically highlight God’s commitment to save despite his people’s sin, God’s faithfulness to his promises despite his people’s unfaithfulness, God’s sovereignty in carrying out his purposes despite his people’s rebellion, and God’s...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Feb 24, 2025 | Uncategorized
From many accounts in the book of Acts, it is clear that the Word of God is the only the authoritative, clear and powerful teachings of Scripture that can transcend the natural realm by having supernatural effects in people of any place and background. Reason being,...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Feb 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
To expose the errors of modern evangelical thinking about missions and to clarify the biblical perspective, David Doran has written an excellent book on faithful missions entitled, For the Sake of His Name. Towards the end, he outlines 4 realities of God’s call in...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Feb 4, 2025 | Uncategorized
Here is a great question for us to consider upon thinking through Eph. 4:1—How often do you consider the responsibility you have to match up your life of obedience with your divine calling? Oftentimes I think we reason within ourselves as though obedience is...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jan 27, 2025 | Uncategorized
In Lamentations 3:22, Jeremiah supplies the reasons for his hope stated in v.21. First, The LORDS’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease…Lovingkindness is one of those words in the Hebrew which is so rich that translators have a hard time capturing all that it entails...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jan 20, 2025 | Uncategorized
God’s actions in Acts 12 in the delivering of Peter from prison and the killing of King Herod, illustrate that God is completely sovereign over rulers, just as Paul teaches in Rom. 13, and as is found in Daniel’s blessing to God in Dan. 2, where Daniel declares...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jan 13, 2025 | Uncategorized
Acts 11:19-26 display core traits of faithful gospel ministry, which brings forth tremendous evidence of a very strong church in Antioch. Nevertheless, here’s what we need to understand: There could be indiscriminate evangelism and encouragement towards perseverance,...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jan 6, 2025 | Uncategorized
According to vv.11-12 of Eph. 4, gifted leaders were given by Christ to the church to equip the saints for their specific ministry, which builds up the body of Christ. This implies that all Christians have a ministry, which does not mean that all need to be on staff...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Dec 22, 2024 | Uncategorized
We know that the Bible teaches that all are unclean in God’s eyes due to possessing a wicked heart and therefore all are completely dependent on the cleansing power of Christ’s blood that is effectual to a sinner only through faith in Christ’s finished work. Despite...
