“The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne
And worship only Thee.”
Do you resonate with Cowper? I sure do. His words capture the tension I feel between wanting to be fully devoted to God and yet struggle holding on to idols. Well, if there are days you feel the same tension, then make plans to join us as we study Acts 19. This chapter is not only one of the most interesting in entire New Testament, it’s also filled with motivation to guard ourselves from contemporary idols and serve the living God.

Many years ago, there was a shortage of silver in England – which meant that they were unable to mint coins. When General and statesman Oliver Cromwell was approached about this, it was explained to him that the only silver available was found in the statues of the saints in the churches. Cromwell then famously said, “Well then, melt down the saints and put them into circulation!”
This Sunday, we’ll look at the story of a young man named Timothy who was “put into circulation.” I’m confident we will all draw strength and inspiration from it, and I look forward to sharing it with you.

If you’ll think back with me to your high school history class, you’ll remember that the world has experienced several major turning points over the years: the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of the printing press, the Industrial Revolution, and the Cowboys making the playoffs this year. OK, I added that one. But if we were to look back at the history of the Church in the same way, we’d also find some major turning points – such as the one we’ll examine in Acts 13.