Thomas A Guerrasio

[Show Hope @ShowHope]

There are millions of children around the world waiting to know the love, security, and permanency of a family. Each one of them bears the image of God. This month, we’re inviting you to pray with your own kids for these children—one simple prayer at a time. Swipe to get started.

[Matt Erickson @mathyouerickson]

"Seeing mercy in God and encountering the mercy of God, we are blessed and enter true flourishing as we reflect that mercy to others and the world around us."

Today I continued a series of reflections on the Beatitudes with this sixth post: "The Good Life is a Merciful Life."

[Prison Fellowship @prisonfellowshp]

What happens when someone encounters Jesus after the world has written them off?

For Courtney, it's a story of trading anger for peace, addiction for sobriety, and despair for purpose.

After years of pain and crime, she found the one thing she never expected behind prison walls: real freedom.

A reminder that no one is too far gone for grace.

Watch and be inspired by Courtney's journey of transformation.
https://t.co/Pie5ewzHDK

[Naomii Major @NaomiG38129046]

Happiest Birthday, Dad! 🎉🎉

[Chad Bird @birdchadlouis]

Sometimes the importance of a single Bible verse is easy to miss. Acts 18:12 looks almost like a passing historical detail: "But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul..." We read this chapter today in Bible in One Year.

Tucked away in that single verse is a fact that allows historians to anchor much of Paul's missionary work in time.

Who was this Gallio? His full name was Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus, the older brother of the Stoic philosopher Seneca, who later became an adviser to Nero. An inscription discovered at Delphi records that Gallio served as proconsul of Achaia during the reign of Emperor Claudius, placing his term in approximately AD 51-52.

Since Acts tells us Paul was brought before Gallio while ministering in Corinth (Acts 18:12-17), we can confidently date Paul's eighteen-month stay there to about AD 50-52.

That one fixed date becomes the peg on which much of Paul's ministry hangs.

Working backward and forward from this fixed point helps Bible students reconstruct the chronology of Paul's missionary journeys, the founding of churches throughout Asia Minor and Greece, and the approximate dates of letters such as 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and Romans.

Without Gallio's proconsulship, the timeline of Paul's ministry would be far less certain.

Acts 18:12 also illustrates something else. Luke was not writing timeless religious fiction detached from history. He grounds his narrative in real places, real officials, and real events that can be verified against archaeological and ancient inscriptions.

Time and again, discoveries have confirmed the historical framework of Acts, and Gallio is one of the clearest examples. A Roman inscription, unearthed nearly two thousand years later, quietly corroborates Luke's account.

All of that from one verse.

It is a reminder that the Bible is not a collection of pious legends floating free from history. The gospel unfolded in the real world, under real governors, in real cities, among real people.

Sometimes a single passing detail opens a window into the remarkable historical reliability of Scripture.
______
Join us for Bible in One Year at https://t.co/XxNvEtNH7e

[Franklin Graham @Franklin_Graham]

Listen to this man’s story. He was buried in the rubble for two days after he fell six floors during the earthquakes in Venezuela. Our Emergency Field Hospital opened 7 days ago, and we have already treated nearly 1,000 patients. There is so much need. Almost every patient that we are caring for has lost a family member or a friend. Pray for the people of Venezuela and pray for our teams as they continue to provide medical care, clean water, tents for shelter, and so much more in Jesus’ Name.

[Tabletalk Magazine @Tabletalk]

Growth in the Christian life requires growing together. The church is God’s ordained means of bringing this about. —William Barcley https://t.co/Cq5nDcig4O

[Naomii Major @NaomiG38129046]

That means you’ll have to get to know your Maker 💛
#lettersfromthechosens #nayslearning #lessonslearning

[Bishop Robert Barron @BishopBarron]

Like many others, I have been alarmed by the success of certain politicians in our country who identify as extreme socialists or communists.

This is not a matter of classical liberals triumphing over standard-issue conservatives; this is the victory of people who stand athwart the fundamental principles that undergird our country.

There are many reasons why I detest Communism, but I want to draw attention to just one issue of supreme importance.

Karl Marx said that the first critique is the critique of religion. He meant that, before a complete re-working of the politics and economics of a society can take place, religion has to be taken down.

This is because religion, as he saw it, is the “opium of the masses,” a drug taken to dull our sensitivity to the suffering caused by economic exploitation. As long as the suffering populace is lured into complacency by fantasies about God's providence and the promise of eternal life, they will never rise up and throw off their chains.

But there is a second reason why the elimination of religion is of paramount significance for Marx.

Communism aspires to be a totalizing system, involving the government's control over education, entertainment, communication, politics, and especially economics.

What stands resolutely athwart this ambition is religion, which declares that all of these societal expressions are finally under the judgment of God. So, if you want Communism to succeed, religion has to be stamped out.

If you doubt me on any of this, I would encourage you to read the recent histories of China, Russia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Venezuela. Revisit those histories and tell me I'm wrong about the attack on religion.

Might I encourage my fellow believers in God not to be complacent in the face of this very troubling development in the American body politic?

[Timothy Keller (1950-2023) @timkellernyc]

Anyone meeting a man saying he is the God of the Universe (Light of the World, Heavenly Bread, Son of Man, Son of God, ‘I AM’, Forgiver of all sins, Judge of the Earth, etc) could not rationally just ‘like’ him. You could not even respond with mere pity if you also saw his miraculous power and the following he was commanding. You would reject his claims and him with shock, fear, or anger. Or you would accept them and worship him. Nothing in the middle.

Not every contact with Jesus in the Bible exposed the hearers to his self-claims. But anyone in the gospel who heard them or saw the exercise of his supernatural power asked him to leave (Mk 5:17; Lk 5:8) or tried to kill him (Lk 4:28-29; Jn 10:31; 11:53) or became his disciple. Not only is this orthodox theology—that Christ must be worshipped—it is also common sense that claims of exclusive deity would provoke immoderate responses.

This argument—that if you recognize the Jesus who really lived and spoke you will have to reject him wholly or worship and serve him supremely—was liberating for me when I accepted it. It moved me over a line I was previously unable to cross. It transformed me. It is the reason I can face cancer. It is a life-giving truth.

[Timothy Keller (1950-2023) @timkellernyc]

Nobody who ever met Jesus ever had a moderate reaction to him…They either hated him and wanted to kill him, they were afraid of him and wanted to run away, or they were absolutely smitten with him and they tried to give their whole lives to him. (J. Stott)

[Naomii Major @NaomiG38129046]

Reuniting with my family has been a blessing, but it has also taught me how to navigate expectations and demands while still maintaining relationships and honoring my family.
Check out this episode to hear how I learned to address the money talk.
#lettersfromthechosens

[Prison Fellowship @prisonfellowshp]

"I found myself increasingly drawn to the idea that God had put me in prison for a purpose and that I should do something for those I had left behind." —Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship

Discover the story of our founder and the incredible journey of our ministry as we celebrate 50 years of sharing the hope of Jesus with those impacted by incarceration: https://t.co/nrwNkTPaOI

[Matt Erickson @mathyouerickson]

So grateful that a dear friend shared with me this “Blessing for a Leader” by John O’Donohue this week. I had read it before but it came at a very meaningful time.

[Prison Fellowship @prisonfellowshp]

Thank you @TheOfficerTatum!

[Ligonier Ministries @Ligonier]

Learn more when you read the full article by Joel Fick. https://t.co/kN1WNFsrlH

[Show Hope @ShowHope]

This Foster Care Awareness Month, we want to highlight the story of adult adoptee Joshua Christian Oswald—an alumnus of the child welfare system and a dedicated advocate for youth impacted by foster care.
https://t.co/0miCSjmiUD

[Thomas A Guerrasio @tguerrasio]

@mathyouerickson Perhaps we’re wired to be attracted to things that are larger and more permanent than ourselves.

[Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao @SECNAV]

We all have a list.

Say their names.

Their memories will never fade.

[Will Graham @WillGraham_4]

In John 15:13, Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

The message of Memorial Day is one of sacrifice. Today, we honor those who have paid the ultimate price to secure and defend our freedom.
https://t.co/AvqCqkaG5R