Build on Rock

Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 22-23)

June 9, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem to die on the cross for us. But God had other plans in mind for Paul. His journey to Jerusalem resulted in his imprisonment but not in his death; or rather, the road to his martyrdom would be a much longer one. God reveals His plans

Leave a comment

Compelled by the Spirit (Acts 20-21)

May 25, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

“But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know, except that in one city after another the holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me. Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if

Leave a comment

This one weird trick will not produce miracles (Acts 19)

May 14, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mark 6:5-6) So extraordinary were the mighty deeds God accomplished at the hands of Paul that when face cloths or

Leave a comment

Paul in Athens (Acts 17)

April 18, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

Paul’s travels take him to Athens in Acts 17, where he preaches the Good News in the cultural center of the Mediterranean world. A rough modern equivalent would be Bishop Barron speaking at Facebook headquarters. “Now all the Athenians as well as the foreigners residing there used their time for

Leave a comment

“What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16)

April 6, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30) The Holy Spirit continues to lead the Church in Acts 16. The Spirit does not allow Paul and Silas to enter the cities of Asia, but directs them through a dream to share the Good News in Macedonia. Paul and his

Leave a comment

The Holy Spirit Leads (Acts 15)

March 26, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

In Acts 15 Luke reports on the Council of Jerusalem, the first ecumenical council in the history of the Church. An ecumenical council is typically called so the pope and the bishops can confer and settle a matter of disputed doctrine. At the Council of Jerusalem, the issue was whether

Leave a comment

Saint Paul’s Roller Coaster (Acts 13-14)

March 10, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

Saint Paul never rode a roller coaster. He wouldn’t have needed to. His missionary journeys are a series of wild ups and downs. Paul’s first missionary journey takes him (together with Barnabas) from Antioch in Syria to several cities in Asia Minor (what is now Turkiye). Paul and Barnabas share

Leave a comment

God’s got this (Acts 12)

February 26, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

Every history book is wrong. Let me explain. Acts 12 tells the story of a king, two holy men, and the angel of the Lord. To win favor with the people, the king has one of the holy men killed. He arrests the second holy man, intending to kill him

Leave a comment

Make disciples of all nations (Acts 10-11)

February 10, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

A momentous event is the subject of Acts 10: Gentiles, specifically the centurion Cornelius and his household, receive the Holy Spirit for the first time. This is preceded by Peter’s dream, where God instructs him that he may eat any animal, for “what God has cleansed, you must not call common.”

Leave a comment

Conversion (Acts 9)

January 27, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

In An Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis de Sales writes of the necessity, and the ongoing nature, of conversion for followers of Christ. The conversion of St. Paul, recounted by Saint Luke in Acts 9, was an extraordinary conversion that birthed St. Paul’s ministry across the Mediterranean world. St.

Leave a comment

The Power of Prayer (Acts 9)

January 19, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp

As the stones rained down on Stephen, and as Saul stood watch by the coats, Stephen implored God, saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). Some time later, as Saul traveled to Damascus, “breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1), the Lord Jesus appeared to him.

Leave a comment

Evangelization one-on-one (Acts 8)

December 30, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

The persecution of the Church catalyzes the spread of the Good News to the larger Roman world. Luke reports that following the martyrdom of Stephen all of the Christians except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Philip (one of the men chosen to serve as deacons in Acts

Leave a comment

The first martyr’s speech (Acts 6-7)

December 18, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

The persecution of the Church, foretold by Jesus, begins in earnest with the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7. What did Stephen say that so infuriated the Sanhedrin? And why was the persecution of the Church and the blood of the martyrs part of God’s plan? Luke tells us in

Leave a comment

The Counsel of Gamaliel (Acts 5)

November 5, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

“When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up, ordered the men to be put outside for a short time, and said to them, ‘Fellow

Leave a comment

Be honest with God (Acts 5)

October 14, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

Acts of the Apostles is one of the most hopeful books in the Bible. And yet, in the midst of the inspiring stories of the early Church, we have the sobering tale of Ananias and Sapphira, the married couple who lie about their charity and fall dead at the apostles’ feet.

Leave a comment

The Community of Believers (Acts 4)

September 23, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

Twice in Acts Saint Luke wrote short paragraphs describing the life of the early Church. These short vignettes serve as models for how the Church in every age should live together as a community of believers. Let’s look in detail at how the early Church followed Christ: “They devoted themselves

Leave a comment

Why do the heathen rage? (Acts 4)

September 3, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

After their release they went back to their own people and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them. And when they heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord and said, “Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all that

Leave a comment

God forgives (Acts 3)

August 19, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

In chapter 3 of Acts we see the work of Pentecost continues. There is another miracle – Peter, invoking the holy name of Jesus, heals the man lame from birth – that draws the crowds to the apostles. Peter proclaims the gospel message: that Christ was raised from the dead,

Leave a comment

The Miracle of Pentecost

August 12, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

On the morning of Pentecost, in 33 AD, there were maybe 500 followers of Jesus in the world. By the end of the great day, 3,000 people had been baptized. The Church grew sixfold in one day. It was the greatest day in the history of evangelization. How did it

Leave a comment

Pentecost: The necessity of the Holy Spirit

July 29, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

The transformation of the apostles by the power of the Holy Spirit is one of the primary themes of Acts. The Holy Spirit empowered the apostles to boldly proclaim the Good News of Jesus at the risk of their own lives. The contrast between the apostles’ words and deeds in

Leave a comment