The conversion of Gentiles to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is an event in the book of Acts that sets the stage for the greatest conflict in the life of the early church, one that would threaten its existence and mission. Read Acts 10:1-23. What elements in this passage indicate that the Holy Spirit was at … Continue reading –>
Read Acts 6:1. What issue in the early church caused people to complain about the fair and equitable distribution of food to widows? Some early Christians appeared to be prejudiced against the widows of Greek heritage in their midst and provided them with less food than the widows of Hebrew heritage. This perceived favoritism caused a rift in … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Acts 6:1-6; Acts 10:1-23; Matt. 5:17-20; Acts 11:3-24; Acts 15:1-22; Amos 9:11-12. Memory Text: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:27-28, NKJV). One … Continue reading –>
Further Study: Ellen G. White, “The Divine Shepherd”, pages 476-484, in The Desire of Ages; “The Church on Earth”, pages 240-243, in Counsels for the Church. “In the context of the Temple in Jerusalem as well as the ubiquitous Greco-Roman structures, New Testament authors employ the temple metaphor to enable believers to visualize the sanctity of the church, God’s role … Continue reading –>
By Vladimir Borisov After attending a pastors conference in another country, friends asked me to take a box of 100 religious books back home. I wanted to help, but my country strictly controls the distribution of religious literature. “I’ll take the box of books only if the bus driver agrees to assume responsibility for it”, … Continue reading –>
Read John 10:1-11. What aspects of this metaphor of the church as a sheepfold speak of unity? See also Psalm 23:1-6. In the modern world of large cities, it has become very rare to see animal husbandry of any kind. Most people now know little of the relationship between sheep and shepherds. However, when Jesus told this … Continue reading –>
Perhaps the best-known image of the church and one that speaks the strongest about the unity of its varied parts is the body of Christ. “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. … Now you … Continue reading –>
Another building imagery Paul uses is that of the temple of God or of the Holy Spirit. It is the image of a costly and valuable building. Along with 1 Corinthians 6:19, where the image refers to one’s personal body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 uses the image to refer to … Continue reading –>
Another image of the people of God in the New Testament is the house or household of God. It is a metaphor of stones and buildings that highlight the intricate and interdependent nature of human relationships in the church. Peter refers to Christians as “living stones” (1 Pet. 2:5). This metaphor also contains a quality of … Continue reading –>
Read 1 Peter 2:9; Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:20; and Deuteronomy 7:6. What do these verses say about the special status of the people of God? The church is about people, but not any kind of people. The church is the people of God, the people who belong to God, who claim God as their Father and Savior, and who … Continue reading –>
