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 –>
Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Pet. 2:9; Exod. 19:5-6; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 12:12-26; John 10:1-11; Psalm 23:1-6. Memory Text: “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” (1 Corinthians 12:12, NKJV). As anyone who has studied the Bible knows, it … Continue reading –>
Further Study: Ellen G. White, “Pentecost”, pp. 35-46, in The Acts of the Apostles. “This liberality on the part of the believers [in Acts 2:44, 45 and Acts 4:32-35] was the result of the outpouring of the Spirit. The converts to the Gospel were ‘of one heart and of one soul.’ One common interest controlled them-the success of the mission entrusted to … Continue reading –>
The sharing of one’s resources was often a tangible expression of unity in the early church. The generosity described in the early chapters of the book of Acts continues later with Paul’s inviting the churches he has established in Macedonia and Achaia to make a contribution for the poor in Jerusalem (see Acts 11:27-30, Gal. 2:10, Rom. 15:26, 1 Cor. … Continue reading –>
By Vyacheslav Koshkodan At the age of 16, I was a rocker who listened to Nirvana and Metallica, had long hair, and wore torn clothing. I spent my nights at a dancehall, drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana in my small hometown in the former Soviet republic of Moldova. Then a Seventh-day Adventist church member took … Continue reading –>
Luke tells us that one of the natural outgrowths of the fellowship experienced by Jesus’ followers soon after Pentecost was their mutual support of each other. “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need” (Acts 2:44-45, NKJV). … Continue reading –>
In response to Peter’s sermon and appeal for repentance and salvation, about three thousand people made a decision to accept Jesus as the Messiah and the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises to Israel. God was at work in the hearts of all these people. Many had heard about Jesus from far away and may … Continue reading –>
The days of spiritual preparation, following Jesus’ ascension, culminated in the events of Pentecost. The first verse tells us that on that day, just before the Holy Spirit was poured upon the disciples, they were all together, of “one accord”, in one place (Acts 2:1). In the Old Testament, Pentecost was the second of three major … Continue reading –>
In the last hours spent with the disciples before His death, Jesus promised that He would not leave them alone. Another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would be sent to accompany them in their ministry. The Spirit would help them remember many things Jesus had said and done (John 14:26), and would guide them in discovering more truths (John … Continue reading –>
