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 –>
Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do. Galatians 2:10 NLT Do you remember Ingathering? I wish we still did this door to door, where we would collect donations for our community services, going door to door around Christmas time. Several times as a … 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 –>
Key Thought: Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the early church was united in its expression of love and generosity as they spent time together and shared their love and devotion to God. November 3, 2018 1. Have a volunteer read Acts 1:12-14. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most … 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 –>
Our topic of the Early Church bring us our first hymn: Hymn 304, “Faith of Our Fathers”. The fellowship of the believers in the Early Church followed Hymn 469, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”. Another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, was sent to accompany the Early Church in their ministry, and will also today: Hymn 268, “Holy Spirit, … Continue reading –>
Fellowship matters. Do you ever “go” to Sabbath school by means of an electronic video available on your computer? You are not sick or in pain, and you are not caring for someone who is…What you are doing is not illegal, but what are you missing when you leave Sabbath school out of your weekly life? … 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 –>
