Saul, a future apostle and missionary, makes his first appearance in the Bible at the stoning of the deacon Stephen, the first Christian martyr. This wave of persecution only helped further the spread of the gospel. Read Acts 8:1-6. What was the result of the persecution of the church in Jerusalem? Samaria was the first … Continue reading –>
Read Acts 2:44-47, Acts 4:34-37. What kind of picture of the early church is presented here? No question, things were for a time going quite well among the early believers. Of course, everyone is fallen, and before long some tensions started to rise. Read Acts 6:1-7. What problems arose, and how did the church deal … Continue reading –>
While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18, NKJV). Think about what Paul is saying here, especially as we study this week about Philip … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Cor. 4:18, Acts 2:44-47, Acts 4:34-37, Acts 6:1-7, Acts 8, Acts 21:7-10. Memory Text: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8 NIV). … Continue reading –>
While living in Texas, near Southwestern Adventist University I was good friends with a theology student and his wife. They just had a new baby when I called one evening. The husband was quick to get off the phone with me. I thought nothing of it, but apparently he thought he owed me an explanation when he called … Continue reading –>
Lesson for August 22-28, 2015 Key Thought : Peter made many mistakes, but his teachable attitude and openness to God’s leading in his life is a lesson for us today. 1. Have a volunteer read Acts 2:14-18. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is. … Continue reading –>
Cambodia ~ by Chhenghorn Thean Cheng lived in a slum-like camp for displaced persons in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. One day Cheng walked past a house and heard someone speaking to a group of people. Curious, she stared through a window. Was this a church? She wanted to study English, and she had heard that churches … Continue reading –>
Read Ellen G. White, Jew and Gentile, pp. 188-200, in The Acts of the Apostles. Peter told of his astonishment when, in speaking the words of truth to those assembled at the home of Cornelius, he witnessed the Holy Spirit taking possession of his hearers, Gentiles as well as Jews. The same light and glory … Continue reading –>
Early success of the mission to the Gentiles raised some crucial questions for the early church regarding what requirements should be expected of Gentile converts, those grafted into the faith (Rom. 11:17). Tensions always appear when people from other religions and cultures join an established believing community. In this case, Jewish Christians, with their high regard … Continue reading –>
As we saw yesterday, by the time Peter made contact with Cornelius, he had a change in attitude regarding the Gentiles that other Jewish believers hadn’t yet understood (see Acts 10:44-45). What happened that changed Peter? Read Acts 10:9-22 and Acts 11:1-10. What do the passages say about how entrenched Peter’s wrong attitudes were that … Continue reading –>
The first. The apostle Peter wins the award…for what honor? Do you think his hope of bringing Gentiles into the early Christian church was greeted with unanimous acclaim? What types of issues always come up when working with people from different cultures? Peter at Pentecost. Couldn’t God have worked out a different set of beliefs … Continue reading –>
Then Peter began to speak: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. (Acts 10:34-35 NIV). Though these words to us are not that revolutionary, for them to have come from the mouth of … Continue reading –>
