Nestled into the hills of Lower Galilee, the historic city of Nazareth today is the largest Arab city in Israel. Though not mentioned in the Old Testament, New Testament Nazareth is connected with the boyhood home of Jesus. Nazareth (Arabic an-Nasira, Hebrew Nazerat) draws tourists from the Christian faith wanting to connect with the heritage…
Summer in the Psalms
Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. For many years, he pastored the church at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. During that time, he preached over 400 sermons from the book of Psalms. He invested twenty years of his time in authoring a seven-volume commentary on the Psalms called The Treasury of…
The Writings of John
The topic for this segment of our lessons is the life and writings of the apostle John. John was the author of five books of our New Testament – the Gospel of John, three epistles or letters of John, and the book of Revelation. All of the writings of John were penned after the year…
The Destruction of the Temple
We have been looking at the days and events “After Acts” – significant events in the church’s development and history. Not long ago we discussed a secular event – the burning of Rome – and how it impa. cted believers because of the concentrated persecution efforts of the Roman Empire. The church would spend the…
The Formation of the New Testament Canon
Who got to decide what books were included in the Bible? When and how did the books of the New Testament come together? Those are great questions to ask, and prove a real interest and depth to the desire to understand the foundation of our faith. Let’s explore those questions as we tackle the formation…
Faith’s Martyr: Stories of Peter, Paul and Others
The lives and deaths of the Apostles are a subject of deep historical and religious significance. These twelve men, chosen by Jesus, played pivotal roles in shaping the early church. Their undaunted faith, even while facing a martyrs death, increases the level of certainty regarding the historicity of the resurrection. The likelihood of people dying…
Mediterranean Travels
Paul’s travels from the close of the book of Acts to his death about 5 years later are not outlined in the Scriptures. Some theologians debate whether an official “journey” actually took place. But the evangelistic and pastoral nature of the Apostle to the Gentiles makes it difficult to believe that he stayed still and…
On to Spain
At the close of our last lesson, we are assuming that the time Paul spent in Rome at the close of Acts was drawing to a conclusion. He was anticipating his release either because of the declaration of his innocence or the neglect of his accusers to arrive in Rome. Did Paul’s next steps include…
After Acts
Firstly, let’s turn our attention and our studies to what takes place in the history of the church “after Acts.” Luke ends his historical treatise explaining that Paul was “preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and unhindered” (Acts 28:31 RSV). Ironic, isn’t it? However, for the gospel…
Keturah | Mother of Many Nations
If you are like me, your knowledge of the Old Testament has a foundation of stories told during elementary church programs. Many of these stories were visualized by flannelgraph characters displayed on a flannel board. But when you continue to study the Scriptures, you will find that there are parts to many stories that were…