Early Church History

Here is the problem: There are a lot of Christians today that have never made disciples. They have never even thought about this, much less made an effort to do it.

This is what is known as the Great Commission. In the original language, these words are a command. That is why we call this the Great Commission and not the Great Suggestion. And I believe that to fail to do this actually could be a sin.

Every believer is called to “go and make disciples of all the nations . . . ” (Matthew 28:19). That means we are all called to evangelism. We all have a part to play. I must admit that it’s a mystery to me that God has chosen to use people as the primary communicators of His truth.

Having young believers around can really help us spiritually. They need us, and we need them. Young believers need us for our stability and maturity as followers of Jesus Christ. And we need them because they have a sense of excitement as they are discovering the truths of God for the first time. We need each other.

Pentecost is an ancient Jewish celebration, but from the book of Acts, we know that the empowering of the Holy Spirit impacts all who follow Jesus.

During the time of Moses, God established a festival to celebrate the grain harvest.

Three unusual things happened on the day of Pentecost - the rushing wind, the tongues of fire and the actual speaking in tongues.

The wonderful thing about praying for help is that God provided the help we need long ago - at Pentecost.

Those called apostles were eyewitnesses of Jesus and served as shepherds and leaders of the early church. They took on critical roles as they went into the world.

Think about the daunting challenge the church of the first century faced. They had no political base, no voting block in the Roman Senate, and no emperor of Rome who was sympathetic toward them.

In Acts 6, the newfound church had exploded into existence and discovered their first problem: they had a great deal of money!

To one taking up the book for the first time, the title, “The Acts of the Apostles,” would seem to suggest that in the book we should find a chronicle of all the doings of all the apostles. We know that this is not so.

During the early stages of the Christian church, major heresies arose that taught false ideas about the nature of Jesus and who He is.

The cause of the Crusades is something that is common to every human, including Christians.

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Some people say that they won’t go to church because there are hypocrites there. But did Jesus say we could use that excuse?

Where does the name Easter come from? You might be surprised by the answer.

If Easter had not happened, Christmas would have no meaning.

For the first 300 years of Christianity, Christmas wasn't celebrated on December 25. In fact, the first recorded celebration was in 336.

Apparently, "to kick against the goads" was a common expression found in both Greek and Latin literature—a rural image, which rose from the practice of farmers goading their oxen in the fields. Though unfamiliar to us, everyone in that day understood its meaning.

The apostle Paul had a strong commitment to know and serve Jesus Christ. His passion and love for the Lord was obvious—Jesus was always central in his thinking, whether he was working as a tent maker, preaching to the crowd, or even sitting in chains at prison. What fueled his love for the Lord?

After Paul’s conversion, he disappeared into the desert for three years. He emerged, ready to communicate divine truth.

The apostle Paul had something essential for effective evangelism: a God-given burden for those who did not know Jesus Christ. In his case, the burden was for his own people, the Jews. He cared. It burned inside him.

Scripture is clear about the church’s mission. Some of its highest goals include sharing the gospel with all nations, caring for those in need, and worshiping together, along with loving, encouraging, and admonishing one another in God’s truth. None of these is fully possible if a church is divided, whether physically or mentally.

In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul tells Christians that freedom in Christ is a serious responsibility. What did he mean by that?

One reason people fall away from the faith is because they have built their faith on the wrong foundation. This even happened with first-century believers.

Colossians 3:15 is a text that is constantly misunderstood by well-meaning Christians. Paul writes, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Some have accurately pointed out that the Greek word for “rule” means to act as arbiter or judge. They see this verse as a tool for knowing God’s will for our lives.

As Jesus laments Jerusalem’s impending judgment, He connects the destruction of the temple with His second coming. Does that mean he already came back “figuratively”?

As Christians, we can joyfully know that Jesus will return. The Bible assures us of this.

The Bible says the Antichrist, or the Man of Lawlessness, is poised to appear before the end and will set himself up as a god, claiming that all religion is a plague on humanity. How can we identify the Antichrist?

When Jesus returns, should we expect a physical or spiritual return? What does the Bible say?