The Life and Times of the Early Church

A verse-by-verse study of 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12.   Paul opens his second letter to the Thessalonians with instruction on practicing the spiritual discipline of thankfulness . Today it is popularly known as cultivating “ the attitude of gratitude. ”  What does that mean and how can we experience it? May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Thessalonians 5:19-28.   Paul brings his first letter to the Thessalonians to a close with instruction on how to decide which teachings they should accept as from God and which they should reject. Sound familiar? Our world today is fillied with those who claim to have a word from God. Which of these people do we listen to and which do we ignore?  May the Lord bless your...

A verse-by-verse study of 1Thessalonians 5:16-18.   Paul provides a summary of God’s will for all Christians in 3 brief phrases: “ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances. ”  Is it possible to maintain this kind of attitude in the midst of life’s hurts and heartaches? God says it is, and He tells us how. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1Thessalonians 5:12-15.   Paul describes how churches are complex entities that include a great variety of personalities. He talks about the relationship of leaders and followers, those who are weak in the faith and those who are strong, the optimists and the pessimists, and the cynical and the gullible. These people must learn not only how to coexist, but how to love one...

A verse-by-verse study of 1Thessalonians 5:1-11.   The Christians in Thessalonica, like many Christians today, wanted to know when the rapture would occur, and Paul says the main thing they need to know about when it will happen is that it will come like a thief in the night. Paul uses this metaphor to stress that the coming of Christ will be sudden, and for many, totally unexpected .  May the Lor...

A verse-by-verse study of 1Thessalonians 4:13-18.   Paul answers a question the new Christians in Thessalonica had about the end times. Specifically, they wanted to know what happens to Christians who die before Jesus returns. In this passage Paul explains the timing of the Day of the Lord and how to prepare for it. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1Thessalonians 4:9-12.   In chapter 4 of 1 Thessalonians we come to the heart of the letter—instruction on the kind of life that pleases God. In verses 9-12, Paul teaches on the nature of “philadelphia,” brotherly and sisterly love, and describes what it looks like in our everyday life. He then shares four behaviors Christians should practice continually. May the Lord ble...

A verse-by-verse study of 1Thessalonians 4:1-8.   Chapter 4 brings us to the heart of the letter—instruction on the kind of life that pleases God. And instead of supplying a detailed list of do’s and don’ts, Paul offers examples of holy living, and he starts with one of the most explosive topics on the planet: sex . May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1Thessalonians 3:1-13.   Paul explains why all Christians will be persecuted and how God can use our hurts and heartaches to shape us into the person He created us to be. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1Thessalonians 2:1-20. Paul moves into the body of his letter by explaining how the love he has for the people in Thessalonica reflects the love God has for them, and he praises the growth of the church and the effect the Gospel was having in their community and the world around them.  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10.  An introduction of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians and a study of the first chapter. Paul praises the new Christians of Thessalonica for their faith, hope, and love and gives thanks to God for them. The church has become known throughout the region for sharing the gospel in both word and deed. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of Acts 17:22—18:18. We will look at Paul’s ministry in Corinth and his sermon on Mars Hill that introduces the philosophers of Athens to “the unknown God.” May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of Acts 17:1-21. An account of Paul’s ministry in the cities of Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. He is violently assaulted in the first city, well-received in the second, and ridiculed in the third for his belief in the resurrection of the dead. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of Acts 15:36—16:40. An account of the beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey which will bring the Gospel to Europe. His first stop is the city of Phillipi, where he has great success but is also arrested and almost beaten to death for preaching the Gospel. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of Acts 15:1-35. An account of the meeting in Jerusalem to decide how to incorporate Gentile believers into the Lord’s churches—a decision that had far reaching implications for the advance of Christiainity.  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of Galations 6:1-17.  Paul closes his letter to the Galatians by teaching on several practical aspects of a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit.    May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of Galations 5:22-26.  The Apostle Paul shares nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit.  The characteristics of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are representative of the kind of life the Holy Spirit produces in believers, marking us as the people of God. These nine qualities flow into one another, mutually reinforcin...

A verse-by-verse study of Galations 5:16-21.  Paul provides two lists that contrast “the works of the flesh” with the fruit of the Spirit. In this lesson we will look at the first list, which catalogues 15 representative works of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgi...

A verse-by-verse study of Galations 5:8-15.  The young and naive Christians in the Galatian churches were being persuaded by outsiders to return to the legalism of Judiasm. In this passage, Paul explains to the Galatians where this legalism came from, what it was doing to their churches, and where it would lead in the end. He then talks about freedom in Christ and how we can use our freedom as an...

A verse-by-verse study of Galatians 5:1-7.  Paul appeals to the Christians in Galatia to live out the freedom of the gospel both in their witness to the world and their relationships with one another. Our text, the first seven verses of chapter 5, introduces his theme, freedom in Christ, and how that freedom is different from the kind of freedom most of us are looking for! May the Lord bless your...

A verse-by-verse study of Galations 4:21-31.  Paul uses a complex allegory involving Sarah versus Hagar, Isaac versus Ishmael, the Mosaic Covenant versus the Abrahamic Covenant, and the “old Jerusalem” versus the “new Jerusalem” to explain that salvation comes through faith in Christ and transcends ethnicity, social status, and gender. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of Galations 4:12-20.  Paul’s love and concern for the Galatians prompts him to warn them they are in danger of abandoning the gospel of grace for an unholy amalgamation of faith in Jesus and obedience to the Mosaic law. In this passage, Paul makes a personal appeal to the struggling congregations, recalling the way he had taught and served while planting the churches in Gal...

A verse-by-verse study of Galations 4:1-11.  Paul explains how faith in Jesus makes all believers—Jew and Gentile alike—children of Abraham and “heirs according to promise.” Then he unpacks what it means to be an heir of the Creator and Ruler of the universe. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of Galations 3:26-29.  Paul explains how our relationship with Jesus can make us an heir to God’s kingdom and how all who are joined to Jesus share in His inheritance, regardless of ethnicity, social status, or gender. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of Galations 3:15-25.  In Galatians 3 Paul proves from Scripture that salvation comes by God’s grace through faith in Jesus and not by keeping the Mosaic Law. But if the Law was not given to us as a roadmap to salvation, what was its purpose? Paul answers that question in three parts. First, he explains why the law was given , then he shows how the Mosaic law does not run co...