It tells us that God created everything. He was before all things.

It reveals God as Creator and Sovereign over history.

God is all powerful, and there are sometimes things that happen in our lives that we don’t understand. He doesn’t expect us to understand, but to love Him and to trust in Him.

True wisdom comes from God. It echoes very much the counsel from the book of Proverbs in this regard.

There are obvious parallels to other passages in scripture – such as how Esther was given favour by Xerxes and the chief eunuch.

It gives me an appreciation for the controversies that may have erupted in the early church. It also reminds me a fair amount of what Jesus said about those who believe in Him. We know by the witness of the Spirit of God.

I am in line with Martin Luther, in that it is good to read but most of it is probably not divinely inspired. I have strong suspicions about some of them, as I have read Enoch and seen strong connections with the NT, not just from Jude and Peter. It is possible that at least some portions of those works were divinely instructed, and simply…

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The Temple through which living water flows to the Dead Sea. Wherever the water goes, comes healing and life. He restores Eden to the people of God. This is a depiction of victory over death. It represents resurrection, restoration, blessing and life for all who would come to Him with a good and sincere heart.

He is faithful to His covenant from Mt. Sinai. He also gave them many warnings of impending judgment if they continued in their rebellious ways. Later, he promised to rebuild them again after 70 years in captivity.

I am not sure this aspect was covered very well. Those of us without a background understanding of Roman bureaucracy may struggle with this question. The immediate thought that comes to mind, which is more of a criticism/warning is Jesus saying that those who want to be first in the kingdom should be last, like a slave. The gentiles “lord it…

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It started as an institution of elders, deacons, and bishops(overseers) through the laying on of hands. In the early church, this appeared to be done both out of necessity (the appointment of the deacons in the book of Acts) and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit as well as under instruction by the apostles. This gradually evolved to model…

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The Jerusalem Council decided that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised to be saved, but instructed them to practice sexual morality, not to consume blood or anything strangled, and not to eat food sacrificed to idols. There was much more freedom for the Gentiles to come to faith, and a true understanding of our basis of salvation…

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The Jerusalem Council was about whether Gentiles needed to be circumcised and obey the whole Torah in order to be saved.

The evidence entails the traditional accounts of the Christian population who already exist in India. There are also some writings that bear witness of his travels. These coincide with what is known as the trade routes in the area. The man who doubted Jesus because he had not seen his wounds is the man who would spread the gospel to a place…

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This has been a “lost history” partly because of the decline of the church in these areas (ex. Islamic expansionism), as well as a growing prominence of the church in Europe. European people are also just naturally going to be focused more on their own history and cultural influences.

Some of the onlookers were impressed by this event, while others credited it as the ravings of drunken fools. Peter got up and gave a sermon to the people, using scripture as well as common sense, to preach the gospel and encourage all to come to Jesus. Many of them did repent of their sins and come to Him to be saved. Many were added to…

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Everything in Jerusalem society derived from and centered around the Temple and its related services. Jerusalem would not be as large or as important without the Temple.

There would be less confusion in the surrounding society as to whether a given idea or action is actually consistent with the gospel message. I am generally optimistic about the state of the church in my area because they teach from the Word and encourage others to act on what they have learned in their lives.

It is a response to the command to love others as ourselves, and not to see ourselves, our own culture and interests as more important or significant than someone else’s. The scripture passage that stuck out – although it was actually about the gift of tongues, it is applicable – says, “STRIVE TO EXCEL IN BUILDING UP THE CHURCH”. I think that…

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Mainstream history emphasizes the abuses of “Christendom” on the local cultures and peoples. I have found in my life this continually being conflated – a misunderstanding of my faith with terrible acts that is not consistent with scripture at all. It seems to me that this anti-colonialism has impacted the reputation of the church in even… Read more

There are many denominations. Sometimes they work together and sometimes they don’t.

No one has taught me these ideas, but I find it very easy to slip into performance-based thinking and justification. One must always guard their own hearts as well as discerning what is being promoted by others.

Some people dress differently to go to church. I have also seen cultural differences in how fasting is done, and where people choose to gather.

God’s kingdom is in the heart and among us in the church, as well as a future kingdom when Jesus comes back. We have a spiritual kingdom which smashes the earthly political systems led by man. This very strongly correlates with Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as interpreted by Daniel. God’s true kingdom is everlasting.

I can specifically look up news stories on Christian persecution. I can also listen to the testimonies of others. Everyone is created in God’s image. The Lord tells us to forgive and bless those who persecute us.

To be informed about where others are coming from

I don’t think some of these “fantastic” miracles are really that fantastic. In the book of Acts, it is almost expected as evidence of the faith. Nonetheless, God does not need miracles to reach the hearts of the people who hear. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”. The stories are interesting and perhaps many of them are…

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None surprise me. The disagreements between churches and individuals in the Christian community does not always reflect well to the outside world. They do not see Jesus in the way we engage each other at times.