Click to enter AP4Internet

New Testament
Bible summary

Travel
Holidays
Shopping
Mall
Healthy
Living
Resources
Software
Property
Solutions
Home Pages
Blog and Links
Index

Old Testament
Bible summary
index

New Testament
Bible summary
Index

New Testament
Four Gospels

New Testament
Acts of the Apostles

New Testament
Epistles

New Testament
Epistles of Paul

New Testament
Hebrews

New Testament
General Epistles

New Testament
Revelation

Animated gif of a Christian fish

The Acts of the Apostles

Written by Luke, the book of Acts begins where the Gospel of Luke ends, namely with the ascension of Jesus. In his Gospel, Luke traced the advance of the gospel from an obscure village, Nazareth, to the center of Jewish life, Jerusalem; in Acts he continued the story of the advance of the gospel from an obscure city, Jerusalem, to the center of empire, Rome. The gospel progressed from obscure origins to prominent influence (1:8).
Luke told about Pentecost, Peter, some early events in Jerusalem, Stephen and persecution. He described the preaching of Philip, the conversion of Saul, the ministry of Peter in Judea, the church at Antioch, and continuing persecution. Luike detailed three missionary journeys of Paul and concluded with Paul's arrival in Rome ( not bothering to explain what happened to Paul in Rome!). Luke's focus in Acts is on the spread of the gospel by the power of the Spirit of Christ.
Much of this information Luke acquired firsthand while accompanying Paul (notice the change from "they" to "we" in (16:10); the earlier events he could have acquired by research while they were in Jerusalem (21:17 ff.),

The Epistles

Romans

Paul wrote Romans in lieu of a trip to Rome. He was in Corinth, but circumstances prevented his going on farther (15:25). So instead of a personal visit, Paul explained the things he would otherwise have told them in person. He wanted to assure the saints in that the coming of Jesus Christ was indeed the fulfillment of God's promises in the Old Testament (1:2; 16:26). He put this coming of Christ into a very comprehensive perspective, so that the book of Romans is the most powerful theology of history in the Bible.
Because God created the world, all people ought to be able to know and worship God simply on the basis of nature (1:20). But,beginning with Adam, sin has plunged everyone instead into the evils which bring down God's wrath on them (5:15-17). Even the law which God gave at Sinai, as good as it was, did not succeed in making Israelites righteous (8:3). But now, through Christ, God declares people righteous simply on the basis of their believing in Jesus (3:22; 10:10). So believers are required to order their lives, not on the basis of the Jewish laws, but on the basis of serving Christ in the Holy Spirit (14:17,18).

Corinthians 1

While at Ephesus, Paul heard of various troubles in the church at Corinth, analyzed them one by one in this letter,and gave his advice about them. Corinth was at that time (A.D. 55) a very large, busy - and immoral - city. That environment surely contributed to the problems in the church.
Paul urged them not to let their preference for various ministers obscure their primary loyalty to God (3:3 ff.); to expel a member who was unrepentant for the sin of incest (5:1,2); to avoid lawsuits (6:1); to flee from sexual immorality (6;18); to prefer celibacy over marriage (7:1); to accept divorce only if an unbelieving spouse desired it (7:15); not to be bothered by eating food sacrificed to idols unless a weaker brother made a point of it (8:9-13); to dress inoffensively for public worship (11:2-16); to conduct their church suppers in an orderly way (11:20 ff.); to resist efforts to deny the resurrection (15:12); and to have a financial contribution for God's people in Jerusalem ready by the time Paul got there (16;1-3).

Corinthians 2

Apparently many people in Corinth did not appreciate Paul's earlier letter (1 Corinthians), for in this letter Paul had to deal extensively with their repudiation of his apostolic authority. Paul had just recently survived a dangerous crisis in Ephesus (1:8: Acts 19:23), and now he had to deal with his damaged reputation in Corinth.
Paul reviewed his ministry by reminding the Corinthians that what he had preached was from God (5:18), by recalling the enormous sufferings he underwent for the gospel (6:4-10), and by describing his personal behavior among them (chaps, 10-11). Through it all Paul kept his priorites clear: he was an ambassador of Christ using his authority for building up and not for tearing down(13:10). If the Corinthian church could understand and accept this, it would grow in spiritual strength, able to appreciate the ministry of various people as the church matured in faith and obedience and love.

Galations

Though the original date and destination of this letter is uncertain, it seems probable that it was addressed to the churches in southern Galatia which Paul and Barnabus founded on the first missionary journey. Galations was occasioned by the growing influence in the Galation churches of teachers known as Judaizers: people who insisted that Gentile Christians must observe Jewish laws in addition to believing in Christ. The Judaizers were making headway among the Galations by challenging the adequacy of Paul's teaching teaching. Paul, they said was not an apostle like the Twelve, and hence had been preaching only part of the truth about salvation.
In reply. Paul defended his apostolic authority vigorously, beginning in the very first verse. Then, going back to the example of Abraham (3:6 ff.), he insisted that righteousness did not come by observing the Jewish laws but simply by faith in Christ. And finally, building on the test case of circumcision, he urged Christians to reject all such requirements and to stand fast in the freedom of Christ (5:1,2).

Ephesians

Since some of the oldest manuscripts of this letter do not containthe words "in Ephesus" many scholars regard it as a circular letter intended for all the churches in and around Ephesus. Writing from prison. Paul addressed a serious problem afflicting the Christians in the province of Asia: conflict between Jewish and Gentile Christians. This tension was threatening to split Christians into two groups and thus to destroy the unity of the church.
Paul insisted that it was God's purpose from eternity that the gospel be preached to Gentiles (1:10; 3:8,9). That eternal purpose had now been disclosed in Christ, so that Gentiles, once foreigners to God's covenants, were made fellow citizens with God's people (2:12,19).

Philippians

Colossians

Thessalonians 1 and 2

 


A and P Business Solutions Ltd - Independent Distributors for the Utility Warehouse Discount Club, save money on your telephone calls, broadband, gas, electricity, mobile phones and shopping.


Interested in an extra income
part-time, full-time, any-time
Click here


A and P Property Solutions a division of A and P Business Solutions Ltd

Maintenance
Garden Solutions
Refurbishment
Waste solutions
Security solutions

Click to buy on-line.
Click to enter AP4Internet All pages copyright ©
A and P Business Solutions Ltd
Developed by AP4Internet
Click to buy a mobile