This episode covers the first segment of Section 8 (The Spiritual Realm in the Time of Jesus). In it, our Senior Adults and Friends Bible Study considers the appearances of angels surrounding the birth of Jesus.

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — Our God is able to do more than we can ask or even imagine, and he did the unimaginable when he transformed Saul from persecutor of the church to proclaimer of the Christian faith, and when he called Ananias to courageously go to Saul to assist with his transformation. Like Saul and Ananias, we who follow Jesus must also believe God can do the unexpected and more, put our faith in him, and respond in obedience when he calls us to join him in his amazing work. Texts: Acts 9:1-31, Galatians 1:21-24

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — We don't know his name, but God did, this man to whom God sent Philip the Evangelist. Though the man was a foreigner and to some degree an outcast, God loved him and wanted him in his family and kingdom. God knows our names, too, and wants us in his family and kingdom whether we are foreigners or natives, insiders or outsiders, near to God or coming from a place far from him. Text: Acts 8:26-40

Sunday sermon by Kevin Jensen — When Philip proclaimed Jesus in a certain Samaritan city, that city was full of joy! The message of Jesus fills us with joy as it connects us to God. But to keep that joy, we must keep our faith sincere, focused on pleasing God rather than ourselves. Text: Acts 8:4-25

Sunday sermon by Kevin Jensen — The first movement of the story of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is all about the terrible evil in this world, the evil that brought about Stephen's death. But in the second movement, Jesus was there! And Jesus' presence when Stephen was killed made all the difference. Text: Acts 6:8 to 8:4

Sunday sermon by Kevin Jensen — When the first ethnic division arose in the early church, the apostles appointed seven men to address it—men who were prototypes of deacons, who in turn help the church and its elders carry the glorious, heavy burden of church leadership and ministry. Texts: Acts 6:1-8, 1 Timothy 3:8-13

This episode covers the sixth and final segment of Section 7 (The Spiritual Realm During and After the Jewish Exile), exploring a few final references to angels as we wrap up the Old Testament portion of our study of The In-Between.

Sunday sermon by Kevin Jensen — Jesus said peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called children of God. In a tense moment, the great Jewish teacher Gamaliel was a peacemaker, speaking up to warn the Sanhedrin against executing the apostles. God calls us to be, like Gamaliel, people who act out of wise humility to bring peace. Texts: Acts 5:27-42, Matthew 5:9, James 3:13-18

This episode covers the fifth segment of Section 7 (The Spiritual Realm During and After the Jewish Exile). We examine appearances of heavenly beings, sometimes in surprising forms, in the prophetic visions of Zechariah 1-6, including an appearance of Satan in Zechariah 3.

This episode covers the fourth segment of Section 7 (The Spiritual Realm During and After the Jewish Exile), studying appearances of angels in Daniel 6, 10, and 12. Of special interest in this lesson are an angel's involvement in the story of Daniel and the Lions' Den, glimpses of spiritual warfare at the national and international level, and the Bible's first clear prophecy of the resurrection of the dead.