This week we discussed various topics related to the church in Antioch, Syria. We learned the first instance a disciple was called “Christian” was in Antioch. A prophet came down from Jerusalem and predicted a severe famine that would spread over the entire Roman Empire, and we were able to pinpoint almost exactly when this...

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From the earliest days of the church, there has been one message uniting people across all human-made divides: love. That's the core of the gospel. Barnabas was sent to Antioch to make sure they were in compliance with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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This week we studied how the gospel spread north beyond Palestine into less Jewish-centric communities including Phoenicia, Antioch (in Syria) and the island of Cyprus. This section introduces us to the city of Antioch which will become the center of Christianity after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and to the church who sends out...

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In our final discussion on this passage, we got down to where the rubber meets the road. As we focused on Peter’s defense of his experience in Acts 11, we learned that he had become convinced his vision had nothing to do with food and everything to do with people.  And so the real question...

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As part of our continuing discussion about Peter’s speech(es) in Acts 10 and 11, we stepped back to look at how Peter and the apostles adjusted their presentation of the gospel message to each audience based on their knowledge of the Scriptures and Jewish religious traditions. Through comparison and contrast, we identified key elements of...

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Who is “welcome” to join us in following Jesus? Who is not? Where do we draw the line? Should we even draw one? How do we know?  During the week prior to the Sunday when this lesson was originally taught, American citizens were mesmerized by two very different and highly publicized funerals: John McCain’s in...

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First we read of Cornelius’ vision. Then Peter’s. Then Peter mentions his to Cornelius, and Cornelius recounts his to Peter. Then Peter retells both visions to a new audience. But we’re reading it—so why all the repetition? What makes this event so special?  This week our discussion took us from analyzing Luke’s purposeful repetition to...

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What happens when a hungry Jewish apostle has a vision about food? But not just any food! This vision involves certain “unclean” foods—the types of food he has avoided his entire life for religious reasons. What happens when during the trance he is commanded to eat the “unclean” food? Three times! What is the meaning...

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This week we expanded on the previous lesson about the miracles in Lydda and Joppa. We utilized a map of first-century Judea to help us have a more clear idea about distances traveled, geography, and topography of the area. We reviewed the Venn Diagram we created (see below) comparing and contrasting the healing of Aeneas and...

The post Acts 9:32-43 ~ Mapwork, Miracles, Mathetria & a Riff about “Poor” Widows appeared first on Bible Study Rocks™.

This week we studied two miracle stories in Acts 9 which have been preserved as a unit in ancient manuscripts: the healing of Aeneas and the raising of Tabitha (a.k.a. Dorcas) from the dead. We examined a variety of similarities and differences in each account and discussed why these two stories were juxtaposed. What truths...

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