The Lord promised that when His Kingdom was established, “all the nations shall flow to it” (Isaiah 2.2). While on the earth Jesus stated that “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd”... Continue Reading →

The Lord had told the apostles that they would “be my witness in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1.8). Jerusalem had been the setting of Acts 1-7, but beginning with chapter 8 we see the gospel starting to spread to surrounding areas. What was probably... Continue Reading →

Over the last couple of lessons we’ve noted how the citizens of God’s Kingdom dealt with opposition. Persecution from the Jewish leaders did not stop the proclamation of the gospel or hinder the growth of the Kingdom (see Acts 5.42). Nor did internal problems such as sin or even disharmony in the group (see Acts... Continue Reading →

God had ransomed a people before. Israel had been brought out of Egyptian bondage by the mighty acts of God. Jehovah led them through the Red Sea, destroying their enemies in the process. He provided for their every need, supplying water where there was none and causing manna to appear every morning. And when hostile... Continue Reading →

One thousand years before Jesus’ life on earth, David penned these words: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed…” (Psalm 2.1-2). As we will see in this lesson, those words would form part of the... Continue Reading →

Before His ascension Jesus promised that apostles that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1.8). They received the Spirit in Acts 2.1-4 and immediately received the power to “speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Furthermore, we read in Acts 2.43 that “many wonders and... Continue Reading →

Perhaps some 600 years before Jesus lived on the earth, the prophet Joel was commissioned by God to relay His word to the people of Judah. The people had suffered because of their sins and they would be punished further for their iniquities. Yet, there was hope! If the people would return to the Lord... Continue Reading →

Chapter 1 centered around the ascension of Jesus, the Son of God returning to the Father and being given dominion over all things as He sat at the Father’s right hand (see Daniel 7.13-14; Mark 16.19; Ephesians 1.20-23). But even though Jesus had left this earth, He only did so after preparing the apostles to... Continue Reading →

Acts 1 brims with anticipation. The chapter begins with Jesus working with his closest followers, but He would not remain with them for long. Furthermore, He instructed His followers to not “depart from Jerusalem” but to wait for the promised Spirit (vss. 4-5,8). Jesus’ ascension occurs in the middle of the chapter (vss. 9-11), but... Continue Reading →

Proclaiming The Kingdom If we had individual copies of the 27 books which comprise the New Testament, we likely would arrange them a little differently. Perhaps we would arrange Paul’s letters chronologically, rather than by length. We likely would group all of John’s writings (1 gospel, 3 letters and 1 apocalyptic vision) together. Definitely, we... Continue Reading →