Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James
This third and final volume of Archbishop Averky's New Testament commentary elucidates the moral and pastoral aspects of the Pauline and Universal Epistles and the Book of Revelation. Discussion of each New Testament book is preceded by an analysis of the authorship, time and place of composition, and major themes within. The final commentary on the Apocalypse, in which Archbishop Averky relies heavily on the ancient commentary of St Andrew of Ceasaria, is provided in the popular translation by Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose), together with the Scriptural text itself. The author's approach is thoroughly patristic, constantly turning to the Church Fathers for the elucidation of one or another particular verse, especially to the commentaries and expositions of St John Chrysostom, Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid, Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus, and most particularly to the voluminous Scriptural commentaries of St Theophan the Recluse. The commentary has been copiously annotated with citations to primary sources, which did not appear in the original text. Archbishop Averky's commentaries on the New Testament have become standard textbooks in Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary and have been published in Russia to widespread acclaim. They are an indispensable addition to the library of every student of the New Testament.
What time is it right? A time of grace in which the remission of sins and the message of justification. Auspicious time is that in which God receives us, listens to us and saves us. For during the trial, He will neither listen, nor help, nor save. So, we must strive at this time of grace, because we will easily receive rewards.
The national directory addresses the dimensions and perspectives in the formation of deacons and the model standards for the formation, ministry, and life of deacons in the United States. It is intended as a guideline for formation, ministry, and life of permanent deacons and a directive to be utilized when preparing or updating a diaconate program in formulating policies for the ministry and life of deacons. This volume also includes Basic Standards for Readiness for the formation of permanent deacons in the United States, from the bishops' Committee on the Diaconate, and the committee document Visit of Consultation Teams to Diocesan Permanent Diaconate Formation Programs.
Introduces literary, historical, and theological issues of Luke and Acts. Biblical texts create worlds of meaning, and invite readers to enter them. When readers enter such textual worlds, which are often strange and complex, they are confronted with theological claims. With this in mind, the purpose of the Interpreting Biblical Texts series is to help serious readers in their experience of reading and interpreting by providing guides for their journeys into textual worlds. The controlling perspective is expressed in the operative word of the title--interpreting. The primary focus of the series is not so much on the world behind the texts or out of which the texts have arisen as on the worlds created by the texts in their engagement with readers. In keeping with the goals of the series, this volume provides an introductory guide to readers of the New Testament books of Luke and Acts. It focuses on both the synchronic and diachronic dimensions of the literature in an effort to acquaint readers with literary, historical, and theological issues that will facilitate interpretation of these important books. F. Scott Spencer is Professor of New Testament at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.
Now the beloved Apostle states clearly that if we love God, we will obey His commands. And those commands are not difficult for us to obey. After all, He came to be the Savior of the world. So, three things show us clearly that Jesus came from God. Those things are the Holy Spirit, the water of Jesus’ baptism, and the blood of His death on the cross. Therefore, everyone who believes in Jesus, the Son of God, will know that what God says is true. But anyone who does not believe in God is saying that God tells lies. They just do not believe the message that God told us clearly about His Son. You don’t want to be one of those people. Truly, we can trust God to help us when we turn to Him. We know that He will hear us. When we ask for anything that He wants us to have, He listens to us. This is especially true when we see another Christian doing something bad, this is what we should do. If it is a sin that does not cause death, pray that God will help him. Then God will help that person to live forever with Him. We should settle it in our minds that nobody who has become a child of God continues to do wrong things. Instead, the Son of God keeps them safe so that Satan cannot do anything to keep them from going to heaven. So I beg you, says John, do not put anything in this world or of this world before God.
The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.
ELLICOTT'S COMMENTARY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE is a practical and ideal commentary for Sunday school teachers, Christian workers, Bible students, libraries, and ministers. Each of the durably bound volumes in this handsome set is designed with an eye to the convenience of the user. The large, double-column pages are distinctive and easy-to-read. The helpful running commentary is always on the same page with the actual Bible text, making it simple for the user to locate the information he or she seeks. The comments in every case are crisply written and wonderfully practical and up-to-date. You, the user, will not have to read pages of extraneous material to get the important information. If you ever need help for: Sunday sermons Prayer Meeting talks Messages for Young People's Groups, etc. Sunday school lessons Personal Bible study Messages for special occasions you will find it in ELLICOTT'S COMMENTARY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE.