Fellow Church People

[MartyMuppets]

I belong to the Pentecostal church. Royal Ridge Church of God.

Very pleased to meet you Brother Flavio. God bless you and your fellow parishioners.

 

[MartyMuppets]

The Gospel according to John

The Gospel according to John presents Jesus as the eternal Word of God, who "became a human being and lived among us." As the book says, this Gospel was written so that its readers might believe that Jesus is the promised Saviour, the Son of God, and that through their faith in Him they might have life(20:31).
After an introduction that identifies the eternal Word of God with Jesus, the first part of the Gospel presents various miracles which show that Jesus is the promised Saviour, the Son of God. These are followed by discourses that explain what is revealed by the miracles. This part of the book tells how some people believed in Jesus and became His followers, while others opposed Him and refused to believe. Chapters 13-17 record at length the close fellowship of Jesus with His disciples on the night of His arrest, and His words of preparation and encouragement to them on the eve of His crucifixion. The closing chapters tell of Jesus' arrest and trial, His crucifixion and resurrection, and His appearances to His disciples after the resurrection.
The story of the woman caught in adultery(8:1-11) is placed in brackets because many manuscripts and early translations omit it, while others include it in other places.
John emphasizes the gift of eternal life through Christ, a gift which begins now and which comes to those who respond to Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. A striking feature of John is the symbolic use of common things from everyday life to point to spiritual realities, such as water, bread, light, the shepherd and his sheep and the grapevine and its fruit.

 

[MartyMuppets]

The Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles is a continuation of the Gospel according to Luke. Its chief purpose is to tell how Jesus' early followers, led by the Holy Spirit, spread the Good News about Him "in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth"(1:8). It is the story of the Christian movement as it began among the Jewish people and went on to become a faith for the whole world. The writer was also concerned to reassure his readers that the Christians were not a subversive political threat to the Roman Empire, and that the Christian faith was the fulfilment of the Jewish religion.
Acts may be divided into three principal parts, reflecting the ever widening area in which the Good News about Jesus was proclaimed and the Church established:
1. the beginning of the Christian movement in Jerusalem following the ascension of Jesus;
2. expansion into other parts of Palestine; and
3. further expansion, into the Mediterranean world as far as Rome.
An important feature of Acts is the activity of the Holy Spirit, who comes with power upon the believers in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and continues to guide and strengthen the Church and its leaders throughout the events reported in the book. The early Christian message is summarized in a number of sermons, and the events recorded in Acts show the power of this message in the lives of the believers and in the fellowship of the Church.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Thank you so much for posting the gospels and explaining their teachings, meanings and and accounts and what they mean. Even as a firm believer In Jesus I need to keep and stay in the word daily. You have to take it to heart and mind Evey day and stay firm in in and ask the Lord for guidance that you should not slack from his word.

 

[MartyMuppets]

You're welcome Brother William. I hope Sister Caroline finds this helpful in her understanding of the Gospels and the Acts as well.
Later on I shall start posting about the letters of Paul.

 

[muppet baby]

Wow Marty this is so great i really love all the postings that you made today about the books of the new testament . They are really great . In the new testament and the Church that i belong to , we our pastor is concluding the book of John i really think that is my favorite all time , book of the new testament . . There are some wondrful stories in there .

 

[MartyMuppets]

Thanks Michelle. Postings about the letters of Paul coming very soon, and if you don't mind me asking what is your church's denominational title?

 

[MartyMuppets]

Paul's letter to the Romans

Paul's letter to the Romans was written to prepare the way for a visit Paul planned to make to the church at Rome. His plan was to work among the Christians there for a while and then, with their support, to go on to Spain. He wrote to explain his understanding of the Christian faith and its practical implications for the lives of Christians. The book contains Paul's most complete statement of his message.
After greeting the people of the church at Rome and telling them of his prayers for them, Paul states the theme of the letter: "The Gospel reveals how God puts people right with Himself: it is through faith from beginning to end" (1:17). Paul then develops this theme. All people, both Jews and Gentiles, need to be put right with God, for all alike are under the power of sin. People are put right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Next Paul describes the new life in union with Christ that results from this new relationship with God. The believer has peace with God and is set free by God's Spirit from the power of sin and death. In chapters 5-8 Paul also discusses the purpose of the Law of God and the power of God's Spirit in the believer's life. Then the apostle wrestles with the question of how Jews and Gentiles fit into the plan of God for all people. He concludes that the Jewish rejection of Jesus is part of God's plan for bringing all people within the reach of God's grace in Jesus Christ, and he believes that the Jews will not always reject Jesus. Finally Paul writes about how the Christian life should be lived, especially about the way of love in relationships with others. He takes up such themes as service to God, the duty of Christians to the state and to one another, and questions of conscience. He ends the letter with personal messages and with words of praise to God.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians was written to deal with problems of Christian life and faith that had arisen in the church which Paul had established at Corinth. At that time Corinth was a great cosmopolitan Greek city, the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. It was noted for its thriving commerce, proud culture, widespread immorality and variety of religions.
The apostle's chief concerns are with problems such as divisions and immorality in the church, and with questions about relationships and marriage, matters of conscience, church order, gifts of the Holy Spirit and the resurrection. With deep insight he shows how the Good News speaks to these questions.
Chapter 13, which presents love as the best of God's gifts to His people, is probably the most widely known passage in the book.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Paul's second letter to the Corinthians

Paul's second letter to the Corinthians was written during a difficult period in his relationship with the church at Corinth. Some members of the church had evidently made strong attacks against Paul, but he shows his deep longing for reconciliation and expresses his great joy when this is brought about.
In the first part of the letter Paul discusses his relationship with the church at Corinth, explaining why he had responded with severity to insult and opposition in the church and expressing his joy that this severity had resulted in repentance and reconciliation. Then he appeals to the church for a generous offering to help the needy Christians in Judea. In the final chapters Paul defends his apostleship against a few people at Corinth who had set themselves up as true apostles, while accusing Paul of being a false one.