Category Archives: Adult Bible Classes

(Act 3:1 ESV) Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. Notice that the early church continued to worship God at the Temple, even following the Jewish custom of praying … Continue reading →

A few days ago, I posted a criticism of my own views on baptism received from Olan Hicks. I have great respect for Br. Hicks and invited him to participate in a discussion on his critique here, and he was … Continue reading →

I’m an Olan Hicks fan. Br. Hicks has written extensively on divorce and remarriage, advocating a generous, gracious view contrary to the usual legalism. As a result, he’s suffered all sorts of criticism, even being profiled as “apostate” by Contending … Continue reading →

“Day by day” (Act 2:46 ESV) 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, “Day by day” indicates a continuous practice. Many translations” say … Continue reading →

“All things in common” (Act 2:44-45 ESV) 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. According … Continue reading →

“The prayers” Most translations say the disciples devoted themselves “to prayer,” but the ESV translates the Greek article, to give us “to the prayers.” Hmm … Is this a reference to regularly scheduled, liturgical prayer? Interestingly, the definite article (“the”) … Continue reading →

“The breaking of bread” To “break bread” was a common idiom for a shared meal, the emphasis being on the sharing. The host would take the bread, break it into pieces, and distribute the bread among the participants. A close … Continue reading →

(Act 2:41 ESV) So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. I take “about three thousand souls” to be quite literal. The first congregation of Christ’s church was a megachurch! … Continue reading →

(Act 2:40 ESV) And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” “Bore witness” “Bore witness” can mean to testify as a witness, but can also mean to earnestly … Continue reading →

This passage has been controversial in the Churches of Christ for many years. One hundred years ago, the Churches split into two camps, called the Texas and the Tennessee camps by John Mark Hicks and Bobby Valentine. The Texas camp … Continue reading →