Thematic Bible: Christian


Thematic Bible




but whoever suffers as a christian, let him not be asham'd, but rather give thanks to God upon that account. Verse ConceptsChristiansNot AshamedBeing AshamedSuffering SaintsPersecution, Christian ResponseSuffering For Christ's SakeSufferingchristianityencouraging

but Agrippa reply'd to Paul, you almost persuade me I shall be a christian! Verse Conceptsevangelists, ministry ofChristiansIronyMockingNames And Titles For The Christian



and sent it by the hands of Saul and Barnabas to the presbyters at Jerusalem. Verse ConceptsCollectionselders, in the churchMissionaries, Task OfPaul, Life OfVisitingelders



upon which Paul and Barnabas having warmly contested the point with them, it was resolved, that Paul and Barnabas and some others should go to Jerusalem to consult the apostles upon this question. Verse Conceptselders, in the churchBelieversVisitingDissensionDisputesMan AppointingThe Apostles In ActionResolving Conflict


but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, sweetness of disposition, beneficence, faithfulness, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Blessed are they, that are of an humble spirit, for of such is the kingdom of the Messias. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. read more.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the pacific: for they shall be the children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted upon the account of righteousness: for their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed shall you be when men shall revile and persecute you, and falsely charge you with all manner of evil for your attachment to me.

and not only so, but we triumph in tribulation also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, probation; and probation, hope: now hope will not deceive us, because the love of God is diffused thro' our hearts, by the holy spirit which is given to us;

For tho' I should speak with the eloquence of men, and of angels, and not have social affection, I should be like sounding brass, or a noisy cymbal. and tho' I should have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and tho' I had all the faith necessary to remove mountains, and had no benevolence, it would signify nothing. and tho' I distribute my whole substance to the poor, and give my body to be burned, and have not social affection, it profits me nothing. read more.
Social affection is patient, is kind; is a stranger to envy; is not insolently vain, nor arrogant: does not behave indecently, is not self-interested, is not easily provoked, nor suspects any ill; it does not countenance injustice, but smiles upon virtue; it excuses all things, believes what is favourable, hopes for the best, and suffers the worst. Social affection will never fail: but as for prophecies, they shall be out of use; as for languages, they shall cease; as for knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Do you on your part employ all your care in adding to your faith, fortitude: to fortitude, knowledge: to knowledge, temperance: to temperance, patience: to patience, piety: to piety, fraternal affection: and to fraternal affection, universal benevolence. read more.
for if you are possess'd of these virtues and improve therein, they will prevent the knowledge you have of our Lord Jesus Christ from being useless to others, and unprofitable to yourselves. but he that is destitute of them is blind or short-sighted, having forgot he was purified from his past sins.

salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them.

Then the apostles, the presbyters, and the whole church thought it proper to select some out of their own body to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch: such as Judas surnam'd Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, whom they charg'd with this letter. The apostles, the presbyters, and the brethren, to the Gentile brethren at Antioch, in Syria, and Cilicia, send greeting. Whereas we have been appriz'd, that some who went from us, have embarass'd you with their discourse, and unsettled your minds, maintaining, that you ought to be circumcised, and to observe the law, though we gave them no such injunction: after having been assembled, read more.
we unanimously judg'd it proper to send particular deputies to you, with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have exposed their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. we therefore send Judas and Silas to inform you in person of this affair. for by the holy spirit it seemed good to us, to lay no greater burthen upon you, than these necessary injunctions; that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the flesh of strangled animals, and from fornication: you will do well to preserve your selves from these practices. farewel. Being thus dispatch'd, they went to Antioch; where having assembled all the faithful, they deliver'd the letter: from the reading of which, they were affected with joy at the comfortable contents, as for Judas and Silas, they being also prophets, they consolated and confirm'd the brethren by several discourses.

Saul still breathing out nothing but threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and demanded letters for the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any of this sect, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he was on his journey, and near Damascus, on a sudden, a light from heaven surrounded him, read more.
and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice which said to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? and he said, who art thou, Lord? and the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: [it is hard for thee to kick against the goad. Then trembling with the fright Saul said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? and the Lord said to him,] but rise, and go into the city, and you shall be told what you must do. the mean while the men who accompany'd him, remain'd astonish'd, hearing a voice, but seeing no one. at length Saul rose from the ground; and when he opened his eyes, he could not see: so that they led him by the hand, and brought him to Damascus, where he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink. Now there was a disciple at Damascus, named Ananias, to whom the Lord said in a vision, Ananias! and he said, Lord, here I am. and the Lord said unto him, arise, and go to the street called Straight, and enquire at the house of Judas, for one Saul of Tarsus: for he is there at prayer. (at that very instant Saul saw in a vision the said Ananias come in, and put his hand on him, to restore his sight.) then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many that this man has done a world of mischief to thy saints at Jerusalem: he is now here, and is impower'd by the chief priests, to imprison all that make profession of thy name. go, said the Lord to him: for he is the instrument I have chosen, to bear my name to the Gentiles, to kings, and to the children of Israel. for I will make him see how much he must suffer for my name. Ananias therefore departed, and being arrived at the house, he put his hands on Saul, and said, brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus that appeared to you on your journey hither, hath sent me, that you might obtain your sight, and be filled with the holy spirit. immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he recover'd his sight; upon which he instantly arose, and was baptized. and when he had taken some food, he was refresh'd. after which Saul staid some time with the disciples at Damascus. Immediately he maintained in the synagogues, that Jesus was the son of God. the audience were all amazed, and said, is not this he that persecuted the professors of this doctrine at Jerusalem, and came here on purpose to carry them prisoners to the chief priests? however Saul still gain'd ground, and confounded the Jews of Damascus, proving that Jesus was the Messias. A good while after, the Jews conspir'd to kill him: but Saul was appriz'd of their plot. and as they were night and day upon the watch at the gates, in order to kill him, the disciples took him by night, and let him down the wall in a basket. when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he try'd to associate himself with the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and could not be persuaded that he was a disciple. thereupon Barnabas took him with him to the apostles, and related to them how the Lord had appear'd to him on his journey, and had spoken to him, and how publickly Saul had preach'd at Damascus in the name of Jesus. then he convers'd freely with the apostles at Jerusalem: and he openly preach'd in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Hellenists, who therefore plotted against his life: which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Cesarea, and sent him away to Tarsus. Then the churches in all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, were unmolested and establish'd, and by their religious conduct, and the assistance of the holy spirit, grew more extensive.


Now there were several prophets and teachers in the church of Antioch, as Barnabas, Simeon surnam'd Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. Verse ConceptsAfrican AmericansDoctrine, CommunicatedTeachersTetrarchChristian TeachersAnonymityRulers Of A FourthMissionaries



preaching the kingdom of God, and instructing them in all things relating to the Lord Jesus Christ, with the utmost freedom, without being molested. Verse Conceptsevangelism, nature ofBoldness, Proclaiming GospelConfidence, Of ChristiansHeraldImportunity, Towards PeopleKingdom Of God, Coming OfPreaching, Content OfTeachingChristian Teachersholy BoldnessBoldnessmuscles

he had been instructed in the doctrine of the gospel, and being full of zeal, he harangued with great assiduity about what related to Jesus, though he had been only instituted in the baptism of John. Verse ConceptseagernessChristian TeachersFervourZealousness, Examples OfAccuracyBaptised By JohnTeaching The Way Of GodBaptism

where Paul and Barnabas continued, teaching and preaching the doctrine of the Lord, with many others. Verse ConceptsTeachersPreaching, Content OfPreaching, Importance OfTeachingChristian TeachersTeaching In The Church