Thematic Bible: Christian


Thematic Bible



and on finding him he brought him to Antioch, where for a whole year they were guests of the church and taught considerable numbers. It was at Antioch too that the disciples were originally called "Christians."

but if a man suffers for being a Christian, he must not be ashamed, he must rather glorify God for that.

"At this rate," Agrippa remarked, "it won't be long before you believe you have made a Christian of me!"




This they carried out, sending their contribution to the presbyters by Barnabas and Saul.



As a sharp dispute and controversy sprang up between them and Paul and Barnabas, it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas, along with some others of their number, should go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and presbyters at Jerusalem about this question.



But the harvest of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, good temper, kindliness, generosity, fidelity, gentleness, self-control: ??there is no law against those who practise such things.

"Blessed are those who feel poor in spirit! the Realm of heaven is theirs. Blessed are the mourners! they will be consoled. Blessed are the humble! they will inherit the earth. read more.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for goodness! they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful! they will find mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart! they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers! they will be ranked sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of goodness! the Realm of heaven is theirs. Blessed are you when men denounce you and persecute you and utter all manner of evil against you for my sake;

Not only so, but we triumph even in our troubles, knowing that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope ??5 a hope which never disappoints us, since God's love floods our hearts through the holy Spirit which has been given to us.

Thus, I may speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but if I have no love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal; I may prophesy, fathom all mysteries and secret lore, I may have such absolute faith that I can move hills from their place, but if I have no love, I count for nothing; I may distribute all I possess in charity, I may give up my body to be burnt, but if I have no love, I make nothing of it. read more.
Love is very patient, very kind. Love knows no jealousy; love makes no parade, gives itself no airs, is never rude, never selfish, never irritated, never resentful; love is never glad when others go wrong, love is gladdened by goodness, always slow to expose, always eager to believe the best, always hopeful, always patient. Love never disappears. As for prophesying, it will be superseded; as for 'tongues,' they will cease; as for knowledge, it will be superseded.

intelligence with self-control, self-control with stedfastness, stedfastness with piety, piety with brotherliness, brotherliness with Christian love. For as these qualities exist and increase with you, they render you active and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; read more.
whereas he who has not these by him is blind, shortsighted, oblivious that he has been cleansed from his erstwhile sins.


Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers of their company.


Then the apostles and the presbyters, together with the whole church, decided to select some of their number and send them with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. The men selected were Judas (called Bar-Sabbas) and Silas, prominent members of the brotherhood. They conveyed the following letter. "The apostles and the presbyters of the brotherhood to the brothers who belong to the Gentiles throughout Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: greeting. Having learned that some of our number, quite unauthorized by us, have unsettled you with their teaching and upset your souls, read more.
we have decided unanimously to select some of our number and send them to you along with our beloved Paul and Barnabas who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We therefore send Judas and Silas with the following message, which they will also give to you orally. The holy Spirit and we have decided not to impose any extra burden on you, apart from these essential requirements: abstain from food that has been offered to idols, from tasting blood, from the flesh of animals that have been strangled, and from sexual vice. Keep clear of all this and you will prosper. Goodbye." When the messengers were despatched, they went down to Antioch and after gathering the whole body they handed them the letter. On reading it the people rejoiced at the encouragement it brought; and as Judas and Silas were themselves prophets, they encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many a counsel.


Meanwhile Saul still breathed threats of murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus empowering him to put any man or woman in chains whom he could find belonging to the Way, and bring them to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus in the course of his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed round him; read more.
he dropped to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you?" he asked. "I am Jesus," he said, "and you persecute me. Get up and go into the city. There you will be told what you have to do." His fellow-travellers stood speechless, for they heard the voice but they could not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but though his eyes were open he could see nothing; so they took his hand and led him to Damascus. For three days he remained sightless, he neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple called Ananias in Damascus. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He said, "I am here, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Go away to the street called 'The Straight Street,' and ask at the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus called Saul. He is praying at this very moment, and he has seen a man called Ananias enter and lay his hands upon him to bring back his sight." "But, Lord," Ananias answered, "many people have told me about all the mischief this man has done to thy saints at Jerusalem! And in this city too he has authority from the high priests to put anyone in chains who invokes thy Name!" But the Lord said to him, "Go; I have chosen him to be the means of bringing my Name before the Gentiles and their kings as well as before the sons of Israel. I will show him all he has to suffer for the sake of my Name." So Ananias went off and entered the house, laying his hands on him with these words, "Saul, my brother, I have been sent by the Lord, by Jesus who appeared to you on the road, to let you regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit." In a moment something like scales fell from his eyes, he regained his sight, got up and was baptized. Then he took some food and felt strong again. For several days he stayed at Damascus with the disciples. He lost no time in preaching throughout the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God ??21 to the amazement of all his hearers, who said, "Is this not the man who in Jerusalem harried those who invoke this Name, the man who came here for the express purpose of carrying them all in chains to the high priests?" Saul became more and more vigorous. He put the Jewish residents in Damascus to confusion by his proof that Jesus was the Christ; and the Jews, after a number of days had elapsed, conspired to make away with him. But their plot came to the ears of Saul, and, although they kept watch on the gates day and night in order to make away with him, his disciples managed one night to let him down over the wall by lowering him in a basket. He got to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, unable to believe he was really a disciple. Barnabas, however, got hold of him and brought him to the apostles. To them he related how he had seen the Lord upon the road, how He had spoken to him, and how he had spoken freely in the name of Jesus at Damascus. He then went in and out among them at Jerusalem, speaking freely in the name of the Lord; he also held conversations and debates with the Hellenists. But when the brothers learned that the Hellenists were attempting to make away with him, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Now, all over Judaea, Galilee, and Samaria, the church enjoyed peace; it was consolidated, inspired by reverence for the Lord and by its invocation of the holy Spirit, and so increased in numbers.


and on finding him he brought him to Antioch, where for a whole year they were guests of the church and taught considerable numbers. It was at Antioch too that the disciples were originally called "Christians."

Now in the local church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Symeon (called Niger) and Lucius the Cyrenian, besides Manaen (a foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.




He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and he preached and taught about Jesus with ardour and accuracy, though all the baptism he knew was that of John.

Paul and Barnabas, however, stayed on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord along with a number of others.