It's human nature to be suspicious of people who are different from us, whatever the difference might be–the way they look, talk, live, dress, act, anything. But what God's Holy Spirit has always been working to do is overcome the divisions we put up, so that all people can be welcomed into the church, and even Christians who might not agree on everything can work together to spread God's good news.
Read Acts 15:22-35 online here.
When there's an important discussion that needs to happen, it's common for things to get heated. When the early church had an argument over who could join and what they had to do, eventually they were able to reach a compromise. Compromises can be hard to reach, but it's the only way to get big things done, and it truly shows love to brothers and sisters with whom we disagree.
Read Acts 15:13-21 online here.
Acts shows us that God's good news of love is always trying to welcome more people, even if some inside the church don't want it to. The first Christian church had a heated debate about who would be allowed in, and what they would have to do beforehand. Do we follow the old laws and traditions and prejudices, or do we let the love of God expand our welcome?
Read Acts 15:1-12 online here.
To open or download the handout this week, a story of when Pastor Stuart was blessed by a church of refugees, click here.
It's so inspiring to hear about mission work going on in our country and the world that we get to support and be a part of. After the very first missionary journey, Paul & Barnabas returned to their church in Antioch and reported everything that God had done through them.
Read Acts Acts 14:21-28 online here.
To open or download the handout this week, with stories of inspiring missionary work around the world, click here.
When the Holy Spirit moves, it often surprises us in a direction we weren't planning on. The new church in Antioch was flourishing, and it had great leaders. But then the Holy Spirit went and called two of their best leaders away. The folks in Antioch didn't resist but blessed Paul & Barnabas in this new kind of venture, the first examples of missionaries. So what's God calling you to do today?
Read Acts 12:25–13:5 online here.
As the message of Jesus spread outside Jerusalem, one place it really took off was the city of Antioch. All people were welcomed into the new church there, and their lives demonstrated the love of Christ so much that that's where people were first called "Christians." One way they showed that love was through providing food to hungry folks, which we can do today.
Read Acts 11:19-30 online here.
For the handout this week, click here.
It's hard to let our minds be changed, even when God's trying to do the changing! In Acts, God wanted the new Christian church to change what they always thought were the rules for who could join, but it was hard for them to evolve their thinking. Peter needed a direct vision to be convinced that no one should be excluded, but then he had to convince the more skeptical church members too. What does it take for us?
Read Acts 11:1-18 online here.
For the handout this week, click here.
There are a lot of different ways to help another person learn about faith. Some are direct, while some are more indirect. The most important thing to remember is to just be honest and authentic, with whomever God might lead you to interact with.
Read Acts 10:34-48 online here.
To open or download the handout this week, click here.
When Peter stepped into the house of a Roman centurion, the Christian church only grew by a few people in numbers, but it represented the complete explosion of barriers to all the world. At the time, Peter should've never spoken to Cornelius, since his religious upbringing said that would be sinful. But Peter let God change his mind, so he stopped thinking that any person was impure, and let the gospel break through the human barriers that separated them.
Read Acts 10:1-43 online here.
The Bible is full of stories where God called someone to do something that was risky and uncertain, but it unlocked incredible blessings for everyone involved. This week we talk about one early Christian (Ananias) who was called to help a known enemy of the Christian church (Saul). He was naturally unsure about it, but he followed the Holy Spirit's nudging anyway, and both men were changed.
Read Acts 9:10-19 online here.
To open or print the handout that Pastor Stuart passed out at the end, with stories of Baptists taking risks and being blessed, click here.
The Bible passage this week is about two men who are so different, they should never have even spoken to each other. But the Holy Spirit guides Philip the deacon to reach out to an Ethiopian eunuch on the road. There were so many barriers that other people and the world had put up, which should have kept the two men separate. But the good news of grace that welcomes all people into God's kingdom is able to break down all the walls that separate us.
Read Acts 8:26-38 online here.
To open or print the handout that Pastor Stuart passed out at the end, with stories of Baptists breaking barriers, click HERE.
We open lots of Bibles this week and compare the details of translations differences. Most are just synonym words that mean the same thing but might read a little smoother or with updated language. Some differences do give a slightly different meaning. And some translations include Bible verses that modern ones don't include at all!
To open or download the handout to guide Bible translation comparisons, click here.
There are lots of Bible translations out there--not just in our language but many others. So how do they all compare, and how did some of them come to be? We talk about the different ways Bibles have been translated, and the different perspectives that translations can provide.
To open or download the handout comparing different Bible translations, click here.
Ancient monks made the first copies of the Bible all by hand, which was a very challenging process. And later, if you wanted to publish a Bible, it actually required lots of decisions to be made: which copies of ancient texts would you use for your translation? And since some of those ancient copies can be different from each other, how will you handle the differences? Good things to think about!
To open or download the handout of ancient Greek New Testament samples, click here.
It's easy to buy a Bible these days and know what books will be in it, but when and who decided which books would be included? There were lots of other Jewish and Christian writings that were popular during Bible times, so how did the Bible we have get put together the way it is?
The Gospel of John is very different from the other three Gospels. We explore and appreciate its uniqueness this week: lots of beautiful imagery and deep symbolism.
We divided into groups to read and think about John chapter 3. Read each group's verses and questions here. Specific verses in John read: John 1:1-5, 14; 21:24-25; 3:1-21. (Read them online here.)
This week we talk about some of the New Testament books that are associated with people named John. They are all rich in imagery, symbolism, and love. We learn about the letters we call First, Second, and Third John—who they were sent to, and who might’ve written them. We also talk a little bit about Revelation, and what its main message was to readers back then.
Specific verses read: 2 John (A very short book that you can read all of online here.)
The last books of the New Testament are letters called the General Epistles (Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude). They were written to Christians and churches facing challenges—some from without, some from within. Ultimately, they wanted their readers then and now to live in the world as citizens of God's kingdom, so that others can see how transforming the grace is that comes with it.
Specific verses read: James 2:1-13; 1 Peter 2:9-17 (Read them online here.)
Unlike most of the Apostle Paul’s letters, which were written to churches, a few were written as advice directly to certain people. The books of 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and to a lesser extent Philemon are considered the Pastoral Epistles. They were intended to help the recipient be a better Christian leader and role model. So we talk about different church leadership positions then and now.
Verses read: 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and 4:6-16. (Read them online here.)
We compare details of the Gospels this week, as we note what's included in each one or not. Reading them together helps paint a bigger picture of Jesus' life and message, as each Gospel writer adds slightly different shades and colors to the story.
The handout this week has the verses assigned for each discussion group, and a comparison of some detail differences amongst the Gospels. Open, download, or print it here.
Sundays: PO Box 547, Weaverville, NC 28787
Small Group Bible Study: 9:45 am info@fbcwvl.org
Worship: 11:00 am 828-645-6720
Youth Group: 6:00 pm Directions: Click here
Wednesdays:
Prayer & Bible Study: 6:00 pm
Choir Practice: 7:15 pm