Selwyn looks at another factor which contributed to the growth of the Early Church. His study for today centres on the account in Acts, regarding the selection of seven men to look after the task of the daily distribution of food. The relevant verses, are as follows (Acts 6: 1-7); ‘In those days when the number of disciples [...]
Selwyn continues to discuss supernatural matters, and I feel that the key sentence for today’s study is: ‘The idea that God withdrew the supernatural and the miraculous from the Church a few decades after Pentecost is scripturally untenable.’ He puts forward the idea that many of the healings seen in today’s large healing crusades are [...]
Today, Selwyn focuses on the role of miracles in the Early Church and asks the very important question – are miracles still part of Jesus’ plan for demonstrating God’s power and love in today’s Church? Selwyn writes: “What particular method did the Church employ in order to win converts? … First, the Jerusalem Church reached [...]
The next distinctive of the Early Church which Selwyn looks at is: “the first Church was a growing Church to which converts were added in ever increasing numbers.” In Acts we see a number of events which resulted in a large increase (relatively speaking) in the membership of the Early Church. As Selwyn writes: “In [...]
Today’s study starts with a really great verse; (1 Corinthians 12:27), “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you ia a part of it.” Selwyn, introduces his topic on the role of the ‘laity’ in the church. “The word laity comes from the Greek word ‘laos’ and simply means ‘people’.” “Over [...]
Selwyn now covers “another great layman who comes to prominence in the book of Acts is Barnabas. … He is described as ‘a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.’ (Acts 11:24). Barnabas, whose name means ‘Son of Encouragement’ was a man who had a large heart and a magnanimous spirit, especially where [...]
A domestic context
Selwyn considers ‘another factor that contributed to the phenomenal growth of the Early Church was the way in which the disciples shared witth each other in small groups.’ The key verse is Acts 5:42; ‘Day after day, in the temple courts, and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that [...]
Continue reading about A domestic context