Rick's Rwanda Road Map - Christianity Today Magazine

read these articles on how the Anglican church in Rwanda is helping heal the effects of Genocide.

Province of Rwanda

Confirming Faith Week 4 Jesus Death and Resurrection

Confirming Faith - Week 4.                Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

(A) HIS DEATH
Why Jesus Had to Die: There are several ways of looking at what Jesus achieved by his death and resurrection. All of these are true. Some Christians emphasize one over the others.

1. Atonement: this means to “make one” (at-one-ment). God made us for a relationship with him.  We are estranged from God through our rebellion against him. (sin). Christ came to restore that relationship. Only someone who was both fully man and fully God, and who was himself without sin, could bridge that gap between us and God.

Read Eph 3:16-19. The cross is a picture of the lengths to which God was willing to go to reach out to us and of the depth and breadth of his love. The vertical part of the cross represents restoration between us and God; the horizontal beam represents the ministry of reconciliation he has given us (Romans 5:6-11, 2 Cor 5:18-20).

2. Substitution: This means that Jesus took our place. He received the punishment we deserve so that we could go free. We are justified (declared righteous and not guilty) because he has taken our sin on himself. (2 Cor 5:21).  We exchange our sinfulness for his righteousness. The righteous wrath of God against evil was borne by him. Jesus experienced separation from God the Father so that we might be re-united with him and become his children. Essentially, he traded places with us. That is why he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” All the sacrifices of the Old Testament are pictures of the one final sacrifice of Jesus.

3. Victory over Death and Evil:
Man was created immortal. Death entered human experience after man rebelled. Jesus experienced death for us. His resurrection overcame the power of death.

4. Ransom: This metaphor is that of paying a ransom price to set free a kidnapped victim or a slave (man is enslaved by sin and under Satan’s influence). Jesus purchased our liberation with his own blood. We therefore now belong to him. (Matt 20:28, 1Tim 2:6)

5. Rescue: Christ’s incarnation, death and resurrection represent God’s rescue mission to planet Earth. He rescued us from Satan’s dominion and transferred us to God’s dominion, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. (Col 1:13).

6. Example to follow: Jesus’ death was an example (1Peter 2:21) of self-less love and devotion, of willingness to lay down one’s life for others and of loving one’s enemies. We are called to follow in his footsteps. His death, however, was not simply one of a revolutionary dying for a good cause.

Think of different examples from history, your own experience or the news which illustrate these different ways of looking at the cross, eg. someone risking his/her life for someone else.

Through his conception, birth, life and death, Jesus identified fully with all that it means to be human. He assumed our nature so that we could become by adoption and grace, what he is by nature, namely sons of God and joint-heirs with Christ.

(B) HIS RESURRECTION
1 Cor 15:1-20 and 50-58) Christians believe, as we say in some liturgies, that: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

• Jesus died; he did not merely swoon or appear dead.


• He was buried in a known and guarded tomb


• The tomb was empty on the first Easter morning.


• Jesus appeared to numerous people during the forty days before his ascension. They saw, touched and talked with him. He ate with them.

The significance of the resurrection:

• His predictions came true.


• His claims were vindicated by God. i.e. his resurrection proved him to be who he claimed to be.


• He has power over death.


• We can have confidence that we too shall rise.


• The same power which raised Christ from the dead is alive in us through his Spirit.


• We can experience the risen Christ.


• If he kept his promise to rise from the dead, we can rely on his promise to come back again.

Easter is thus the central feast of the Christian year. Each Sunday is a mini-Easter as we gather around the Lord’s Table to remember and receive him in the bread and wine.

What should our response to this be?

One of the paradoxes of the Christian faith is this: when we think we are free to do whatever we want by rebelling against the God who made us, we are actually enslaved by sin. When we voluntarily submit to the Lordship of Christ we are truly free to be all we were meant to be.

Acknowledgement: As with the other sessions in this series, this topic is based substantially on Faith Confirmed by Peter Jackson and Chris Wright (published by SPCK), supplemented with other material.

Sunday at five Oct 16th

Hi everyone.
Last week Jannice presented an excellent discussion on the life and ministry of Jesus.
This coming Sunday, October 9th (Thanksgiving Sunday) there will be no gathering. We next meet for communion, discussion and supper at 2087 Beaton Ave in Comox at 5pm October 16th.
See you there.

Sunday at Five October 2, 2005

Communion, discussion and supper will be at 2087 Beaton Ave, Comox, at 5pm on Sunday, October 2nd, 2005. Notes will be posted later.

Sunday at Five: 25th September, 2005

Confirming Faith – Week 2: Human Nature and Sin.

This week we are looking at human nature from the perspective of what the Bible teaches.

Christianity has a very high view of Man as God originally intended humankind to be. Read Genesis 1:26-31, Genesis 2: 15-26, Psalm 8:4-8, and Colossians 1:15. Man is a mammal but more than an animal.

• What does it mean to say that we were created in God’s image?


• In what ways is Christ similar to us and in what ways is he different?


• In what ways are angels similar to us and in what ways are they different?


• What kind of relationship did our first parents (Adam and Eve) have with God before they sinned?


• Why were we made?


• In what ways are we different from the rest of the animal kingdom?

Christianity has a realistic view of Man as humankind became through rebellion against God. Read Genesis 3. Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 1:18-23 and Romans 3:23. As a result of their rebellion, every human born since has inherited mortality and a bias towards sin. We call this “original sin”.

• What is sIn?


• What is the difference between sins and sin?


• Is anyone entirely evil?


• Is anyone entirely good?


• Can we be good without God?


• Can we ever achieve perfection in this life?


• What was the result of Adam and Eve’s sin (a) for their relationship with God, (b) how they saw themselves and each other and (c) for generations since then?

Christianity provides a unique way for people to be restored to relationship with God. We shall look at this in more depth in the discussions on Jesus’ life and death over the next two weeks


Christianity has a high view of what Man and the universe will be like when Christ returns. We shall look at this at the end of this series. We shall be like him and shall reign with him. There will be a new heaven and earth. All of creation will be renewed





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yucv.com :: Youth Unlimited - A Community

Here is the Youth Unlimited, UNDERGROUND website. The YFC team in the Comox Valley provides an awesome inter-denominational program for teens. Check it out.

Sunday at Five (September 25th, 2005)

Next Sunday, September 25th, we meet at five at Brian and Susan Hamp's house at 4736 Headquarters Rd Courtenay. ( look for the Youth Unlimited sign on the right across the road from Riverbend, past Casa Loma and before Vanier.)

We shall have music and discussion followed by the Lord's Supper and a potluck meal together.

Going Deeper Confir

Going Deeper – Confirming our Faith. Week 1

How do we know God? He is greater than we can imagine or describe but we know him by faith.

He reveals himself:

• Through the Bible  2:Tim 3:16, 2 Peter 1:19-21


• Through the Church


• Through Nature Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:20


• Through Experiences


• Through Prayer.

What is God like? Think of words used to describe God.  Think of some metaphors and similes for God. Eg Psalm 18:2, 1John 1:5. Psalm 23:1.

What Christians believe about God:

God is:

• Creator.


• Everywhere


• All-powerful


• Knows everything


• Eternal


• Holy


• Unchanging


• Just


• Merciful


• Love

Look up:

God is active in history: Isaiah 41:1-4
God reveals himself supremely in Jesus:  Hebrews 1:1, John 14:9, Col 1:15
God makes covenants with people: with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses. Jesus introduced the New Covenant.

God is our Father. Luke 1:2. Deuteronomy 32:6.   He is also like a mother. (Isaiah 49:15.)

God is One (Deut 6:4) and Three: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (2 Cor 13:14 and Matt 28:19)

Thoughts to ponder:
How is God related to Creation/Nature?
How do we believe in God when we see suffering?
What does the cross tell us about God?

Going Deeper Confirm

Going Deeper: Confirming our Faith

Introduction
Over the past couple of years at house church we have covered the basics of the Christian faith through the Alpha course, Christianity Explored, The Purpose-Drive Life and an overview of the Bible in The Bible for Blockheads. This Fall we propose to go a bit deeper into the faith by having a series of discussions drawn from the book “Faith Confirmed” by Peter Jackson and Chris Wright (published by SPCK), supplemented by other materials. We may not agree on all their perspectives but the book provides a useful resource. We shall continue to meet on Sundays at five pm combining the study with worship and following it with potluck supper. Bring your friends.

We shall prepare the material ahead of time but the discussions will be informal and interactive. Rather than everyone having a book to study from, there will be questions to use as a basis for discussion.

Most of what we cover will be common to Christians as a whole. On some topics we shall present a range of opinions, attempting to be fair to the different view-points of, say, Roman Catholics and Protestants, while discussing why Anglican Christians arrived at conclusions which recognize the best of both. Initial topics are a revision exercise of what we have already covered in other discussions. We’ll get the most out of it if we try to participate every week. Depending on numbers we shall do an overview of the topic together ad then divide into groups for discussion eg teens/kids and one or more adult group. As always, feel free to ask any question.

Outline:
1 God
2. Human Nature and Sin
3. Jesus: Life and Ministry
4. Jesus: Death and Resurrection
5. The Holy Spirit
6. The Church
7. The Creeds
8 The Bible
9. Living as a Christian
10. Prayer & Worship
11. The Sacraments
12. Baptism
13. Confirmation
14. The Eucharist (ie Communion)
15. Marriage
16. Confession
17. Ordination
18. Anointing the sick (ie. Prayer for healing)
19. Life after Death

Sunday September 18th, 2005

COOL meets at 5pm on this Sunday at 2087 Beaton Ave, Comox, BC for Communion followed by pot-luck supper.
We shall begin a new series on "Faith Confirmed" .

See you there.

Kairos Journal Award Honors Four Anglican Archbishops

On Thursday, September 8, 2005, the Kairos Journal honored four leading Anglican archbishops with the Kairos Journal Award in recognition of their bold and consistent stand for historic orthodoxy in light of theological decline in the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada. The 2005 award recipients were: The Most Rev. Peter Jasper Akinola, Archbishop of All Nigeria; the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of the Province of Uganda; the Most Rev. Gregory James Venables, Archbishop of the Southern Cone of South America; and the Most Rev. Datuk Yong Ping Chung, Archbishop of the Province of South East Asia. The Journal, an on-line resource with subscribers in over eighty countries, seeks to equip and support pastors and church leaders as they strive to transform the moral conscience of the culture and restore the prophetic voice of the Church.


“The Kairos Journal Award is given to individuals who demonstrate exemplary fidelity to the authority of Scripture and exceptional pastoral courage in their efforts to restore the prophetic voice of the Church,” said publisher Emmanuel A. Kampouris. “I am delighted to present these outstanding individuals with the 2005 award.”


Honorees are further chosen based upon their discernment of, and response to, what the Journal calls the “kairos moment”—a moment of cultural crisis demanding timely action from the Church.


Archbishops Akinola, Orombi, Venables and Yong, part of the Global South, have been at the forefront of the crisis within the Anglican Communion precipitated by actions of the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) and the Anglican Church of Canada. The American and Canadian provinces have embraced theology and practice which is contrary to Scripture, Anglican teaching and historic Christianity. Archbishops Akinola, Orombi, Venables and Yong and their provinces have declared broken or impaired communion with the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada and urged the two churches to repent. The Global South makes up the vast majority of Anglicans world-wide and is the fastest growing segment of the Anglican Communion.


“What affects one part of the Christian Church affects us all,” said Mr. Kampouris. “We hope this award will offer encouragement and support not only of our four honorees and others within the Anglican Communion fighting for orthodoxy but also for clergy across denominational lines who are responding to the ‘kairos moment’.”

Sunday 11th September

COOL Community meets at 1930 Pridy Rd Comox this Sunday . Holy Communion and discussion at 5pm followed by potluck supper. See you there!

On Tuesday 13th we meet at 7pm at Comox Community Baptist Church on Anderton Rd in Comox.

Hurrican Katrina Relief

Hurricane Katrina Strikes Gulf Coast--
Urgent Response is Needed

Hundreds of thousands have been impacted by the recent hurricane in the Gulf Coast, what is emerging as the worst natural disaster to hit the United States. Many are in the affected areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, and countless more have fled to higher ground. Relief agencies are responding, but are overwhelmed, and churches and Christian organizations are seeking to provide help, support and ministry.

The Anglican Mission offices have fielded many calls and emails about the role of the AMiA as this disaster continues to unfold, and about the situation of our churches. Our congregations along Mobile Bay (Christ Anglican Church—Mobile and Grace Anglican Church—Fairhope) witnessed flooding and related property damage. It appears from our communication with them they were on the periphery of this storm, although they are still evaluating the situations of their various families. Power is down in many areas, but the situation there is better than anticipated. Holy Trinity Anglican is in Jackson, Mississippi, and Rector Tim Smith reports that it was rain, wind and some property damage there, as well. They also lost power for a couple of days, but are getting back to normal.

The Anglican Mission does not have congregations in the hardest hit areas of Mississippi and Louisiana, but will be evaluating, through those closest to the situation, the best ways to be involved in response. Hundreds of thousands of storm victims have fled to other areas, including Houston, which has become a major refugee city. Two AMiA congregations there are directly involved in ministering to these people. All Saints Church and Church of the Holy Spirit (the Woodlands) are partnering with other churches and ministries to serve the growing number of refugees in various regions (not just the Astrodome) and those who are coming to Houston to look for relatives.

Some Anglican Mission churches, such as Holy Trinity in Hudson, Ohio, have already responded by sending a team of people to the region, with trucks loaded with supplies. Rector "Doc" Loomis said that his congregation thought the direct approach would be best, and they decided to personally go to the area. Others are collecting suppplies and monies for distribution, and yet others are organizing response teams this week.

You Can Help
Prayer is urgently needed, of course, and there are various ways to provide assistance to the victims. The Anglican Mission in America has established a relief fund, and contributions can be made by sending checks to:

AMiA Katrina Relief
PO Box 3427
Pawleys Island, SC 29585
You can make credit card donations over the phone by calling our National Mission Resource Center at 843-237-0318.

The two churches in Houston have suggested providing gift cards that they can use in reaching out to the storm refugees, and they are needed immediately. These would be gift cards from companies such as WalMart, Sam's Club, Target, etc; phone cards for long distance calling (for those trying to reach loved ones) and gasoline cards. Such gift cards can be sent by individuals or churches to:

The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit
c/o Loranne Johnson
719 Sawdust Road Suite 103
Spring, TX 77380

These cards will be shared by the outreach ministries of All Saints Church (Fr. Augustine Ogbunugwu, Rector) and Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit (The Rev. Clark Lowenfield, Lead Pastor).












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COOL Celebration

We are having a service of thanksgiving and communion at Comox Community Baptist Church, 1250 Anderton Road Comox, and we would love to have you join us.

Date: Tuesday 13 September, 2005
Time: 7 pm
Guest speaker: Paul Carter
Celebrant: David Bowler

Rev Paul Carter, after distinguished service as a British Paratroop chaplain, moved with his family to Canada to work as a priest in Vancouver. He is now the Network Co-ordinator of the Anglican Communion in Canada, a missionary outreach of the Anglican Provinces of Central Africa, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda and South East Asia. He pastors a new church plant, Immanuel Westside, at UBC campus and co-pastors St Timothy's on the North Shore (North Vancouver) with Rev Ken Bell.

St. Timothy's Anglican Church - David and Ken's Ordination

Ordination Sunday

COOL will not be holding its usual Sunday evening supper and service this week, 28th August, 2005. Instead everyone is cordially invited to attend the ordination service at 2:30 pm hosted by St Timothy's on the North Shore at Lynn Valley Recreation Centre, 3590 Mountain Highway, North Vancouver. Bishop "TJ" will be officiating.

+TJ will aslo be conducting an ACiC Strategy Session at Sutherland Church in North Vancouver on Saturday 27th August (630 19th Street EastNorth Vancouver, BC V7L 3A1) 10am to 3pm.

Sunday at Five will resume on September 4th at 1930 Pridy Rd, Comox. Tel 339-4359.

Overview of the Bible

Over the Summer we shall be doing a rapid overview of the Bible which can then provide the foundaton for more detailed studies subsequently.


Overview of the Bible

Welcome to this overview of the Bible. We shall use the Bible for Blockheads (by Douglas Connelly) as our reference book. Feel free to consult other books as well. Our look at the Bible should be as interactive and participatory as possible. It will necessarily not be in-depth but should give a basic understanding of what the different parts of the Bible are about.

The Bible is really a library of books written by over 40 human authors over a period of 16 centuries. Christians study it because we believe it to be God’s Word in human words: God has ensured that what he wanted to say to us has been preserved for us in the inspired writings of human authors, each having their own perspectives and backgrounds which influenced the way their specific books were written.

The Bible includes a number of different types of literature (genres): history, poetry, proverbs, allegory, prediction, didactic teaching, love stories etc. The different genres within the Bible are interpreted or used in different ways. For example, one approaches a poem in a different manner to a piece of historical narrative.

One theme: the one over-arching theme in the Bible is God’s desire to reconcile humanity to himself. The love of God for mankind could be described as a romance of divine initiative and human response.
God’s initiative. 1. In creation: the whole universe reflecting his glory and man in his image. 2. In election: God chose one man (Abram), one family, one nation (Israel) to be the conduit of salvation. 3. In incarnation: God became human in Jesus of Nazareth. 4. In redemption: Christ died as a ransom to free us from the power of sin and death. 5. In restoration: the whole of creation will be renewed.
Human response: 1. rebellion: eg. Adam and Eve, Israel’s disobedience. 2. obedience: various people of faith (such as Noah, Abraham, etc), Mary who said “yes” to the angel and became mother of our Lord, and, supremely, Jesus’ obedience even to the extent of being crucified for us.

The first part of the Bible is the Hebrew Scriptures (the “Old Testament”). The New Testament consists of the four Gospels (about the life of Jesus), the story of the early church (Acts) and the letters (epistles) written to various individuals and local churches by leaders within the early church.

Languages: The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, apart from portions of Daniel and Ezra which are were written in Aramaic, a closely related Semitic language. The New Testament was written in Greek which was the language of commerce in the Middle East at the time of Christ.

Number of books (“the Canon” or list): The Hebrew Scriptures consist of 39 books, the New Testament consists of 27, for a total of 66. During the 400 years between the last of the OT books to be written (Malachi) and the New Testament, a number of other books and additions were written, known as the Apocrypha or Deutero-Canonical (=second list) books. These were included in a Greek translation (the Septuagint) of the OT, collated in Alexandria during the same period, but excluded by the Rabbis from the Hebrew bible. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox bibles include the Apocrypha. Most Protestant ones do not. Anglicans regard the Apocrypha as useful to read but not as God’s word. For the purposes of this course we shall consider the Bible to consist of 66 books. We can have a look at the Apocrypha at a later date.

So far we have had a whirlwind tour of Genesis through to the Gospels.

August 28 Ordination 2:30 pm in North Vancouver

September 4 Part 8 History: Acts

September 11 Part 9 Letters: Romans to Revelation.

We may choose to spread these out more. OR we can return to a book or a story in more
depth later, for example, there is a good study of the themes of Romans called “How to
be a Christian Without Being Religious”, by Ridenour. Or we could do study on
Philippians by Nicky Gumble.

I suggest that we pick one or two characters or themes from each section to concentrate
on rather than attempt to cover books in depth.

Overview of the Old Testament

Overview of the Old Testament

The OT can be divided into books of history (17), poetry (5), and prophecy (17). These can be further sub-divided. The terms “major” and “minor” refer to the length of the books, not the importance of the prophets. The prophets are therefore not listed entirely in chronological order.

History17 Poetry 5 Prophecy17
5 books of Moses 5 books of poetry 5 major prophets

Genesis Job Isaiah
Exodus Psalms Jeremiah
Leviticus Proverbs Lamentations
Numbers Ecclesiastes Ezekiel
Deuteronomy Song of Solomon Daniel
(or song of Songs)

12 other history books 12 minor prophets

Joshua Hosea
Judges Joel
Ruth Amos
1 Samuel Obadiah
2 Samuel Jonah
1 Kings Micah
2 Kings Nahum
1 Chronicles Habakkuk
2 Chronicles Zephaniah
Ezra Haggai
Nehemiah Zechariah
Esther Malachi

There is an overlap between some of these books: The story of Job is set in the era of the Patriarchs (=early Genesis), 1Chronicles covers the same time-period as 2 Samuel. 2Chronicles overlaps with 1 and 2 Kings. The story of Ruth is set in the time of the Judges. Jonah’s story comes before the Exile of Israel into Assyria. Esther’s story is set in Persia at the same time as Ezra was writing in Jerusalem after the Exile.

Genesis tells about the creation, man’s rebellion, the promise of a saviour and the early heroes of faith. God selected one man, Abram (later called Abraham), to be the pro-genitor of his chosen people through whom the rest of humanity would be blessed. It includes the stories of Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Joseph and his twelve brothers, and their move to Egypt.
Exodus: tells the story of Moses and the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. Leviticus describes the laws, feasts and rituals of the Israelite people.
Deuteronomy is a long speech by Moses before his death and the entrance of the Israelites into Canaan.
Joshua is Moses’ successor. The book is about the conquest of Canaan by the tribes of Israel.
Judges ruled Israel before the establishment of the monarchy.
Ruth is a love story. She was a young Moabite widow who embraced the faith and nation of her mother-in-law, Naomi, rather than her own pagan people. She became an ancestor of King David and, hence, of Jesus.
Samuel was a prophet and judge. During his life the monarchy was established. (1Samuel and 1Kings). Saul was first king, followed by David and his son Solomon (2 Samuel and 1Chronicles). After Solomon’s death the Kingdom split into two. (2 Kings). The ten northern tribes formed the kingdom of Israel with Samaria as the capital. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the southern kingdom of Judah with Jerusalem as the capital. In general, the Northern Kingdom rebelled against God. Not one of her Kings was faithful to God. Israel was invades by the cruel Assyrians and its people were killed or relocated to other parts of the Assyrian empire, never to be heard of again. Over a century later Judah is invaded by the Babylonians and some of her people were exile to Babylon. (2 Chronicles)
Ezra and Nehemiah tell of the return of various groups of Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem and the re-building of the Temple and the walls of the city.
Esther was the Jewish queen of Persia whose courage and wisdom result in the thwarting of a plot to exterminate the Jews. It is the only book in the Bible that does not mention God.
Job is a classic on suffering and the sovereignty of God.
Psalms is a collection of 150 poems or hymns. Some are set as early as the time of David; others date to as late as the Exile. They cover every type of experience or emotion and are a wonderful resource for comfort and prayer. They demonstrate that there is no human emotion which we cannot express to God.
Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, largely attributed to King Solomon.
Ecclesiastes, is an existential exploration of the emptiness of life without God.
Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) is a love story full of romance and poetry.

The books of prophecy date to the divided kingdom (pre-exilic), the exile, and post-exilic periods.

Pre-exile Exile Post-exile
All the rest Ezekiel and Daniel Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

The most important of the pre-exilic prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Hosea.

Overview of the New Testament

Overview of the New Testament

The 27 books, of the NT, written by at least 9 authors over about 50 years, consist of:
4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)
1 church history book: Acts tells of the birth and growth of the New Testament church.
4 letters by Paul to individuals: 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
9 letters by Paul to churches: Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians.
9 general letters: Hebrews, James, 1st and 2nd Peter, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, John, Jude and Revelation.

A separate overview of the Gospels has been written.

Acts begins with the risen Jesus, before his ascension, instructing his followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit who would empower them to spread the Good News to an increasing circle of influence: Jerusalem (chapters 1-7), Judea and Samaria (chapters 8-12) and to the rest of the world (chapters 13-28). Acts is the story of how the church expands in that order, how Christianity, which began as a branch of Judaism became a church which included Gentiles. Peter preaches the Gospel to Jews in Jerusalem, Phillip teaches an Ethiopian ruler and preaches to Samaritans, Paul (long with various companions) became a missionary to the Gentiles, ending up in prison in Rome.

The letters (“epistles”) are not listed in the order in which they were written. Paul’s letters were written from various locations during the course of events described in the book of Acts.

(A)Paul’s letters
Romans (about AD 58), the most “theological” letter, was written to the church in Rome outlining the doctrine that salvation is by faith, not by fulfilling the external rituals of the Jewish law.
1 and 2 Thessalonians (about AD 51 or 52) were written to the church in Thessalonica to encourage Christians there to remain faithful until Christ’s return and to continue with their secular work while doing so.
1 and 2 Corinthians (written about AD 56 and 57 from Ephesus during his third missionary journey) are the remnants of, possibly, 4 letters written to a very unruly congregation in Corinth to try to correct breaches in order and morals there and to defend Paul’s authority.
Galatians was written around AD 49 from Antioch to the churches Galatia within Asia Minor to counter a teaching by Jewish Christians which had tried to force Gentile converts to first become Jewish before they could become Christians.
Ephesians AD 61 was written from prison in Rome to the church in Ephesus.
Philippians: AD 61 from Roman prison to the people at Philippi. Describes the joy Christ gives which is not dependant on external circumstances. Describes Christ giving up his heavenly glory to become a servant and to die. Eventually every knee shall bow to Christ.
Colossians A.D 61 also from prison in Rome about the supremacy of Christ and transformed lives and relationships in him.
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus were written to two young pastors to instruct them in Christian leadership and conduct. The best descriptions of criteria for bishops and deacons are found here.
Philemon was a believer in Colosse whose slave, Onesimus, had run away to Rome and been converted to the Christian faith there. Paul writes to Philemon asking him to forgive Onesimus and to accept him back as a brother. The penalty for running away was crucifixion. Paul holds up the revolutionary principle of Christian brotherhood.

(B) Hebrews
Written around 70 AD by an unknown author shortly before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Compares the unique priesthood and sacrifice of Christ with the ineffective and repeated sacrifices of the Temple worship. Through Christ we have direct access to God without the need for any other mediator.

(C) James
Written by the half-brother of Jesus about AD 45 to dispersed Jewish Christians to instruct them in the need for their faith to be evidenced by their actions, to give practical instruction about prejudice, controlling one’s temper and tongue, not being judgmental and warning the rich against exploiting the poor. Also instructs sick members ot call for the elders to pray for healing.

(D) 1st (AD63) and 2nd Peter (Ad 67)
Written by Peter the impulsive fisherman, shortly before his execution, to scattered Christians to encourage them in the face of pending persecution and suffering for Christ’s sake.

(E) John’s letters around (AD 90)
First letter reiterates belief in both the divinity and humanity of Christ, encourages Christians to have faith, to love each other, advises transparency, confession of sin, and honesty. Reassures them about God’s forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. Warns about false teachers. Second letter reiterates teaching on love and truth and warns church to resist false teachers. Third letter is a personal note of encouragement to a man named Gaius who was known for hospitality.

(F) Jude
Written about AD 65 by another half-brother of Jesus to Christians encouraging them to remain faithful to the teaching they had received and to resist false teachers.

(G) Revelation
Written by John about AD 95 from exile on the island of Patmos to various churches to correct and encourage them at a time of persecution. Describes in symbolic language events which precede Christ’s return.