Learn BibleBasics BASIC ENGLISH. Book 1

Transcription

1 Learn BibleBasics IN BASIC ENGLISH Book 1

2 Authored By: Polly Strong, BRE, BA, MA Jean Armstrong, BRE, MS Copyright by HRU Learning Center. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of HRU Learning Center. Edition 0.2 Published by: This is a book to help you learn basic Bible truths. \ Read it. Think about it. Talk about it. Learn it. Use it.

3 GOD IS OUR CREATOR - WE ARE HIS Genesis 1:1-25 Lesson 1 In the beginning the One True God created the heavens and the earth. He made light. He divided the light from the darkness. He made evening and morning. This was day one. God created the firmament (air). He divided the water above (in the heavens) from the water below (on the earth). This was day two. God created land or earth. He put grass, trees, plants and seeds on the land. He told them to grow, to reproduce and to multiply. This was day three. God made the sun, the moon and the stars. He put them in the sky. He told them to rule the days, nights and seasons. This was day four. God created things with life. He put fish in the seas and birds in the sky. This was day five. God created animals on the earth. Then God made human beings. This was day six. Who was in the beginning? What did He do? What did He create on day one? What did God create on day two? What did God create on day three? What did God create on day four? What did God create on day five? What did God create on day six?

4 EVERYTHING GOD MADE WAS GOOD Genesis 1:26 2:25 Lesson 2 God created human beings different from everything else. They are the greatest part of His creation. He made humans in His own image. Humans are living beings with soul and spirit. God is a person. He thinks, feels, and makes choices. I am a person. I think, feel, and make choices. God talked with Adam, the first human being. He told him to rule the earth and to take care of it. God created a woman to be Adam s wife. He called her Eve. God told Adam and Eve to multiply and to fill the earth with people. God loves people. He wants to be with them. God saw that everything He made was good. He rested on day seven and enjoyed His creation. He wants people to enjoy His creation too. God finds joy in people and He wants them to find joy in Him. He loves people and wants to do things with them. He wants to talk to them. He wants them to talk to Him. God made the world to be man s home. He put Adam and Eve in a garden called Eden (in the East near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers). He gave humans everything they need. God wanted them to use the things He made. God gave Adam laws to live by. He told Adam to rule the world and to take care of it. He told Adam and Eve to eat of all the trees of the garden, except one. He said, "Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Anyone who eats of that tree will die." God wants people to choose to love and obey Him. Who was Eve? What did God tell Adam and Eve to do? What did He tell them not to do? What did God do on day seven? Where did God put Adam and Eve? Who does God love? What did God enjoy?

5 GOD IS PERFECT - HE CANNOT LIVE WITH SIN Genesis 3-11 Lesson 3 Adam and Eve lived in Eden. God walked and talked with them. They listened to Him and did what He said. They obeyed His laws. Everything was perfect. One day God s enemy, Satan, came into the garden. Satan hates God. He wants to hurt God. He tries to destroy people who love and obey God. Satan tried to make Eve disobey God. He asked: Did God tell you not to eat of the trees? Did He really say: 'You will die'? Satan lied to Eve. He said, You will not die. The fruit will make you wise like God. He wanted her to doubt God. Eve listened to Satan. She saw the fruit was good. She wanted it. She disobeyed God s law. She took the fruit. She ate it and she gave some to Adam. He listened to Eve. He ate it too. They did not obey God. Disobedience to God's law is sin. The penalty of sin is death. Everything changed. The earth and human beings were now under the penalty of death. Pain, suffering and death came into the world. Adam and Eve were afraid. They hid. They tried to cover themselves with leaves. They knew they were guilty. God judges sin, but He loves people. He came to Adam and Eve. He said, "I will make a way to save you from the penalty of sin." God promised: I will send a Savior to die in your place." He killed an animal and covered Adam and Eve with the skins. This was a picture of His promise. Then He sent them out of the garden. Who is Satan? What does he do? What did he do to Eve? What did God command Adam to do? What did He promise? God gave Adam and Eve two sons, Cain and Abel. They gave gifts (offerings) to God. Cain gave fruit from his fields. Abel killed a lamb, like God killed an animal to cover Adam and Eve. Who is Satan? What does he do? What did he do to Eve? What did God command Adam to do? What did He promise? God accepted Abel s gift (offering). He did not accept Cain s. Cain was angry. God said, Do not be angry. I will tell you what to do. Cain did not listen to God. In anger he killed his brother and lied to God. Then Cain went away from God. God gave Adam and Eve another son, Seth. The descendants of Cain s family did not listen to God or worship Him. The descendants of Seth s family worshipped God. Who were the sons of Adam and Eve? What did they do? How was Cain s offering different from Abel s? Whose offering did God accept? Whose did He reject? What did Cain do? How was Seth s family different?

6 After many years the people of the earth became very wicked. They forgot God and did not obey His laws. Noah was different from the other people of the earth. He remembered God and obeyed His laws. God told Noah to build a big boat called an ark. Noah listened to God and obeyed Him. He did everything God said. He built the ark. Noah and his family went into the ark. God destroyed all the people of the earth with a great flood but He saved Noah and his family in the ark. He also saved two of every animal and bird, a male and a female. The flood ended. They came out of the ark. Noah built an altar and prayed to The One True God. God told Noah s sons to have children and fill the earth again with people. Noah s sons did not obey God. They built a tower to honor themselves. God changed their languages and stopped their work. He divided the people into nations and scattered them over the earth. The people did not listen to God, their Ruler, so God created human government Who were the sons of Adam and Eve? What did they do? How was Cain s offering different from Abel s? Whose offering did God accept? Whose did He reject? What did Cain do? How was Seth s family different?

7 CHOICES, PROMISES AND COMMANDS Genesis Lesson 4 Many years after Noah and his sons died, about 4000 years ago, most of the people of the world did not listen to God. A few people, like Abraham and Job listened to Him. They did what He said. Abraham was a man of Ur in the Chaldea (near the Persian Gulf). He trusted God. God told Abraham to leave his country and go to a new land. God wanted to make a new nation of people who listened to Him. He chose Abraham to be the father of that nation. God gave Abraham a promise. He promised him a great name, great blessings and a great nation. God promised to bless all the people of the earth through Abraham. This was called a covenant. It depended on Abraham's obedience. Abraham believed God s promise and obeyed. He went to the new land, called Canaan, on the Mediterranean Sea. What did God promise Abraham? (three nouns) Who did God promise to bless through Abraham? What was this promise called? On what did it depend? Abraham trusted God. He made a choice. He chose to obey and follow God. He left his family and friends. He went from Ur to the new land of Canaan. Abraham s wife, Sarah, and his nephew, Lot, went with him. After they arrived in Canaan Lot chose to separate from Abraham. He chose to live in the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, east of the Jordan River. God destroyed these cities, but saved Lot and his daughters. What choice did Abraham make? What did he do? Who went with Abraham? What did Lot choose to do? Where did Lot choose to go? (from-to) What did God do? (Write 2 sentences.) Abraham lived in Canaan, The Promised Land. He knew God said, You will become the father of a great nation, but how? He did not have a son and he was old. Sarah was old too. Sarah told Abraham to have a son with her servant, Hagar. Abraham chose to listen to Sarah. He had a son, Ishmael, with Hagar, but Ishmael was not the son of God s promise. God gave Abraham a son with Sarah when he was 100 years old. His name was Isaac. He was the son of promise. Abraham loved his son, Isaac, but he loved God more. God tested Abraham's faith. Did he really trust God? God asked Abraham to give his son as a sacrifice, like a lamb, killed on an altar. Abraham was willing to give Isaac back to God. He obeyed, and God saved Isaac's life. He blessed Abraham for his faith. What did Abraham and Sarah not have until they were old? Who was the son of promise? Who did Abraham love more than Isaac? What was Abraham willing to do? What did God do? (2 verbs)

8 God gave Isaac a wife, Rebecca. They had two sons, Jacob and Esau. Jacob was the son of promise. At first he was deceitful and selfish. God changed Jacob's heart and his name. Jacob became Israel, prince with God. He had twelve sons. They became the heads of the tribes of Israel. Jacob loved his son Joseph more than his other sons. Joseph s brothers hated him and sold him as a slave to some traders who took him to Egypt. Joseph trusted God even when his owner, Potiphar, put him in prison. God blessed Joseph. He became a great leader in Egypt. All of his family came from Canaan to live in Egypt with Joseph. He took care of them. How many sons did Isaac have? What do you know about Jacob What did God do for Jacob? What was Jacob s new name How many sons did Jacob have? BIBLE LANDS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

9 THE NATION OF ISRAEL Exodus 1-33 SLesson 5 Nations have laws and leaders. People are loyal to their nations or countries. When they obey the laws and respect their leaders, they help each other. People and nations do things in different ways. This is called their culture. There are many kinds of nations and governments in the world. Some of the most common forms of government are: a democracy, a republic, a monarchy, and a dictatorship. In a democracy the people rule the country. The people elect representatives to rule the land in a republic. A king or queen rules in a monarchy. A dictator, one strong person, rules by force in a dictatorship. When a country has no government we call it anarchy. When God rules, it is called a theocracy. All the people of the world lived under a theocracy until the time of Noah. God started human government when they rejected Him. God created a special nation through Abraham. They were called The Children of Israel, or The Hebrews. They were a theocracy. God was their King. What do people do who are loyal to their nations? (3 verbs) What is culture? What is a theocracy? What kind of government ruled the world until the time of Noah? Who was the first king of The Children of Israel? The Children of Israel lived in Egypt 400 years after the time of Joseph. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob s family became a great nation. But they were not a free nation. They were slaves to the people of Egypt. The Egyptians were cruel to the Israelites. God wanted to deliver them and be their King. He wanted to guide them back to Canaan, The Promised Land. He wanted them to live under His rule in their home land. He wanted to show them His power and glory. God wanted the people of the world to see His power and glory in Israel. How many years did the Children of Israel live in Egypt after Joseph died? What did Jacob s family become in Egypt? What did God want to do for Israel? (3 verbs) What did God want Israel to do? What did God want the world to see in Israel? God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. He took them across the Red Sea and through the desert to the mountain of Sinai. God did miracles to show them His power and glory. He divided the Red Sea. They walked across on dry ground. He gave them water and food called manna. He taught them to trust Him. The One True God offered to be the God of Israel. They accepted His offer. God called Moses up on the mountain to talk with Him. He wrote his laws and gave them to Moses. Moses gave them to the people. The Ten Commandments are the first part of the law.

10 Who did God call to lead His people out of Egypt? Where did God take His people? What did He teach them? What did He offer them? What did they do? What did He give them? Fill in the blanks. Moses led the people of Israel out of, across the, through the, and to the of.

11 A HOUSE FOR GOD - GOD LIVES WITH HIS PEOPLE Exodus Lesson 6 Governments have laws and leaders. They also have buildings where they meet with their leaders. Sometimes they have a special house where the leader lives. The President of the United States of America lives in a big house in Washington, DC called The White House. In England, the king or the queen lives in a palace in London. Only qualified people can enter these houses. They must be invited. They must show proper papers. They must respect all the rules or they will not be allowed to enter. God told His people to build Him a house. He wanted to come and live with them. It was a very special house because God is very special. The One True God is holy. He has no sin. He cannot do wrong. He is all pure and clean. He cannot live with sin. God told His people to build him a holy place, separate from the people. His house was called the tabernacle. Heavy curtains surrounded a courtyard and protected the tabernacle. The priests represented the rest of the people. They went into the tabernacle. An altar for burnt offerings was at the door of the courtyard of the tabernacle. Here the people confessed their sins and asked God to forgive them. They killed animals and put the blood on the altar. They said, The One True God will sent a Savior to die for our sins. The Savior did come and die for them and for us too. No one can enter the presence of the One True God without this blood sacrifice for his or her sin.

12 Only the priests went into the tent of the tabernacle. They took the words of the people to God. A special room in the tabernacle was separated from the rest of the tabernacle by a heavy curtain. This room was called the Holy of Holies. Nothing unclean can enter God's presence. God's Spirit lived in this room above the ark of the covenant. Only the high priest went into this room once a year to ask pardon and forgiveness for the sins of the people.. What was at the door of the courtyard of the tabernacle? What did the people do at the door? (4 verbs) What was the altar a picture of? What must everyone have to enter into God s presence? What cannot come into God s presence? Where did God s Spirit live in the tabernacle? Who entered the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle? How often did he enter? The priests were born into the tribe of Levi. Their responsibility was to give God s word to the people and to take the people s words to God. The book of Leviticus gives many details about the priests, the sacrifices and the festivals of Israel. It is like a rule book for the priests in the tabernacle. The priests were born into what tribe? What were the responsibilities of the priests? (2 verbs) Responsibilities are things we must do. What is the book of Leviticus about?

13 TRUST GOD IN FAILURE AND SUCCESS Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth Lesson 7 The One True God gave Israel a job to do. They must return to Canaan. God wanted to be their King in The Promised Land. He wanted to show His power and glory to the world through them. In the Book of Numbers God organized the Children of Israel for their journey from Sinai to Canaan. They failed God many times on this journey but in the end they conquered Canaan which became the land of Israel. Israel failed at Kadesh Barnea, at the border of Canaan. They were afraid to enter the land. They did not trust God. They failed when they complained about the food, the water, and their leaders. They did not respect God. Moses failed when he disobeyed God. God told him to speak to the rock and he hit it instead. They failed at Ai when Achan stole things. They failed when they signed a contract with Gibeon without asking God. They failed when they trusted their own wisdom, not God s. How did Israel fail God? When did Moses fail God? Israel had many successes too. They conquered their enemies in God s strength. They crossed the Jordan River into Canaan. They marched around the city of Jericho and the walls fell down. They conquered the five kings of the south. Then they took the cities of the north. The land of Canaan became the land of Israel. Joshua gave each tribe a territory, except the tribe of Levi. The priests of Levi lived in all of the territories. They helped the people keep in contact with the One True God, their King. What were some of the successes of Israel? What did the land of Canaan become? To what tribe did Joshua not give land? Where did the priests live? What did the priests do? Israel failed again, two generations after Joshua. They did not chase out the people of Canaan. Their sons and daughters married Canaanites. They forgot the One True God and His laws. Everyone did what he or she wanted to do. They did not listen to God or obey Him. Each one did what was right in his own eyes. God no longer protected them. Their enemies attacked them. They cried out to God and he sent them judges like Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. The judges brought them back to the One True God and He again blessed and protected them. Ruth was a woman of Moab. Naomi, her mother-in-law told her about the One True God. Ruth believed in this God. When Naomi left Moab to return to Bethlehem in the country of Judah in the land of Israel, Ruth went with her. She wanted to be with God's people in His land. God gave her a husband, Boaz, and a son, Obed. He was the grandfather of King David, the greatest human king in the history of Israel. How did Israel fail again, after the time of Joshua? (four times) Who brought them back to the One True God? What did God do when the people returned to Him?

14 Who BIBLE was Ruth? LANDS Who IN were THE some TIME of the OF judges? JOSHUA, JUDGES AND THE KINGS

15 GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO OBEY HIM 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1-11; 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles 1-9 Lesson 8 The Children of Israel lived in the Promised Land. The One True God was their king but they disobeyed Him. They did not chase out all the Canaanites. They forgot God and did what they wanted to do. They did what was right in their own eyes. Even the priests were corrupt. The sons of Eli, the high priest, did not respect God s holiness. They took the Ark where God lived, out of the holy place in the tabernacle. They carried it into battle with the Philistines. A holy God cannot live with sin. God s presence left Israel. Most of the people rejected God, but some of them still honored Him. Hannah prayed to God for a son. He gave her a son named Samuel. Samuel became a judge and a prophet who brought the people back to God. God called the prophet Samuel to lead His people. They listened, but did not continue to obey. Their enemies continued to attack them. They were afraid. They wanted a man to be their king like other nations. Samuel was sad. The One True God was sad too. He was their King. God gave them King Saul who disobeyed God s commands. God took the kingdom away from Saul. He gave it to David, a man after God's own heart. David was a shepherd boy who trusted God. He knew music. He knew how to fight. Most of all David knew the One True God. Where did the Children of Israel live during this period? Who was their king? What left Israel? What did the people of Israel want? What did God call David? David killed Goliath, a giant in the enemy army of the Philistines. He fought for the honor and glory of God s name. God gave him the victory. The people loved David, but King Saul was jealous of him. He tried to kill David three times. David ran away. Saul s son, Jonathan, loved David and helped him escape. For the rest of his life, Saul tried to kill David. David respected Saul because Saul was God's anointed, God's chosen king of Israel. David did not hurt Saul, even when there were chances to kill him. He obeyed God and respected his king. David trusted God and God protected him.

16 When David became king he wanted God to return to Israel. He brought the ark of God, the holy place where God lived, to Jerusalem. He knew God was the real King. He wanted to build a house with a holy place for God. He wanted to build a temple where people could come and worship God. Nathan was a prophet of God. God spoke to the prophets. The prophets gave God's words to the kings and the people. Nathan gave David a message from God. He told David not to build a house for the ark. God had chosen Solomon, David s son, to build a great temple. When Solomon became king he asked God for wisdom to judge His people. God gave him wisdom and riches greater than any other man. Solomon built a great temple. The presence and glory of God returned to Israel. When David killed Goliath, what was he fighting for? Who loved David? Who was jealous of him? What did David's son, Solomon, ask God to give him?

17 LIBERTY OR BONDAGE - SLAVE OR FREE 1 Kings 12-2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles Lesson 9 After the time of David and Solomon, the people of Israel were very unhappy. T heir kings did not follow God s way. Solomon s son, Rehoboam, was selfish, greedy and demanding. He taxed the people until they rebelled. Ten tribes left Rehoboam and asked Jeroboam, who was a former minister of Solomon, to be their king. These ten tribes in the north were called Israel or The Northern Kingdom. The two tribes in the south were called Judah or The Southern Kingdom. Jeroboam did not want his people to go to the temple in Judah to worship the One True God. He built two golden calves and told the people to worship God there. All the kings of Israel continued to pray to objects, not to the One True God. This is idol worship. King Ahab was a very wicked king. His wife Jezebel introduced the worship of Baal into Israel. God sent the prophet Elijah to meet the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. They offered sacrifices. God accepted Elijah s sacrifice. The people saw the power and glory of God. They knew Elijah s God was the One True God. After the time of David and Solomon what happened to the nation of Israel? What did Jeroboam build for the people of Israel (ten tribes in the north)? What did Jeroboam not want his people to do? Who was the wicked king in Israel whose wife introduced Baal worship? Who did God send to Ahab and the prophets of Baal? What did God show the people through Elijah s sacrifice? God sent many prophets to His people. They told the people to repent and come back to God. Some of these prophets were: Elijah, Elisha, Joel, Amos, Isaiah and Micah. The people did not listen to the prophets. God punished them for their disobedience. He allowed the Assyrians to conquer Israel and take the people captive. Some of the kings of Judah honored God and some of them did not. The good kings (like Joash, Hezekiah and Josiah) obeyed God and went to the temple to worship Him. The bad kings rejected God and his laws. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. He took many captives. God sent the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah. He told them to go live in Babylon. He said, If you disobey and stay here, you will die. Then he told them that in seventy years the One True God would deliver them and they would return to their land. The kings of Judah did not like Jeremiah or his message. They were cruel to him. God protected his life. Everything happened just as Jeremiah had said. Habakkuk also prophesied at this time. God s people had rejected Him and He rejected them. God s presence left them again. What did the good kings of Judah do? What did the prophets do? How did God punish the disobedience of Israel? What did the king of Babylon do? Who did God send to the people of Judah? What was his message? What did God do when His people rejected Him?

18 REPENT, RETURN, REBUILD Ezekiel, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, Esther, Malachi The people of Judah were captives in Babylon for seventy years. They were unfaithful to God as a nation. But some faithful Jews still trusted the One True God. Ezekiel and Daniel were among these. They respected the Babylonian leaders, but they respected God more. They obeyed God even when it was hard. The king of Babylon threw Daniel s friends into a fiery furnace. Another king threw Daniel into a den of lions. God protected them. All the people saw the power and glory of the One True God. Lesson 10 Where were the people of Judah captives? How long were they there? Why were they captives? Ezekiel prophesied to the Jews in Babylon. Like other prophets he told them to repent and come back to the One True God. He gave them hope. He told them God s glory was leaving the temple, but some day it was coming back. Daniel prophesied about what was coming to the nations of the world. Some of the prophecies of Ezekiel and Daniel have already happened. Others are still in the future. Who prophesied to them in Babylon? What did Ezekiel tell the Jews to do? What hope did he give them? What prophecies did Daniel give? At the end of the 70 years of captivity another country, Persia, conquered Babylon. Cyrus, the Persian king, gave permission to the Jews to return to Jerusalem. The first group went back with Zerubbabel. They began to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The people around them discouraged them. The work stopped. Two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah told the people to trust in the Lord. This encouraged them. Ezra, a faithful priest, taught them God s word. The people completed the temple. What did Cyrus, the king of Persia allow the Jews to do? What did the Jews who returned to Jerusalem begin to do? Why did the work stop? Who encouraged them? Nehemiah, a Jewish servant of the king of Babylon, asked to return to Jerusalem. King Artaxerxes gave him permission. He went back to Judah and encouraged the people to rebuild the walls of the city. He told them to think about the joy they had, because the One True God was with them. This gave them courage to finish the walls. Ezra preached and many people who had turned away from the One True God, repented, and came back to Him. This was a great revival. But it did not last. The Jews soon began to marry people God had told them not to marry, and leave the ways of God. They ignored His word and lost His guidance and protection. For four hundred years no new prophets came to bring God s word to the people. Malachi was the last prophet of the Old Testament. What did Nehemiah encourage them to do after they finished the temple? What did Nehemiah tell the people to think about? What was the result? Who taught them God s Word? What happened when Ezra preached God's Word? Because God's people ignored Him, what happened for 400 years?

19 JESUS IS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD Mathew, Mark, Luke, John For four hundred years the prophets had no new messages from God. Most people lost their hope in a coming Messiah, the King who would free them. The Roman Empire ruled the land of Israel. Herod was the king of the Jews. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes (religious rulers) added many strict rules to the law of God. No one knew when the Messiah/King was coming. Then Jesus, the One True God, came, and they did not know Him. He was born in Bethlehem of Judea. He grew up in Nazareth and began His work on earth in Galilee. But the people did not recognize or accept Him. They were looking for a Messiah to free them from Roman rule. They were not looking for a Savior to free them from the death penalty of sin. Why had many people lost hope? Who were the religious leaders? What did they do to the law? Who ruled the land of Israel 400 years after the prophets? Lesson 11 John the Baptist, the first prophet after Malachi, told the people to turn from their sins and follow God. The Messiah/King had come. Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Lamb of God. The One True God had come to free them from the penalty of sin. Jesus taught the people about heaven, healed the sick and did many miracles. Some people believed that He was God, but many people did not. They said Jesus lied because He said He was God. They tried to kill Him. Jesus continued to teach and do miracles. He preached publicly that people must believe in the One True God. He chose twelve men to be His disciples, to walk and work with Him. He prepared them for His death, resurrection and return to heaven. He told them the Holy Spirit was coming to comfort and guide them. The Holy Spirit would give them power to do Christ s work on earth. These disciples were going to start a new group of believers called the Church. Who was John the Baptist? What did he tell the people to do? Why did some people say Christ blasphemed? What did Jesus do while He was on earth? For what did Jesus prepare His disciples? What did He say was going to happen? What were they going to do?

20 Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover supper in Jerusalem. Then they went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Soldiers came and arrested Jesus. They took Him to Caiaphas the high priest, then to Pilate, the Roman governor. They accused Him falsely. They shouted Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Pilate condemned Jesus to death. They crucified Jesus Christ, the Son of the One True God, and buried His body. Three days later He rose from the dead. appeared to His disciples and many other people. He told His disciples to take care of His sheep, the people who believed in Him. He also told them to go into all the world and tell others about Him. Why did Jesus and His disciples go to Gethsemane? Why did the soldiers come to Gethsemane? What did the soldiers and the people do with Jesus? Who saw Jesus after He rose from the dead? What did Jesus tell His disciples to do? He

21 JESUS CHRIST IS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS Acts, the Epistles, Revelation Jesus walked on earth for forty days after His resurrection. About 500 people saw Him. Then He took His disciples back to the Mount of Olives and told them goodbye. He reminded them that the Holy Spirit was coming to give them power. They would go to new places to preach the Gospel, the good news about Jesus. Jesus wanted all the world to know He had paid for their sin through His death and resurrection. Then Jesus returned to heaven. Lesson 12 The men who had walked with Jesus (the apostles) went to Jerusalem. They met to pray with other believers. The Holy Spirit came to them with great power. They went out and preached about Jesus. Thousands of people believed that Jesus was the Messiah/Christ, the One True God, who could save them from sin. The church started. Public baptism was the way they showed they believed Christ died, was buried and came back to life (resurrection). They accepted his death as payment for their sin. They had new eternal life. They were saved through faith in Christ. Herod and the Jewish religious leaders were angry. They arrested Peter and other disciples and put them in prison. God delivered them and they continued to preach the Gospel. What happened when people believed that Jesus is the One True God? What was the attitude of Herod and the Jewish religious leaders? The church chose Philip, Stephen and other men to be deacons to serve in the church. These men also went out and preached the Gospel. The Jews persecuted the believers. They killed Stephen. At first Saul, a zealous religious man, persecuted Christians. Then Christ spoke to him. Saul believed that Jesus was the Messiah and his life changed. He became Paul the evangelist (the one who preaches the Gospel) to the people who were not Jews (Gentiles). He went with Barnabas to Antioch. The people at Antioch called the believers Christians because they followed Christ. The church at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to Asia Minor to tell the people about Christ. Later Paul, Silas, and Timothy travelled to Europe to preach the Gospel. These trips were called missionary journeys. People accepted Christ as their Savior, both Jews and Gentiles. They were baptized and met together to pray and learn more about God. These meetings were called local churches. James, Paul, Peter and John wrote letters to these churches and individuals. They explained more about Christ and salvation. They taught people how to live as Christians. They wrote about behavior in a local church. These letters are called epistles in the New Testament.

22 The religious leaders arrested Paul in Jerusalem. They sent him to the Roman governors in Caesarea. These governors sent him to Rome to be tried before Caesar. Most of the disciples died for the cause of Christ. John was sent as a prisoner to an island called Patmos. Christ came to John. He revealed future events to him. He told him what was going to happen in the future. John wrote what he saw and heard, in the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. What changed Saul? Why did people at Antioch call the believers Christians? Why did Paul and Silas travel to Asia Minor and Europe? What are the Epistles? What do they teach? ISRAEL IN THE NEW TESTAMENT