He watched the killing of Stephen, the first martyr. He went on to do everything he could to stamp out the newly formed Christian church. We would not expect him to become a convert and a missionary and an apostle, but that is what God did. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.o

Imagine you're right in the middle of a very successful outreach program. People are coming to Christ daily. God is blessing your efforts. Then an angel comes and tells you to leave this successful ministry and go into the desert? What would you do? Would you argue? Would you go? To support this mi

"Kill them all, that will stop the spread of this evil." This was the plan used in Jerusalem two thousand years ago to stop the spread of Christianity. It didn't work. The enemies of Christianity have used intimidation, threat, force, imprisonment and death to stamp out the Church. To support this

Too frequently we hear news stories about the persecution of our brothers and sisters. We are thankful for our safety while we’re both saddened and horrified by such news. Yet we must remember that Christianity began in unjust persecution. Listen next time as Dr. Boice challenges us with the story o

Romans chapter three is really the heart of the Word of God. It’s the Gospel presented in its purest and most condensed form, showing both our need and the solution to that need through the work of Jesus Christ. Join Dr. James Boice next time on The Bible Study Hour as he directs our attention to th

Are you a service-oriented person? There are two types: those who live to serve and the others who live to be served. The world is filled with both—so are churches. What about you? To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/81/29?v=20251111

If you are a believer, you will face trials like alienation, slander, humiliation and sorrow—things that none of us looks forward to. But they are a part of the life of any believer—one who is actively living for God in an increasingly hostile society. Why does that happen? Because when we are faith

The punishment of Ananias and Sapphira from the book of Acts seems severe. They were struck dead by God for a seemingly trivial offense. Seems like a harsh punishment. But this story teaches us a very important lesson about God. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/

Wouldn’t you like to go back in time, and sit with the early believers as they met for worship? Wouldn’t you love to see how they lived together as a community of faith, sharing the good news of Jesus? We don’t have a time machine, but in Acts chapter 4 we do have a portrait of the worship and work

It doesn’t happen every day for us, but it started happening right away for the early apostles. God tells you to do something, and the state says you can’t. What do you do? What are your options? What are the issues? To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/81/29

There is only one man who never walked in the counsel of the wicked or stood in the way of sinners, and that person was the God-man, Jesus Christ. But was Jesus the man the psalmist describes in Psalm One? Join Dr. James Boice next time on The Bible Study Hour as he takes a deeper look at the man de

On one side are gangs of priests, Sadducees, rulers, and elders. They’re backed by the authority of their office, and they wield the power of intimidation and imprisonment. On the other side are Peter and John. They’re backed by the authority of God’s word, and they wield the power of the Holy Spiri

A man who can’t walk sits outside the temple begging for money. Most people look away. A few give him a coin. But today, two men stop and talk. They’re flat broke themselves, but they do give him something. And the man who can’t walk stands up, walks around, starts jumping, and runs into the temple

Every church has its distinctive. Each congregation is different. But all biblical churches share the same essentials. What are they? What activities are at the heart of every true church in every time and place? Next time on The Bible Study Hour, Dr. James Boice looks at the early church and finds