Introducing the King

Everyone has their own view of God.  Some scoff at the idea of God and turn their noses to anyone who dares suggest there is a God.  Others are like the men of Athens in the first century AD who believed in "god(s)" but didn't know about the one true God...at least not until the Apostle Paul told them (Acts 17).  There are others, like myself, who claim belief in the God of the Bible.  Yet, we live our comfortable lives from beginning to end, in our comfortable houses, going to a comfortable church in a comfortable car without ever stopping to think seriously about this God we claim belief in.  We busy ourselves with the things of this world and turn a blind eye to the majesty and splendor of God.  In our own ignorance we fail to know the true God and instead become idolaters, having made a "god" in our own image.  That's my tendency and it's yours.  It's the daily struggle we face as sinful people living in a fallen world.

Thankfully, God knows our natural bent, so He warned us through the prophet Jeremiah and said, "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.  For in these things I delight, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 9:23-24)  May we heed God's call and strive to understand and KNOW Him better...because our eternity hinges on it...

John 17:3 says "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Whether or not you know the only true God and His Son, Jesus, determines whether or not you have eternal life.  That means, the most important though you will ever think is what you think when you think about God.  In fact, all the problems we face living on this little ball of dirt floating in the universe and the solutions to those problems are theological (relating to the study of God).

In the early days of the Christian church various groups began to develop creedal statements and catechisms.  These short statements were often committed to memory because they clearly and succinctly describe what we believe to be true based on the teaching of the Bible.  One of the more well-known catechisms, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, asks and answers this question: "What is God?" The answer: "God is Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth." That's a great starting point for knowing God better but the people who can recite it from memory today are few and far between.

One of the blessings of living in the age in which we live is that we have almost an endless number of resources at our fingertips.  One of the curses of living in the age in which we live is that we have almost an endless number of resources at our fingertips.  I say that because people rarely stop to internalize or remember some of these vital truths.  YET, we must!

I encourage you to check out our current sermon series at Geist Community Church called Introducing the King.  May we "press on to know the Lord." (Hosea 6:3)

Know the Truth; Live by the Truth

A couple weeks ago my two kids and I were out in the backyard.  Grant (five) was swinging on the swing set while three-year-old Grace decided to grab a spray bottle filled with water.  She was spraying the flowers, patio, grill and anything else that crossed her circuitous path.  I knew what she was plotting as she inched closer to her brother sitting innocently on the swing. 

Grace glanced back at me, knowing that dad had told her she could spray anything in the backyard except for her brother.  She knew if she squirted him the spray bottle would be taken away just as dad had promised.  Yet, like Eve in the Garden of Eden, she couldn't resist the ONE thing she wasn't supposed to do.  Grace knew the authority, she knew the consequences of her disobedience, yet she chose to allow her own desire to trump the authority of her father.

In Mark 12:18-27 we read about a group of religious leaders who were acting very much like my three year-old daughter.  They allowed their own interests and desires to trump the authority of God's Word in their lives.  In the middle of that section Jesus zeroed in on two reasons they failed to submit to the authoirty of God's Word:

(1) "you know neither the Scriptures" - They didn't know the Bible!  The Sadducees only viewed the first five books of the Old Testament (the Books of Moses) as authoritative, so they really didn't know and understand the truth of the entire Old Testament Scripture.

(2) "nor the power of God" - Since they didn't know the Bible, they failed to know it's Author, God.  If the Sadducees would have truly known the Scriptures, they would have understood and believed that God can do anything - including raising people from the dead.

May we not stumble down the same path as the Sadducees; failing to know the power of God because we fail to know His Word.  We must know the Truth and we must live by the Truth.

          "The law of the LORD is perfect,
                  reviving the soul;
            the testimony of the LORD is sure,
                  making wise the simple;
           the precepts of the LORD are right,
                  rejoicing the heart;
            the commandment of the LORD is pure,
                  enlightening the eyes; "
                                        - Psalm 19:7-8

Discipleship in the Gospel of Luke

Since we are currently studying the Gospel of Mark at Geist Community Church I thought it might be interesting to look at another Gospel writer's take on discipleship.

The concept of discipleship in the Gospel of Luke is not only implicitly modeled by Jesus but explicitly taught by Him as well. Luke in particular views discipleship in much broader terms than Matthew or Mark.[1]  As Goodnough explains, in Luke “Jesus’ disciples included a large number of followers.”[2] So, just so we are all on the same page for this post let me propose Goodnough's definition for discipleship as “a comprehensive process of coming to faith in Jesus Christ and growing in commitment to him throughout a lifetime.”[3]

Let's first look at Christ’s model of discipleship in Luke's Gospel and then evaluate three major passages where He explicitly taught on discipleship.

     Christ’s Model of Discipleship

In order to study the concept of discipleship in Luke it is of the utmost importance to look at the life of Jesus Christ. The twelve apostles (including the "betrayer," Judas) were privileged to witness Jesus’ model first-hand for around three years. They observed first-hand Jesus’ incredible commitment to fulfill the will of the Father even as they saw Him being beaten and hung on the cross. We too are privileged to have a written record of Jesus modeling discipleship in the Gospels. To facilitate our understanding of discipleship in Luke it is important to look at four main ways in which Jesus’ life and ministry clearly illustrated the concept of discipleship.

First, Jesus’ modeling of discipleship clearly involved building relationships. These relationships were not limited merely to the twelve disciples. Throughout the book of Luke Jesus speaks to crowds of people numbering into the thousands. Luke 12:1 says that “a crowd of many thousands had gathered” just to hear the incredible teaching of Jesus. Goodnough points out that “While it is true that in the later part of Jesus’ ministry He did focus more and more attention on the twelve disciples, He never abandoned His ministry to the crowds.”[4] In Luke 19:37 Jesus was riding the colt down the Mount of Olives making His final trip to Jerusalem and what Luke describes as a “whole crowd of disciples” began praising Jesus.

Jesus obviously had varying degrees of intimacy among those whom he referred to as His disciples. In Luke 10:1 Jesus appointed 72 others and sent them out in groups of two. In Luke 6:12-16 Jesus called His disciples to him and chose twelve of them whom he designated apostles. There were more than twelve disciples, but it was the core of twelve that Jesus chose to concentrate on developing relationships with. Of those twelve, Jesus also seemed to have a much closer relationship with Peter, John, and James as those are the three disciples He chose to reveal His glory to on the mountain in Luke 9:28-36. Regardless of the varying degrees of intimacy, it is clear that Jesus developed relationships with those He was leading.

The second way in which Jesus modeled discipleship was by focusing on the personal development of others through teaching and real life scenarios. Of the twelve apostles that Jesus originally chose, none of them were skilled in theology or Old Testament studies. Jesus made it a priority to develop them personally by teaching them what it means to be a disciple. He focused on developing them through many different situations. As stated earlier, the twelve disciples witnessed Jesus’ miracles first-hand as He fed over five thousand people in Luke 9 and healed a blind beggar in Luke 18. Jesus also put them in situations where they were forced to exercise their faith, or lack there of, in passages like Luke 8:22 when Jesus calmed the storm.

Third, Jesus modeled discipleship by making prayer a priority in His ministry. The first mention of Jesus praying in Luke’s Gospel is found near the beginning of His ministry in Luke 5:16 where it says “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Again in Luke 6:12 is says “Jesus when out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” Jesus not only modeled prayer, but he modeled it in a specific manner. Jesus’ prayer was done in private and often at the most difficult times for our human bodies to respond physically, early in the morning or late at night. Jesus likewise called upon His disciples to pray in Luke 22:40, in perhaps one of the most vivid images of Christ’s anguish as His death on the cross drew near.

Finally, Jesus modeled discipleship in the ultimate way possible by obeying the will of the Father and willingly dying on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for sin. He proved that He was completely committed to the will of the Father by giving of His own life. In Luke 14:11 and 18:14 Jesus said, “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” The Apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:8 that Jesus “humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross.” Jesus exhibited the ultimate form of humility possible by giving of His own life and thus perfectly modeled true discipleship.

     Christ’s Teaching on Discipleship

The entire Gospel of Luke is filled with Jesus’ teaching on discipleship. There are, however, three main passages in Luke where Christ explicitly taught on discipleship.

Luke 9:23-27

In this first passage, Christ clearly “made high demands on those who would be His true disciples.” [5] This paper will briefly highlight two main calls of Christ in the passage. The first call of Christ toward true discipleship is that self denial and taking up one’s own cross daily. Weirsbe reminds us, “In the Roman world, the cross was a symbol of shame, guilt, suffering, and rejection. There could be no more despicable way to die. Crucifixion was not mentioned in polite conversation, and the people would no more think of wearing crosses on their person than we would think of wearing gold or silver electric chairs.” [6] In the shadow of just explaining His coming death and resurrection He calls all those who follow Him to “be prepared every day to die for Him.”[7] Discipleship is not just a one time thing. It is a daily commitment to following Christ even unto death.

The second main call of Christ in this passage is the call not to be ashamed of the Son of Man. Pentecost points out that in 9:26 Jesus basically states that “those who have rejected Him will be excluded from His kingdom. Only those who have received him will be accepted into that kingdom.”[8] When writing on this passage Bock states “discipleship is not easy, but difficult, for it involves suffering. The cost of total discipleship is the giving up of self for God.”[9]

Luke 9:57-62

The second main passage that deals with Christ’s teaching on discipleship is found at the end of Luke 9. Having already established earlier in the chapter that discipleship requires self-denial Luke transitions to issue three reminders about the requirements of discipleship after the disciples witness Jesus’ rejection in Samaria in 9:51-56. The first reminder in 9:57-58 is a reminder that Christ’s disciples are separated from this world. Even as foxes have holes and birds have nests, those who follow Christ as His true disciples do not have a home in this world. Bock explains that “disciples must recognize that they will be distanced from the world by their discipleship, and that family matters may suffer inattention in comparison to their discipleship.”[10]

The second reminder is that of the preeminence of proclaiming the kingdom of God over all other aspects of life, 9:59-60. Commitment to discipleship requires abandonment of personal goals and desires for that of the Lord. Bock surmises that “disciples must place Jesus and the kingdom first.”[11] Again, Jesus was the perfect model to follow in this regard having subjected Himself to the will of the Father even unto death on the cross.

The third and final reminder of this section is that commitment to Christ must not only be first, but it must remain constant, 9:61-62. A true disciple cannot commit to Christ and begin the work of the ministry and then turn back and put other things in life ahead of Christ. Hobbs correctly points out that none of the men in this passage who wanted to follow Christ “possessed the qualities necessary for successful discipleship.”[12]

Luke 14:25-35

This specific passage of Luke provides one of the most explicit descriptions of discipleship in the teachings of Jesus. Bock explains that in this passage Luke is essentially asking, “If the Jewish leadership does not teach the way to follow God, then what is required to follow God?”[13] In the midst of immense popularity Jesus was teaching to large crowds of people when he suddenly turned and said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.” Imagine the stir that Jesus’ words must have created in that large crowd! Hobbs comments on this verse by saying, “Jesus said that if one would be His disciple he must be prepared to choose Him over every one of life’s closest relationships. What is more, he must choose Jesus over life itself if such a choice is necessary.”[14] It is important to note that this verse does not mean that a disciple of Christ must completely ignore their family responsibilities and obligations. Other passages in Scripture clearly teach that husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, and children all have responsibilities.

In the next verse, 14:27, Jesus returns to the same call to carry one’s own cross as He used in 9:23. Thus, Jesus clearly teaches that “no one can be His disciple who is not prepared to die daily for Him.”[15] The core of discipleship means placing Christ above all other areas of our own life. Discipleship according to Jesus’ teaching in this passage of Luke requires that our priorities be arranged properly.

Jesus then gives two illustrations using a builder and a king as examples in 9:28-32. The purpose of these illustrations was to show in a more tangible way the incredible cost of discipleship. Hobbs explains, “The point of these parables is that one should count the cost before proposing to be His disciple. There is no need of attempting it unless one is willing to pay the price. Anything less is not true discipleship.”[16]

Jesus then makes a comparison, “in the same way,” to that of material possessions in 14:33 by requiring disciples to be willing to “give up everything he has.” Bock explains, “Jesus seeks to lead people in doing the Father’s will, offering to the disciple the treasures of heaven.”[17] Discipleship means being able to give up momentary treasures in this life and look with great expectation to the eternal treasures waiting in the Kingdom of God.

In the final two verses of this section Jesus turns to use the image of salt. Salt is useful because it performs a function. If salt didn’t provide saltiness that it would be absolutely useless. In the same way, discipleship requires a complete and total commitment to the work of the ministry so that one doesn’t become useless.

Overall, this passage provides a vivid reminder that discipleship does not come without a price. Bock summarizes this section by saying,

                          “discipleship is demanding. Jesus asks both
                           the disciple and the potential disciple to
                           consider the cost of following him. It is
                           better to assess the risk, complete the task,
                           and remain useful to God. Associating with
                           God is not an easy affair. Commitments
                           come with the territory. In fact, Jesus is to
                           come ahead of all one’s possessions, family
                           and soul. It is embarrassing and fatal
                           to enter into discipleship and not complete
                           the task.” [18]

     Conclusion

The concept of discipleship in the Gospel of Luke is far more than a label or a simple one time act. It is an abiding condition of life for any follower of Christ. Citing the three passages discussed in this paper Zuck and Bock state,

                        “Above all, Jesus made it clear that discipleship
                          is a total commitment of one’s life and self to
                          God. In terms of God’s expectation and will,
                          there is no minimal discipleship; what He
                          desires is everything.”[19]

Discipleship is something radical. The cost is far more than some are willing to pay, as evidenced by Christ’s teaching. Bock reminds us, “Any disciple who would follow Jesus needs to understand that this choice will require complete commitment.”[20] For those who are willing to count the cost and be a disciple of Christ, we have Jesus’ incredible model of discipleship to follow as recorded in the Gospel of Luke.

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[1] Dana L. Goodnough. “Jesus’ Ministry as a Model for Discipleship Training.” (D.Min. Dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 20020, 26.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Goodnough, 40.

[4] Goodnough, 67.

[5] J. Dwight Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1981), 254.

[6] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), 218.

[7] Herschel H. Hobbs, An Exposition of the Gospel of Luke. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1966), 160.

[8] Pentecost, 255.

[9] Darrell L. Bock, Luke, volume 1: 1:1-9:50. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), 851.

[10] Darrell L. Bock, Luke, volume 2: 9:51-24:53. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996), 977.

[11] Bock, 977.

[12] Hobbs, 177.

[13] Bock, 1280.

[14] Hobbs, 230.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Ibid.

[17] Bock, 1290.

[18] Ibid, 1292.

[19] Roy B. Zuck, Darrell L. Bock, A Biblical Theology of the New Testament. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996), 115.

[20] Bock, 974.

The Jewish Synagogue

The Origin and Role of the Jewish Synagogue During the New Testament Period

Throughout our sermon series on Mark's Gospel at Geist Community Church (which we started a year ago this Sunday) we've read about the synagogue multiple times.  Since it's rather a foreign concept to most people today I wanted to provide some further explanation to aid our study.


In A.D. 70 when the focal point of the Jewish sacrificial system, the Temple, was destroyed, “Judaism survived, because the institution on which its survival, and Jewish community life in general, depended was already well established,”[1] the synagogue. When the Temple was destroyed it had, for all practical purposes, outlived its usefulness to the nation of Israel.[2] The synagogue had been established for generations as the heart and soul of Judaism. Instead of the intense sacrificial system that the Temple thrived on, the synagogue focused on the reading and exposition of the Law and Prophets. The intense focus upon the Scriptures developed a new way of thinking in many Jews that began to be obsessed with following the Law. It was these popular teachers of the Law, the Pharisees, who became the new voice for the people in the community and who ultimately became Jesus’ staunchest opponents.

The development and function of the synagogue ultimately proved to be a vital and effective avenue for the spread of the Gospel message throughout the Jewish and Greek communities.

     The Development and Function of the Synagogue

The rise of the synagogue is very obscure but often linked with the Babylonian captivity of Israel.[3] In response to the loss of the Temple before the exile, which was the center of the Jewish religious life, the synagogue may have arisen to fill the void. Although this may be the case, there is no direct evidence of the presence of a synagogue, nor is a synagogue mentioned by name in the Old Testament other than possibly Psalm 74:8. Regardless, when the Jewish community returned from the Babylonian exile there must have been local places of worship that undoubtedly began to assume the form of the synagogue found in the New Testament.[4] The simple fact that a developed synagogue form existed in the New Testament points to its beginnings throughout the preceding centuries.

Generations before Jesus many, if not all, Jewish communities had the synagogue as the common center of worship and community life.[5] When Jewish communities began to spread out across the land, particularly throughout the post-exilic centuries, the increased distance from the Temple made it nearly impossible for the Jewish religious life to focus solely on the Temple. As a result, local religious activities began to take place within individual communities apart from the Temple. Groups of Jews would gather together to provide mutual encouragement to each other and worship God. These gatherings are undoubtedly the beginnings of the synagogue and had no intention of displacing the Temple.[6] As the post-exilic centuries progressed the synagogue developed into a permanent fixture of Jewish life in Palestine and even in Jerusalem itself.[7]

The function of the synagogue was firmly established before the New Testament era. Any ten Jewish men who came together to worship and share the law in order to learn and fulfill God’s will constituted a synagogue.[8] By the time of Jesus, its main purpose was to supply the community with a local center of worship, teaching, and community ties.

Every service of worship in the synagogue consisted of prayer, the reading of Scripture, including the Law and the Prophets, and often exhortation. Each of these functions was carried on by laymen in the synagogue. There was at least one presiding officer in the synagogue that was simply referred to as the ruler in Luke 13:14.[9] After prayer was offered by one of the laymen present, the reading of the Scripture would take place. The Law was read through consecutively according to a specific cycle. On the Sabbath, the consecutive lesson from the Pentateuch was followed by a corresponding lesson from the Prophets that related to the Pentateuch lesson.[10] Thus, the prophetic lessons were not read in consecutive order, but were chosen to complement the Pentateuch lesson.

Teaching in the synagogue also took on the form of a school for young boys.[11] It became a school where they could learn to read and know the Scriptures at the same time. The influence of the teaching of the Scriptures in the synagogue most likely led the transition from the Jewish focus on sacrifice to a focus on the Law. At the forefront of teaching boys from a young age to know and follow the law were the Pharisees. Thus, the fiercest challenges Jesus faced in the synagogues of Galilee was from the Pharisees and Scribes.

Even before the destruction of the Temple, the synagogue had established itself as the premier fixture in the Jewish faith. With Jewish synagogues scattered throughout the land, the Law could be read and taught taking the place of the sacrifice. This new fixture in the Jewish community had a worship service that afforded the opportunity for Jesus and the apostles to propagate the gospel message quickly.

     The Involvement of Jesus in the Synagogue

Throughout every major Jewish community in Galilee, Perea, and Judea Jesus found a synagogue.[12] Essentially, he used the synagogues as a springboard to begin his ministry because through them he could quickly reach the people.[13] He often preached in the synagogues because he would be permitted to speak after the reading of the Scripture. After his baptism and temptation in the desert Jesus returned to Galilee where he “taught in their synagogues” (Luke 4:14-15 NIV).

Unfortunately, "very little of his synagogue preaching has been preserved.”[14] However, one instance that was recorded by Luke provides a significant look into the service of the synagogue. In Luke 4:16-20 Jesus returned to Nazareth and entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day, which “was his custom” (Luke 4:16 NIV). Jesus stood up and read from “the scroll of the prophet Isaiah” (Luke 4:17 NIV). After reading the passage “he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down” (Luke 4:20 NIV). Jesus then began to admonish the people from the Scripture he had just read which follows the typical synagogue pattern of reading and exhorting.

It was in the synagogues that Jesus encountered some of his greatest opposition because he was at the center of Pharisaic influence.[15] Thus, this opposition was not accidental but inevitable because he was in essence preaching out of their headquarters. Nevertheless, the synagogues were an incredible platform for Jesus to present the gospel message to gatherings of people.

     The Apostles’ Involvement in the Synagogue

The apostles, even more than Jesus, used the synagogue as a springboard and staging ground for their ministry in each new city they entered. By visiting the synagogues first, the apostles were able to appeal to people who already had at least a partial knowledge of the promised coming Messiah. Luke records that Stephen, who was a member of a Greek-speaking synagogue in Jerusalem, made some of the first gospel presentations to representatives of other Greek-speaking synagogues in Acts 8:8-9. Several of the Jews from these synagogues argued with Stephen but could not stand up against him.

Paul was the only apostle on record to use the synagogues for two distinct purposes. Before his conversion, Paul grew up as a strict follower of the law and was most likely taught much of what he knew about the Law in the synagogue. He was traveling to Damascus because he was going to visit the synagogues and flush out the followers of the Way to take them back as prisoners to Jerusalem. Paul even states later in his life that “many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished” referring to his persecution of believers (Acts 26:11 NIV). Thus, Paul originally used the synagogues as a place to catch and punish early believers. However, it was along that road to Damascus that Jesus appeared to Saul and gave his life a new direction. Paul, continued on to Damascus and still visited the synagogues, but instead of capturing the believers he was preaching “that Jesus is the Son of God” as a believer (Acts 9:20 NIV).

Whenever Paul entered into a new city it was his regular practice to begin preaching in the local synagogue.[16] The synagogue order of service provided him with an opportunity to speak to a crowd of people with the permission or at the invitation of the synagogue officials.[17] Many of the synagogues that Paul visited throughout his missionary journeys were a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. These Gentiles were called God-fearers because they attended the synagogue and somewhat followed the Jewish tradition, but were not fully incorporated into the Jewish community. One such synagogue Paul visited was in Pisidian Antioch. When he stood up to speak he addressed the group as “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God” (Acts 13:16 NIV). It was out of some of these Jew/Gentile synagogues that the sharpest expression of the Christian faith and “its clearest challenge to ancestral Jewish customs” arose.[18] The main cause for the instant explosion of Christianity among Greek-speaking synagogues was the instant appeal the gospel made to the Gentile God-fearers.[19] Suddenly, there was an offer of salvation and acceptance by God without the strict requirements of the Mosaic Law or circumcision. The Gentile God-fearers that were present at Paul’s first synagogue message at Pisidian Antioch quickly spread the message and on the next Sabbath the synagogue was filled with Gentiles from “almost the whole city” (Acts 13:44 NIV). Many of those God-fearing Gentiles believed and “formed into the Christian church of Pisidian Antioch.”[20]

After leaving Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas visited the synagogue in Iconium and again “a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed” (Acts 14:1 NIV). Paul visited several synagogues throughout his missionary travels. Luke records that he visited the synagogues in Damascus, Salamis, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus. These records show that by the first century A.D. synagogues had already permeated Jewish communities throughout the Greek-speaking world.

As Paul continued to visit these Jew/Gentile synagogues as he traveled, the Gentiles who were considered to be on the fringe of the synagogue now formed “the nucleus of the church.”[21] Paul stayed at several synagogues for extended periods of time preaching the gospel message, sometimes exceeding a year or more at one location.

     Conclusion

Even before the destruction of the Temple, the synagogue had established itself as the premier fixture in the Jewish faith. The format of the worship service in the synagogue afforded Jesus and the apostles the opportunity to quickly propagate the gospel message. Jesus frequently visited the synagogues, especially in the infant stages of his ministry, and encountered fierce opposition from the teachers of the Law who ruled the synagogue. Likewise, Paul spent as much time as he could speaking in the synagogues and using them as a mouthpiece for the gospel message. Throughout the God-fearing Gentile portion of the Jewish synagogues Paul witnessed explosive growth.

The synagogue served as one of the major, if not the major, conduit through which the Gospel message was preached. This pillar of the Jewish community became an instrument in the hands of the apostles to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. In some cases, the first Christian churches were even formed from large portions of former synagogue congregations.

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[1] F. F. Bruce, New Testament History. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1969), 147.

[2] Ibid.

[3] William G. Blaikie, Bible History. (New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1925), 372-73.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Floyd V. Filson, A New Testament History. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1964), 44.

[6] Ibid, 44.

[7] F. F. Bruce, New Testament History. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1969), 143.

[8] Floyd V. Filson, A New Testament History. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1964), 44-45.

[9] Mark 5:22 and Acts 13:15 may indicate that some synagogues had more than one ruler, “the synagogue rulers.”

[10] F. F. Bruce, New Testament History. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1969), 144.

[11] Floyd V. Filson, A New Testament History. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1964), 45.

[12] Ibid, 44.

[13] Floyd V. Filson, A New Testament History. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1964), 93.

[14] John Bligh, Historical Information for New Testament Students. (Baltimore: Helicon Press Inc, 1967), 49.

[15] Floyd V. Filson, A New Testament History. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1964), 116.

[16] Acts 17:1-2 explains that it was Paul’s normal custom to go into the synagogue and preach when he came to a new city.

[17] Floyd V. Filson, A New Testament History. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1964), 211.

[18] Ibid, 200.

[19] F. F. Bruce, New Testament History. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1969), 147.

[20] Ibid, 275.

[21] Ibid, 147.