A scholar of the New Testament Church and a forerunner of modern Church renewal, Frank Viola casts his gaze back at the birth pangs of first century Christianity in The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. Using a 'you-are-there' approach, this epic volume gives readers a first-hand account of how the witness of Christ's testimony impacted the world. In the era right after the Day of Pentecost, the power of Holy Spirit prompted a massive harvest of souls yet a great persecution surged against those preaching Good News to the lost. Now, get up-close with apostles Paul, Peter and John and learn of their personal struggles to fight for the faith amidst a backdrop of in-house strife and foreign tyranny.

Author Frank Viola presents a compelling case for a new kind of church based on the model for fellowship found in Acts. He proposes that traditional expressions of church as experienced in the west are not effective, necessarily biblical in their form and structure and therefore alternative approaches should be considered. Redefine expectations and reimagine a life-changing church.

Do we understand what it means to be blessed? Perhaps we are more familiar with what it means to be cursed. The Bible definition of a curse meant "to be bound with a spell," "hemmed in by obstacles," or "rendered powerless to resist." I think many Christians are fighting the effects of curses against their lives. Even though they may not identify as a curse the resistance or heaviness that they frequently feel, they are aware that something is working against them. Some curses are generational in nature. The Scriptures warn that the sins of the fathers will be passed to "the children, and on the third and the fourth generations" (Deut. 5:9). There are character traits, sinful attitudes and cultural prejudices that can be inherited from our parents.

There is no greater opportunity to become Christlike than in the midst of pain and injustice. When Satan is raging with evil, God is planning to turn it to good. If we maintain our integrity in battle; if we let love rise to its purest expression, we will touch the heart of God. Such is the path to God's power. I have set my heart to eliminate many of the vulnerabilities to, and effects of, church splits and other ungodly divisions. At the same time, I realize that we can do almost everything right as pastors and churches and still suffer divisions. For some of us, this may actually be part of God's greater plan for our lives--that we should endure rejection, conflict and slander as part of the process of truly becoming Christlike.

How do you handle criticism? How does one protect himself from the "scourge of the tongue" (Job 5:21)? Where is the stronghold from accusation? If you are going to be successful in the Lord's work, you must find God's hiding place from one of the most painful weapons in Satan's arsenal: the critical tongue. The fact is, for better or for worse, people are going to talk about you. You cannot do the will of God without causing changes, and changes will always cause some to stumble. In fact, Jesus said we were to beware when all men speak well of us. He said we cannot serve two masters; if we are to truly please Him, we cannot be distracted by trying to please everyone else.

I want to commend those who sent us their comments about church splits. We received more responses to this subject than any previous message. From my best analysis, about five percent blamed pastors, saying that the pastors were in serious sin, heavy handed, weren't in "the river" or refused accountability to anyone (sadly, this is true among a minority of ministers). Twenty percent wrote simply to encourage us to write the book. However, amazingly, 75% spoke of being "deeply devastated" by a split, some calling it "hell on earth." These people usually wrote long and obviously painful emails. They grieved for their pastors, the loss of friends and the "death" of their church. These individuals said the division arose from a subordinate leader or group within the church.

If you have ever been through a church split, you are all too familiar with the terrible churning of emotions and the inconsolable distress that accompanies this descent into hell. If you are unfamiliar with the experience, expect that large factions of otherwise nice Christians will be pitted against one another. They will participate in slander, anger, deception, fear, bitterness, hatred, gossip, unforgiveness, strife, rebellion and pride.

To know Christ is to know His heart toward His church. Consider: On the night before Jesus died, the most somber night in His life, our Master presented His most lofty request to His Father. He prayed His disciples would be "perfected in unity" (Jn 17:23). Yet, the only unity the disciples knew that night was a common fear and a collective abandonment of Christ. Jesus told these soon-to-be leaders of the Jerusalem church that they would be known for their untiring agape love. But that night Christ's three closest friends could not remain awake with him even one hour while He agonized alone in prayer.

Too many Christians become bitter and angry in the conflict. If we descend into hatefulness, we have already lost the battle ... We must cooperate with God in turning what was meant for evil into a greater good within us. This is why we bless those who would curse us: It is not only for their sakes but to preserve our own soul from its natural response toward hatred.

These are the lyrics for the Third Day song Let Me Love You.

These are the lyrics to Third Day's song Nothing Al All.

This passage reveals that our ability to get forgive from God for our blunders is directly linked to our forgiven of those who have wronged us. Also, the measure of good things we are given by God is linked to our giving habits toward others.

Here, Jesus tells us that our forgiveness with God hinges upon our forgiveness of those who have wronged us. God wants to be able to forgive everyone who repents and asks for forgiveness. If we do not forgive those who have sinned against us, it creates a barrier for God to forgive us. In other words, by not forgiving others, we block up God's ability to forgive us.

O! many a shaft, at random sent, Finds mark the archer little meant; And many a word, at random spoken, May soothe or wound a heart that's broken!

The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a glowing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing, it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of Divine accident.

Intimate relationships cannot substitute for a life plan. But to have any meaning or viability at all, a life plan must include intimate relationships.

A friend might well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.

A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means.

This article focuses on a message of divine love. It is designed for the person who is struggling with understanding his/her needs for love and acceptance (and not feeling either). It goes below the surface of the obvious and considers some important principles about your real identity and worth.

The Value of Brokenness - Up until the moment Christ enters our lives, surrounding our souls there exists a hard outer shell, a "survival nature," which protects us against life's harshest offenses. The shell is necessary while we are in the world, but becomes an enemy to our new life in Christ, where the nature of Christ becomes our shelter. Thus, as the shell of a seed, a nut or an egg must be broke before its inner life comes forth, so it is with us: the "shell" of our outer nature must also break in order to free the Spirit of Christ to arise in our hearts.

Last week we discussed how Ham's sin of exposing the shame of his father, Noah, led to Noah's curse upon Ham's son, Canaan. Noah saw in Ham a character flaw that would be passed on to Ham's children. The specifics of this curse would be that, from generation to generation, Ham's descendants would become the "servants of servants." Why would they abide in this economic slavery? Simply because one who habitually disrespects, shames or exposes the weaknesses of those in authority over them simultaneously disables their ability to advance in life.

A friend might well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.

If you have ever been through a church split, you are all too familiar with the terrible churning of emotions and the inconsolable distress that accompanies this descent into hell. If you are unfamiliar with the experience, expect that large factions of otherwise nice Christians will be pitted against one another. They will participate in slander, anger, deception, fear, bitterness, hatred, gossip, unforgiveness, strife, rebellion and pride.

There will be an actual point in time when the salvation, power and kingdom of God, as well as the authority of Christ, is manifested in the earth. While we wait patiently for the final fulfillment of that glorious event at the return of Jesus Christ, the spirit of this reality can be possessed any time a people determine to walk free of criticism and faultfinding, and turn their sights toward love and prayer for each other. There are God-ordained procedures to initiate correction within a church. These corrections should be done by "you who are spiritual . . . in a spirit of gentleness . . . looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted." Your motive should not be to destroy, but to "restore such a one" (Gal. 6:1). Accusations against an elder, though, should not even be received except on the basis of two or three witnesses (1 Tim. 5:19). The "witnesses" spoken of here are eye -witnesses, not the intuitive "witness" or "sense" someone receives apart from hard and visible facts. All too often, these sense "witnesses" are sent by hell to destroy the harmony of a church with rumors and gossip.

More churches have been destroyed by the accuser of the brethren and its faultfinding than by either immorality or misuse of church funds. So prevalent is this influence in our society that, among many, faultfinding has been elevated to the status of a "ministry"! The Lord has promised, however, that in His house accusing one another will be replaced with prayer, and faultfinding with a love that covers a multitude of sins.

Deep within God's Word lies a wondrous story like no other. A drama that originated before time bbegan. An epic saga that resonates with the heartbeat of God. A story that reveals nothing less than the meaning of life. From Eternity to Here presents three remarkable stories spanning from Genesis to Revelation. Each story traces a divine theme that is woven throughout scripture. Seen together, they offer an extraordinary glimpse into God's highest passion. What you discover will forever change your view of life, the church, and our magnificent God.

The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but hold hands.

These are the lyrics for Third Day's song How's Your Head?.

Do we understand what it means to be blessed? Perhaps we are more familiar with what it means to be cursed. The Bible definition of a curse meant "to be bound with a spell," "hemmed in by obstacles," or "rendered powerless to resist." I think many Christians are fighting the effects of curses against their lives. Even though they may not identify as a curse the resistance or heaviness that they frequently feel, they are aware that something is working against them. Some curses are generational in nature. The Scriptures warn that the sins of the fathers will be passed to "the children, and on the third and the fourth generations" (Deut. 5:9). There are character traits, sinful attitudes and cultural prejudices that can be inherited from our parents.

It is incredible, but many Christians actually believe that the only unity there will be in the last days is in the apostate church. The very spirit they think they are avoiding, the antichrist, is what has divided them from the rest of the church! (see I John 2:18-19) It is simply unscriptural and a sin for the believing, citywide church of Jesus Christ not to maintain the unity of the Spirit! One need not be a biblical scholar to recognize the Jews had to be uncompromisingly united in their worship of God. All Israel was required to come to Jerusalem three times a year to worship during the feasts. If their worship was compromised to where they began to serve the pagan gods of the region, they were quickly defeated in their battles.

This passage reveals that our ability to get forgive from God for our blunders is directly linked to our forgiven of those who have wronged us. Also, the measure of good things we are given by God is linked to our giving habits toward others.

In this passage, good. He is kind to everyone (even those who are evil). We must be the same way. We shouldn't be kind to good people and bad toward evil people. This is not the way God is. Love is able to transform anyone, including those who are evil. By loving those who do bad things to us, we empower God to touch them and give them life.

These are the lyrics to Third Day's song Nothing Al All.

Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.

This prayer seeks help in breaking free of apathy over your life so that you can see beyond yourself. The person who has lost the ability to care about others is a person who has stopped making a difference in life. If you don't have compassion, your life will be lived with no lasting impact. It has been said that what matters most in life is what you do that will outlast it. If you are living with an apathetic lens on life, you will someday find that all of your values were misplaced. Deep life can only be found when you understand the enormous value of a person (yourself and others).

Author Frank Viola presents a compelling case for a new kind of church based on the model for fellowship found in Acts. He proposes that traditional expressions of church as experienced in the west are not effective, necessarily biblical in their form and structure and therefore alternative approaches should be considered. Redefine expectations and reimagine a life-changing church.

There is no greater opportunity to become Christlike than in the midst of pain and injustice. When Satan is raging with evil, God is planning to turn it to good. If we maintain our integrity in battle; if we let love rise to its purest expression, we will touch the heart of God. Such is the path to God's power. I have set my heart to eliminate many of the vulnerabilities to, and effects of, church splits and other ungodly divisions. At the same time, I realize that we can do almost everything right as pastors and churches and still suffer divisions. For some of us, this may actually be part of God's greater plan for our lives--that we should endure rejection, conflict and slander as part of the process of truly becoming Christlike.

The conflict will always beyond your strength. The enemy always pushes us beyond our personal, inbred, preset limits concerning how far we will go for God: "Here's how far I'm going to love; this is how many times I'll turn the other cheek." The test kills the limits of our humanity, until we are like Christ in everything. We are left with a choice: Become Christlike or gradually shrivel into superficial hypocrites: angry people who have stopped walking with God, who blame others for our bitterness.

I want to commend those who sent us their comments about church splits. We received more responses to this subject than any previous message. From my best analysis, about five percent blamed pastors, saying that the pastors were in serious sin, heavy handed, weren't in "the river" or refused accountability to anyone (sadly, this is true among a minority of ministers). Twenty percent wrote simply to encourage us to write the book. However, amazingly, 75% spoke of being "deeply devastated" by a split, some calling it "hell on earth." These people usually wrote long and obviously painful emails. They grieved for their pastors, the loss of friends and the "death" of their church. These individuals said the division arose from a subordinate leader or group within the church.

Among all in his era, Noah was the most godly. He alone was considered by the Almighty, blameless. In a time when terrible wrath was about to unfurl, Noah alone found favor with the Lord. Consider this man Noah and what he experienced: Aware that the end of his world was at hand, he faithfully preached repentance for over one hundred years, yet his words converted no one. His eyes beheld the terrible descent of the wrath of God; his ears heard the terrifying cries, the final cries, of an entire civilization. His mind experienced the horrifying destruction of every man, woman and child outside the ark.

This article focuses on a message of divine love. It is designed for the person who is struggling with understanding his/her needs for love and acceptance (and not feeling either). It goes below the surface of the obvious and considers some important principles about your real identity and worth.

Too many Christians become bitter and angry in the conflict. If we descend into hatefulness, we have already lost the battle ... We must cooperate with God in turning what was meant for evil into a greater good within us. This is why we bless those who would curse us: It is not only for their sakes but to preserve our own soul from its natural response toward hatred.

Do we understand what it means to be blessed? Perhaps we are more familiar with what it means to be cursed. The Bible definition of a curse meant "to be bound with a spell," "hemmed in by obstacles," or "rendered powerless to resist." I think many Christians are fighting the effects of curses against their lives. Even though they may not identify as a curse the resistance or heaviness that they frequently feel, they are aware that something is working against them. Some curses are generational in nature. The Scriptures warn that the sins of the fathers will be passed to "the children, and on the third and the fourth generations" (Deut. 5:9). There are character traits, sinful attitudes and cultural prejudices that can be inherited from our parents.

Author Frank Viola presents a compelling case for a new kind of church based on the model for fellowship found in Acts. He proposes that traditional expressions of church as experienced in the west are not effective, necessarily biblical in their form and structure and therefore alternative approaches should be considered. Redefine expectations and reimagine a life-changing church.

More churches have been destroyed by the accuser of the brethren and its faultfinding than by either immorality or misuse of church funds. So prevalent is this influence in our society that, among many, faultfinding has been elevated to the status of a "ministry"! The Lord has promised, however, that in His house accusing one another will be replaced with prayer, and faultfinding with a love that covers a multitude of sins.

It is incredible, but many Christians actually believe that the only unity there will be in the last days is in the apostate church. The very spirit they think they are avoiding, the antichrist, is what has divided them from the rest of the church! (see I John 2:18-19) It is simply unscriptural and a sin for the believing, citywide church of Jesus Christ not to maintain the unity of the Spirit! One need not be a biblical scholar to recognize the Jews had to be uncompromisingly united in their worship of God. All Israel was required to come to Jerusalem three times a year to worship during the feasts. If their worship was compromised to where they began to serve the pagan gods of the region, they were quickly defeated in their battles.

There will be an actual point in time when the salvation, power and kingdom of God, as well as the authority of Christ, is manifested in the earth. While we wait patiently for the final fulfillment of that glorious event at the return of Jesus Christ, the spirit of this reality can be possessed any time a people determine to walk free of criticism and faultfinding, and turn their sights toward love and prayer for each other. There are God-ordained procedures to initiate correction within a church. These corrections should be done by "you who are spiritual . . . in a spirit of gentleness . . . looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted." Your motive should not be to destroy, but to "restore such a one" (Gal. 6:1). Accusations against an elder, though, should not even be received except on the basis of two or three witnesses (1 Tim. 5:19). The "witnesses" spoken of here are eye -witnesses, not the intuitive "witness" or "sense" someone receives apart from hard and visible facts. All too often, these sense "witnesses" are sent by hell to destroy the harmony of a church with rumors and gossip.

Last week we discussed how Ham's sin of exposing the shame of his father, Noah, led to Noah's curse upon Ham's son, Canaan. Noah saw in Ham a character flaw that would be passed on to Ham's children. The specifics of this curse would be that, from generation to generation, Ham's descendants would become the "servants of servants." Why would they abide in this economic slavery? Simply because one who habitually disrespects, shames or exposes the weaknesses of those in authority over them simultaneously disables their ability to advance in life.

This is an interesting perspective on the film Good Will Hunting. It considers what you will do when your hunger for life collides with your fears. We each have dreams and desires that call us out beyond our comfort zones. Yet, we each are challenged with fears that would rob us of ever moving beyond our safe little worlds. If you've seen the movie, you should check out this review from a spiritual context.

The Value of Brokenness - Up until the moment Christ enters our lives, surrounding our souls there exists a hard outer shell, a "survival nature," which protects us against life's harshest offenses. The shell is necessary while we are in the world, but becomes an enemy to our new life in Christ, where the nature of Christ becomes our shelter. Thus, as the shell of a seed, a nut or an egg must be broke before its inner life comes forth, so it is with us: the "shell" of our outer nature must also break in order to free the Spirit of Christ to arise in our hearts.

I want to commend those who sent us their comments about church splits. We received more responses to this subject than any previous message. From my best analysis, about five percent blamed pastors, saying that the pastors were in serious sin, heavy handed, weren't in "the river" or refused accountability to anyone (sadly, this is true among a minority of ministers). Twenty percent wrote simply to encourage us to write the book. However, amazingly, 75% spoke of being "deeply devastated" by a split, some calling it "hell on earth." These people usually wrote long and obviously painful emails. They grieved for their pastors, the loss of friends and the "death" of their church. These individuals said the division arose from a subordinate leader or group within the church.

How do you handle criticism? How does one protect himself from the "scourge of the tongue" (Job 5:21)? Where is the stronghold from accusation? If you are going to be successful in the Lord's work, you must find God's hiding place from one of the most painful weapons in Satan's arsenal: the critical tongue. The fact is, for better or for worse, people are going to talk about you. You cannot do the will of God without causing changes, and changes will always cause some to stumble. In fact, Jesus said we were to beware when all men speak well of us. He said we cannot serve two masters; if we are to truly please Him, we cannot be distracted by trying to please everyone else.

Too many Christians become bitter and angry in the conflict. If we descend into hatefulness, we have already lost the battle ... We must cooperate with God in turning what was meant for evil into a greater good within us. This is why we bless those who would curse us: It is not only for their sakes but to preserve our own soul from its natural response toward hatred.

If you have ever been through a church split, you are all too familiar with the terrible churning of emotions and the inconsolable distress that accompanies this descent into hell. If you are unfamiliar with the experience, expect that large factions of otherwise nice Christians will be pitted against one another. They will participate in slander, anger, deception, fear, bitterness, hatred, gossip, unforgiveness, strife, rebellion and pride.

When I first came to Christ, the Lord gave me a dream about my future. I thought that everything the Lord said was supposed to occur immediately; I didn't know of the work of preparation and dying to self, of learning patience and maintaining vision through testing that would occur before God's promise would find fulfillment. Consequently, I was filled with ambition. Ambition is the first motive that arises in the spiritually immature. I was like the disciples who, a few days after Jesus' resurrection, were already asking, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom" (Acts 1:6)?

This article focuses on a message of divine love. It is designed for the person who is struggling with understanding his/her needs for love and acceptance (and not feeling either). It goes below the surface of the obvious and considers some important principles about your real identity and worth.

A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means.

In this passage, good. He is kind to everyone (even those who are evil). We must be the same way. We shouldn't be kind to good people and bad toward evil people. This is not the way God is. Love is able to transform anyone, including those who are evil. By loving those who do bad things to us, we empower God to touch them and give them life.

Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.

Intimate relationships cannot substitute for a life plan. But to have any meaning or viability at all, a life plan must include intimate relationships.

These are the lyrics for Third Day's song How's Your Head?.

O! many a shaft, at random sent, Finds mark the archer little meant; And many a word, at random spoken, May soothe or wound a heart that's broken!

The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a glowing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing, it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of Divine accident.