The roots of the Roman Empire in which the Christian faith was born ran deep and in many directions, not only into the Roman Republic but also into the Macedonian Empire of Alexander and the Greek city states. We discuss the history of the Roman Empire and specifically Augustine in our series, “Archeology and the Bible.”
We continue our study of the Old Testament and now look through the Book of Haggai. The author is known as “the prophet Haggai.” Apart from this book he is mentioned in Ezra 5:1 and 6:14. His name is usually associated with Zechariah, his contemporary. Haggai’s message is extremely practical and down to earth: “Build the temple!” Several Truths become clear in this book:
- God and his work must take first place in the life of his people.
- Putting personal or selfish interests ahead of God is self-defeating.
- God showers His blessings on those who put his interests before their own.
- The value or significance of man’s work is not to be estimated by comparing it with the work of others but by measure of its conformity to God’s will and purpose.
Another program series is titled, “Early Christians.” They had to go through a lot of hardship and unfair treatment in the name of faith but they never gave up and continued to find strength in the Lord Jesus Christ. Should we give up so easily from everyday obstacles?
The Apostle Paul did enormous work in the name of Jesus Christ. The letter to the church in Colossae was probably written by Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome, in a state of house arrest, with the freedom to have people around him. That kind of freedom suggest the likelihood of eventual release, which is further indicated in the fact that no letters had been received from his accusers in Judea and no one had arrived evidently to accuse him before the Roman authorities to whom he had appealed.
The letter was written to deal with a problem that was troubling churches all over the western portion of Asia Minor, from Ephesus to Colossae. The amalgamation of Jewish and Greek cultures in these churches had generated Jewish-Hellenistic philosophy, which was essentially pagan and which threatened to destroy the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
Many beginners wonder how to study such immense material that comprises the Holy Book. For those who want to take the first step in Christianity, listen to our new series, “How to Study the Bible.”
We have a number of projects under development that might be interesting to you. Come and download numerous Christian books, listen to our programs, see several video lessons based on Russian Christian art, take a look at pictures of beautiful Alaska. Do you have critical remarks or brilliant ideas about improving our broadcasting? Send us your suggestions and we will do our best to make the programs better.
