The Bible Study Hour

Phillip was a deacon, but he was also an evangelist working on the front lines in Samaria and using his gift to win souls to Christ. Yet God called him from that work to minister to just one man who was searching for the truth. Join Dr. James Boice on The Bible Study Hour as he considers the ministry of Phillip and the ramifications of one man’s openness to the call of the Spirit.

Stephen’s death came as a great shock to the early believers, but his death was only the first ripple in what was to become a swelling wave of persecution against the Church. Join Dr. James Boice on The Bible Study Hour as he reveals God’s plan for allowing the persecution of His people as the tide turned against the believers.

Stephen stands accused of blasphemy. In his defense, he makes a speech before the Sanhedrin and recounts the history of the Jewish people. But when his sermon turns to accusations against those religious leaders, suddenly it’s not Stephen who finds himself on trial, but the Sanhedrin! Join Dr. James Boice on The Bible Study Hour as he studies Stephen’s great sermon, declaring God to be the God of all people as the Gospel moves out from Jerusalem and into the world.

The job of the deacon in the modern-day church is considered to be more of a practical role than a spiritual one, yet we find that the first deacons were appointed by the apostles to solve what was, in essence, a spiritual problem in the early church. Join Dr. James Boice on The Bible Study Hour as he examines the lives of the first deacons, their qualifications, and the important role they were to fulfill in the church of Jesus Christ.

The trials we face as believers did not originate in this generation. In fact, much greater trials were faced by members of the early church, and the church suffered as the Gospel began to spread. Join Dr. James Boice on The Bible Study Hour as he reveals the beginnings of suffering for the name of Christ and the blessings that accompanied that persecution.

Easter is all about the resurrection, and Christ’s resurrection speaks to many things, but perhaps its greatest message is one that’s often overlooked. Join Dr. James Boice on The Bible Study Hour as he presents Paul’s message to the men of Athens and his warning of the judgement to come.

The relationship of God to His people is a serious one. What we may see as trivial offenses committed by His followers, God sees in a very different light. Join Dr. James Boice as he explores the offense that led to the death of two of those followers, Ananias and his wife, Sapphira on The Bible Study Hour.

The early church had its problems, but as the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and blessed their witness, men and women from all walks of life were drawn into the great and glorious fellowship we call the church. Join Dr. James Boice as he examines the early church at worship and at work on The Bible Study Hour.

The state will always see things differently than how God sees them, and eventually — if you’re a follower of God — you may have to disobey. That’s where Peter and John found themselves as they stood before the law of the land, the Sanhedrin. Join Dr. James Boice on The Bible Study Hour as he examines the disciples’ first real confrontation with the authorities.

Everything that Jesus told His disciples would happen had indeed come to pass…the good and the bad, the glory and the miracles, and now, the persecution. A small band of men threatened the priests and the Sadducees, the elders and the teachers of Israel. Join Dr. James Boice on The Bible Study Hour as he shows us the reasons these powerless men posed such a threat to the leaders of their nation.