Tara-Leigh Cobble

When the week of his death comes, he's in Jerusalem, preaching in the temple, prophesying, having dinner with his apostles, and then, just like he said, Judas hands him over to the religious leaders.

He's tried by both the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans too.

And even though Rome declares him innocent, the people want him killed anyway.

They crucify him and bury him.

But even death is not the end for him because he's been telling them all along that he will raise from the dead and that his kingdom is eternal and unstoppable.

He lives on earth in his resurrection body for 40 days before ascending to heaven, leaving them with a promise to return and to send his spirit to be with them in the meantime.

About a week later, his spirit comes to dwell in believers.

Through his spirit and his followers, the message of the gospel is spread to the Gentiles.

Churches spring up in other countries, and the apostles go as missionaries to help support and train those churches, even in the face of oppression, imprisonment, and beatings.

Through all of this, they seek the Spirit for guidance as they encourage the churches, direct them, and even rebuke them.

The main problems the churches are having relate to two different types of cultural issues and questions.

A. Does a Gentile have to convert to Judaism before converting to Christianity?

Do they have to follow Jewish laws?

And B. Do Christ followers have to follow any laws, or are they free to do whatever they want?

Just like the problem Jesus encountered with the Pharisees and Sadducees, the law is still the big problem, especially as it relates to different cultures and nationalities.

The early church fathers respond to both questions with reminders that they're bound only to love, not to Jewish laws and traditions, and not to selfish actions either.

They must love God and love others, which is exactly what Jesus told them was the summary of the law.

As the church continues to grow in number and spread in nations, false teachers start to emerge.

They lie about who Jesus is, about the resurrection, and about the apostles and the early church leaders.

So the apostles have a lot to manage.