April 25, 2010

The Growth of the Church

Have you ever been tempted to hold back on God, or to pretend you gave more than you actually have? Why did the Church need to confront the problem of hypocrisy so early in its existence? Why do we still need to address this problem in our lives today? (Acts 4:31--5:11)

Social Welfare Networks in the Ancient World

Life in the ancient world was tough for the poor. In the first century, every Christian was a subject of the Roman Empire, an empire with absolutely no tax-supported relief for the poor. It had no social security for the elderly or disabled, no unemployment insurance for those unable to find work--not even any aid for orphaned children! So, how did the poor get by in ancient times? Find out in this week's Illustrated Bible Life article, "Social Welfare Networks in the Ancient World."