By: Junior Tate What the Early Church Endured for the Name of Jesus The book of Acts records the birth, growth, persecution, endurance, and expansion of the early Church. It begins with the risen Jesus Christ commissioning His disciples to be witnesses and ends with the apostle Paul preaching the kingdom of God while under Roman custody. Between those two points, Acts records an unmistakable truth; following Jesus Christ could be costly. The early Christians did not follow Christ because discipleship promised them an easy life. They followed Him because they believed He had risen from the dead and that...

How the Old Testament Revealed the Coming of Jesus Christ By: Junior Tate The birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem was not the beginning of God’s plan of redemption. Bethlehem was the place where the promised Messiah entered the world in human flesh, but the promise of His coming had been revealed throughout the Old Testament for centuries. The Messiah was not an unexpected figure who suddenly appeared in the New Testament. God had already declared that a Redeemer would come. He revealed the family line through which the Messiah would be born, the tribe from which He would come,...

A Biblical Examination of Humanity’s Corruption and God’s Righteous Judgment By: Junior Tate Introduction The account of Noah and the Flood is one of the most well-known events in the Bible. Yet many people misunderstand why God brought judgment upon the earth. Some view the Flood as merely a story about a man building an ark and saving animals. However, Scripture reveals that the Flood was the result of a world that had become completely corrupted by sin, violence, rebellion, and wickedness. The Bible presents God as holy, righteous, just, and patient. He does not judge without cause. Before the...

A Scripture-Centered Study from Revelation 1–3 (KJV) By: Junior Tate Ministries WHY THE SEVEN CHURCHES MATTER The Book of Revelation is often treated as if it begins with beasts, judgments, and end-time events. Yet the first major section of Revelation is not written to governments, armies, or future world leaders, it is written to churches. Before the seals are opened, before trumpets sound, before vials are poured out, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks directly to His people and to congregations living in a real world of pressure, persecution, temptation, compromise, and spiritual dullness. These were real churches, located in real...