Podcasts about 64ad

Correct thinking leads to correct action! 1 Timothy 1 Introduction I am sure that some people here when they heard I was preaching tonight were expecting some obscure passage from the Old Testament or even something from that wonderful book of Leviticus. I know that Chris and Sue Cook were! But no! A change! Did I catch you out? Our passage tonight, wonderfully read for us, is found in the New Testament. The little letter of 1 Timothy, where the aged Paul is reminding and instructing Timothy, his much younger disciple, who is probably about 40 years old now. The whole of the New Testament church is growing and spreading far and wide away from its starting point in Jerusalem. Most scholars agree that this letter was written about 64AD, so it is now about 8 years after Paul's 3 year stay in Ephesus came to an end. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to be a first century Christian. The original followers of Jesus, the apostles have either died or will be soon, so who will ensure that good teaching and guidance will be given to me and others around me? Who will ensure that sound doctrine of salvation through Jesus alone by grace alone through faith alone will be preserved? Some of these concerns are met by the apostle Paul in what we call the Pastoral Epistles - 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Paul is getting on in age now. He is in Macedonia, but his representative, Timothy, was left in Ephesus, and by all accounts was undergoing a particularly torrid time. The church in Ephesus was still made up of small groups of believers and each group had a leader with some experience, knowledge and therefore influence. So you can imagine the turmoil if their understanding of the Gospel would become twisted, contorted and infected with false teachings and myths. The turmoil would act like a virus going from group to group, person to person. The records we have of the early church show that when false teaching had been encountered elsewhere, it had usually come from outsiders to that local church. However, here in Ephesus, the false teachers had come from within the church in Ephesus. Even some of the house leaders setup by Paul! Was Paul surprised? Not at all! Paul had predicted this would occur. We read in Acts 20, written much earlier than this letter, Paul saying "I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears." So Paul has delegated his authority to Timothy, his personal representative in Ephesus. Timothy is encouraged to counter with sound doctrine any false teaching, particularly in regards to the Mosaic Law. It seems from this letter, that the leaders were mixing Jewish ideas and pagan myths into Christian thought. We read about those things in v3 and 4. These things were distracting the church from doing God's work and were instead promoting fantasy, controversies and meaningless talk. So Paul writes to Timothy. He had already written his letter to the church in Ephesus - that was a few years ago now. This letter is a personal one. He didn't write to the church itself again. He did this in order to bolster Timothy's authority and position against those who were spreading false teaching. That's probably why Paul puts forward his credentials at the start. Paul is saying to the church in Ephesus "I, Paul, am an apostle because God has commanded me to be so! Timothy is my ambassador, my man, so wise up, church - you Ephesians! Listen to him and you won't go astray from the truth." Timothy would have shared this letter with the church there. Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this Sermon as a MP3 file ----more---- The church (1 Timothy 1:4-11) Let us start with the church in Ephesus, before moving on to Timothy, Paul and ultimately, God! Some leaders inside the church of Ephesus were teaching doctrines contrary to that of Paul. They were being troublemakers - causing rebelliousness and dissent. This NIV translates it as "false doctrine" but another translation puts it as "a different doctrine", as in different from apostolic teaching. These people were mixing myths and legends in with the true doctrine of solid apostolic faith. It led them to teach a different Jesus - making a Jesus who was different from the Jesus of Paul and the other Apostles. Just as the Corinthian church had been urged by false teachers to follow a different Jesus, so was the church in Ephesus. There was also desire of these troublemakers to inflict a form of Judaism upon the church, whereby a number of Jewish ceremonies were seen to be still binding on Christians - making a gospel of works rather than a gospel of grace. For the Jewish people, genealogies were important, particularly linking back to Abraham, because by doing so, their salvation was guaranteed. A kind of false gospel, in the light of Jesus Christ and His salvation work. But Paul says here that any reliance on genealogies is useless and unreliable! Genealogies don't promote good work and a good conscience! To rely on genealogies for salvation is a gospel of works, as opposed to salvation through Jesus Christ which is salvation based on grace alone given by God in faith alone. This teaching, combining myths and genealogies was promoting controversy and speculation rather than unity and morality. They were being contentious for the sake of arguments and quarrels. Whereas the goal of apostolic teaching was to be borne from love, and to result in love. Love issuing forth from a good conscience and an uncontaminated faith in God. Love of God and love of others is the product of teaching true doctrine, says Paul to Timothy - as opposed to the dissension, bitterness and contrariness of the false teachers. Timothy! Do not touch! Do not taste! These false teachers from inside the church were promoting nothing but their own glory, rather than seeking the glory of Jesus Christ alone. They were leading people out of a secure salvation by grace alone through faith alone and into a insecure salvation based on works. These people were without a sincere faith, a pure heart and a good conscience and had wandered from the true Gospel. They were abusing the Law rather than teaching it. Instead, Paul explains to Timothy about the Law and that the Law is indeed good! He explains that the proper use of the Law is to restrain people from doing evil. That rules and laws are not for those who are obedient but to correct and train those who are disobedient. The Law cannot save anybody, but only reveal their need of a Saviour. In v9-11 Paul gives some examples of those who are breaking the Law willfully. Into this mix, Timothy, is thrown! Timbo! (1 Timothy 1:18-20) Timbo to those of us who are Australian, and Timothy for the rest of you! Timothy's mum was a Jewess and his father a Gentile. Timothy was converted to Christianity early on in his life and was taken by Paul to assist him in his work for the Gospel. In particular to encourage the new churches sprouting up! So Timothy was basically an assistant Apostle! Paul, without a doubt, had taught Timothy in private as they travelled and conversed. Paul endearingly calls Timothy "his son" even though he probably didn't bring Timothy to faith. Here, Timothy is instructed by Paul to keep fighting the good fight, battling the false teachers (Read v18-19). Timothy, and therefore the church in Ephesus has a choice to make. They can keep following Paul and accept his wisdom. Or they can succumb to the wiles and whims of the false teachers. Timothy has been instructed to silence the troublemakers yet he would also be feeling the pressure to conform to the whims of those very same troublemakers. What is Timothy to do? He has a choice to make! Timothy is instructed to remember what was told to him in the past. We don't know what those prophecies were but it does seem when they were uttered, Timothy was set apart for ministry. Much like Adam was at his baptism. Timothy is to keep going and persevering in the true faith and doctrine of Jesus Christ. He is commanded! He is to have a moral obligation and duty to do as Paul has instructed and he is to fight and defend the truth against the error filled agitators. Timothy has 2 things of great worth: the objectivity of an apostolic faith and the subjectivity of a good conscience. Apostolic faith is belief and a good conscience is action. If he holds on and uses both of them, Timothy will have fought the good fight of faith. By preserving a good conscience, Timothy will keep the faith. By remembering what he believes as apostolic truth, Timothy will be reminded to behave correctly. Belief and behaviour are co-joined. What is truly believed, will affect behaviour. That is where the two blasphemers in verse 20, Alexander and Hymenaeus had gone wrong. Their apostasy and behaviour was so bad, that Paul had to exert church discipline against them, just as he had excommunicated somebody from the Corinthian church. Radical as it seems to us today, remember the church is still in an embryonic and formative state. This excommunication, was it permanent? It seems by the use of the word "taught" that they could be welcomed back into fellowship if they were willing to truly repent, to learn and then be restored. So that is Timothy but what do we learn here of Paul? Paul (1 Timothy 1:1-3 & 12-14) Paul we know is an apostle, a church leader! He has been set apart for this role by God and by Jesus the Son. He is impassioned here in this deeply personal letter to Timothy. You can almost imagine Paul writing imploringly to Timothy. What ever Paul does for the glory of God, its because God Himself is strengthening him. Paul - once an opponent and oppressor of Christ and His church - now commanded to be a dynamic servant of this Jesus. This Paul, who was a blasphemer and persecutor of the church has been transformed! Paul cannot forget what he had done to the early church, persecuting it and thereby also persecuting Jesus Christ. Paul cannot forget how he was transformed from a violet sinner into a servant of Jesus Christ! How did this come about? Not through his own doing but through the inexhaustible patience and work of Jesus Christ, transforming him via the twin wellsprings of grace and mercy. God's amazing grace and mercy, so abundantly poured out upon him. Paul's faith and love are in and for Jesus Christ and Him alone. When Paul says he is the "worst of sinners" in verse 16, is that not a very personal statement to make? Because when each of us confesses our sin to God, we all feel as if we are the worst of the worst. Or at least I know I do! So Paul is compelled and thrust forward - not by his own inner strength - but solely by the love of God and of Jesus Christ. God (1 Timothy 1:15-17) Now let us come to Paul's God! The true God, as opposed to the "different" god which was being proposed by the false teachers. The first thing we see about Paul's God is in verse 1! God is a saving God and is also the saviour - Jesus Christ! This God is our hope, exclaims Paul! Forget the "different god" being proposed by the miscreants - God alone is to be our hope exclaims Paul! This saving God of hope, is imbued with grace, mercy and peace! Because of God's grace and mercy, Paul was now saved and one of God's servants and apostles. Mercy springs forth from grace, because from God's mercy there is forgiveness of sins. Without grace and mercy, peace with God is unobtainable. A God of mercy, means that the follower of Jesus, the Christian, has a throne of grace to run to with boldness in order to seek the help of the great King of Majesty! WOW! This sound doctrine conforms to the blessed Gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ rather than opposing it. In verse 15, Paul sums up the Gospel "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"! WOW, isn't that good news! Because of Jesus Christ, eternal life is granted to those whose hope and faith is in Him alone! Just as Jesus was immensely patient with Paul, so he was with each of us who are Christians. Just, as He is patient with those still outside His church, and not following Him. This God is a personal God! WOW! Do you know these truths of God for yourself? This great and awesome King is still calling people to follow Him. He is still calling people to accept the free offer of salvation through Jesus Christ alone, by grace alone through faith alone. Are you one of His followers yet, or are still exercising Jesus' great patience with you, just as Jesus did with Paul? Now Paul explodes into a line of utter and complete adoration about God! This God, this King, is eternal, immortal, invisible, the only One! This God is before time, outside of time, and after time! WOW! Amazing! This God entered time in the person of Jesus Christ to save humanity which was thoroughly incapable of saving themselves. Forget genealogies, you trouble makers, and remember God's salvation by grace alone through faith alone! Paul ecstatically exclaims that God is King - a mighty ruler, majestic sovereign over all! This God has established a Kingdom through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who lives within His people! This King is eternal, the King of all Kings and the King of all the ages - past, present and future - and not bound by the unstable ebb and flow of time's fluctuations. God the King eternal, He of the ages, and beyond the ages, is often called so in Old Testament worship. This King is immortal, beyond the ravages and decay of time! This immortal King is incorruptible, imperishable and unchanging! This King is invisible, beyond the scope of vision of mere mortal humanity! Yet humanity had once glimpsed His glory, when the God who is outside of time and space, entered time and space in the God-man Jesus Christ. This King is also the One and Only God who is the One and Only great King! This King is unique, majestic, and without rival or parallel. Because this King is eternal, immortal, invisible and the Only, He alone is worthy of honour and glory. WOW! God the King of Holy Majesty! Moreover, this God is personal! Look again at the personal pronouns Paul uses to describe relationship with God! Verse 1 - our Saviour ... our hope, Verse 11 - he entrusted to me. ... Verse 12 - our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Verse 14 - The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly along with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Verse 16 - I was shown mercy so that in me, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. So what? So there you have it. It is 64AD. The church in Ephesus is in a mess. Timothy is drowning under the pressure to conform. Paul has heard about it and is writing to encourage Timothy. Timothy has a choice to make. Succumb to the pressures thrust upon him by the false teachers, trouble-makers and miscreants to follow a false God, a false Jesus - or continue to follow the true God - the eternal, immortal, invisible and only King and the apostolic doctrines as taught to him by Paul, the Apostle by command of God. What about us today? In a lot of churches today, the word 'doctrine' is unfashionable. I have had people say to me just this last week, that doctrine belongs to a time gone by, and that what is needed is new experiences of God and miracles from God! That is the way forward for the church, they say. Or don't go to that service, it might be a bit too heavy or too light for you. We are starting a new thing - come along! Is that new thing or new way of thinking about God, really of God or is it the result of human pride or even a trick of the devil? I am sure that you are aware that's how the cults started. Jehovah Witnesses & Mormons starting something new as a supposed continuation of biblical Christianity. Doctrine is for all those who consider themselves Christians, regardless of the level of academic achievement (or none);·regardless of the length of time they have been a Christian; and regardless of their status in the church they attend, whether as a church leader or an ordinary church member who sits in the congregation. Let us not be afraid of doctrine. For every Christian, doctrine matters. If we have solid, biblical doctrine being practised in our life, then we will be seen to be living a life of total submission and obedience to Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to the praise of God the Father. As the mind is renewed and transformed with teaching about Jesus Christ, and the Christian puts into practice what the mind learns, the very life of the Christian is seen to be transforming into the image of Jesus. Then people will ask questions. Questions regarding the reason why you and I are being transformed and the reason for the hope we hold onto. That way the Gospel and Good News of Jesus Christ is spread, for doctrine in practise is also evangelism - telling others about this wondrous one and only King who is eternal, immortal, invisible yet made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Another reason, learning solid doctrine is important is so that we can discern solid Apostolic & biblical teaching from the false teaching of heretics and those who want to lead Christians astray. By knowing good doctrine, we will be enabled to start discerning true beliefs from false beliefs and ultimately engage biblical doctrine into living a life worthy of Jesus Christ. Did Steve Chalke's recent missive about homosexuality not being sinful, have its origins in his changing of the doctrine of atonement a few years ago? After all if Jesus sacrifice was not an atoning sacrifice, how then could the Old Testament atoning sacrifice for sin be fulfilled? Did Mr Chalke's diminished view of the atonement inevitably lead to a diminished and dumbed down view of sin? Just as Timothy had a choice to make - succumb to the troublemakers or submit to God via Paul, we also have choices to make in our daily life. Do we conform to the world or to Jesus Christ? We are to be in the world but not to take the values of the world. That is a command of Jesus Christ who is our master. Finally, and it is hard to ask these questions, but they have been laid on my heart. I asked God if I could skip asking them, but as usual I was told to behave and just do it. Several times. Questions like... Which Gospel are we showing and telling others? Is it the gospel as explicitly given by Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15 or do we deliberately or inadvertently live and tell another gospel - a false gospel, just as the Ephesian troublemakers were doing. Which God do we tell others about? Is it the God of the Bible who is Tri-unity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - of whom humanity is made in the image of? Or is it some kind of false God made in our own image? Which Jesus do we confess and live for? Is it the Jesus who said in Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all of you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest! Put on my yoke and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Is it the Jesus who was welcoming to all but made demands on them in order to transform them -such as the rich young man who left distraught at the demands made upon him by Jesus or the woman at the well who had her sins forgiven but was told by Jesus to stop her lifestyle of sin? Or is the Jesus we share some kind of modern day Jesus who makes no demands at all? And some churches do indeed preach and teach that kind of insipid, powerless, nodding-head Jesus. Are we wanting to enjoy all the benefits of being a Christian? Things such as our salvation, our sins being forgiven, access to that glorious throne of grace - without enjoying the Joy-giver who wants to transform us willingly into the image of Jesus Christ the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. It is simply idolatry to want to enjoy these benefits without enjoying and submitting to the benefit giver, the Majestic King who is the only true God. It is idolatry because those other things are taking precedence over worship to the King. Why do we take for granted our salvation and our meeting together with other Christians when we can? Why do our prayer meetings and services not fill with Christians wanting to worship, be taught and to pray for this church, this town and the mission work around the world? And finally, you will be glad to know, why are there people coming into this church who are not Christian, and there are, and yet are not going on to follow Jesus and be baptised? There hasn't been a baptism here for over a year. Why not? Again if you are here and haven't been baptised, and you would like to be please do go see Bruce! He would welcome you with open arms! Or perhaps you are not yet one of His followers, still exercising Jesus' great patience with you to accept Him as Lord of your life? If that is so, please don't leave here tonight without talking to somebody about how you can start following this Jesus. Don't leave it too late. You wont regret following Jesus but you may regret it if you don't start. Finally, for the rest of us, we have a great opportunity on February 14 to gather to reach out into town along with other churches in the town, to tell about a God of love on the day of love. Let us go out of here, making a choice to submit to the power of the Holy Spirit, follow Jesus closely to the praise and honour of God the Father. Let His light shine out from us into a town that is in spiritual darkness, dying to know personally our majestic King who is God. Let His love shine out of us as we learn and submit to him - loving others, loving each other to reflect a God of love. Put your thinking and doctrine of God into practise which is evangelism. If the God we serve is the God of 1 Timothy - a majestic King who is personal, ageless, without decay or corruption, invisible and the only God - then we are duty bound to tell and show others about Him. After all, each of us who are Christians here tonight have had somebody tell us about the offer to succumb to the fathomless patience of Jesus and accept Him as master of their life. Let us go! Are you ready? Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this Sermon as a MP3 file

You have more potential than you may realise. But one of the best ways to achieve actual fulfilment in your life is to be part of a team. Who would you say was the best team ever? In many areas of life, it has been great teams who have achieved more together than they ever would have done apart.   In church history it was a group of talented and dedicated U.K. Christians known as the Clapham sect who united to successfully campaign for the abolition of slavery and the promotion of global missions. The world's most famous evangelist, Billy Graham, was a highly charismatic personality, but he freely admitted that he owed everything to God, his wife and a close team of associates who stayed together and supported him throughout their long lives.    Yet for all the effectiveness of so many great teams there is one that stands out above all others. John Maxwell wrote: ‘one could argue that Jesus constructed the most important team ever assembled. In less than one generation, the disciples of Jesus progressed from ignorant labourers to bold spiritual leaders in what is now the largest organisation in the world.'  The team that Jesus chose and trained to become history makers were a very mixed group of characters as we have been discovering over these past months. We have seen how easy it is to identify with them as they were very ordinary people just like us, each with their particular strengths and weaknesses.   For all the differences in their personalities and roles, these disciples who became the world's most successful team, were united in key areas. They have much to teach us if we want to grow in our faith and as members of teams of disciples.  1. They had a personal encounter with Jesus (John 1:43-45; John 1:1-4, 14-16; Matthew 16; John 6:68-69; Colossians 2:7) 2. They committed to fully follow Jesus (Matthew 4:18-22; Matthew 19:27) 3. They needed to be developed as trained disciples of Jesus  4. They continued to be faithful witnesses of Jesus throughout their lives (Acts 12:2; Revelation 1:17-18; Revelation 5:9; Revelation 1:5-7)  Apply  1. They had a personal encounter with Jesus. Four fishermen, Andrew, Peter, James and John, all met Jesus along the shores of Lake Galilee. Matthew was called by Jesus while sitting at his booth as a tax collector. Philip and Nathanael also came into contact with Jesus (John 1:43-45). In one way and another Jesus entered the lives of each of the disciples and developed a close relationship with them over a three-year period. Jesus called this band of brothers ‘friends', but they clearly understood that that Jesus was no mere man, but the Promised Messiah, God in human form (John 1:45; John 1:1-4). John went on to clarify that Jesus was the Word He was speaking of (John 1:14). When Jesus asked the disciples who they really thought He was, Peter stated he believed Jesus was the Messiah (Matthew 16). As opposition increased towards Jesus, many left him, but not his core disciples (John 6:68-69). What held them together was they were ‘rooted and built up' in their personal faith in Christ (Colossians 2:7). That's why they weren't being blown all over the place. They knew Jesus for themselves. Being a true disciple then means far more than knowing about Jesus or even merely believing in Him at an intellectual level; it means that you must have a personal experience of knowing Jesus. Even if you would say that you are a Christian: do you really know the Lord in a personal way? Do you feel His presence? Do you know Him as your best friend who is always close by you? Are you confident to daily walk with Him because you are sure your sins have been forgiven because of your repentance and through Christ's blood? Well this is what the Lord wants for you. 2. They committed to fully follow Jesus. They decided to wholeheartedly follow Jesus from the start (Matthew 4:18-22; Matthew 19:27). Peter and his brother and colleagues left their fishing careers, Mathew gave up tax collecting for the Romans, Simon the Zealot split from the terrorist group that focused on killing Romans. Each disciple left their old way of life behind. And that is what every true follower of Jesus must do. You cannot continue with an old sinful lifestyle, with old attitudes, with old forms of behaviour and friendships with those who mock God. You have to make a clean break to follow Jesus. God's call on your life may also involve you changing from a previous career. But whether or not you stay or leave your chosen profession, what matters is that you die to an old way of life and that you choose to live God's way and to be a faithful ambassador for Christ. A true disciple is much more than someone who attends church but someone who has consciously decided to prioritise following the example and teachings of Jesus. That's what the first disciples did but that was only the start of their story.   3. They needed to be developed as trained disciples of Jesus. Once Jesus had called individual disciples, He then brought them together as a team to form them in their characters and capabilities. And that's what He did patiently, consistently, directly and ultimately very effectively. His training meant that the team of disciples: needed to stay close to their mentor and rabbi even when others had arguments and left; had to be prepared to accept correction, they weren't too proud to learn and change; and needed to be ready to respond to new challenges. At first, Jesus sent them out to spread the good news of the kingdom of God in their home areas but finally he sent them out to make disciples throughout the whole world. Everything depended on them succeeding as a team. The responsibility for the whole future of the church and the growth of Christianity rested with this small, imperfect team that Jesus had raised up. There was no plan B. Today also the numerical and spiritual growth of the Christian church, locally and globally, primarily depends not on big events and public services, but with the training of groups of small groups of committed disciples who will in turn multiply faithful and fruitful disciples.  4. They continued to be faithful witnesses of Jesus throughout their lives. They obediently carried out their commission to spread the gospel wherever they went, no matter what difficulties they faced. And they were prepared to pay the ultimate price. We know of the fate of Judas who betrayed Jesus and hung himself, while the faithful James, the son of Zebedee, was executed by Herod in 44AD (Acts 12:2). Even though Peter was miraculously saved at that time from a similar execution and the Bible doesn't give the details, numerous writers of the time (or shortly after) described his death as having occurred in Rome during the reign of the mad Emperor Nero in 64AD. According to tradition, St. Peter was crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. Although there are unreliable legends about the other disciples, there are strong traditions about their laying down of their lives for Christ. Russian Christians believe that Andrew was the first to bring the gospel to their land. Andrew also preached in modern-day Turkey, Asia Minor, and Greece, where it's believed he was crucified. Tradition says that Thomas preached as far as India, where he was killed. Many churches in the Middle East and southern Asia, including Sri Lanka, also mention Apostle Thomas in their historical traditions as being the first evangelist to establish their churches. Philip likely had a powerful ministry in Asia Minor and in North Africa, where he was put to death. Matthew ministered in Persia and Ethiopia, where some believe he was killed. Of the other disciples who were reportedly martyred, Bartholomew had extensive missionary travels to Ethiopia, India with Thomas and to Armenia and Southern Arabia. James the son of Alpheus is believed to have ministered in Syria. Simon the Zealot ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to a sun god and Matthias, the replacement for Judas, went to Syria. John is one of the only disciples who's commonly thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was a church leader in Ephesus and is believed to have cared for Mary, Jesus' mother, in his home. During a time of persecution under Emperor Domitian, John was exiled to the island of Patmos, off the coast of Asia where he wrote the last book of the New Testament. At the end of his life, John had many revelations of Jesus in heaven. He had a vision of: - The conquering Christ: an awesome figure Revelation 1:17-18) - The compassionate Christ: He saw a vast crowd of people gathered (Revelation 5:9; Revelation 1:5-6) - The coming Christ: He foresaw that Jesus will return to earth in power and glory, overthrowing all evil, establishing His eternal kingdom and making all things new (Revelation 1:7). For John the past, present and future was all about Jesus. Jesus was the centre and meaning and hope of everything. That's why he and all the disciples had first followed Jesus and why they worked so effectively together as a team to shine his light in a dark world. We too need to encounter Jesus and live and work together as teams of real disciples to see Christ's kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. 

You have more potential than you may realise. But one of the best ways to achieve actual fulfilment in your life is to be part of a team. Who would you say was the best team ever? In many areas of life, it has been great teams who have achieved more together than they ever would have done apart.   In church history it was a group of talented and dedicated U.K. Christians known as the Clapham sect who united to successfully campaign for the abolition of slavery and the promotion of global missions. The world's most famous evangelist, Billy Graham, was a highly charismatic personality, but he freely admitted that he owed everything to God, his wife and a close team of associates who stayed together and supported him throughout their long lives.    Yet for all the effectiveness of so many great teams there is one that stands out above all others. John Maxwell wrote: ‘one could argue that Jesus constructed the most important team ever assembled. In less than one generation, the disciples of Jesus progressed from ignorant labourers to bold spiritual leaders in what is now the largest organisation in the world.'  The team that Jesus chose and trained to become history makers were a very mixed group of characters as we have been discovering over these past months. We have seen how easy it is to identify with them as they were very ordinary people just like us, each with their particular strengths and weaknesses.   For all the differences in their personalities and roles, these disciples who became the world's most successful team, were united in key areas. They have much to teach us if we want to grow in our faith and as members of teams of disciples.  1. They had a personal encounter with Jesus (John 1:43-45; John 1:1-4, 14-16; Matthew 16; John 6:68-69; Colossians 2:7) 2. They committed to fully follow Jesus (Matthew 4:18-22; Matthew 19:27) 3. They needed to be developed as trained disciples of Jesus  4. They continued to be faithful witnesses of Jesus throughout their lives (Acts 12:2; Revelation 1:17-18; Revelation 5:9; Revelation 1:5-7)  Apply  1. They had a personal encounter with Jesus. Four fishermen, Andrew, Peter, James and John, all met Jesus along the shores of Lake Galilee. Matthew was called by Jesus while sitting at his booth as a tax collector. Philip and Nathanael also came into contact with Jesus (John 1:43-45). In one way and another Jesus entered the lives of each of the disciples and developed a close relationship with them over a three-year period. Jesus called this band of brothers ‘friends', but they clearly understood that that Jesus was no mere man, but the Promised Messiah, God in human form (John 1:45; John 1:1-4). John went on to clarify that Jesus was the Word He was speaking of (John 1:14). When Jesus asked the disciples who they really thought He was, Peter stated he believed Jesus was the Messiah (Matthew 16). As opposition increased towards Jesus, many left him, but not his core disciples (John 6:68-69). What held them together was they were ‘rooted and built up' in their personal faith in Christ (Colossians 2:7). That's why they weren't being blown all over the place. They knew Jesus for themselves. Being a true disciple then means far more than knowing about Jesus or even merely believing in Him at an intellectual level; it means that you must have a personal experience of knowing Jesus. Even if you would say that you are a Christian: do you really know the Lord in a personal way? Do you feel His presence? Do you know Him as your best friend who is always close by you? Are you confident to daily walk with Him because you are sure your sins have been forgiven because of your repentance and through Christ's blood? Well this is what the Lord wants for you. 2. They committed to fully follow Jesus. They decided to wholeheartedly follow Jesus from the start (Matthew 4:18-22; Matthew 19:27). Peter and his brother and colleagues left their fishing careers, Mathew gave up tax collecting for the Romans, Simon the Zealot split from the terrorist group that focused on killing Romans. Each disciple left their old way of life behind. And that is what every true follower of Jesus must do. You cannot continue with an old sinful lifestyle, with old attitudes, with old forms of behaviour and friendships with those who mock God. You have to make a clean break to follow Jesus. God's call on your life may also involve you changing from a previous career. But whether or not you stay or leave your chosen profession, what matters is that you die to an old way of life and that you choose to live God's way and to be a faithful ambassador for Christ. A true disciple is much more than someone who attends church but someone who has consciously decided to prioritise following the example and teachings of Jesus. That's what the first disciples did but that was only the start of their story.   3. They needed to be developed as trained disciples of Jesus. Once Jesus had called individual disciples, He then brought them together as a team to form them in their characters and capabilities. And that's what He did patiently, consistently, directly and ultimately very effectively. His training meant that the team of disciples: needed to stay close to their mentor and rabbi even when others had arguments and left; had to be prepared to accept correction, they weren't too proud to learn and change; and needed to be ready to respond to new challenges. At first, Jesus sent them out to spread the good news of the kingdom of God in their home areas but finally he sent them out to make disciples throughout the whole world. Everything depended on them succeeding as a team. The responsibility for the whole future of the church and the growth of Christianity rested with this small, imperfect team that Jesus had raised up. There was no plan B. Today also the numerical and spiritual growth of the Christian church, locally and globally, primarily depends not on big events and public services, but with the training of groups of small groups of committed disciples who will in turn multiply faithful and fruitful disciples.  4. They continued to be faithful witnesses of Jesus throughout their lives. They obediently carried out their commission to spread the gospel wherever they went, no matter what difficulties they faced. And they were prepared to pay the ultimate price. We know of the fate of Judas who betrayed Jesus and hung himself, while the faithful James, the son of Zebedee, was executed by Herod in 44AD (Acts 12:2). Even though Peter was miraculously saved at that time from a similar execution and the Bible doesn't give the details, numerous writers of the time (or shortly after) described his death as having occurred in Rome during the reign of the mad Emperor Nero in 64AD. According to tradition, St. Peter was crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. Although there are unreliable legends about the other disciples, there are strong traditions about their laying down of their lives for Christ. Russian Christians believe that Andrew was the first to bring the gospel to their land. Andrew also preached in modern-day Turkey, Asia Minor, and Greece, where it's believed he was crucified. Tradition says that Thomas preached as far as India, where he was killed. Many churches in the Middle East and southern Asia, including Sri Lanka, also mention Apostle Thomas in their historical traditions as being the first evangelist to establish their churches. Philip likely had a powerful ministry in Asia Minor and in North Africa, where he was put to death. Matthew ministered in Persia and Ethiopia, where some believe he was killed. Of the other disciples who were reportedly martyred, Bartholomew had extensive missionary travels to Ethiopia, India with Thomas and to Armenia and Southern Arabia. James the son of Alpheus is believed to have ministered in Syria. Simon the Zealot ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to a sun god and Matthias, the replacement for Judas, went to Syria. John is one of the only disciples who's commonly thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was a church leader in Ephesus and is believed to have cared for Mary, Jesus' mother, in his home. During a time of persecution under Emperor Domitian, John was exiled to the island of Patmos, off the coast of Asia where he wrote the last book of the New Testament. At the end of his life, John had many revelations of Jesus in heaven. He had a vision of: - The conquering Christ: an awesome figure Revelation 1:17-18) - The compassionate Christ: He saw a vast crowd of people gathered (Revelation 5:9; Revelation 1:5-6) - The coming Christ: He foresaw that Jesus will return to earth in power and glory, overthrowing all evil, establishing His eternal kingdom and making all things new (Revelation 1:7). For John the past, present and future was all about Jesus. Jesus was the centre and meaning and hope of everything. That's why he and all the disciples had first followed Jesus and why they worked so effectively together as a team to shine his light in a dark world. We too need to encounter Jesus and live and work together as teams of real disciples to see Christ's kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. 

Welcome to our four-part podcast series, Paranormal Paranoia, where we uncover the dark history of London's most haunted hotspots and investigate whether supernatural beings actually exist. Is it the paranormal, or are you just paranoid? ** In this podcast episode we'll be exploring the history of London Bridge from 64AD to the present day. Through these historical tales expect to learn why the bridge is a haunted place. ** Producers: Ruby Smith, Stuart Allen, Holly Nichols, Izabella Thornley Interviews: Henry Muller, Brian Laythe, Jillian Usher ** Outro music produced by Louie Zong (https://youtube.com/@everydaylouie) Background music by PurplePlanet Sound Effects by Pixabay

Is Christianity "too old" to be relevant today? Let me assure you that in 64AD, Christianity wasn't “old-fashioned.”

Church History Part 4 Church Persecution and Growth ~ Today in Part 4, we look briefly at the scattering of the church and the church's relationship with the governing force which was the Roman Empire! The church at the time seems to be in a bit of a rut. They still haven't spread far and wide from the centre, Jerusalem. They still did not understand that the Gospel message of Jesus Christ was for all of humanity, ultimately including the Gentiles! So God brings out his plan. Enter Saul the Persecutor (Acts 8:1-4)! God used the persecution upon the church by Saul to scatter the Church! As they went out eluding persecution, they preached the Gospel effectively! ~ We read in the book of Acts how the Gospel had spread to: Samaria - Peter, Philip and John evangelised. Gentiles - Peter and Cornelius evangelised. The Gospel message also spread out to Antioch, Phoenicia & Cyprus - part of the uttermost (Acts 11:19-30) Within 10 years of its birth, the Church was thriving in Antioch. Missionaries from Cyprus were the first to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Greeks in Antioch. Barnabas goes to Antioch ~ Then God seemingly pulls another surprise out of the hat! Saul, the main persecutor of the church, has a life-changing encounter with the risen and ascended Jesus Christ! Paul becomes a follower of Jesus, accepting that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Christians were claiming! WOW! Saul changes his name to Paul and he becomes God's man to reach out to the Gentiles, the non-Jews! WOW! Good one, God! ~ Paul was God's chosen instrument to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). It was Christianity and its Gospel of Grace versus Judaism and the Levitical Law. Paul took up the challenge. We read through the Book of Acts and in his letters, that Paul engaged in 3 missionary journeys over a period of about 12 years. ~ Quelle Surprise! Galatia (South Turkey), Cyprus, Galatia 46-48 AD Acts 13-14 Macedonia, Greece & Corinth 49-52 AD Acts 15:39-18:22 Ephesus (3 years and briefly to Greece 53-57 AD Acts 18:23-21:16 ~ For the first 30 years of its birth, the Roman empire viewed Christianity as a part of Judaism and was therefore tolerated by the Romans. During this period however, Paul was teaching that Christianity was separate as an ongoing religion from Judaism. This was to cause some trouble particularly with the Roman Empire! Judaism was an accepted and declared a 'legal' religion by the Romans. This was most unusual, as the majority of religions were banned except for the Roman state religion. During this time Rome had a great fire and was burned in 64AD. The Roman Emperor Nero blamed the Christians because they were intensely disliked. ~ It was into this context that Peter writes to encourage the Christians (1 Peter 1:3-7). Shortly afterwards in 70AD, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and Judaism was finished as a major religion within the Roman Empire. ~ Intense persecution of the Christian Church by the Romans occurred over the next 3 centuries. Here are a few examples of how certain Roman emperors dealt with Christians. Domitian (81-96), liked to be known as our 'Lord and God' and during his reign, the Apostle John was exiled on Patmos. Trajan (98-117) corresponded with Pliny the Younger, governor of Bythinia, on how to deal with the rapidly spreading Christianity. Decius (249-251) Supported the theory "One empire/One religion". In 250 he passed an edict that everyone had to worship the state gods and receive a certificate to signify that they had done so. Many Christians suffered intensely for refusing. However some Christians worshipped the state gods and later repented. The Church split over the question of whether these people should be allowed back into fellowship. Diocletian (284-305) - In 303 he ordered the destruction of all Church property and Scriptures. He ordered that everyone worship the state gods or face execution. This saw the most intense persecution of the Church. ~ As we see, the church is under pressure from outside forces in the Roman Empire. That was to be expected as Jesus Himself taught that this would occur. But there was also extreme pressure from within the church, particularly threatening to the unity it had enjoyed! But what happens? Well for the answer to that, you will have to come back tomorrow! Tap or click here to save this as an audio mp3 file

By Victor Kubik in Cincinnati East, OH - July 10, 2021 - The Apostle Peter wrote I Peter letter in about 67AD. It was an unsettling time for Christians. Rome had burned in 64AD. Christians were blamed, persecuted and many martyred. Peter tells Christians how to conduct themselves during unsettling times. Good advice for us.

All roads lead to Rome this week as Paddy and Tricia discuss the TARDIS crew's Roman Holiday in 64AD and the role they play in a world changing event.

On today’s show we’re taking a short trip through the history books to see what history might teach us about today. The year was 27 BC and Augustus was the emperor of Rome. Their money was the roman denarius, made of 98% pure silver. The pure coinage remained until 64AD when there was the Great Fire of Rome which destroyed close to 60,000 buildings, almost 90% of the dwellings in the city. Nero was the emperor at the time and it took a lot of money to rebuild the city. In order to afford the rebuilding, Nero made monetary reforms which reduced the silver content in the coins to 93%. Emperor Vespasian reduced the silver content to 89%, Marcus Aurelius reduced the silver to 75% and Septimius Severus reduced the silver content to 50%. By the time Gallienus was Emperor from 260AD to 268AD, the denarius had a meager 2.5% silver content. These coins were made of bronze and had a thin coating of silver which tended to wear away very quickly. It was during the time of Gallienus, despite a number of military victories, that important provinces started to splinter away from the Roman Empire. From 249AD to 262AD, the Plague of Cyprian which lasted 13 years caused widespread shortages across the empire and was one of the major contributing factors to the eventual demise of the Roman Empire. Rome was the epicenter of trade in Europe. As the coins had less and less silver, soldiers in the empire demanded higher pay. Prices for commodities increase. Eventually runaway took hold. By 265AD, there was less than 0.5% silver left in the coins and prices increased 1000%. Only mercenary solders were paid in gold. The trifecta of rising administrative costs which caused soaring taxes, runaway inflation and worthless money caused much of Rome’s trade to collapse. I totally understand why governments all over the world are printing money in response to the pandemic. In some ways, I think they have little choice. Many think that we’re not in an inflationary period. That prices are not rising out of control. So the printing of money is appropriate. Remember, inflation is an average. We have seen prices for oil drop in the short term as the level of economic activity fell during March and April. What will happen when there are shortages of food? What will happen when there are shortages of building materials like steel or ceramic tiles? Will those prices go up? In places they already have gone up in price. You see, if printing money were the path to prosperity, the Zimbabwe and Venezuela would be the richest nations on earth and they’re not. So here we are in the year 2020 AD. We have global trade splintering into local trade. We have plagues. We have printing of money. Every time this has been tried in human history, the path to prosperity has been interrupted by economic collapse. We’ve seen this movie before. We know the ending. The actors are different in this remake of the movie. But the plot is basically the same. I’m calling this movie “The return of Caesar’s coin stamping machine, part 29.” When newly printed money is dropped from the sky, it’s not falling uniformly, or even fairly on the population. It’s going to some people first, and then to others not at all. When the unfairness of this wealth transfer has become visible in the past, the result has almost always brought armed conflict. The headlines this morning tell the story of economic recovery that is now underway. The economy is the result of output of its people, not the printing of money. When people are sitting at home, collecting a check from the government, they’re not producing. That check breeds dependence. It stifles creativity. I know that I would not be thinking hard about business strategy if I was getting paid to sit home and watch movies. In truth, I don’t think I would want that check.

  Sermon - 1 Peter 1:3-9 1 Peter 1:3-9 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Introduction Last week we looked at 1 Peter 1:1-2 & 2:11-12, under the title “Living in the face of alienation and its cure”. The Apostle Peter was writing to a group of people, followers of Jesus, spread throughout what we know as modern Turkey. These believing sojourners were undergoing trials, suffering & persecution. Peter instructs them toward Christian stability, and the proper expression of this stability and growth. Throughout the letter, Peter stresses a hope so alive, so glorious and so very certain, that any persecution, trial and suffering can be endured. These people are sojourners or pilgrims on a spiritual journey! Last week we discovered that Peter reminds them of the God they worship and live for - a missional & relational God of salvation. A loving God who is Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father has chosen and is calling all people to Himself, out of amazing love for them. God the Holy Spirit sanctifies and cleanses to allow people to enter God’s holy presence through the obedient sacrifice of God the Son. ----more----Then we learnt together about how within the believer, that there is a battle. A spiritual battle – the old earthly human nature battling against the new nature of the believer given to them by God. Salvation is yours, Peter says, so go let the world know that this salvation can be theirs also, by living so devoted to God, that He permeates every facet of your life. That people will know you are God’s possession and God lives through you! WOW! The believing sojourner is to live such a good life that they are good witnesses for the God in whom they believe! We also know that this group of people are undergoing various forms of suffering and grief. Not the least, sporadic events of persecution but also the possibility of systematic persecution to come.So now we come to tonight’s reading – 1 Peter 1:3-9. Again we will start out by looking at God, before going onto looking at a reaction to this great God of whom Peter continues to reveal. Here in this first section from 1:1 to 2:9, Peter touches on subjects which he will elucidate upon later in the letter. 1. God the Joy Giver! Peter continues in this the first section of his letter. The natural second section of the letter starts in 1 Peter 2:11 as we saw last week under the title “Living in the face of alienation and its cure”. Tonight we move on under the title “Living in the joy of salvation…” This naturally implies that there is a joy giver and a salvation! Who is the giver of this “joy” and what is joy?Let’s look briefly at who Peter says this joy giver is! The Joy Giver! In v3, Peter continues praising His God and the God of His readers. This God is the joy giver! Let’s look very briefly at some aspects of this God whom Peter reveals!a. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ v3 Peter would have remembered the words of Jesus, the Son, who told him and the others disciples to call God, Father! Father God is the one who calls and beckons all people to Himself. He is the Father of the Son, Jesus Christ, but not in a way such as He created the Son, for the Son has always existed and was never created. God the Father is a Father in that the He plans and directs, while the Son responds obediently. God the Father sent the Son, and Jesus Himself said he had come from the Father and was returning to the Father. Again we looked briefly at that relationship last week. The joy giver is to be praised!b. his great mercy he has given v3 This God is a merciful God! He does not give people what they deserve – which is death for humanity’s wilful rebellion, but He offers salvation – a new birth! The mercy of God is the goodness of God to those in distress - tenderness & compassion! WOW! How is the new birth possible? c. resurrection of Jesus Christ v3 This new birth is only possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate at Easter. Resurrection means more than just coming back to life! Jesus raised at least three people from the dead, but that was more resuscitation than resurrection! Those resuscitated people came back to life with their normal bodies and they would go on to die a physical death again! Jesus’ resurrection was different in that He also had a new body! WOW!Jesus’ resurrection proved and vindicated all of His teaching. Jesus’ resurrection, witnessed by Peter and many others, certified and attested to His claims to be who He said he was – God. If Jesus had not been resurrected, then be assured Peter would not now be in Rome as a witness for this Jesus! No way! He would probably have gone back to being a fisherman - not as he is now – a leading figure in the embryonic church. Or at best Peter would be cowering away in fear for retribution from the religious leaders of his day.The resurrection was also God the Father’s approval of His Son Jesus’ obedient service. The fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises are declared through the resurrection. The result of which, is inheritance and salvation for all those who respond to God the Father’s calling! But more about that later as we continue to explore our bible passage for tonight!d. Jesus Christ is revealed v7 Jesus will return and be revealed for who He is and in fully glory for the world to see! Jesus said so during His earthly life and it is mentioned 318 times within the New Testament. Jesus is returning. Not as a human baby this time but as a conquering majestic Prince of Peace. When will He come? No-one knows! But it will happen unexpectedly! Expect the unexpected! God Himself is the joy giver! 2. Living Out Joy! So if that is the joy giver, what is joy and how is the Christian, the receiver of salvation, to live in the light of this joy? Let us look briefly at each of this series of mini-pictures given to us by Peter!a. New birth v3 Back in verse 3, when Peter says “born anew”, he is echoing the very words of Jesus who said that only those who are born again or born anew will see and experience the kingdom of God and have the salvation of their souls (John 3:3). What does Peter mean here? Just as each person has a physical body, each person also has a spirit. Now our spirit is our spiritual system, which is seen in our consciousness of God and in our faith and conscience. A spiritual birth is required in order to give a spiritual life, just as a physical birth gives physical life. Each person is made up of a physical body and an internal spirit. That is why Peter says that all those who are followers of Jesus have been born anew or have been born again! This phrase can also be translated “born from above”. It is also something that a human cannot do by their own efforts! It can only be a work of God! It is from His twin wellsprings of grace and mercy, that people can have this new life! Grace – getting what we don’t deserve and mercy – not getting what we do deserve.b. Living hope v3 Because believers have this new life, been born anew, they have a new hope. Not a dead hope as some might imagine but a living and dynamic hope! As it is living, Peter is stating that the hope within the believer is to grow and flourish! As the believer continues living life here on earth, the hope is to continue to grow and develop! It is a hope which is dynamic as it is growing in confidence and expectation! What is this living hope to be in and for?c. Inheritance v4 Peter goes on! This living hope is for the inheritance of the believer! Part of this inheritance is the new body of the believer! The believer will also be resurrected just as Jesus was! This inheritance is described by Peter as imperishable, unspoilt and unfading! No doubt the readers of this letter would have thought back to the time when the nation of Israel was promised the land of Israel as an inheritance. But the inheritance Peter is referring to is not a physical kingdom, property or possessions! No! Those things will rot, rust, perish, decay and fade away as time goes on. Don’t put your hope in those things cries Peter! Putting hope in them is not a living hope but a dead hope! O sojourner of Jesus Christ, writes Peter, put your hope, your living hope, in your glorious inheritance to come! You will have an inheritance and life which is pure, undefiled and unpolluted by sin! No suffering there in this inheritance! And where is this inheritance now, Peter? Not on earth says Peter! This inheritance is being kept in heaven for you and each person who follows Jesus Christ and perseveres! This is a personal inheritance. Each person must be born anew into this living hope. Where are you tonight? Have you taken up this living and dynamic hope and been born anew by God’s grace and mercy? Don’t leave tonight without speaking to somebody about it!d. shielded by God’s power v5 As we know, again from last week, Peter is writing to groups of people, who maybe coming under increasing persecution – or soon will be, particularly from the Romans. We know that in the year 64AD, systemic persecution of Christians came about under the Emperor Nero. How will God’s people, those He has chosen as his, be protected? Peter is writing to encourage these believers! This inheritance is theirs! They have been born anew! They are God the Father’s chosen and well loved children! What about when persecution comes? Who will protect them and keep their inheritance safe? Peter tells them that they will be shielded or guarded by God Himself! God will keep them safe! Just as God kept the spies into the land of Canaan way back in the Old Testament. It is a guarding, which is not only protection but also a shielding away. It is the security of their salvation which God also protects. Will any fall away from God when persecution hits them? Will they be able to stand? If they rely on God’s power and strength and continue to put their personal faith and trust in Him, then they will indeed be energized, sustained and safeguarded. We know from other passages of Scripture, that God the Son, Jesus Christ intercedes for us to God the Father! WOW! This guarding work is not just for the inheritance but something else too! Peter goes on in v5!e. Salvation – future v5 This safeguarding is also for the salvation of the believing sojourner! Salvation has three tenses to it! A believer has been saved (justified); is being saved (sanctified) and will be saved! One glorious day the believer will come into his or her full inheritance! They will have full possession of all that God the Father has kept for them. It will be revealed one day – keep having hope, says the Apostle Peter! We looked briefly at that last week.The believer has been born anew into a living and dynamic hope for the future! Chosen by God the Father and called by Him to be His child! His child who is regenerated, renewed and cleansed by God the Holy Spirit through the obedient life and sacrifice of God the Son, Jesus Christ who rose up from the dead! WOW!f. Rejoice v6Peter continues! Peter seems to be saying here in v6 “Rejoice, believers and keep on rejoicing just as you are indeed doing! When you think about your future inheritance, rejoice! Rejoice, sojourners, in your future hope and inheritance!”To rejoice is to have a deep and glorious spiritual joy! It is rejoicing in God with deep joy! Now remember these believers are suffering and some will indeed suffer more. As Peter says they may have to suffer and endure trials which are to come. What are these suffering and trials? We cannot be certain but every human that has ever lived in some way has suffered somehow. Indeed the very process of physical birth is a kind of suffering – for baby, mother and father! These believers are enduring all sorts of trials. Trials put upon them by satan, put upon them by other people as well as natural trials such as sickness and death. But Peter here says may have to suffer. Suffer for simply being believers perhaps as the shadow of persecution hovers above them?These trials, suffering and griefs are temporary and incomparable to glory which awaits the believer who holds on and perseveres. Peter says that suffering, trials and griefs go hand in hand with joy – deep joy! More about joy soon! 3. Faith! a. Faith’s genuineness v7 Why are they suffering? Peter goes on to say that the trials have come to prove their faith in God. Faith is trusting in God. How will they trust in God as they undergo such ordeals! How will their faith be exhibited! These trials and griefs will show the genuine nature of these believing sojourners faith. They are to refine and purify the believer, just as gold is refined by fire. Even though on earth gold is one of the most durable substances, one day it will perish. Just as all this old earth will. Genuine faith and real trust in God is far more enduring and valuable than placing faith in gold, because God is to be the object of the believer’s faith. God’s evaluation of these believers, these sojourners, is of higher value than the opinion of mere humans. God’s evaluation is basis for faith in Him by these believing sojourners who Peter is writing to. This faith of theirs is to be shown in praise to and of Jesus Christ. This genuine faith of theirs, which is to always to seek to give praise, honour and glory to Jesus. This genuine faith is expressed with joy. Particularly as we saw earlier when Jesus Christ is revealed in His divine post-resurrection glory. When all of humanity will be judged and the secret desires of the hearts of humans is revealed. b. Faith’s love v8 The object of the Christian’s faith, Peter goes on, is Jesus Christ and Him alone. Peter of course had known Jesus personally. Peter had seen Jesus, been called by Jesus, was rebuked by Jesus and regularly frustrated Jesus. This Peter had also betrayed Jesus and was forgiven by him. Peter had loved Jesus and was still loving Jesus. Jesus loved Peter. This Peter had seen the resurrected Jesus before witnessing Jesus, God the Son, ascend back to the right hand of God the Father. But these believers had not had those experiences. They had heard the stories for sure and the testimony of witnesses to the person of Jesus. Not only were these believers to have faith in Jesus, but to express their love of Him. Peter is saying faith is personal, individual and to express your faith in Jesus by loving Him and being obedient to Him. These believers Peter was writing to loved Jesus and were expressing it by living lives worthy of Him. Could that describe you here tonight?c. Faith’s belief v8 Moreover this genuine faith of love is in evidence through their belief. That is their trust in Jesus, resting their confidence in Him because He is dependable and reliable. It is a personal relationship between Jesus and the believer. It is resting entirely upon Him for all things. Again – could that describe you here tonight in 2013?d. Faith’s joy v8 How is this faith expressed? This faith, Peter goes on, is expressed in and through joy or exultation! Old Testament language and experiences such as in our reading from the book of joy, Leviticus, told of the glory of God being revealed! Moses and Aaron, as we read in Leviticus, come out from tent, give a blessing to the people and God’s glory appeared to the nation! It must have been some blessing Aaron gave! Whatever the words that were expressed, they were words that invocated Almighty God’s power, presence and peace to be with and upon His people. No wonder the people fell on the ground with their noses in the dirt as an act of joyful worship and praise to God! So amazing was this sight that a tremendous wave of exuberant joy overcame the people and they all fell with their face in the ground! There was probably a mixture of amazement, surprise and reverent fear! This was not just joy as a mere emotion, but true exultant joy as evidenced through sacrifice, praise and testimony! The intended readers of Peter’s letters would have been well acquainted with such passages in what is our Old Testament – where the bright shining radiance of God’s glory was revealed. An exultant joy which is inexpressible and glorious!e. Faith’s outcome v9 And what does Peter say is the outcome or result of each of these sojourners faith? It is the salvation of their soul. Salvation as we have looked at earlier tonight as well as in last week’s study. A salvation which is the work of God the Trinity: God the Father has chosen and calls all people to himself, out of love for them. God the Holy Spirit sanctifies, sets apart and cleanses people to allow them to enter God’s holy presence. This entrance is only through the obedient sacrifice of God the Son. Conclusion So with all that said, let’s briefly recapitulate before we conclude.Firstly we looked at a God who is to be praised; a God who is merciful in giving new life to those who respond personally to His call. As evidence of this new and living hope, He sent His Son who came to earth as a human, lived, died and was resurrected to new life. This Son ascended to be at His right hand once more. This Son, Jesus Christ will be coming back again one day. Meanwhile, all those who place their faith and hope in Jesus Christ, will be shielded, safeguarded and protected by God Himself. Indeed, their salvation is assured and safeguarded. But if they were to die, they would be still shielded and safeguarded by God, because their salvation was assured and they would be in His presence. God shields and safeguards His people.Secondly we then looked at this new life or new hope in more detail. This new hope is living, dynamic and the believer has a glorious inheritance and salvation. This is given by God and God alone from his twin wellsprings of grace and mercy.Then lastly we looked at Faith’s genuineness, Faith’s love, Faith’s belief, Faith’s joy and finally Faith’s outcome which is the salvation of the soul.With that said, how are we to conclude tonight? How are we, in the 21st century, to respond and react to Peter in this section of his letter? For those of us who would call ourselves a Christian - a sojourner of Jesus Christ – you believe in Him and have placed your faith in Him for new hope, new life and salvation of your soul. I wonder what trials including alienation and persecution you have undergone in the past, are undergoing at the moment or will persevere through in the future. I don’t even know how I will suffer and grieve in the future. But I do know who has the answers to our trials and testing. It is my God and your God. Our God of love – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He knows the answers and I have to trust in Him. Are you currently undergoing any sort of trial - run to God! He will listen! He is your protector, your guard and your empowerer! Remember He lives within you! He loves you! He cares for you! He is a personal God who has your best interests at heart! As Christians we worship and serve a God who knows intimately about personal suffering. Our God isn’t an inanimate and passive carving, to be placed on a shelf or a wall which is immune to the suffering of the world. No! Our God is a personal, dynamic and active God who knows the suffering we ourselves endure – because He Himself has suffered. He is an intimate, dynamic, responsive and living personal being who has shared in our sufferings through Jesus when He died on a cross 2000 years ago. This same Jesus who was resurrected and raised to new life and witnessed by our author - the Apostle Peter! WOW! The ineffable God made known to humanity in the man Jesus Christ. As part of our new hope and new life as Christians, as sojourners of Jesus Christ, we await that glorious day in the future when He has come again. That day when Jesus Christ will take your face in his scarred hands, and wipe away your tears. Wipe away your tears – tears of pain released and tears of ineffable and inexplicable joy! WOW! You and I will know then, that it was all worth it – the sufferings and trials that we have endured in this life, in order to enter the new life to come. Amazing! WOW!On that final day, when your faith is tested, will it be proven to be genuine? Let this faith of yours always seek to give praise, honour and glory to Jesus and Him alone. May it be a faith being worked out by you living a life which is worthy of Him alone – which is seen by those currently not in the faith. Your genuine faith being expressed with inexplicable joy to those outside. As Christians here, just as it was last week, it is an imperative that we go and show our new life, new hope, empowered and safeguarded by God’s power alone. Persecution may come and we will in some quarters even now be rejected. But we persevere. As Christians, we have good news for the world – it is up to us to go out living in the joy of salvation. We will be alienated by some, but also embraced by others. God is for us – who then shall we fear? God is a mission God – Peter clearly knows that – and because He is a mission God, we too are also on a mission. We have to take risks in order to continue this mission. History is filled with churches that failed to adapt and take the mission opportunities available to them. Will we be like that? I for one certainly do not hope so. We need to be reaching out, including those forgotten people – the people who cannot get out of their own homes for what ever reason. Helping those people who are already Christians and helping those who are not yet Christian, to find this living hope in God.God is a tri-unity of Love... The Father loves the Son and the Spirit. The Son loves the Father and the Spirit. The Spirit loves the Father and the Son. We as a church are also to be a community of love. A love which mirrors that of the God of love... A love which looks not to its own interests but to the interests of others... Let's go love... Encourage others - not just your friends or those you like... Let's go encourage others enduring all sorts of tests and trials, just as Peter has done to this group of spiritual sojourners... God loves you... Let's reflect the God we claim to love, follow and obey...Tonight, you maybe in need of prayer because of some trial or suffering you are currently undergoing. We would love to pray with you and for you.Again, I am compelled to say this. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Maybe you are here tonight, and you would not call yourself a Christian. Then please do not leave here tonight without asking somebody here about how you can become one and start this new life and the new hope which only those who are Christian can claim. God the Father’s love is calling you. God the Father has chosen you. God the Holy Spirit is waiting to set you apart and cleanse you. God the Son is waiting for you to accept his obedient sacrifice. Come!   Right Mouse clickor tap here to save this as an audio mp3 file You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

Welcome back to The Emancipation Podcast Station - the place to hear about history researched and retold through the eyes of Middle school and HS students.   600 BCE - 600 CE Second-Wave Civilizations   Ancient Persia: 600 BCE -  Gabe - Ancient persia or the achaemenid persia which was called this because the ruler cyrus’s great great grandfather's name was achaemenid and he started as a small independant city under the medes for protection and then cyrus got in an argument with his grandfather Astyages and won taking over persia he then established a system by capturing and relocating and adding a power over every city by accomplishing this he claimed the name Cyrus the great Audrey - The Persians didn’t actually use the name “Persian”, instead they called themselves Aryans. They called where they lived Aran (there are other variations of the name) which make the modern version of the name, Iran, probably more accurate. This is similar to how the Greeks referred to their homeland as Hellas, while the name Greece was a Latin idea. Ben - Cyrus, the ruler of Persia then proceeded to conquer various empires such as the Median empire, the Lydian empire in around 540 BCE, and he eventually got his hands on the neo-babylonian empire in 539 BCE. But while Cyrus’s son Cambyses II is out trying to take hold of egypt and libya, another person comes along claiming to be bardiya, Cyrus’s second son. So Cambyses has to rush back to Persia to make sure the throne is not taken from him but dies on the way there. No one really knows how Cambyses or Cyrus died specifically though. (BTW note for other people, shahanshah is pronounced shaw-on-shaw) Ella - Cyrus was a military commander but he realized that he needed the regions he conquered to stay in good economic order if he wanted them to provide him with economic tribute revenues. To achieve his goals he left rulers in the areas that he conquered after he conquered them. Skylar - Persia was one of the greatest empire and civilization in the world. The Achaemenid empire at its peak had about 50 million people. Thats half of the people that were in the world at that time, according to historians. The Achaemenid Dynasty/empire ends when Greece unifies under Philip of Macedon in early to mid century bce. Alexander the Great wanted to mix their cultures but he dies so they split again. Emma - In ancient Mesopotamia when they conquered a nation they would break up their political and cultural systems so that they wouldn’t be a threat. Though when Cyrus came into power he switched it, allowing those he conquered to keep their separate societies in a tributary state. While it seemed like he was being kind, he most likely was trying to keep their loyalty. - Ethan - As Cambyses died in 522 BCE, he was succeeded by a general titled “Darius”. Darius claimed that he was slightly related to Cambyses II but many other people challenged Darius’s throneship. This resulted, in some places, rebellion against the Achaemenids. Darius soon made himself to be the clear ruler Persia and re established rule of the rebels. He also reorganized the empire into satrapies, and for each satrapy there would be a satrap. 600 CE Classical Greece:  Gabe - If you didnt know its called Classical Greece and Ancient Persia because Persia was in the Ancient Era and Greece is in the Classical era so Classical Greece cities were built between mountains in valleys and on coastal plain so by the sea there was a time somewhere around 1200 bce they were in this war called the trojan war there's a story of a huge horse called the trojan horse it was in these wars so in this war this guy named homer he said that people came from the sea while they were having the trojan war and they were attacking them and driving them off the coast so they built these city states called polis which were like fortified cities so the people could have protection Audrey - The Greek Peninsula has been settled by humans for thousands of years, but an important part of Greek history starts when the Mycenaean Empire falls and the Greek Dark Ages begin. It is called the “Dark Ages” because there really aren’t many historical records from that point in time, and that was around 1100-800 BC. The major events happened in the exiting of the Greek Dark Ages, and this is when things that Ancient Greece is really known for began, like the Oracle at Delphi and the Olympic Games. (if someone wants to explain these) Ben - The difference between sparta and athens was that in sparta social status wasn’t decided based on how much money you had or how smart you were, it was about your military ranking. The spartans political system was unique in that it had two kings that were from different families that ruled. But on the lower side of the political rankings was the helots. Helots were like slaves but had more freedom, helots still had families but they had to work for the state and couldn’t really do anything else. Helots were still considered owned but they were owned by the state. Helots were collected from the villages sparta pillaged. Emma - Greece’s structure was was pretty different from other societies at the time. While the desperate colonies(?) all recognized the “mother” city-state, they were all independent for the majority of the time. Their shared religion and culture was what gave them all a sense of unity. Ella - Ancient Greece was made up of many independent city states because of Greeces complicated geography. All of these communities were separated by mountains, hills, and water. Greece wasn't a unified nation, instead it was a bunch of connected communities that shared religion and beliefs. - Ethan - The kings of Sparta were priests of Zeus and they were included in a gerousia, or council of elders, which was the highest court of Sparta. Also, there was an executive committee consisting of 5 ephors which were chosen by the people, of the people. Skylar - The name Greece is not what people that live in Greece call it. They call it Hellas. Nowadays they don’t call it Greece and back in the “Ancient Greece” days they didn’t say Greece they said Hellas. The word Hellas comes from Hellen, viewed as the progenitor. The Hellastic people are the people that live in Greece. In late 6th century BCE Athens was the dominant economic power. Athens was full of wealth as silver was just founded in the mountains around the area. Athens had an amazing trading system with other Greek city-states. Trading with other city-states was super  important to Athens because it didn’t have the agricultural conditions to supply enough grain for its population. A series of laws were written and put in place by a statesman named Draco around 621 BCE. They didn’t stay too long because they were super harsh. Another man named Solon was called to change the laws, he created a series of laws that equalized political power. Hunter- Ancient Greece consisted of over hundreds of different independent city-states, somewhat due to the geography of Greece. Greece communities were separated by mountains, hills, and water. Rather than one large nation, Ancient Greece was more like a system of communities with a shared language and religion that sometimes led to a common sense of belonging.    600 BCE - 600 CE The rise and fall of empires:  Gabe - I'm going to start by saying an empire is a small city or state that claims a large amount of land which is usually broke up into provinces  empires rise and fall for different reasons they usually expand through military conquest which is how the romans the persians and the Maurya empire in india expanded but they progressed in different ways the Maurya empire political sabotage and religious conversion so the people turn against their own country Audrey - An empire forms when a ruler, that already controls some territory, gains control of more territory for whatever reason, and that could be from military tactics, a weak neighboring area or really anything like that. Once the ruler has that territory under their control, they gain land and people. With the power they now have, this ruler could tax the people for their own wealth and/or use them for a better army. The empire could then keep expanding in this way until it collapsed. Ben - After the fall of the Qin dynasty the Han empire began to rise because of all the power that was up for grabs. The Han dynasty began in 206 BCE. They revived the way of Confucianism to unite the people and give them more reasons to fight and become a larger empire. Han china started to fall in 2nd century CE and eventually reached its demise in 220 CE, it mainly fell because of a religious divide between the people and the natural disasters that caused food shortages which snowballed into a bad economy. Ella - Empires all grow for different reasons whether its strong military, political sabotage, or religious conversation, but the Romans were not out to conquer territory. They did get involved in several wars but after they defeated their enemies they would offer their victims a small amount of citizenship in return for loyalty to the Roman empire.    Emma - There are also several different factors that can lead to the fall of an empire. Each of these factors will usually reflect those that led to the rise of the empire. Things such as a economic collapse, the weakening of military forces, or the death/assassination of a leader are common causes of a fall. - Ethan - A common example of an empire falling is Persia. The Achaemenid empire had internal issues already but had structure still. In 334 BCE Alexander attacked and in 4 years general Darius the Third lied dead. He was actually killed by one of his own generals and when the throne lied empty Alexander took the reins. Skylar - The rise of empires is great everyone’s all happy, then usually right when everything gets normal, the empire falls for different reasons. Rather it’s they have no more money, they get taken over by another empire, or another reason. The Roman empire took hundreds of years to create. They had weak neighbors so it was easy for them to take over that area. Hunter-The fall of an empire can be because of an outbreak of war and rebellion, when an empire falls so does its military for a few months to years in which leaves them wide open for follow up attacks. Normally however when an empire is defeated it is overrun by the kingdom/empire that attacked. 600 BCE - 600 CE Empire of Alexander the Great:  Gabe - Alexander the great was kind of an i want everything kind of guy no but wherever he went he conquered very good at military strategy lets skip a little real quick after he died his successors made a coin with him on it with horns which were marking him as a deity which means he was a huge role model you could say a symbol of power he was the man people looked up to he was actually only 5 to round 5’8 but that was normal for them because they didn't eat as much meat as other empires. Audrey - Alexander III, better known as Alexander the Great, was 20 years old when his extremely short reign began, lasting only 12 years. For how short his reign was, Alexander was very successful, especially when it came to conquering. Just like his reign, Alexander’s life was very short, ending in 323 BC when he was only 32 years old. Some people say he died from alcohol poisoning, some say it was from direct poisoning, but it is likely that he could have died because of a disease. Ella - A man known as Philip of Macedon came to power in 359 BC. His father had previously been the king of Macedon. Both of his older brother died which left him to be a regent for his infant nephew. He eventually possessed full power and ended up taking over a large majority of Greek city-states. He went on to almost unify all of them. Ben - Philip is later killed at his daughter’s wedding, by his royal bodyguard Pausanias in 336 BCE at the capital of macedonia, Aegae. This caused his son alexander to take control of the large kingdom that philip left behind. The one who assassinated tried to run away to his associates outside but tripped on a vine and got killed by philips. bodyguards Emma - Shortly after his father’s death, Alexander was crowned king and he eliminated any potential threats to his rule. The Greek city-states were now under his control. He then began his conquest of the Persian Empire which his father Philip had been planning before his untimely demise. Skylar - in 5th century BCE Greece started with the Persian invasion and ended with Peloponnesian war. Alexander the Great was one of the most powerful conquers in human history. Alexander the Great started off by taking control over his father’s empire after his death. Alexander wanted to do what his father wanted to do before he died, which was conquer the persian empire. So he put one of his generals, Antipater in charger of Greece. Alexander leads his troops on the greatest adventures of all time. Alexander won the battle at Granicus river, then Issus, Darius the third tries to negotiate but Alexander kept saying no, he wants to be the king of Asia. Eventually darius and alexander meet at Guagamela and alexander wins again. Darius’ empire was falling and what making the falling more official is when alexander takes his troops to Achaemenid, which is the capital of Persepolis and alexander defeats them once again. - Ethan - After Alexander’s father’s death, Alexander started focusing on India. He won some battles before he made it to the Ganges River. He planned to cross the Ganges to get to the rest of India. His tired troops decided that it was to much work and that they were already tired so they refused to go. In the end they turned home, and in 323 BCE, Alexander died to, what was most likely, disease.  Hunter- In the Kingdom of Thrace, during the reign of Lysimachus- a successor of Alexander the Great who lived from 361 BCE to 323 BCE, a coin was issued. The coin had Alexander’s face with ram horns on each side of his crown, the ram horns were a symbol of an Egyption God known as Amun or Zeus, who is often combined with Amun- from whom Alexander claimed descent. Flanked with these horns, Alexander had the reputation of a Deity.     600 BCE - 600 CE Rise of Rome: 600 BCE -  Gabe - the Rome empire came to power when  a group of noblemen were like ok the king sucks he's out and so they kicked him out and made the two consuls which were two people which were pretty close to a king except one could veto the others actions this was so one person could not be oh so powerful They also split the people into plebeians and patricians which were plebeians being common folk and patricians being people of noble blood This was the roman republic    Audrey - Legend has it, Rome was named after Romulus, one of twin brothers that are abandoned and raised by a “she-wolf”. Eventually, Romulus kills Remus (his twin brother) and becomes the first king of Rome. Other historians now think that it was the other way around, that the city of rome needed a founding story, and the whole thing was just that, a story. Ben - Rome was founded in 753 BCE (even though it’s mostly a myth and most believe in was founded a little later). Rome then founds the Rome Republic, a state in central rome, making them a little more influential in 509 BCE. Then much later than that the Punic wars happened between Rome and Carthage and consisted of three wars. The first war took place from 264-241 BCE, the second from 218-201 BCE, and the third from 149-146 BCE. in total it lasted from 264 to 146. Rome ended up winning and destroying and conquering Carthage. Ella - The Romans did not plan to build an empire but it came upon them as they ran into conflict with the surrounding city-states, kingdoms, and empires. They had to find a way to use the territories they conquered.  Most of the places the Romans conquered were allowed to keep the political and cultural ways they had, the only requirement was that they provide soldiers for the Roman Empire. Emma - The politics of Rome reflected the structure of their society; it too was divided into the two social classes, patricians and plebeians. Those in the upper class were allowed to hold political office, and then become a senator, but those of the lower class were not. However, the plebeians were able gain more political influence over time. - Ethan - The political system of Rome was mainly based on military rank/power. The “Comitia Centuriata” which was named for the century, was pretty much a group of 100 soldiers. Although, this 100 person unit was the base amount of people, it was not always exact in real situations. Skylar - I’m going to talk about the Punic wars that went on between Rome and Carthage. The Punic wars consist of three major battles, The first one lasted 23 years, from 264 BCE-241 BCE. It was at Agrigentum it was over the island of Sicily. Rome wins most smaller battles. Then Carthage leaves. Rome wanted Carthage to pay them for the damages. Rome built a stronger navy. 240 to 248 BCE there was a Mercenary war. The second Punic war was between 218-201 BCE. The third and final war was between 149-146 BCE where Rome basically destroys Carthage, ending a 700 year long war. 8.Hunter- Rome went from a city in the middle of the italy peninsula to one of the strongest empires in history. 600 CE From Roman Republic to Roman Empire:  Gabe - in 27 bce a guy named augustus caesar came and was like nope im the ruler “emperor” so basically the king and he started an autocratic government which is where he was the guy who called all the shots he didn't expand rome much in his time but he did do some things that changed the political and economic structure of rome      Audrey - Gaius Julius Caesar’s life really marked the transition between the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, even though, in his lifetime, Rome was still a republic and never actually considered an empire. The reason I say this is the unofficial time that the transition occurred is, that at the time of Julius Caesar, the Roman Republic’s structure very much resembled the structure of an empire, so it kind of seems like it already switched. Ben - Julius Caesar then illegally crosses the rubicon and most of rome’s senators choose to move over to greece. This causes a sort of civil war between rome and greece. After Julius crosses the rubicon the senators send a popular general Pompey to go fight with his soldiers but they decide to retreat because they thought julius’s army was unbeatable. Then the other senators also retreat, giving julius control of rome again. But it would be only a matter of time before the senators return to try and retake rome. Ella - Julius Caesar was assassinated, and in his will he stated that his nephew Octavian would be his adopted son. Too other men Antony and Lepidus were big supporters of Caesars and they got together with Octavian to form a triumvirate, which was known as the second triumvirate. Unlike the first triumvirate which was between Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, this triumvirate had legal backing. These three men gained lots of power over the Roman republic. Emma -  The power he gained was not limited to the prolonged time in which he held office. A major part of it was that he now had complete control over the military, unlike before when the elected consuls served as commanders. He was also now the high priest, or Pontifex Maximus, and in charge of the census for taxation. He kept these powers by acting like they were still separate offices that could be held by someone else.  - Ethan - Roman money/currency wasn’t exactly economy based but politically based as well. Julius Caesar was the first emperor to put his face on currency and since then emperors of Rome have done this. Before Caesar, only deceased Romans and Roman gods were on currency. This strengthened the connection of the emperor and the economy while popularizing the current emperor. These emperors used this systems to popularize the next candidate they favored. Skylar - The Roman Empire began in 27 BCE when Augustus became the main ruler. Augustus is Julius Caesar’s adopted son. He never took the name king or emperor preferred to call himself princeps, first citizen, or primus inter pares. Augustus never expanded the territory because it was already as big as it could possibly get. 8.Hunter- The Roman Republic was a small city in Italy, after a large military growth and a gaining of power over many neighboring countries the Roman Republic quickly grew to the Roman Empire. 600 BCE - 600 CE The Roman Empire: Audrey - Pax Romana is a name that a two hundred year long time period is often referred to as, and it means “Roman Peace”. This name came from the time when Octavian was emperor, which was from 27 BCE to 180 CE. It was a relatively good time for the Roman Empire, even though there was still quite a bit of conflict it was really a pretty peaceful time hence the name. Gabe - it was a good time for the roman empire augustus caesar or Octavian had complete control over the military which was one of the ways he became the emperor But the romans liked the belief of having military governments temporary which is why He took control as a stand in governor of one of the provinces where the majority of roman legions were stationed giving him control over the military while still looking like he’s doing a favor for the people        Ella - Nero was a really bad guy. He was known for the fire in 64AD that a large amount of Romans died in. People think Nero started the fire to make room for a palace. Aside of that, he killed a lot of people including his own mom. He was also known for persecuting christians. Sometimes he would dip them in oil and set them on fire for a source of light in his garden.   Ben - After a few different anti-christian ruler come along, a new emperor decides to embrace christianity and his name was constantine. He was the first christian emperor and he even got baptised. Constantine also moves the capital more east and renames it to Constantinople. - Ethan - Augustus was followed by Tiberius who was Augustus’s step-son. Both had relatively long careers as emperors. Augustus had a career lasting close to 40 years while Tiberius had a 24 year long career. Caligula, one of Augustus’s great nephews, was viewed as a sadist. While he was emperor for a while he was quickly assassinated, he had a lot of people killed during his term of about 4 years.  Emma - After the Julio Claudian Dynasty of Rome came the Flavian Dynasty. This dynasty began in 69 AD when Vespasian was made emperor by the senate after the defeat of Vitellius. He ruled for ten years until 79 AD when he died. He was then succeeded by his oldest son, Titus. This marked the first emperor of Rome to be followed by his own son. He ruled for only two years, until 81 AD when he died from an illness. His rule was then followed by his brother Domitian who held the position from 81 to 96 AD. This dynasty was known for building the colosseum and the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem. Skylar - One of the most important pieces from Augustan, Rome is the Ara Pacis, Ara Pacis means altar of peace. Augustus was the first emperor of Rome. The Ara Pacis was basically rebuilt from the fragments they found, some from the 17th century, but most were from the 20th century. The altar was used for sacrifices. This Altar has a political and spiritual meaning. 8.Hunter- The Roman Empire was an extremely powerful empire capturing Jerusalem, Cannan, and i believe nearly one hundred other provinces. 600 BCE - 600 CE Ancient and Imperial China: Audrey - The Shang Dynasty ended in 1046 BCE, when the Zhou (pronounced jo) Dynasty defeated the last Shang emperor, Di Xin, in the Battle of Muye. Historical records show that Di Xin had become a corrupt ruler, and the Zhous said they could only overthrow him because of the Mandate of Heaven which is an idea that if a ruler became incapable or corrupt the a guiding force in the universe would throw them out and replace them. Gabe - Zhou empire did not last long though because the provinces were giving their support to the governor basically of their providence instead of the zhou emperor so slowly the states became more powerful than the emperor himself hence the warring states period      3.Ella - The Zhou Dynasty collapsed at a slow pace over hundreds of years. As this happened, rulers of the surrounding areas gained more power than the king. This was the beginning of a period that was known as the Warring State period, which lasted from about 475 BC to 221 BC. Nearby, Qin, a western state, conquered its surrounding states and established their own dynasty. Ben - The Qin dynasty began to rise to it’s empire state in 221 BCE. The founder was Qin Shi Huang, a legalist (legalist is when law is enforced very strictly) that hated freedom of expression and freedom in general. A historian quoted him once about how he hates historians and wants all non-state historians that wrote history before Qin dynasty to be burned. “[Historians] hold it a mark of fame to defy the ruler, regard it as lofty to take a dissenting stance, and they lead the lesser officials in fabricating slander. If behavior such as this is not prohibited, then in upper circles the authority of the ruler will be compromised, and in lower ones, cliques will form. Therefore it should be prohibited. I therefore request that all records of the historians other than those of the state of Qin be burned.” - Ethan - Many differing beliefs are made vocal during this time period. 3 of which are Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. Confucianism, created by Confucius, was based on reform of the status, class, and hierarchy systems. Legalism is more based off of strict laws and harsh punishments. Daoism is more of lawless following what they believe is right at the time. Emma - Confucius, or Kongzi which means Master Kong. His teachings were almost entirely based around morality and having a personal sense of right and wrong. He wasn’t really teaching specific rules of what was good or bad, rather teaching people be conscious of the intent behind their actions. Skylar - During the Warring States period in China from 475-221 BCE China was divided into seven competing nations. The fiefs were gaining more importance as the Zhou dynasty was ending and were becoming states. One of the 7 states were Qin. the other 6 states were Chu, Zhou, Wei, Han, Yan, and Qi. The first leader of Qin was King Zheng, later on he became Qin Shi Huangdi, he would also go on to be the first leader of the Qin dynasty. People say that the Qin dynasty ended the warring states period but it was really when Qin conquested the other states. 8. 600 BCE - 600 CE Early Judaism: Audrey - Judaism stands out to historians because the Jews were monotheists, meaning they believed and worshiped only one God. This made the Jews unique to most other societies which were polytheistic and worshiped multiple Gods. Gabe - The jews lived in the kingdoms of israel and judah the assyrians conquered these two empires and then the babylonians which was called the babylonian exile which sent allot of the jews out of these kingdoms 3 . Ella - In the Hebrew bible, It talks about Abraham moving from the city of Ur to Canaan with his family. It is Questionable whether  the Ur they are talking about was the Sumatran city in lower Mesopotamia or a Ur in Upper Mesopotamia. Ben - One of the most important jewish prophets was Moses. Moses was born at a time where the emperor was killing off every boy that is born because of his fear that if they grew too strong they would overtake him. To hide Moses from the emperor’s forces his mother put him in a basket and let him float down the river. The emperor/pharaoh’s daughter finds moses and raises him into the royal family, moses one day is enraged by a slaver beating a jewish slave and kills the slavemaster and retreats out of the city in fear of punishment. He goes to Mount Sinai but the Lord tells him to go back and free every Jewish slave. So he goes back and frees them and splits the red sea to escape. He brings the people back to the mountain where he receives the ten commandments. They then travel for 40 years and he reestablishes the jewish people in Canaan. - Ethan - Jews lived under Roman rulers while still being allowed their own traditions. There was some Jewish revolting but mainly they were crushed every time. Soon after the Romans renamed Judea into Syria Palaestina. This destroyed the connection of the Jews to the land. Skylar - Abraham is one of the significant patriarchs, the other two are Jacob and Isaac. Abraham’s first son is called Ishmael. He had Ishmael with his wife sarah’s servant because they didn’t think they could have kids. Ishmael is viewed as the progenitor, the patriarch for the arab people. According to biblical accounts Isaac was born when Sarah was in her 90s and Abraham was around 100 years old. Emma - Abraham’s son Isaac was the second significant patriarch. He was the first one of the three to inherit the covenant that his father Abraham had received. Later in his life he married Rebekah who gave birth to their twin sons Jacob and Esau, Jacob being the last of the three patriarchs.   That’s all the time we have for today. THank for joining us outside of the box that is learning.

Welcome back to The Emancipation Podcast Station - the place to hear about history researched and retold through the eyes of Middle school and HS students.   600 BCE - 600 CE Second-Wave Civilizations   Ancient Persia: 600 BCE -  Gabe - Ancient persia or the achaemenid persia which was called this because the ruler cyrus’s great great grandfather's name was achaemenid and he started as a small independant city under the medes for protection and then cyrus got in an argument with his grandfather Astyages and won taking over persia he then established a system by capturing and relocating and adding a power over every city by accomplishing this he claimed the name Cyrus the great Audrey - The Persians didn’t actually use the name “Persian”, instead they called themselves Aryans. They called where they lived Aran (there are other variations of the name) which make the modern version of the name, Iran, probably more accurate. This is similar to how the Greeks referred to their homeland as Hellas, while the name Greece was a Latin idea. Ben - Cyrus, the ruler of Persia then proceeded to conquer various empires such as the Median empire, the Lydian empire in around 540 BCE, and he eventually got his hands on the neo-babylonian empire in 539 BCE. But while Cyrus’s son Cambyses II is out trying to take hold of egypt and libya, another person comes along claiming to be bardiya, Cyrus’s second son. So Cambyses has to rush back to Persia to make sure the throne is not taken from him but dies on the way there. No one really knows how Cambyses or Cyrus died specifically though. (BTW note for other people, shahanshah is pronounced shaw-on-shaw) Ella - Cyrus was a military commander but he realized that he needed the regions he conquered to stay in good economic order if he wanted them to provide him with economic tribute revenues. To achieve his goals he left rulers in the areas that he conquered after he conquered them. Skylar - Persia was one of the greatest empire and civilization in the world. The Achaemenid empire at its peak had about 50 million people. Thats half of the people that were in the world at that time, according to historians. The Achaemenid Dynasty/empire ends when Greece unifies under Philip of Macedon in early to mid century bce. Alexander the Great wanted to mix their cultures but he dies so they split again. Emma - In ancient Mesopotamia when they conquered a nation they would break up their political and cultural systems so that they wouldn’t be a threat. Though when Cyrus came into power he switched it, allowing those he conquered to keep their separate societies in a tributary state. While it seemed like he was being kind, he most likely was trying to keep their loyalty. - Ethan - As Cambyses died in 522 BCE, he was succeeded by a general titled “Darius”. Darius claimed that he was slightly related to Cambyses II but many other people challenged Darius’s throneship. This resulted, in some places, rebellion against the Achaemenids. Darius soon made himself to be the clear ruler Persia and re established rule of the rebels. He also reorganized the empire into satrapies, and for each satrapy there would be a satrap. 600 CE Classical Greece:  Gabe - If you didnt know its called Classical Greece and Ancient Persia because Persia was in the Ancient Era and Greece is in the Classical era so Classical Greece cities were built between mountains in valleys and on coastal plain so by the sea there was a time somewhere around 1200 bce they were in this war called the trojan war there's a story of a huge horse called the trojan horse it was in these wars so in this war this guy named homer he said that people came from the sea while they were having the trojan war and they were attacking them and driving them off the coast so they built these city states called polis which were like fortified cities so the people could have protection Audrey - The Greek Peninsula has been settled by humans for thousands of years, but an important part of Greek history starts when the Mycenaean Empire falls and the Greek Dark Ages begin. It is called the “Dark Ages” because there really aren’t many historical records from that point in time, and that was around 1100-800 BC. The major events happened in the exiting of the Greek Dark Ages, and this is when things that Ancient Greece is really known for began, like the Oracle at Delphi and the Olympic Games. (if someone wants to explain these) Ben - The difference between sparta and athens was that in sparta social status wasn’t decided based on how much money you had or how smart you were, it was about your military ranking. The spartans political system was unique in that it had two kings that were from different families that ruled. But on the lower side of the political rankings was the helots. Helots were like slaves but had more freedom, helots still had families but they had to work for the state and couldn’t really do anything else. Helots were still considered owned but they were owned by the state. Helots were collected from the villages sparta pillaged. Emma - Greece’s structure was was pretty different from other societies at the time. While the desperate colonies(?) all recognized the “mother” city-state, they were all independent for the majority of the time. Their shared religion and culture was what gave them all a sense of unity. Ella - Ancient Greece was made up of many independent city states because of Greeces complicated geography. All of these communities were separated by mountains, hills, and water. Greece wasn't a unified nation, instead it was a bunch of connected communities that shared religion and beliefs. - Ethan - The kings of Sparta were priests of Zeus and they were included in a gerousia, or council of elders, which was the highest court of Sparta. Also, there was an executive committee consisting of 5 ephors which were chosen by the people, of the people. Skylar - The name Greece is not what people that live in Greece call it. They call it Hellas. Nowadays they don’t call it Greece and back in the “Ancient Greece” days they didn’t say Greece they said Hellas. The word Hellas comes from Hellen, viewed as the progenitor. The Hellastic people are the people that live in Greece. In late 6th century BCE Athens was the dominant economic power. Athens was full of wealth as silver was just founded in the mountains around the area. Athens had an amazing trading system with other Greek city-states. Trading with other city-states was super  important to Athens because it didn’t have the agricultural conditions to supply enough grain for its population. A series of laws were written and put in place by a statesman named Draco around 621 BCE. They didn’t stay too long because they were super harsh. Another man named Solon was called to change the laws, he created a series of laws that equalized political power. Hunter- Ancient Greece consisted of over hundreds of different independent city-states, somewhat due to the geography of Greece. Greece communities were separated by mountains, hills, and water. Rather than one large nation, Ancient Greece was more like a system of communities with a shared language and religion that sometimes led to a common sense of belonging.    600 BCE - 600 CE The rise and fall of empires:  Gabe - I'm going to start by saying an empire is a small city or state that claims a large amount of land which is usually broke up into provinces  empires rise and fall for different reasons they usually expand through military conquest which is how the romans the persians and the Maurya empire in india expanded but they progressed in different ways the Maurya empire political sabotage and religious conversion so the people turn against their own country Audrey - An empire forms when a ruler, that already controls some territory, gains control of more territory for whatever reason, and that could be from military tactics, a weak neighboring area or really anything like that. Once the ruler has that territory under their control, they gain land and people. With the power they now have, this ruler could tax the people for their own wealth and/or use them for a better army. The empire could then keep expanding in this way until it collapsed. Ben - After the fall of the Qin dynasty the Han empire began to rise because of all the power that was up for grabs. The Han dynasty began in 206 BCE. They revived the way of Confucianism to unite the people and give them more reasons to fight and become a larger empire. Han china started to fall in 2nd century CE and eventually reached its demise in 220 CE, it mainly fell because of a religious divide between the people and the natural disasters that caused food shortages which snowballed into a bad economy. Ella - Empires all grow for different reasons whether its strong military, political sabotage, or religious conversation, but the Romans were not out to conquer territory. They did get involved in several wars but after they defeated their enemies they would offer their victims a small amount of citizenship in return for loyalty to the Roman empire.    Emma - There are also several different factors that can lead to the fall of an empire. Each of these factors will usually reflect those that led to the rise of the empire. Things such as a economic collapse, the weakening of military forces, or the death/assassination of a leader are common causes of a fall. - Ethan - A common example of an empire falling is Persia. The Achaemenid empire had internal issues already but had structure still. In 334 BCE Alexander attacked and in 4 years general Darius the Third lied dead. He was actually killed by one of his own generals and when the throne lied empty Alexander took the reins. Skylar - The rise of empires is great everyone’s all happy, then usually right when everything gets normal, the empire falls for different reasons. Rather it’s they have no more money, they get taken over by another empire, or another reason. The Roman empire took hundreds of years to create. They had weak neighbors so it was easy for them to take over that area. Hunter-The fall of an empire can be because of an outbreak of war and rebellion, when an empire falls so does its military for a few months to years in which leaves them wide open for follow up attacks. Normally however when an empire is defeated it is overrun by the kingdom/empire that attacked. 600 BCE - 600 CE Empire of Alexander the Great:  Gabe - Alexander the great was kind of an i want everything kind of guy no but wherever he went he conquered very good at military strategy lets skip a little real quick after he died his successors made a coin with him on it with horns which were marking him as a deity which means he was a huge role model you could say a symbol of power he was the man people looked up to he was actually only 5 to round 5’8 but that was normal for them because they didn't eat as much meat as other empires. Audrey - Alexander III, better known as Alexander the Great, was 20 years old when his extremely short reign began, lasting only 12 years. For how short his reign was, Alexander was very successful, especially when it came to conquering. Just like his reign, Alexander’s life was very short, ending in 323 BC when he was only 32 years old. Some people say he died from alcohol poisoning, some say it was from direct poisoning, but it is likely that he could have died because of a disease. Ella - A man known as Philip of Macedon came to power in 359 BC. His father had previously been the king of Macedon. Both of his older brother died which left him to be a regent for his infant nephew. He eventually possessed full power and ended up taking over a large majority of Greek city-states. He went on to almost unify all of them. Ben - Philip is later killed at his daughter’s wedding, by his royal bodyguard Pausanias in 336 BCE at the capital of macedonia, Aegae. This caused his son alexander to take control of the large kingdom that philip left behind. The one who assassinated tried to run away to his associates outside but tripped on a vine and got killed by philips. bodyguards Emma - Shortly after his father’s death, Alexander was crowned king and he eliminated any potential threats to his rule. The Greek city-states were now under his control. He then began his conquest of the Persian Empire which his father Philip had been planning before his untimely demise. Skylar - in 5th century BCE Greece started with the Persian invasion and ended with Peloponnesian war. Alexander the Great was one of the most powerful conquers in human history. Alexander the Great started off by taking control over his father’s empire after his death. Alexander wanted to do what his father wanted to do before he died, which was conquer the persian empire. So he put one of his generals, Antipater in charger of Greece. Alexander leads his troops on the greatest adventures of all time. Alexander won the battle at Granicus river, then Issus, Darius the third tries to negotiate but Alexander kept saying no, he wants to be the king of Asia. Eventually darius and alexander meet at Guagamela and alexander wins again. Darius’ empire was falling and what making the falling more official is when alexander takes his troops to Achaemenid, which is the capital of Persepolis and alexander defeats them once again. - Ethan - After Alexander’s father’s death, Alexander started focusing on India. He won some battles before he made it to the Ganges River. He planned to cross the Ganges to get to the rest of India. His tired troops decided that it was to much work and that they were already tired so they refused to go. In the end they turned home, and in 323 BCE, Alexander died to, what was most likely, disease.  Hunter- In the Kingdom of Thrace, during the reign of Lysimachus- a successor of Alexander the Great who lived from 361 BCE to 323 BCE, a coin was issued. The coin had Alexander’s face with ram horns on each side of his crown, the ram horns were a symbol of an Egyption God known as Amun or Zeus, who is often combined with Amun- from whom Alexander claimed descent. Flanked with these horns, Alexander had the reputation of a Deity.     600 BCE - 600 CE Rise of Rome: 600 BCE -  Gabe - the Rome empire came to power when  a group of noblemen were like ok the king sucks he's out and so they kicked him out and made the two consuls which were two people which were pretty close to a king except one could veto the others actions this was so one person could not be oh so powerful They also split the people into plebeians and patricians which were plebeians being common folk and patricians being people of noble blood This was the roman republic    Audrey - Legend has it, Rome was named after Romulus, one of twin brothers that are abandoned and raised by a “she-wolf”. Eventually, Romulus kills Remus (his twin brother) and becomes the first king of Rome. Other historians now think that it was the other way around, that the city of rome needed a founding story, and the whole thing was just that, a story. Ben - Rome was founded in 753 BCE (even though it’s mostly a myth and most believe in was founded a little later). Rome then founds the Rome Republic, a state in central rome, making them a little more influential in 509 BCE. Then much later than that the Punic wars happened between Rome and Carthage and consisted of three wars. The first war took place from 264-241 BCE, the second from 218-201 BCE, and the third from 149-146 BCE. in total it lasted from 264 to 146. Rome ended up winning and destroying and conquering Carthage. Ella - The Romans did not plan to build an empire but it came upon them as they ran into conflict with the surrounding city-states, kingdoms, and empires. They had to find a way to use the territories they conquered.  Most of the places the Romans conquered were allowed to keep the political and cultural ways they had, the only requirement was that they provide soldiers for the Roman Empire. Emma - The politics of Rome reflected the structure of their society; it too was divided into the two social classes, patricians and plebeians. Those in the upper class were allowed to hold political office, and then become a senator, but those of the lower class were not. However, the plebeians were able gain more political influence over time. - Ethan - The political system of Rome was mainly based on military rank/power. The “Comitia Centuriata” which was named for the century, was pretty much a group of 100 soldiers. Although, this 100 person unit was the base amount of people, it was not always exact in real situations. Skylar - I’m going to talk about the Punic wars that went on between Rome and Carthage. The Punic wars consist of three major battles, The first one lasted 23 years, from 264 BCE-241 BCE. It was at Agrigentum it was over the island of Sicily. Rome wins most smaller battles. Then Carthage leaves. Rome wanted Carthage to pay them for the damages. Rome built a stronger navy. 240 to 248 BCE there was a Mercenary war. The second Punic war was between 218-201 BCE. The third and final war was between 149-146 BCE where Rome basically destroys Carthage, ending a 700 year long war. 8.Hunter- Rome went from a city in the middle of the italy peninsula to one of the strongest empires in history. 600 CE From Roman Republic to Roman Empire:  Gabe - in 27 bce a guy named augustus caesar came and was like nope im the ruler “emperor” so basically the king and he started an autocratic government which is where he was the guy who called all the shots he didn't expand rome much in his time but he did do some things that changed the political and economic structure of rome      Audrey - Gaius Julius Caesar’s life really marked the transition between the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, even though, in his lifetime, Rome was still a republic and never actually considered an empire. The reason I say this is the unofficial time that the transition occurred is, that at the time of Julius Caesar, the Roman Republic’s structure very much resembled the structure of an empire, so it kind of seems like it already switched. Ben - Julius Caesar then illegally crosses the rubicon and most of rome’s senators choose to move over to greece. This causes a sort of civil war between rome and greece. After Julius crosses the rubicon the senators send a popular general Pompey to go fight with his soldiers but they decide to retreat because they thought julius’s army was unbeatable. Then the other senators also retreat, giving julius control of rome again. But it would be only a matter of time before the senators return to try and retake rome. Ella - Julius Caesar was assassinated, and in his will he stated that his nephew Octavian would be his adopted son. Too other men Antony and Lepidus were big supporters of Caesars and they got together with Octavian to form a triumvirate, which was known as the second triumvirate. Unlike the first triumvirate which was between Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, this triumvirate had legal backing. These three men gained lots of power over the Roman republic. Emma -  The power he gained was not limited to the prolonged time in which he held office. A major part of it was that he now had complete control over the military, unlike before when the elected consuls served as commanders. He was also now the high priest, or Pontifex Maximus, and in charge of the census for taxation. He kept these powers by acting like they were still separate offices that could be held by someone else.  - Ethan - Roman money/currency wasn’t exactly economy based but politically based as well. Julius Caesar was the first emperor to put his face on currency and since then emperors of Rome have done this. Before Caesar, only deceased Romans and Roman gods were on currency. This strengthened the connection of the emperor and the economy while popularizing the current emperor. These emperors used this systems to popularize the next candidate they favored. Skylar - The Roman Empire began in 27 BCE when Augustus became the main ruler. Augustus is Julius Caesar’s adopted son. He never took the name king or emperor preferred to call himself princeps, first citizen, or primus inter pares. Augustus never expanded the territory because it was already as big as it could possibly get. 8.Hunter- The Roman Republic was a small city in Italy, after a large military growth and a gaining of power over many neighboring countries the Roman Republic quickly grew to the Roman Empire. 600 BCE - 600 CE The Roman Empire: Audrey - Pax Romana is a name that a two hundred year long time period is often referred to as, and it means “Roman Peace”. This name came from the time when Octavian was emperor, which was from 27 BCE to 180 CE. It was a relatively good time for the Roman Empire, even though there was still quite a bit of conflict it was really a pretty peaceful time hence the name. Gabe - it was a good time for the roman empire augustus caesar or Octavian had complete control over the military which was one of the ways he became the emperor But the romans liked the belief of having military governments temporary which is why He took control as a stand in governor of one of the provinces where the majority of roman legions were stationed giving him control over the military while still looking like he’s doing a favor for the people        Ella - Nero was a really bad guy. He was known for the fire in 64AD that a large amount of Romans died in. People think Nero started the fire to make room for a palace. Aside of that, he killed a lot of people including his own mom. He was also known for persecuting christians. Sometimes he would dip them in oil and set them on fire for a source of light in his garden.   Ben - After a few different anti-christian ruler come along, a new emperor decides to embrace christianity and his name was constantine. He was the first christian emperor and he even got baptised. Constantine also moves the capital more east and renames it to Constantinople. - Ethan - Augustus was followed by Tiberius who was Augustus’s step-son. Both had relatively long careers as emperors. Augustus had a career lasting close to 40 years while Tiberius had a 24 year long career. Caligula, one of Augustus’s great nephews, was viewed as a sadist. While he was emperor for a while he was quickly assassinated, he had a lot of people killed during his term of about 4 years.  Emma - After the Julio Claudian Dynasty of Rome came the Flavian Dynasty. This dynasty began in 69 AD when Vespasian was made emperor by the senate after the defeat of Vitellius. He ruled for ten years until 79 AD when he died. He was then succeeded by his oldest son, Titus. This marked the first emperor of Rome to be followed by his own son. He ruled for only two years, until 81 AD when he died from an illness. His rule was then followed by his brother Domitian who held the position from 81 to 96 AD. This dynasty was known for building the colosseum and the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem. Skylar - One of the most important pieces from Augustan, Rome is the Ara Pacis, Ara Pacis means altar of peace. Augustus was the first emperor of Rome. The Ara Pacis was basically rebuilt from the fragments they found, some from the 17th century, but most were from the 20th century. The altar was used for sacrifices. This Altar has a political and spiritual meaning. 8.Hunter- The Roman Empire was an extremely powerful empire capturing Jerusalem, Cannan, and i believe nearly one hundred other provinces. 600 BCE - 600 CE Ancient and Imperial China: Audrey - The Shang Dynasty ended in 1046 BCE, when the Zhou (pronounced jo) Dynasty defeated the last Shang emperor, Di Xin, in the Battle of Muye. Historical records show that Di Xin had become a corrupt ruler, and the Zhous said they could only overthrow him because of the Mandate of Heaven which is an idea that if a ruler became incapable or corrupt the a guiding force in the universe would throw them out and replace them. Gabe - Zhou empire did not last long though because the provinces were giving their support to the governor basically of their providence instead of the zhou emperor so slowly the states became more powerful than the emperor himself hence the warring states period      3.Ella - The Zhou Dynasty collapsed at a slow pace over hundreds of years. As this happened, rulers of the surrounding areas gained more power than the king. This was the beginning of a period that was known as the Warring State period, which lasted from about 475 BC to 221 BC. Nearby, Qin, a western state, conquered its surrounding states and established their own dynasty. Ben - The Qin dynasty began to rise to it’s empire state in 221 BCE. The founder was Qin Shi Huang, a legalist (legalist is when law is enforced very strictly) that hated freedom of expression and freedom in general. A historian quoted him once about how he hates historians and wants all non-state historians that wrote history before Qin dynasty to be burned. “[Historians] hold it a mark of fame to defy the ruler, regard it as lofty to take a dissenting stance, and they lead the lesser officials in fabricating slander. If behavior such as this is not prohibited, then in upper circles the authority of the ruler will be compromised, and in lower ones, cliques will form. Therefore it should be prohibited. I therefore request that all records of the historians other than those of the state of Qin be burned.” - Ethan - Many differing beliefs are made vocal during this time period. 3 of which are Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. Confucianism, created by Confucius, was based on reform of the status, class, and hierarchy systems. Legalism is more based off of strict laws and harsh punishments. Daoism is more of lawless following what they believe is right at the time. Emma - Confucius, or Kongzi which means Master Kong. His teachings were almost entirely based around morality and having a personal sense of right and wrong. He wasn’t really teaching specific rules of what was good or bad, rather teaching people be conscious of the intent behind their actions. Skylar - During the Warring States period in China from 475-221 BCE China was divided into seven competing nations. The fiefs were gaining more importance as the Zhou dynasty was ending and were becoming states. One of the 7 states were Qin. the other 6 states were Chu, Zhou, Wei, Han, Yan, and Qi. The first leader of Qin was King Zheng, later on he became Qin Shi Huangdi, he would also go on to be the first leader of the Qin dynasty. People say that the Qin dynasty ended the warring states period but it was really when Qin conquested the other states. 8. 600 BCE - 600 CE Early Judaism: Audrey - Judaism stands out to historians because the Jews were monotheists, meaning they believed and worshiped only one God. This made the Jews unique to most other societies which were polytheistic and worshiped multiple Gods. Gabe - The jews lived in the kingdoms of israel and judah the assyrians conquered these two empires and then the babylonians which was called the babylonian exile which sent allot of the jews out of these kingdoms 3 . Ella - In the Hebrew bible, It talks about Abraham moving from the city of Ur to Canaan with his family. It is Questionable whether  the Ur they are talking about was the Sumatran city in lower Mesopotamia or a Ur in Upper Mesopotamia. Ben - One of the most important jewish prophets was Moses. Moses was born at a time where the emperor was killing off every boy that is born because of his fear that if they grew too strong they would overtake him. To hide Moses from the emperor’s forces his mother put him in a basket and let him float down the river. The emperor/pharaoh’s daughter finds moses and raises him into the royal family, moses one day is enraged by a slaver beating a jewish slave and kills the slavemaster and retreats out of the city in fear of punishment. He goes to Mount Sinai but the Lord tells him to go back and free every Jewish slave. So he goes back and frees them and splits the red sea to escape. He brings the people back to the mountain where he receives the ten commandments. They then travel for 40 years and he reestablishes the jewish people in Canaan. - Ethan - Jews lived under Roman rulers while still being allowed their own traditions. There was some Jewish revolting but mainly they were crushed every time. Soon after the Romans renamed Judea into Syria Palaestina. This destroyed the connection of the Jews to the land. Skylar - Abraham is one of the significant patriarchs, the other two are Jacob and Isaac. Abraham’s first son is called Ishmael. He had Ishmael with his wife sarah’s servant because they didn’t think they could have kids. Ishmael is viewed as the progenitor, the patriarch for the arab people. According to biblical accounts Isaac was born when Sarah was in her 90s and Abraham was around 100 years old. Emma - Abraham’s son Isaac was the second significant patriarch. He was the first one of the three to inherit the covenant that his father Abraham had received. Later in his life he married Rebekah who gave birth to their twin sons Jacob and Esau, Jacob being the last of the three patriarchs.   That’s all the time we have for today. THank for joining us outside of the box that is learning.

As Jesus's disciples marvel at the grand stones and works of wonder — especially the Temple itself with heavy gold plates that reflected the morning sun and 40 foot tall monolithic marble pillars — He reframes the sights with a godly perspective. In less than one generation, Israel will experience a foretaste of the Day of the Lord with desolation wrought by Rome. And sure enough, all that Jesus predicted in 33AD and all that Luke wrote in 64AD came to pass with uncanny accuracy in 70AD.

Nero’s biggest test as an Emperor came when a great fire tore through Rome in 64AD. What caused this fire and how Nero acted and reacted is a debate that academics continue to this day.

First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki Join us for beer, crispy feet, Carry On Rome, and more of Dalek Steve. Plus, find out who I insult this episode. "Italy, 64AD. Enjoying a rare holiday with his companions, The Doctor takes Vicki to visit Rome, where he is mistaken for the musician Maximus Pettulian. He finds himself obliged to perform for Nero, or risk incurring the vile Emperor's wrath... In his absence, Ian and Barbara have been kidnapped from their villa. Sold into slavery, they face a bleak future. Can they make their escape and find the doctor before Rome is consumed by fire?" Episode 1: The Slave Traders Episode 2: All Roads Lead To Rome Episode 3: Conspiracy Episode 4: Inferno Writer: Dennis Spooner Director: Christopher Barry Broadcast: 16 January - 6 February 1965 Links: How A Female Dalek Would Look The Birra Moretti Guy 2.04 - The Romans (alternate mp3 download)

Peter talks about suffering more than any other New Testament writer. The word "suffer" is found 18 times in 1 Peter, and Peter defines three different kinds of suffering Christians may experience. In light of the severe persecution Christians endured at the time of this epistle (64AD), it is a theme they were intimately acquainted with. Join Pastor Gary today as we understand suffering in the context of 1 Peter 4-5.

Peter talks about suffering more than any other New Testament writer. The word "suffer" is found 18 times in 1 Peter, and Peter defines three different kinds of suffering Christians may experience. In light of the severe persecution Christians endured at the time of this epistle (64AD), it is a theme they were intimately acquainted with. Join Pastor Gary today as we understand suffering in the context of 1 Peter 4-5.