At the very beginning of our faith, the Christian population numbered a few thousand, measuring only one percent of the world population. Today a single mega-church can boast a comparable number, and together, Christians now number more than two billion people. It all began with this little body of believers who knew a secret that needed to be shared. How did they do it? And what can we learn from them? Join best-selling author and beloved pastor, J. Ellsworth Kalas, as he explores the book of Acts to uncover the ministry motivations of the first followers—ordinary people who accomplished the extraordinary and who can serve as a guide for today’s believers to carry on. Because the work is not done. The story continues… This book contains a discussion guide. Who were the very first who followed? J. Ellsworth Kalas (1923-2015) was the author of over 45 books, including the popular Back Side series, The Scriptures Sing of Christmas, A Faith of Her Own: Women of the Old Testament, Strong Was Her Faith: Women of the New Testament, I Bought a House on Gratitude Street, and the Christian Believer study. He was part of the faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary since 1993, serving in the Beeson program, the homiletics department, and as president of the Seminary. He was a United Methodist pastor for 38 years and also served five years in evangelism with the World Methodist Council. The Story Continues The Acts of the Apostles for Today By J. Ellsworth Kalas Abingdon Press Copyright © 2016 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-5018-1664-2 Contents "Foreword", "1. Some Extraordinary, Unremarkable People", "2. Then There Was Pentecost", "3. People of the Great Heart", "4. And of Course There Were Hypocrites", "5. Did the Apostles Make a Mistake?", "6. Then There Was Paul", "7. The Slow Process of Tumbling Walls", "8. The Man Who Saved the New Testament", "9. The Anonymous Apostles", "10. The Irreducible Message", "11. The Shaping of Doctrine", "12. The Maps of Paul and Several Others", "Study Guide", CHAPTER 1 Some Extraordinary, Unremarkable People Once upon a time, roughly twenty centuries ago, there were some very special people on our planet. There weren't many of them, and at first glance they didn't seem very special. In truth, even a second or third glance doesn't uncover anything overly impressive. We humans shop for people in roughly the same way as we shop for clothing, groceries, and gadgets. We want people who attract us, impress us, and who look as if somehow they might benefit us. Such persons attract us by their physical appearance, their bearing, self-assurance, and personality. They impress us by their intelligence and their achievements; and if we are more discerning, by their character. And they appeal to us if we feel they can do something for us. I'm not speaking of the crassness that uses people for their position or power or money, but in the sense that we feel they can fill some empty place in our lives. What I'm preparing to say is this, that these very special people didn't have much natural appeal in the marketplace of people-shoppers. I wouldn't have been immediately drawn to them, and while I can't predict your judgment, I don't think you would have found them especially attractive either. They weren't as physically impressive as the Greek athletes, not as self-assured as the Roman civil servants, and not as intellectually stimulating as the Jews. I'm speaking not out of any personal prejudice because I have no basis for even superficial judgment. I'm reflecting the report of a first-hand observer who was well qualified to judge, the apostle Paul. He knew these people well, and he loved them. He also knew the general culture of the times, so he was able to see them comparatively. He wrote, Look at your situation when you were called, brothers and sisters! By ordinary human standards not many were wise, not many were powerful, not many were from the upper class. But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong. And God chose what the world considers low-class and low-life — what is considered to be nothing — to reduce what is considered to be something to nothing. (1 Corinthians 1:26-28) Nevertheless, when this body of people was still in the first generation of its existence some of their enemies said they were "turning the world upside down" (Acts 17:6 NRSV). The people who said this were perhaps alarmists who were overestimating trouble. But if they were poor descriptors, they were remarkable prophets. Look at it this way. At the time those words were spoken, the world Christian population numbered in a few thousands, scattered over a wide area. Today many mega-churches and a large number of metropolitan Roman Catholic parishes claim comparable numbers, and more. True, there's a huge difference between the population of the first- and twenty-first-cent