THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
An Extraordinary Guide to Understanding the New Testament
by Frank Viola
Watch
the New Testament come alive.
Understand God's Word like never before.
Introducing . . . a fully documented piece of scholarship that brings you back into the first century and shows you what really happened.
Let's
face it. The New Testament is often hard to understand. A major
reason is because it is not arranged in chronological
order. Paul's letters, for example, are arranged by
size rather than chronologically. This makes the New
Testament a bit like a Chinese puzzle. For this
reason, one famous Bible scholar said that reading the
New Testament letters is like hearing one end of a
phone conversation. The book you hold in your hands
reconstructs the other end so that you can understand
virtually every word.
The
Untold Story of the New Testament Church is
a unique Bible handbook that weaves Acts and the
Epistles together chronologically . . . creating one
fluid story. This epic volume gives readers a
first-hand account of the New Testament drama that is
riveting and enlightening. It includes dates, maps,
and background information about the people, the
cities, and the events of the first-century church
using a "you-are-there" approach.
Get up-close and personal with apostles Paul, Peter,
James and John and learn of their personal struggles.
Understand the circumstances behind each inspired
letter they penned. Watch the chaotic swirl of
first-century people and events fall into place before
your very eyes. Discover what Paul's "thorn in
the flesh" really was. Learn what happened to all
the apostles after the book of Acts was finished. Be
ushered into the living, breathing atmosphere of the
first century and uncover the hidden riches found in
God's Word.
The book includes the following:
- The
entire background, including the historical setting
and sociological context, that lies behind each New
Testament letter. You will learn what caused the New
Testament authors to write their letters, when they
wrote them, who they wrote them to, and what they
were specifically addressing.
- Dates
and times of all of the major events that occurred
in the New Testament, including when each letter was
written and where it was written from.
- Dates
and times of the major historical events of secular
history interwoven with the New Testament story.
- Maps
of all four of Paul's church planting trips and his
journey to Rome.
- An
explanation of all of the major cities where each
church was planted, a sociological profile of what
the people were like in each city and what they
experienced in their daily lives.
- A
user-friendly guide to take you through each New
Testament book after you have learned the entire
historical setting for each one. This will help you
to understand each New Testament letter in a brand
new way.
- Endnotes
containing Scripture and historical details plus an
extensive bibliography so that you can reconstruct
the entire story for yourself.
Endorsements
Many of us have been challenged by Franks previous books examining New Testament church life and practice. Now with this story, focused on helping us see the church in its New Testament context, but in appropriate chronological order, we are greatly helped to understand the various letters of the New Testament. When you see the writings of Peter and Paul and John and the context into which they wrote, it helps make the why of their letters as clear as the what! Read this book at one sitting and you will marvel as the story of the early church unfolds before your very eyes.
Tony Dale, Editor, House 2 House magazine
This volume has provided much needed information that is now in one place for the first time! Read it as I did with a highlighter pen in hand! Thanks, Frank, for the way you let the Lord use you in preparing this for the rest of us!
Ralph W. Neighbour, Jr., author, Where Shall We Go From Here?
Frank Viola has produced a useful and engaging account of the New Testament Church, helpfully setting people and events within their first-century cultural context. While not everyone will agree with every detail of the authors reconstruction or theological interpretation, for any such retelling unavoidably involves some interpretation, still this account helps contemporary believers more fully appreciate the remarkable dynamism of our earliest Christian forebears.
Howard A. Snyder, author, The Community of the King, Liberating the Laity, A Kingdom Manifesto, Decoding the Church
Frank Viola has given us a different kind of church history, a history not of the institution but of the Body. It focuses on the people of God and their struggles; on Paul and his converts, enemies, disciples, and friends; on Peter and John and the churches they birthed and raised. Franks book emphasizes what went forward among the saints to create eternal value rather than what happened politically to create the church of subsequent centuries. Although most history is written by the winners to justify their victory, The Untold Story gives us a history of the early churches as Gods own people, whether they were ultimately victorious or troubled.
Hal Miller, author, Christian Community: Biblical or Optional?
Frank Viola has done it again! This time he weaves the New Testament together in a single, chronological story. I love it! We will be promoting this book and I will be giving it to friends this year as gifts.
Nate Krupp, author, Gods Simple Plan for His Church
Ordering Information
Please follow these directions carefully. We suggest you print this out so that you can read it and follow it step-by-step.
1.) Click the "Buy Now" button for the book you want. 2.) You will be taken to the shipping menu. 3.) Find your country in the drop down menu that says "Select Country." If you live in the United States, for instance, select United States. If you live in Puerto Rico, select Puerto Rico. If South Africa, click that. Brazil, select Brazil. If you live in the Philippines, select Philippines. 4.) Skip the state dropdown menu if you don't live in the States or Canada. If you live in the States, select the state. If you live in Canada, select the province. 5.) Type in the postal or zip code. South Africa is a 4 digit code. Others have 5 digits. 6.) Click the "add shipping" button.7.) You will see your shipping options. Click on the one you want. 8.) Follow ALL directions carefully. 9.) On the "Payment Options" page, Paypal is the payment service we use for handling ALL credit card purchases. If you have a Paypal account, use the right side "Option." If you wish to use a credit card instead, use the left side "Option." Fill out ALL information and complete the order. Receipt of confirmation will be sent to your email address. It's that simple.
IMPORTANT: If the order goes through, you will receive an email receipt. If you don't receive an email receipt, it means the order wasn't completed. So re-do.
