The Bible was written by real people, to real people, in real places, and who experienced real events. This website is dedicated to telling the story about these people and the places they lived, visited, and ministered in. It is the goal of this website to expound the Scriptures and bring to life the lands and the peoples of the Bible through the background material that bear on the events of these passages.
by Gordon Franz (continued)
The Reasons for Two-by-Two
As we have seen, there are no “Lone Ranger” missionaries in the New Testament; the pattern is always disciples going forth two-by-two with the gospel in order to plant churches. I believe that there are at least four reasons why Jesus and the Holy Spirit set this pattern.
The first [...]
by Gordon Franz
Introduction
Several reasons for a high attrition rate among missionaries are discouragement and loneliness on the mission field. An individual or couple may go out for a few years and when they return home for furlough, decide not to go back to the field again for these reasons. One wonders if following a Biblical [...]
by Gordon Franz (continued)
Applications
We have conjectured on the ethnicity and social status of some of these saints in the church in Rome. When we get to Heaven, we will be able to sit down and talk with them, hear their own testimonies as to how they came to faith in the Lord Jesus, when and [...]
by Gordon Franz (continued)
Greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobus, Hermes, and the brethren – 16:14
This group of five names seems to be greetings to the leadership in one of the local assemblies within the city of Rome. Paul addresses these individuals as well as those that meet with them as “brethren”. Interestingly, the next group [...]
by Gordon Franz (continued)
Greetings to Amplias – 16:8
This name was derived from the Latin name Ampliatus, a name which was common in the Roman imperial household. The name has been found at least eighty times on inscriptions in Rome. This cognomen was used by one of the branches of the gens Aurelia. One interesting inscription [...]
by Gordon Franz (continued)
Greetings to Epaenetus – 16:5b
The next person to be greeted is Epaenetus. Paul described him as “beloved” and the “first fruit of Achaia.” The city of Corinth was the capital of Achaia so we can assume that he was the first person Paul led to the Lord upon his arrival in Corinth [...]
by Gordon Franz (continued)
The Apostle Paul Sends Instructions to Greet Various Saints in the Church in Rome. 16:3-16
Before we look at the names of the people in the church at Rome, we should look at the formation of the church in the “eternal city.” When did the gospel first arrive in Rome and what was [...]
by Gordon Franz
Introduction
Romans 16 is a chapter that we usually skip in our Bible studies or devotional reading because it appears to be a “grocery list” of names that we think are unimportant. Several years ago, I was attending a Bible study that was going verse-by-verse, in detail, through the book of Romans. When we [...]
By Gordon Franz
Introduction
Dr. Robert Cornuke, the founder of the BASE Institute, claimed at the 2007 Promise Keepers events to reveal what would be an astonishing archaeological discovery. He has photographs of what he claims is an ancient stone artifact from Mount Sinai that is inscribed with the name of the LORD, “Yahweh,” on it! If [...]
by Gordon Franz
Introduction
I should preface my comments about the passages on Masada in the psalms by recounting a story. While teaching at the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem, I was invited to speak to a Christian tour group in one of the local hotels. The tour host never took his groups to Masada [...]