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"First Century Christian Faith" teaches the historical-grammatical reading of the Bible. Go to "Podcast."

"First Century Christian Faith" teaches the historical-grammatical reading of the Bible. Go to "Early Church Literature." Early Church Literature

"First Century Christian Faith" teaches the historical-grammatical reading of the Bible. PALEO-ORTHODOXY FOR TODAY'S DISCIPLES BLOG 1 / 21 Resurrection Is the Gospel! The Christian proclamation of the gospel is fundamentally rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While the gospel narrative encompasses 'The Benedict Option': A Populist Response In a world where identity politics and secularism create constant division, we should return to foundational truths that have proven Attachment Styles in Christian Context The Bible does not explicitly address psychological concepts like attachment styles. However, it does offer principles and perspectives that First-Century Approach to Parenting Drawing inspiration from the foundational ethos of first-century Christian communities, modern parents can find solace in the enduring value 1 2 3 Articles New Testament Biographies Jesus of Nazareth Jesus of Nazareth (Hebrew: Yeshua ha-Notzri—Greek: Iēsous ho Nazо̄raios) was born circa 6–4 BC (3758–3755 in the Hebrew calendar) in the Andrew of Bethsaida Andrew of Bethsaida (Hebrew: Geber ha-Bethtzaidi—Greek: Andreas tis Bēthsaidas) was born circa AD 8 (3768–3769 in the Hebrew calendar) in James son of Alphaeus James son of Alphaeus (Hebrew: Yaakov ben Halfai—Greek: Iakōbos ho tou Halphaiou) was born circa AD 15 (3775–3776 in the Hebrew calendar) in James of Jerusalem James son of Joseph (Hebrew: Yaakov ben Yosef—Greek: Iakо̄bos ton tou Iōsēph) was born circa AD 1 (3761–3762 in the Hebrew calendar) in the 1 2 3 4 5 Doctrine & Ministry Baptism: Immersed in Christ We often start with the Acts of the Apostles when discussing baptism. However, the topic of baptism should begin with Jesus' immersion in Communion: Partaking in Faith Food and drink bring people together more than any other aspect of life. Perhaps this is the reason Jesus taught us to ask for "our daily God's Will & Our Free Choices Although the mystery between God's will and our free choices is a complex theological matter, it is listed under "Doctrine & Ministry" Law, Grace & New Wine In his parable of the wineskins, Jesus taught, "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins 1 2 3 4 Exegesis & Discipleship A Saga of Seven Churches The first century was the best of church history; it was the worst of persecution, it was the age of faith, it was an age of fear, it was Blue: God's Favorite Color Did you know that God has a favorite color? Yes, he does! Which color is it? Blue! This color is the primary embroidery on Jewish prayer Calendar of the Church Many churches today decorate the sanctuary with banners and linens in specific colors for a time. The pastor may also wear a chasuble or Christology: Titles of Jesus Christology is the theological study of Jesus' identity as Christ or Messiah. Both of these words mean "anointed one," respectively, in 1 2 3 4 Theology & Biblical Studies Auschwitz & Biblical Studies What indeed has Auschwitz to do with Jerusalem?—or with Cambridge, Chicago, Collegeville, Downers Grove, Grand Rapids, London, Minneapolis Axial Age & Christianity The Axial Age was between 500 and 300 BC when the world's major religious and spiritual traditions arose throughout Israel, Greece, India Biblical vs. Systematic Theology Churchgoers often say, "That's biblical," when they argue about their private interpretations or denominational traditions. This becomes a Christian Case for Capitalism & Populism Capitalism is an "economic system in which most means of production are privately owned, and production is guided and income distributed 1 2 3 4

"First Century Christian Faith" teaches the historical-grammatical reading of the Bible. Go to "Ministry Leaders." Ministry Leaders Founder & Teaching Minister James Collazo, M.T.S. James is a retired 20-year U.S. Army veteran with leadership experience at both operational and tactical levels. His military service includes deployments to Kosovo in 2001 and Iraq in 2008. He also served one overseas tour in Korea in 2013. He was featured in Indianhead , the official magazine of the 2nd Infantry Division, in 2014. He was also featured in The Southwesterner , the official student magazine of his alma mater, Southwestern College (Kansas), in 2016. A devout Christian for 20+ years, he was baptized in North Macedonia near the province where the apostle Paul taught. He received his Master of Theological Studies from Southwestern in 2015 and his Bachelor of Arts in Religion from American Military University in 2013. He served as a Bible and faith formation teacher in military chapels, college ministries, and churches for 10+ years. James is a paleo-orthodox Wesleyan minister. He read the Bible cover to cover twice, first the New International Version (NIV) in 2009 and then the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) with Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books in 2018. He is passionate about applying his knowledge, especially in teaching the historical-grammatical method of reading the Bible, early church history, and Wesleyan theology. He also has experience serving as a professional growth counselor and as a sexual harassment/assault victim advocate. He published his first book, a conversational discipleship handbook exploring the major branches of theology, called First-Century Faith: Reviving Christian Origins in Belief and Practice (Paleo-Christian, 2025). James has a diverse journey of faith, starting with his infant baptism at St. Peter Cathedral, the headquarters of the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania. He also attended Catholic parochial school from third to seventh grade. As an adult, God called him out of the Catholic Church to receive the believer's baptism, which a U.S. Army chaplain administered. His journey took him to many Evangelical and Mainline Protestant churches before God called him to learn at a Methodist liberal arts college. All these experiences led him to strive for a "first-century faith," reconstructing his beliefs in Christ Jesus. So, he started writing articles on First Century Christian Faith in 2017. He is a member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, the Society of Evangelical Arminians, and the Society for Post-Supersessionist Theology. Family Minister Pastor Aaron LaBarge, M.Th. Aaron was raised in a broken home, and his parents separated when he was 14. His house was devoid of good Christian practices. However, at 12, he accepted Christ as his personal savior. Later that same year, an elderly neighbor invited him to a Vacation Bible School. His faith matured at this church, and he realized a calling to ministry. By his senior year of high school, he admitted that he was not yet ready for pastoral ministry, so he joined the U.S. Army as a chaplain assistant. He grew and learned through this service while being around many Christian pastors. While living in Texas, he led the Awana program at the church where his family attended. Through this experience, he realized his calling: to work with families and their children, empowering them to teach and learn the Word together. After realizing God's call on his life, Aaron focused on finishing his undergraduate degree. Although his goal was to complete it before leaving the Army to pursue this calling, God had another plan. He was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a disorder that affects connective tissues, in March 2015. As a result, the U.S. Army honorably discharged him from service due to medical reasons. Aaron and his wife knew God told them, "Go and do as I have called you." So, they started looking for a church to serve. This search would lead them to Columbia Baptist Church in Kentucky. At first, he served as the Children's Pastor before becoming the Family Pastor. His focus never changed: nurturing, teaching, and growing a Bible-based, family-driven ministry. He feels like he did just that! In addition to leading a thriving ministry, he finished his Master of Theology from Campbellsville University and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies—a dual minor program focused on Business & Christian Counseling—from Liberty University. All in all, Aaron is just a creative guy who loves trying to present the gospel in fun and exciting ways! He authored "Don't Worry, I Saw This on MacGyver: Engaging Kids with Object Lessons and Props" (ch. 8) in Irresistible: How to Engage Kids and Point Them to Jesus (Four Rivers Media , 2018) and "Put a Little Seasoning on It: You Are Stronger When You Learn from Those Who Came before You" (ch. 14) in Stronger: Increase Your Personal Depth and Wisdom (Four Rivers Media, 2019).

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"First Century Christian Faith" teaches the historical-grammatical reading of the Bible. Go to "Important Quotes." Important Quotes Presbyterian minister, U.S. Senate chaplain Richard C. Halverson (1916–1995) "In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ. They had a personal and vital relationship with the Lord, and it transformed their lives and the world around them. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next it moved to Europe where it became a culture, and, finally, it moved to America where it has become an enterprise" (Dunnam, pp. 31–32; Larson, p. 50). Methodist theologian, champion of paleo-orthodoxy Thomas C. Oden (1931–2016) "Contemporary cultures present no tougher challenges to Christianity than did the fall of Rome, the collapse of the medieval synthesis, the breakup of the unity of Christendom in the sixteenth century, or the French Enlightenment. Christian teaching today must be pursued amid a similar collapse of modern assumptions. . . . modernity has more catching up to do with classic Christianity. My passion is in the closest possible adherence to the texts of classic Christian teaching" (pp. viii–xiv). Lutheran author, public speaker, physiologist Lois Tverberg (b. 1967) "As the historical reality of Jesus comes into clearer focus, so too do his words and his claims. Over the past fifty years, archaeologists and biblical scholars have unearthed important texts and ancient clues to help us understand Jesus better. Indeed, we now have access to information about the first-century Jewish world that theologians in previous centuries hardly dreamed possible. Much of it reaffirms the reliability of the ancient documents, making many biblical scholars less skeptical today about the historical accuracy of the Bible than they've been in previous decades" (Spangler and Tverberg, p. 212). Evangelical theologian, apologist, philosopher J. P. Moreland (b. 1948) "The disciples had nothing to gain by lying . . . They faced hardship, ridicule, hostility, and martyrs' deaths. In light of this, they could never have sustained such unwavering motivation if they knew what they were preaching was a lie. The disciples were not fools, and Paul was a cool-headed intellectual of the first rank. There would have been several opportunities over three to four decades of ministry to reconsider and renounce a lie" (pp. 171–72). Anglican minister, theologian, founder of Methodism John Wesley (1703–1791) "Persecution never did, never could, give any lasting wound to genuine Christianity. But the greatest it ever received, the grand blow which was struck at the very root of that humble, gentle, patient love, which is the fulfilling of the Christian law, the whole essence of true religion, was struck in the fourth century by Constantine the Great when he called himself a Christian and poured in a flood of riches, honors, and power upon the Christians; more especially upon the clergy" (pp. 261–62). Anglican bishop, biblical scholar, theologian N. T. Wright (b. 1948) "History was where Paul looked to see the roots of the story whose climax he believed was Jesus Christ. History is where we have to go if, as we say, we want to listen to Scripture itself rather than the venerable traditions of later church leaders or the less venerable footnotes of more recent scholars. For too long, we have read Scripture with nineteenth-century eyes and sixteenth-century questions. It's time to get back to reading with first-century eyes and twenty-first-century questions" (p. 37). Wesleyan theologian, philosopher, apologist William Lane Craig (b. 1949) "It would have been virtually impossible for the disciples to proclaim the resurrection in Jerusalem had the tomb not been empty. The empty tomb is a sine qua non of the resurrection. . . . When, therefore, the disciples began to preach the resurrection in Jerusalem, and people responded, and the religious authorities stood hopelessly by, the tomb must have been empty. The fact that the Christian fellowship, founded on the belief in Jesus' resurrection, could come into existence and flourish in the very city where he was executed and buried seems powerful evidence for the historicity of the empty tomb" (p. 369). Evangelical minister, public speaker, broadcaster Tony Evans (b. 1949) "Far too often, we have limited the definition of the church. While not in all cases, in many cases, 'church' has become an informational, inspirational weekly gathering rather than the group of people that God has ordained from heaven to operate on his behalf on earth in order to bring heaven's viewpoint into history. There needs to be a recalibrating of many of our churches to the unified purpose of the Kingdom of God." Bibliography Craig, William Lane. Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus . Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2024. Dunnam, Maxie D. Cultivating a Thoughtful Faith . Edited by Stephen G. W. Moore. Nashville, Abingdon, 2005. Evans, Tony. "Opinion: America's Current Violence Can Be Traced to Christians' Failures." The Washington Post . July 9, 2016. link . Larson, Bruce. Wind and Fire: Living Out the Book of Acts . Waco, TX: Word, 1984. Moreland, J. P. Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul . Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2012. Oden, Thomas C. Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology . San Francisco: HarperOne, 2009. Spangler, Ann, and Lois Tverberg. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009. Wesley, John. The Works of the Rev. John Wesley . Vol. 6. 5th ed. London: John Mason, 1860. Wright, N. T. Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision . Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2016.