When we think of the early Christian church, it’s easy to romanticize it as a time of powerful miracles, angelic visitations, and the rapid spread of the gospel. And to be sure, the Spirit of God was moving mightily. But beneath those mountaintop moments were deep valleys of suffering, confusion, persecution, and hardship. The church was born in adversity. And men like Paul, Barnabas, Peter, James, John, and others were faithful, wounded warriors who carried the costly scars as they shared the message of Jesus with region and then to the world.

I’m steadily working through Frank Viola’s latest 500-page work, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church—an in-depth account of the early Christian movement and the apostolic journeys of Paul as chronicled in the Book of Acts. Viola masterfully weaves together Scripture and historical evidence, drawing from the research of dozens of scholars to reconstruct the struggles and breakthroughs in the first-century church. Each page is densely packed with endnotes—often taking up more space than the main text—but far from being excessive, these notes offer invaluable insight and depth. I’m learning a tremendous amount from the detailed and eye-opening information!!

I’ve always loved digging into history—asking the big question, “How did we get here?”—and the biblical history in this book brings that journey to life in vivid detail. The Untold Story makes the daily experiences of the early apostles incredibly relatable. Reading it feels like you’re right there with them, walking through the noisy, dirty, smelly, chaotic streets of the first-century world.

Continue reading the full article at the link below…