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The candles that make up the advent wreath hold a special symbolism. In their color, their composition and just the sheer act of lighting the candle of advent wreath breaths a air of hope into each of the nights that make up the season of Advent.

Advent starts by counting backwards the four Sundays. This also is the beginning of the new liturgical calendar year for the church. The feast of Christ the King is the official start and usually runs as the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. As the church shifts into the season of Advent the colors of the church change and begin to reflect the season as does the tone and tenor as the church moves out of Ordinary Time and into a New Year.

The color purple becomes the overwhelming color and in the church the color purple is the color of repentance. And Advent as a season is a penitential season. But despite the reflection of Advent and its penitential nature, it also is a time to look forward to the coming of Christ. This included the coming of the infant Jesus as well as our wait for Jesus to return.

The first week of Advent the candles is named the Prophecy Candle. The first week of Advent focuses on the prophecies of the Old Testament that speaks of the Savior, Jesus. The Old Testament lays out our salvations The events of His Coming are Prophesized in Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6 and Micah 5:2-5. Symbolically the lighting of the first candle reminds us that there is light in the world after the sin of Adam plunged the world into darkness. Another way to put this would be a light in darkness.

The second week of Advents Candle, Purple in color, is called the Bethlehem Candle. This candles got its name because of the period of preparation for the coming of Jesus. Thematically preparation is the key. Just as John the Baptist prepared a way for Jesus, Mary Joseph also had a place prepared for them by God in Bethlehem so that the birth of Jesus was a fulfillment of the scripture that was previously prophesized, tying the event to actually the first Advent Candle lit. The prophecy of Bethlehems involvement in the birth of Jesus was prophesized in Micah 5:2-5, which names Bethlehem by name.

The third week of advent has the Shepherds Candle. This candle deviates from the 2 previous purple this one is rose colored to represent the joy of being half the way though the Advent Season. This candle received its name because of the Shepherds who came to find the tiny King and received great joy in coming to the Lord. Just as in present times when we find the Lord.

The final weeks of advent has the Angels Candle lighting the way. The Angel candle got its name because of because it was of course the angels that announced the birth of Christ. This candle also serves to remind us of Gods infinite love. And the gift of his only Son that he gave us.

Full line of Advent Candles and Advent Wreaths

The Catholic Church, since its inception, has always believed in the Real Presence of Jesus in the form o the Eucharist. As a child celebrates their first communion, they too are about to take part in this honored tradition. The Eucharist is the one sacrament that is representative or Christs sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection. The Mass is the vehicle that gives us this special presence.

The teaching that communion was the presence of Jesus and not a symbol goes back the to the council of Trent, which said that the when the bread and wine are consecrated, the whole substance of the bread is transformed into the Body of the Lord. Additionally the same is the whole substance of the wine is transformed into the Precious Blood. When the point in the mass comes and the host is consecrated the church calls this change the transubstantiation. It requires the recipient to have a great faith where as it transcends our human understanding of how this change was made, the mystery of the sacrament of Holy Communion.

The simplest way to explain the concept of real presence is the Eucharist really is the Real Jesus. There are no qualifiers. Catholics do not believe it is a symbol of Jesus. There was a period in time when the belief of Real Presence was threatened. The first occurrence was in the Middle Ages, when some of the French Theologians expressed doubt in the Jesus real presence in the Eucharist. Berengarius of Tours claimed that it was not possible to change the substance of the bread and wine and denied that Christs body was on the altar. He based his argument on the pure fact that Jesus could not be present on Earth prior to the Last Judgment.

Pope Gregory VII demanded that Berengarius to agree with the profession of that that was the outline of faith. The fundamental belief was that without question Jesus was present on the altar. Pope Gregory went on to say that the words are not clearer. That reality means that it is actually Christ in the Eucharist. He said it was the same Christ that was conceived in Nazareth, Born in Bethlehem, died and rose from the dead at Jerusalem and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. It is also the same Christ that will call us when we pass out of time into eternity. It is the same Christ who will appear at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead. It is the Christ who is the Omega of the universe and the goal of human destiny,Pope Gregory concluded. He ended this crisis of faith and Berengarius died in 1088.

The second time this crisis came forth was at the time of the Protestant Reformation. There were similar claims that Berengarian made in the early middle ages. This time the Church used the Council of Trent to reinforce that Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

As children wear their communion ties and first communion dresses, there is a great history that long substantiates the basic principle they should have been taught in the communion preparation class, that Jesus is truly present

Faith-full has a full line of First Communion. And a full line of First Communion Gifts

Celtic Advent in the pre Nicene church, early Christianity that pre-dates the Nicene Creed, the roadmap of what Christians, Catholic and Protestants believe. was very different than what we celebrate in the modern time. First Celtic Christianity participated and flourished in this period right up though the middle ages and had its own unique way of celebrating the season of Celtic Advent.

The Celtic Church was given this name to describe the period before the missionaries arrived. St. Patrick a famous saint arose out of the Celtic Christianity era for Ireland Wales and Scotland. He was a British missionary, maybe the most famous of all the Saints to rise out of this time approximately the 5th century. Although, from a historical perspective ironic, Ireland was evangelized and converted by the British Missionaries of which St. Patrick was a participant.

Early periods of advent have roots back to the Gauls and their Monks who seems to fashion the period to mimic advent. They did not have a Celtic advent wreath but started the period of fasting on Nov 15th. This season kicked off with a Mass. This was defined as a period of fasting for 40 days and atonement. It was a reflective period that many who were preparing for baptism would use this for purification. The period of time is still observed throughout the eastern orthodox faiths. And in the Roman Catholic Church this period of purification and enlightenment was moved to lent and still observed within the present time as part of the RCIA program that does use the tenants of the early church to bring people into the church. This was restructured this way after Vatican II.

In the 4th century, Advent, mimicking Lent seems to start to change a bit. Although it still was penitential in nature and was still a fasting period, it also started to become a period of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. This tradition still is with us to this day. As we move though the present season of Advent, we use our advent wreath, we mark our salvation history. We then look to preparing for the Christ Child and then on to Christs second coming. We still have a dedication to prayer and penance in the present church.

Although its is difficult to pinpoint the true start of advent during this period of church history. It is generally believed there are it is a blend between the Roman customs and also the Gauls, or modern day France. There was a group of Celtic monks who help blend the period of fasting and borrowed the 40 days from Lent and added the feast of Martin of Tours on November 11th. Martin was the founder of the Gaul Monasteries

Celtic Advent is truly a blending of the two societies and the date of Nov 15-Christmas Eve was a perfect way to add pray and penance and atonement long before Christmas or the commercialism we face in the present day

full line of Celtic Advent Wreath and traditional Advent wreaths

As parents, it is your obligation to ensure that your kids spend a great portion of their time among Christian Youth Groups.

You see, spiritual and moral corruption is widespread nowadays and it is imperative that the youth get Christian moral influences. If you want your youth to grow up in accordance with the teachings of the Lord, let them join Christian Youth Group activities.

Your kids should be a member of a Christian Youth Group so that they are preoccupied after school hours. A lot of youth are busy having fun with their so-called friends. It is very important that as parents, you know the friends of your kids. This way, you can easily tell if they are on the wrong track.

Talk to your kid so that at least he or she will not be forced to follow your will. Tell them that what you’re doing is for their own good. If they are already members of a Christian Youth Group, they can easily participate in educational and responsible activities or opportunities.

At first, your kids might find the youth activities boring but give time to adjust. You’ll see that in the coming days, they will be very excited to participate in the various activities of the group.
What are some of the possible Christian group activities that your kids can participate in?

Fellowship camps are often conducted by the group. A good thing about this camps is that parents can come too so that they can ensure that everything is going responsibly and safely. In the fellowship camps, the youth will be given a chance to go boating, fishing, swimming, play soccer, and the very important activity is to share God’s words in cheerful fellowship.

The internet is also a good place to conduct youth activities. The Christian Youth Group has an online website so that all the members can interact with each other. Your kid will learn a lot because he or she will discover other Christian projects in various countries. Perhaps you’re already aware that the internet can also influence your kids badly.

Now, he or she can have fun while surfing the internet in a moral way. They can even participate in online forums or discussions. They can share their troubles and problems and the other members can give excellent pieces of advice and not only that, you can be sure that every step of the way, your kid is nearer to God.

Adolescence is a period of peer pressure. If don’t want your kid to experience this kind of pressure, get him involved in Christian activities. Don’t let your kids be exposed to alcohol, gambling, and drugs. Temptation is lurking in every corner so protect your kid at all times.

Christian Groups can be found all over the world. Find a Christian Youth Group in your locality now. Have your kid enlisted but as mentioned earlier, tell your kid about it. It’s a good thing if have an open line of communication.

See the positive changes in your kid’s behavior once he or she is already a member of the Christian Youth Group. The center of all the Christian Youth Group activities is God, so rest assured that nothing will go wrong.

Your family can benefit as well because your will have a better relationship with your kids.

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Perhaps it is the dream of every community to put up a youth activities center for their teens. A lot of youths are now into some things that older people call dark activities. Just by looking at a teenager, you can immediately tell if he/she is troubled.

Teens who are too obsessed with youth-related fashions, drugs, alcohol, rock music, etc. are wrecking their lives, one way or another. If the community leaders want to provide the youth with more constructive and healthy activities, a youth activities center may be the answer.

So, how can a community open a youth activities center? First and foremost, the community should come up with a plan. The community leaders should be able to identify the right location for the activities center. Most communities are not able to put up an activities center due to budgetary constraints. Local government support is very important. The community leaders should consider asking help from the local government to fund their plans for putting up a youth activities center.

Once the area is secured, the building facility should be constructed. If the community leaders are able to solicit funds, construction is not a problem. After the center is finished, the staff should be hired. The community can even get volunteer services from the parents because the center is just for their teens. With the community and the parents helping one another, the youth activities center will be finished soon.

After everything has been organized, the various services of the center should be determined. Some of the things that the activities center can offer are counseling services, social activities, homework assistance, and a lot more. The center should be open to all the youths of the community who are willing to join. Other centers usually set an age limit, specifically 11 to 17 years old. Your center can also set age requirements although 11-17 is fine and this is usually the adolescent years.

The youth activities center should secure the necessary operating permits so that the center can operate smoothly and for it to be considered a legal facility. The center should set office hours when the office staffs are available. Make sure that the center has a telephone number, fax number, online site, and email address.

Since the youth activities center requires maintenance and has expenditure, the youth members should pay a one-time membership fee. Once they are a member, the youths can take part in the various youth activities like teen chat, counseling, homework assistance, music, video games, field trips, special events, movie nights, volunteer community programs, job training, crafts, arts, and sports (basketball, volleyball, football, swimming, etc).

The youth activities center should have youth leaders before it starts the full operation. The youth leaders will be responsible for the member youths. Leadership trainings should also be conducted so that when the time comes for the existing youth leaders to leave there will be new leaders to guide the group.

So there, now you know the different things that you have to take care of if you want to put up a youth activities center. It involves a lot of money, time, effort, and dedication. The community, parents, and the local government should join hands in order to make this plan a reality.

If a youth activities center is put up in a community, all the youths will be provided with an excellent facility where they can have all the fun.

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God does still speak and you can discover how to hear Him. You can learn how to distinguish God’s voice from your own and hear God every day.

It is possible to learn how to hear God. God will teach you how to know and recognise His voice when you ask Him to help you hear from Him.

And as you grow in your relationship with God, you will become more aware of when you are hearing from God and when it’s simply your own thoughts. The more you communicate with God, the more familiar His voice will become and the more you will hear God speak.

How do you know when you are hearing from God?

It is very easy to confuse your own desires with God speaking to you, especially when something is really important to you. One of the ways of turning down the volume of your own voice is by laying down your own agenda and being open to whatever God wants to speak to you.

When your thoughts or other people’s opinions don’t line up with what God’s word says, you need to be prepared to lay your own thoughts aside and go with what you hear from God.

The enemy’s plan is to confuse you and take you off course, and he will do that in any way that he can. The Bible tells you to resist him, you can easily silence him by speaking the word of God as Jesus did.

Here’s another clue to knowing whether what you hear is from God - if it is God speaking it will lead to peace.

Learning to recognise God’s voice is a process.

As a believer and follower of God you have the Holy Spirit living within you. If you ask the Holy Spirit, He will help you to discern when you are hearing from God.

When you renew your mind with God’s written word and spend time in God’s presence - you have the mind of Christ. The more time you spend renewing your mind with God’s word, the easier it is to discern when it’s God speaking and when it’s just your thoughts.

“My sheep recognise my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

“The Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I have told you.” John 14:26

You are one of His sheep and you can hear God’s voice. You can be confident that you will hear God and recognise His voice if you belong to Him and follow His ways.

It takes effort, but you can train yourself to recognise when you are hearing God. You learn by practicing and being prepared to make mistakes. Don’t let the fear of making a mistake stop you from stepping out in faith. God is your Father and He will take care of your honest mistakes.

As you stop and spend more time listening for God speaking, you will soon learn to distinguish between the different voices.

The key is to evaluate everything you hear in the light of God’s word.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way. Never let yourself think that you are wiser than you are; simply obey the Lord and refuse to do wrong.” Proverbs 3:5-7

Sometimes you will struggle to hear God or you won’t hear God speaking as clearly as you would like. At other times, you’ll think you’ve heard God and respond to what He says only to find that you made a mistake.

If that happens, find out where you got it wrong and don’t let making mistake hold you back from stepping out in faith the next time. God will teach you through your mistakes. It’s much better to allow yourself to make a mistake than never to step out in faith.

The problem for most people is that they’ve been living with abnormality for so long that they don’t even recognise that it’s not normal to go through life without hearing God.

‘Normal’, is hearing God every day.

Is that what you expect? Do you actually schedule time to spend with God every day? Or, do you just try to squeeze Him around everything else you do?

Do you struggle to believe that God will speak to you and that you can hear Him? If you do, then simply confess your lack of faith to God. Ask Him to increase your faith and He will.

Prepare to exercise faith and grow stronger in the things of God. Overcome your doubts and keep on listening for God’s voice.

Stop and give time to listen to God; it’s worth taking time to to discover how to recognise His voice because He has the words of life.

God is speaking to you - choose to believe it. You can learn to how to hear God.

To discover more about How To Hear God, click this link.

Lynne Lee is a Christian life coach and spiritual mentor. She helps people to re-design their lives around what matters most.

How does a person become Catholic? The short answer is to contact the local Catholic Church in their community and ask to speak with the RCIA director or the Adult Education Dept. They will explain the process and periods. The process can take about a year unless you have some type of issue that will not allow you to complete your sacraments. Those type impediments would be former marriages that need to be annulled, use of birth control and co-habitation. Additionally if you have a strong background and understanding in another faith, it may not take as long. Along the way you will hear the word Journey and that.s what the conversion to the Catholic Church will be, a spiritual journey.

So what is RCIA and what is involved with that process? First, RCIA stands for the Rite of Christian initiation of Adults. The year is divided into several parts and each person who are first known as inquiries, will travel though these periods. The Pre-Catechumenate is the first stage. It.s also known as the Period of Inquiry.
Once you have decided to proceed, you will go through3 other periods. They are the Catechumenate, Purification and Enlightenment, which are the 6 weeks of Lent, and Mystagogy, the period after you make your sacraments that runs right though Pentecost.

For now let.s review the Pre-Catechumenate because at this point there is still discernment as to whether or not to go through the process. This is the point that the Inquirer will work though the process and work to become Catholic. So what is involved with this period. The first thing that you can expect is an interview with the RCIA director. This interview will have you tell your story as to why you are seeking out the Catholic Church. It will also identify issues, like above, annulments, co-habitation are serious impediments to coming into the church. Don.t be upset with these questions. It is just a matter to of seeing where you are at and what processes need to be put in place for each person to complete their sacraments should they decide to continue.

The RCIA Director will also ascertain if you have been baptized or not. If you are baptized in a Trinitarian manner, in other words, in the name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, your Baptism will be accepted by the Catholic Church. If you are unbaptized or Baptized in a faith such as Mormon, you enter the Catechumenate as a catechumen and will be baptized and confirmed at Easter Vigil.

Now is the time for questions. Each of the Pre Catechumenate meetings will give the inquirer the opportunity to challenge the Church and learn from the Catholic Perspective. This is the time to review the Bible and start finding out what the Church Laws or Canon says on topics and how everything in the Church is rooted in the Bible.

You will find you are not alone and that there are others in this group going through this process with you. Reaching back to the early days of the church, you are in a group with other inquirers now. This is rooted in the early church because just as the Apostles went to small communities they worked with small groups towards their conversion to Christianity and you with your parish RCIA team will work towards your conversion

Beth carries many Easter Home Decor including many Confirmation Gifts.

Palm Sunday is the last Sunday of Lent. It is always the start of Holy Week. It is one of the events that is mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. It would seem according to the Gospel of John that just a week prior, Jesus was in Bethany having dinner with Lazarus, Mary and Martha and systematically the Church has the the Cycle A gospel for the 5th Sunday of Lent is Lazarus Sunday.

While in Bethany, the Gospels describe how Jesus had sent two disciples on ahead to find a colt. Some say that Jesus had this already prearranged with Simon the Leper while others say Jesus found this particular colt to ride back through the gates of Jerusalem. The Gospel all go on to say how some lad down palm branches in order to make the ride more comfortable. There was also the description of people singing Psalm 118.

Although depicted in art though the ages, Jesus passing though the Golden Gate of Jerusalem, there is nothing concrete in the Synoptic Gospels that would support this. However, the reciprocal though and why the belief is held that Jesus did pass though the Golden Gate is because as the Messiah, this would be the only way He could enter Jerusalem. There are some scholars who want to say that he entered though the southern part of the city that had the stairs that lead directly to Temple Mount because that makes more sense.

Though history , there have always been reenactment of the events of Jesus triumphant returned. The custom of the use of palms has a long history and harkens back the Old Testament. According to the Hebrew Bible Joshua also made a similar ride and was treated to the same way.

Even more interestingly is that many of the Pre-Christian religions also have similar stories of their central figure returning to the holiest city and be greeted in this manner. A prime example of this was Dionysus/Bacchus , the Greek god of Wine. There are several parallels that can be drawn between Dionysus and Jesus, including Rustic Dionysia, or Christmas on December 25th. And in Euripides Bacchae, there is a similar story of how Dionysus was arrested and questioned by Pentheus, very similar to how Jesus was arrested and brought before Pilot. In this story Dionysus returns much the same way Jesus returned to the Holy City in a triumphant manner on Palm Sunday.

The palm branch itself that was used was also symbolic. It was deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and is mentioned in the old testament book of Leviticus (23:40). The passage says: And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days. This addresses the use of palms as well as the seven days between Palm Sunday and the Resurrection/Easter Sunday. Its though this act of waving palms and making a path for Jesus with the Palms that Palm Sunday has gotten its name.

Beth has a full line of Lent Decorations and Easter Decorations

We all want to be used by God and do something for Him but are we really prepared to go through the process necessary for Him to use us? Are we aware that there is in fact a process to be gone through?

If we are not continually moving forward we are probably beginning to backslide as there is no sitting on the fence with God!

God through His Word is often described in the Old Testament as a refiner of silver and gold. The sin and impurities have to be refined out of our lives to enable us to become vessels that He can work through. He can only use vessels that have been tried and tested in many furnaces of affliction.

We do not have to go looking for furnaces of affliction. They will come about automatically as we seek to develop and deepen our relationship with Father God through intimacy.

Do we enjoy this process? No, of course not. But we can rejoice in it knowing that He disciplines those whom He loves.

Hebrews 12 v 10~11 say, ‘God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it’.

How is it that this Almighty, Awesome, Holy God should choose us and want to work through us? What an incredible privilege! We can but respond wholeheartedly. He wants us to share in His holiness ~ how amazing.

Knowing that He loves us so passionately and that He is doing so much for our benefit in the refining process, what is to be our response?

James puts it delightfully! ‘Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be MATURE AND COMPLETE, not lacking anything’.(James 1 v 2~4 emphasis mine)

One man describes this refining process like this: ‘I came to the realization of what death really is. Oh it’s so easy to say it’s the ‘cross’ but what did it really mean? As I died, I saw that the Holy Spirit was working within to crucify every ambition and desire that is contrary to His nature and will.

Ambition and self were rooted out. The great concern of the Holy Spirit is with the motives of our hearts and He is continually examining them to replace the corrupt nature of self with the character of Jesus. Sometimes the experiences are distinctly unpalatable but as we allow them to work in us they lend to a greater weight of glory for we are being changed from glory to glory to the image of Christ. That’s what it’s all about ~ to be more like Him’.

He will willingly use such yielded vessels and through that vessel prove over and over again His power, His protection and His love. Do we dare to trust and yield to that extent?

For those who do so dare to give of themselves so completely to Him, a life of adventure with the Holy Spirit will lead you in exciting new ways as you become Recklessly Abandoned to Him.

Copyright 2008 Penny Shellswell Jointly leads training courses in Intimacy with the Father. Holy Spirit is stirring believers across the UK to intercession. True intercession is touching God’s heart for His strategy, with our prayer and travail until God’s assurance is received. The goal? Winning the lost and dying of the UK through the setting up of 800 Intercession groups. www.OutOfAfrica-uk.org

The New Testament is the name given to the second half of the Christian Bible, the first half known to Christians as the Old Testament.

Being the Hebrew Bible, is called by the Jews as Tanakh. It is sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures or the New Covenant.

The New Testament records the life of Jesus Christ. It also deals with the early church and the meaning of faith in Jesus. The New Testament was written in Greek, which was widely spoken during the time of Jesus. However, Jesus and His disciples spoke Aramaic.

The authors of the New Testament did not deliberately try to create a Christian Bible. The early church already had a Bible, the Old Testament of Judaism. However, differing views of Christian faith during the A.D. 100’s led the church to form the New Testament canon. It needed the canon as authority against unacceptable religious views.The church also wanted to preserve the authentic story of Jesus’ life and death.

Books of the New Testament: The New Testament consists of 27 books organized into four sections–the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters, and Revelation. The number of books and their order are the same in the Roman Catholic and Protestant versions.

The Gospels consist of four books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They appear as the first books in the New Testament, though they are not the earliest works in the canon. The word gospel comes from the Old English word god spell, which means good news.

The early church probably accepted the four Gospels as authentic, even though the authors were unknown. Gradually, the church associated the Gospels with two of Christ’s apostles, Matthew and John, and two companions of apostles, Mark and Luke. Traditionally, they are considered to be the authors of the Gospels.

The Gospels describe the life of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, and Luke have similarities of detail and arrangement. They are called the Synoptic Gospels. The word synoptic comes from a Greek word that means see together.

The Synoptic Gospels differ from the Gospel of John in several ways. In the Synoptic Gospels, for example, Jesus expresses His teachings chiefly in short sayings and in brief stories called parables. In John, He teaches through long statements.

Although the Synoptic Gospels generally deal with the same events, each of the four Gospels regards Jesus differently. Matthew describes Him as the lawgiver who tells how Christians and their church should act. Mark shows Him as the Saviour who triumphs through suffering. Luke presents Jesus as the Saviour of all people. John concentrates on Jesus’ divine nature.

Many scholars believe that Mark was the earliest Gospel, written just before or after the Romans captured Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Matthew and Luke were written a little later. The contents of these two Gospels indicate that both authors knew Mark’s Gospel but not each other’s. John was written last, perhaps in the A.D. 90’s.

The Acts of the Apostles is one book. It continues the story told in Luke and was written by the same author. Acts tells about the expansion of the early church. The story opens in Jerusalem, where the apostles gather after Jesus is raised from the dead. The book ends in Rome, where Saint Paul, the church’s first great missionary, preaches to the Jews while a Roman prisoner.

The Letters make up 21 books: These books contain some of the earliest writings in the New Testament, though they appear in the canon after the Gospels and the Acts. The Letters are also known as the Epistles, from a Greek word meaning to send.

The first 13 letters are called the Pauline Letters because most of them were written by Saint Paul. The last 8 are called the General Letters. Early church leaders wrote them, but scholars do not know who the authors were or disagree on who they might have been.

The Pauline Letters preserve Paul’s preaching. He wrote the letters to Christian congregations he had founded. Most of the letters were probably written in the A.D. 50’s and early 60’s. Paul’s letters discuss problems of faith and conduct.

The General Letters were written over a number of years until about A.D. 125. They deal with problems faced by second- and third-generation Christians.

Revelation is one book: It is also called the Apocalypse, from a Greek word meaning to reveal. A man named John wrote the book, but he is probably not the same person who wrote the Gospel of John.

Revelation begins as letters “to the seven churches that are in Asia.” It then gives a symbolic description of God’s final triumph, through Christ, over evil and death. This description comes from a series of visions of the future sent by God to the author through an angel.

Development of the New Testament: The first generation of Christians preserved memories of Jesus’ teachings, deeds, and Crucifixion largely by word of mouth. The story of Jesus was not written down in the Gospels until the second generation of the church.

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