If you go to church regularly, you will likely be regularly exposed to teachings on major Christian topics such as grace, faith, gifts of the Holy Spirit, and salvation. You might spend weeks or months studying one of those topics.
There are probably many times you have heard a Scripture and said to yourself, “I wish someone would give me a short lesson on a particular word or topic. Not a long treatise, but enough to get a better understanding.” The purpose of this series is to do that for a wide variety of topics. For that reason, some of these videos are shorter than the typical Eyewitness episodes.
As we often caution, we are not trying to add to what the Bible says, we are trying to add context that will help you understand the Bible better. So, please read the applicable Scriptures in the study guides for these stories so you will know exactly what the Bible says.
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There are more than 3,000 individuals mentioned in the Bible, with almost two-thirds of them mentioned by name. Many of these are mentioned in lists or in passing, but hundreds of them are well-known to those familiar with the Bible. On of the things that most of them have in common is their being an unlikely person to be used by God. (Perhaps two of the few exceptions are Adam and Eve!)
Abraham was just an ordinary person living in Ur…then he accepted God as his only god. Moses was an eighty-year-old escaped criminal living as a shepherd…then he chose to obey God. Saul was a tall farmer and David a shepherd boy…then God chose them to be the first two kings of Israel. Paul was a murderer of Christians…then he saw the light. Those are some of the well-known people. Many others are lesser-known names or completely unnamed.
A slave girl changed the history of Israel by telling Naaman how to get healed from leprosy. The centurion at the crucifixion of Jesus recognized him as the son of God. During a long sermon by Paul, Eutychus fell asleep and to his death. All were unlikely people who God used in unlikely ways.
The slave girl’s information led to a change in Israel’s relationship with its persecutor, Aram. The centurion’s recognition that Jesus was dead lead to certain prophecies being fulfilled and the official certification of his death. Eutychus’s death led to his resurrection by Paul.
