The birth of Jesus, his life in Palestine, his death in Jerusalem and then his astonishing live appearances to his followers are recorded in four biographies at the start of the New Testament of the bible. The next book, Acts, is a record of what Jesus' followers did after Jesus left the earth – the acts of the apostles, the people Jesus sent to be his witnesses. The action is set in Palestine and the eastern Mediterranean in about 30 to 65 AD, a melting-pot of cultures with the Roman Empire in charge. From the original group of about 120 men and women, the message spread from Jerusalem to Rome itself. Peter and Paul, charismatic characters with surprising back-stories, explained why Jesus is good news for everyone. You can discover from their words recorded in Acts what the first Christians believed and how they communicated their message to hostile or indifferent societies. Where people believed, they formed communities, churches. Learn what these communities were like and how they dealt with problems and successes. The 15 studies each start with a summary of the story so far and have notes helping you understand the context. Maps are included. You can study individually or in a group, each study taking about 1 hour. Using these studies you can find from Acts how the church began and why Christians today believe the story of Jesus is good news for everyone.