Bible Headlines: Heroes of the New Testament Quiz

Answer: John the Baptist (Matthew 3, NIV)

John the Baptist was one of the last prophets in the Bible. He lived in the wilderness and was known for preaching to people about the coming of the Messiah.

According to Matthew 3, many people came out to hear John and he told them to change their life to please God. He baptized them in the Jordan River.
Jesus came to John and was baptized. John was amazed when a voice from heaven spoke and said, "This is my son, in who I am well pleased." (verse 17)

Matthew also recorded that John eventually gave his life for what he believed. (Matthew 14:1-12)

According to Matthew 11:11, Jesus told his disciples and others that were following him, "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Answer: Peter (Acts 2, NIV)

According to the Book of Acts and the book of Luke, after Jesus went back to heaven, he told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise he would send to them. (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:9, NIV)

Acts 2:1-4 describes the disciples all praying in a room in Jerusalem when, suddenly, a sound like a rushing mighty wind filled the place where they were sitting and flames of fire began to appear on their heads. They began to speak praises to God in new languages as the Holy Spirit gave them power.

Several Jews who lived in other countries heard the noise from the outside. They came to see what was happening, and were surprised to hear the Jews praising God in their own languages. They asked, "What does this mean?" (Acts 2:12)

Peter stood up and told them that this was the fulfilment of the promise that Jesus and the prophets spoke about. He told them that Jesus was crucified but was alive again. He now had all power and the disciples were witnesses. Anyone who called on the name of the Lord would be saved.

When the Jews heard it they were afraid. They asked Peter what they should do. Peter told them, "Repent, be baptized, everyone in the name of Jesus Christ, and you will receive the Holy Ghost. For the promise is for you and your children. It is for as many as the Lord our God shall call!". (Acts 2:38-39)

According to Acts 2, verse 41, 3000 people listened to Peter in addition to the crowd that was with the disciples. 3120 were saved that day.

Answer: John of Patmos (Revelation 1:1-3, NIV)

The Apostle John was a disciple of Jesus. After Jesus went to heaven, John shared the Gospel with other disciples. Many heard their message and became Christians. (1 John 1:1-4, NIV)

There were some Roman and Jewish leaders that were angry about John spreading Christianity. According to Bible scholars and New World Encyclopedia, John was sent to an island of criminals, as a punishment for telling others about Jesus. (Greeka, New World Encyclopedia, Amazing Bible Timeline)

According to the book of Revelation, John was praising God on the island when God showed him a vision of heaven (Revelation 1, NIV). John wrote down all the wonderful things he saw in a letter to many churches. He encouraged them to keep their faith because Jesus would return as a mighty King, to set up an everlasting kingdom. (Revelation 19, NIV)

(Information from "Greeka: History of Patmos", "New World Encyclopedia: History of Patmos", "Amazing Bible Timeline: History of Patmos")

Answer: Cornelius (Acts 10, NIV)

The story of Cornelius, who was a Roman soldier and a leader of the Roman army in Jerusalem, is found in Acts 10.

Many of the Jews did not like the Romans. Cornelius was very generous to their temple and worshipped their God. He helped people who were in need and prayed multiple times a day. One day an angel came to Cornelius and said, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter." (verses 4-5) The angel gave him directions to where the Apostle Peter was staying. The Lord spoke to Peter and sent him to Cornelius' house with the messengers from Cornelius. When Peter arrived, Cornelius had his house filled with people. Peter preached to them the same message he had shared with the Jews in Acts 2. He told them that God will save every one that believes on Him and receives forgiveness through His name. While Peter was speaking, God filled the room with the Holy Spirit and they spoke with tongues praising God. Peter told them they needed to be baptized.

Then Peter returned to Jerusalem and told the Apostles that the Gospel was for everyone. The Apostles were amazed and started preaching to the Gentiles.

Answer: Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1-10, NIV)

According to Luke, Zacchaeus was a rich tax collector. One day he heard Jesus was coming to town and would pass by a certain path. He climbed a sycamore tree because he was short and wanted to see above the crowd. Jesus looked up and saw Zacchaeus in the tree. He told Zacchaeus, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." (verse 5) Zacchaeus was very happy and welcomed Jesus to his home.

Many people saw what Jesus did and talked badly of his actions. According to Luke, they whispered because Jesus was eating with a sinner. However, Zacchaeus was touched by Jesus coming to see him. Zacchaeus told Jesus, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." (verse 8)

Jesus was happy with Zacchaeus' decision! He told Zacchaeus, "Today salvation has come to this house. ... For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:9-10)

Answer: Woman in Crowd (Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48, NIV)

According the gospels of Luke and Mark, one woman in the Bible was very sick. She spent all her money on doctors and didn't get well. One day she heard Jesus was coming to town. She decided she would go and see him. (Luke 8:43)

According to Mark, she said, "If I can touch his clothes, I can be healed!" (Mark 5:28, NIV) She made her way to where Jesus was and pushed through the crowd. When she touched the hem of Jesus' robe, she felt her illness go away and she was healed.

According to Luke, Jesus noticed something happened when the woman touched him. Jesus stopped and asked, "Who touched me?" (Luke 8:45) His disciples were confused. They pointed out that there were many people crowding around Jesus, and any one of them might have touched him. Jesus told them he felt something specific.

According to Mark, the woman heard Jesus asking who touched him. She came forward very afraid and told Jesus it was her. She told him the truth. Jesus told her to go in peace. He told her that her faith had made her whole.

Answer: Apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-22, NIV)

Saul's story is found in Acts 9.

After the disciples had received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), they told many others about the works of Jesus in Jerusalem. Many others believed and were baptized. Soon there were large numbers of Christians in Jerusalem.

Many people, like Saul, didn't understand what the disciples were teaching. According to Acts 9, Saul thought that the disciples were turning the Jews away from God. He asked the Jewish leaders if he could throw the Christians in prison and have them killed. He thought he was doing the right thing. (Acts 9:1-3, NIV)

On his way to Damascus to carry out his plans, Saul was struck with a light from heaven. It was so bright he fell off his donkey. He looked up and saw Jesus. A voice spoke to him: "'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?'
'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked.
'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' he replied." (Acts 9:4-6)

Saul was very afraid. Jesus told him to go to Damascus and wait. Saul prayed for days, blind. Then a Christian named Ananias showed up and prayed for Saul. Saul was healed and received his sight back! Ananias told Saul how to be saved and Saul became a Christian.

According to the book of Acts, later Saul became the Apostle Paul. In Acts 16, 17, and 18, he traveled throughout Asia and Europe starting churches. He wrote letters to guide these churches, which make up over two-thirds of the New Testament. He spent the rest of his life encouraging others in their faith.

Answer: Jesus (1 John 3:16, John 19:1-17, NIV)

According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus did many kind things while he was alive. He helped people in need. He healed those that were sick. He taught people how to do good things. Many people loved him.

However, some religious leaders became jealous of all the things Jesus did. In John 18 (NIV), they took Jesus to the Romans and told them that Jesus needed to be put to death.

According to Luke, the Roman governor saw that Jesus had done nothing wrong (Luke 23:4, NIV). However, he let the Jewish leaders put Jesus on a cross. According to Matthew, Jesus did not protest. (Matthew 27:14, NIV) They put nails in his feet and hands to hold Jesus to the cross. They put a crown of thorns on his head. The Romans put a sign up that said, "King of the Jews" (verse 37). According to Luke, there were many of Jesus' followers that wept. (Luke 23:27, NIV)

The disciple John said, "By this, we have known love because He laid down His life for us." (1 John 3:16, NIV) John wrote in his gospel, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)

According to John 20 and Acts 1 (NIV), three days later, Jesus came back alive and well.

Answer: Timothy (2 Timothy 1:1-14, 2 Corinthians 16:10, NIV)

In 1 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV), Paul called Timothy "my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord." According to the book of Acts, Timothy was a young man that acted as the Apostle Paul's scribe and apprentice.

According to the book of Acts and Paul's letters to Timothy, Paul met Timothy and his family while he was ministering on his first missionary journey. Timothy's grandmother and mother became Christians and became a great encouragement to Paul. Timothy became a companion to Paul and Silas and traveled with them on missionary journeys. (Acts 16:1, Acts 17:14-15, Acts 18:5, Acts 19:22, NIV)

According to Paul's letters, when Paul was put in prison for his faith, Timothy encouraged Paul. Timothy made frequent visits to Paul and helped deliver his letters to the churches.
According to the books of 1 and 2 Timothy, while Paul was in jail, he gave Timothy advice on how to be strong in his faith. Eventually, Timothy became a pastor.

Answer: Samaritan Woman (John 4:1-35, NIV)

The Samaritan woman's story is found in John 4. (NIV)

Jesus went to Samaria with his disciples. While his disciples went into the town, he took a break and sat on a well. During the middle of the day, a woman came to draw water. She came at noon, which was the hottest part of the day. Jesus began a conversation with her, by asking her for a drink. The woman noticed that he was a Jew and asked him why he was speaking to her. Jesus told her that if she knew who he was, she would have asked him for a drink. Jesus talked to her about her past. He knew that she had come to the well because she was embarrassed about her life. He told her that he had living water and she would never thirst again. The woman was so excited she left her water jug and ran into the town. She told them to ""Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did." (John 4:29, NIV)

According to John, many believed because of the woman's story. They came to see Jesus and listened to him. They told the Samaritan woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." (John 4:42)