The Early Church

April 13, 2012

The Early ChurchThe first apostle to die from persecution was James

Soon after that Stephen was stoned

Saul started a massive persecution of the church

The apostles went to different areas

After Saul was converted, official persecution led by the Sanhedrin and Jewish leadership was stopped

The Early ChurchThe Apostles went-

East to India

South to Ethiopia

West to Spain

(Unproven: Peter went North to the England and then back to Rome)

This would have spread the Gospel to the outer reaches of Jewish settlement

Paul took the Gospel to the Gentiles in Greece, Rome, and Asia Minor

The Early Church

Difficulties the Early Christians Faced

Persecution

Resistance to the Gospel

False Accusations

Doctrine

Cults

Gnosticism

Breakdown of Local Church

Division

Hurts and Misunderstandings

Difficulties the Early Christians Faced

Persecution

Resistance to the Gospel

People who love sin more than God

Evil intent or hard heart: nothing we can do

False Accusations

People who are basically seeking good but making decisions based on false assumptions

Try to avoid conflict on side issues: show the truth in love

Difficulties the Early Church Faced

Doctrine

Cults -could sin and be “spiritual”

Combat through being saturated in the Word

Abstain from sinful behavior

Gnosticism -could be a believer on own, inner truth

Combat through being aligned with the Cornerstone

Stay under Godly authority

Difficulties the Early Church Faced

Breakdown of Local Church

Division

Some were people who wanted others to follow them- deceitful and divisive

Don’t follow these leaders

Hurts and Misunderstandings

Forgive each other

Examine our motives and pray for each other

I Peter 2:1-10

Who rejected the “living stone”?

What are believers now a part of?

According to verse 10, what are we now parts of?

1 Peter 2:1-10

people

priesthood

nation

God’s possession

What do each of these imply?

1 Peter 2:11-25

What type of lives should we live?

How are we supposed to deal with authority?

What kind of leadership was in power at this time?

1 Peter 2:11-25

Does Peter approve of slavery?

Why does he encourage slaves who are believers to submit to their masters?

The goal is eternal salvation for as many as possible

Slavery was a major fact at that time

Both Peter and Paul wrote that owners who were believers should treat others as brothers and sisters and not wrongly

God will judge those who oppress others

1 Peter 2:11-25

How are we supposed to respond when falsely accused?

How will this help the church to grow?

Whose example should we always be following?

Today

Persecution-

Resistance to the Gospel

Other religions

Muslim

Hindu

False Accusations

Media Accounts of “Christians”

Christian groups being manipulated by political advocacy groups

Today

Doctrine

Jesus +

“Health + Wealth” gospel- materialists

Legalism- ultra conservatives

Jesus -

Mormons (need to work for salvation)

Gnosticism (individualism, can sin and still be spiritual)

Today

Breakdown of the local church

Division

Leaders who want to make their own “kingdom”

Dividing over doctrinal issues

Hurts and Misunderstandings

Misunderstandings

Wounds

Take Away

What can I do to-

Be strong in the face of persecution?

Be strong in the face of false doctrine?

Be strong in the face of division?

Be strong in the face of temptation?

I Peter 2: 9, 10

 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

jesuswalk.com

http://mattstone.blogs.com/photos/celtic_icons/early-christian-art.html

http://www.third-millennium-library.com/MedievalHistory/Cambridge/I/XXI.html

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/early-christian-art-before-constantine

http://persecution.in/content/persecution-minorities-silence-and-inaction-are-certainly-no-options

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/petermullen/100122945/the-arab-spring-has-brought-misery-to-middle-eastern-christians/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Health-Wealth-Gospel-Movement/dp/0877843279

whymormonism.org

donners5.info

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/early-christian-art-before-constantine