the early church april 13, 2012. the early church the first apostle to die from persecution was...
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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
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 2:11-25
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
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