Belonging to the Church

Aim: To consider the problems for the Early Church about belonging

24th June 2010

Discuss: What do you need to do to belong?

• Be a gym member

• Be a true Tenisonian

• Be Ghanaian

• Are these groups open to everyone?

• Are there any rules?

• Can you chose to no longer belong to any of these groups?

Two Groups

Jews• Had to be born

Jewish• Had to be

circumcised (if a boy)• Had to eat kosher

food• Had to keep Jewish

Law (613 rules)

Gentiles• Had been pagans

(wild living, worshiped idols) before following Jesus

• Wanted to celebrate the Last Supper with Jewish Christians

The Council in Jerusalem 49CE

• Jewish Christians said that the Gentiles could not become a Christian without first becoming a Jew.

• Paul explained all that God had done among the Gentile converts

The Decision

A letter was written to the churches:

• Gentile Christians do not have to become Jews but…

• They must stay sexually pure

• They should not eat food sacrificed to idols

• They should not eat meat that has been killed in the pagan way

The Council in Jerusalem 49CE

Some _______ Christians wanted the Gentiles to follow the Jewish _____. A meeting was held in ________ to decide what to do. It was important that a decision was reached so that Jewish and Gentile Christians could have _______ together. _____ explained all that had happened on his _________ trips. The ________ decided that Gentiles should be ______ ____ and not eat food _______ to _____.

Law sacrificed Jerusalem Jewish

Council fellowship sexually pure idols

Paul missionary

People to write to:Boys’ Names• Felix• Rufus• Sergius• Gaius• Paulus• Titus• Fabius• Marcus

Girls’ Names• Drusilla• Priscilla• Marcella• Sophia• Galia• Octavia• Olivia• Sabrina