Here are the completed notes from the evening service July 12, 2015
The History, Growth, and Character of the Various New Testament Churches
The Church in Jerusalem
- Began at Pentecost (Acts 2:47) with at least 120 (Acts 2:41)
- Was pastored by James, the half-brother of Christ (Acts 15:13)
- Performed many wonders and signs (Acts 2:43, 5:12-16)
- Had all things in common (Acts 2:44, 45, 4:32-35)
- Was in one accord (Acts 2:46)
- Spent a good deal of time in prayer (Acts 2:42, 3:1, 4:24, 12:5-17)
- Witnessed at every opportunity (Acts 3:12, 4:5, 5:42, 4:33)
- Radiated Jesus (Acts 4:13, 6:15)
- Was kept pure by God [had standards] (Acts 5:1-11, 8:18-24)
- Grew constantly (Acts 2:47, 5:14, 4:4, 12:24)
- Endured persecution (Acts 4:1-3, 4:21, 5:17-41, 7:54-60, 8:1-3, 12:1-4)
- Appointed deacons (Acts 6:1-7)
- Practiced baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:41, 46)
- Sent forth missionaries (Acts 8:5, 14, 11:22)
- Held the important meeting on circumcision (Acts 15)
- Was Spirit led (Acts 2:1-18, 4:31, 13:2-4, 15:28)
- Preached the Word (Acts 2:16-36, 3:13-26, 5:42, 6:4, 7:1-53)
- Contended for the faith (Acts 15:1-21)
The Church in Antioch of Syria
- Was founded during that persecution period which followed the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 11:19)
- Experienced a great ingathering of souls (Acts 11:21)
- The Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to “check it out” (Acts 11:22)
- Added many to the church at this time (Acts 11:24)
- Was where believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26)
The Church in Antioch of Pisidia
- Was begun by Paul during his first missionary trip (Acts 13:14)
The Church in Lystra
- Was begun by Paul during his first missionary trip (Acts 14:6)
The Church in Derbe (Acts 14:21, Acts 22)
The Church in Iconium
- Paul let many to Christ here during his first trip (Acts 14:2)
The Church in Philippi
- Paul organized a church in the home of a woman convert named Lydia (Acts 16:15, 40)
- A demon-possessed girl was his next convert (Acts 16:18)
- She was followed by the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:33)
- Paul later wrote a letter to this church (Phil 1:1)
- Timothy ministered to this church (Phil 2:19)
- Helped to supply the material needs of Paul (Phil 4:15, 18)
The Church in Thessalonica
- Was founded during Paul’s second missionary trip (Acts 17:1)
- Witnessed a great harvest of souls (Acts 17:4)
- Paul is accused of turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6)
- In spite of their zeal, they were not good Bible students (Acts 17:6)
- Later Paul wrote two letters to this church (I Thess 1:1, 2 Thess 1:1)
- The believers had a reputation for witnessing (I Thess 1:8)
- Timothy ministered to this church (I Thess 3:1, 2)
- Had some lazy members (2 Thess 3:10)
- Had some busybodies (2 Thess 3:11)
- Had some disobedient members (2 Thess 3:14, 15)
The Church in Berea
- This church was commended for its knowledge of and love for the Word of God (Acts 17:11)
The Church in Athens
- It is not certain whether a local assembly came into being after Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill, but if so, a convert named Dionysius probably led it (Acts 17:34)
The Church in Corinth
- Was founded during Paul’s second trip (Acts 18:1)
- Aquila and Priscilla aided in this (Acts 18:2)
- Paul stayed eighteen months (Acts 18:11)
- Paul wrote several letters to this church (I Cor 5:9, 2 Cor 10:9, 10), two of which are included in the New Testament canon (I Cor 1:2, 2 Cor 1:1)
- Experienced almost total confusion in matters relating to:
- Baptism (I Cor 1:12-17)
- Earthly wisdom (I Cor 1:26)
- Carnality and strife (I Cor 3:1-3)
- Judging others unfairly (I Cor 4:7)
- Immorality (I Cor 5:1)
- Taking other believers to court (I Cor 6:1-4)
- Marriage (I Cor 7:1)
- Christian Liberty (I Cor 8-9)
- The Lord’s Table (I Cor 11:17-34)
- Spiritual Gifts (I Cor 12-14)
- The doctrine of the resurrection (I Cor 15)
- Giving (I Cor 16)
The Church in Troas
- Here Paul raised up Eutychus, a believer who had gone asleep during Paul’s sermon and had fallen down from the third loft of the building (Acts 20:7-12)
The Church in Rome
- The origin and founder of this church is unknown
- Priscilla and Aquila labored there and a local church met in their home (Rom 16:3-5)
- Had a ringing testimony throughout all the land (Rom 1:8)
The Church in Galatia
- Various local churches in Galatia were organized by Paul during his first trip.
- All had apparently fallen victim to the legalistic Judaizers, who would continually plague Paul’s gospel of grace (Gal 1:6-9)
The Church in Colosse
- Was founded by Epaphras during Paul’s third trip (Col 2:1, 1:7, 12, 13)
- Philemon and Onesimus attended this church (Col 4:9, Philemon 1:1, 2)
The Church in Babylon (I Peter 5:13)
- Was filled with suffering believers (I Peter 1:6)
- Some of this suffering was due to sin (I Peter 4:15-17)
The Seven Churches of Asia Minor
Scripture: Revelation Chapters 2 and 3
Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7) 7 Verses
- Dealing with being in a rut in your Christian life
- Was founded during Paul’s second trip (Acts 18:19)
- May have been pastored by Apollos, Timothy, and the Apostle John.
- Paul wrought many miracles there and saw much fruit (Acts 19:11-41)
- Wicked books are burned
- The false goddess Diana is challenged
- Paul went soul-winning door-to-door (Acts 20:17-21)
- Was the only Christian church ever to receive letters from two New Testament writers
- According to John’s letter, this church:
- Worked hard and possessed patience
- Had high church standards
- Suffered for Christ
- Had left their first love
- Needed to remember, repent, and return to Christ, else their candlestick be removed
- Hated the deeds of licentious Nicolatians
Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11) 4 Verses
- The suffering church
- Had suffered much for Christ
- Had been slandered by those from the synagogue of satan
- Satan had imprisoned some of them
Pergamos (Rev 2:12-17) 6 Verses
- The compromising church
- Was located in the very center of satanic worship
- Had nevertheless remained loyal to Christ in spite of martyrdom
- Members were, however, tolerating some in the church who were guilty of sexual sins
- They were also tolerating those who held the doctrine of the Nicolatians
Thyatira (Rev 2:18-29) 12 Verses
- The tolerant church
Sardis (Rev 3:1-6) 6 Verses
- Appearances can fool you!
Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13) 7 Verses
- The faithful church
Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22) 9 Verses
- The tragedy of lukewarmness
*Some contents adapted from Dr. Harold Willmington’s notes on the church