Quote of the Day – August 4, 2015

“When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do; when we rely upon education, we get what education can do; when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do.  And so on.  But when we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do.”  –A. C. Dixon

Doctrine of the Church

Here are the completed notes from the evening service August 2, 2015

A Brief Survey of Church History

Why Study Church History?

  1. Our God is a God of history
  2. We can understand and know God better by seeing how He has worked in the past
  3. Church history covers doctrines and issues central to the faith
  4. To honor those who have faithfully gone before us

A.  God’s Historical Record of the Early Church – Book of Acts (33AD – 64AD)

Luke was an early church historian
Acts 1:8 serves as an outline for the book of Acts

Events that occurred during this period:

  • The Coming of the Holy Spirit and birth of the Church – Acts 2:1-5
  • Persecution from the Jews (AD33-AD64)
  • First Christian martyr – Stephen – Acts 6:1 thru 8:2 (AD35)
  • Gospel taken to the Gentiles – Acts 10
  • Apostle Paul’s First Missionary Journey – Acts 13 (Between AD46 and AD50)
  • The Jerusalem Council – Acts 15 (AD49 or AD50)

B.  From Acts to the 6th Century (AD64 – AD605)

Events that occurred during this period:

  • Persecution from Rome (AD64-AD300)
  • The fire in Rome (AD64) – Nero blamed Christians
  • Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (AD70)
  • Gnosticism (AD90-AD150)
    • Gnosticism:  The belief that the physical world is evil and that only secret, spiritual knowledge can free persons from the physical world.
  • The Development of the New Testament Canon (Prior to AD190)
    • Canon:  measuring stick
    • The word refers to the books that God inspired to form the church’s faith
    • The Old Testament Canon was finalized around 300BC
  • Persecution and Martyrdom
  • The Council of Nicaea (AD325)
    • The creed of Nicaea confessed the church’s belief in the Trinity and in the full deity of Jesus
    • Rule of Faith – Creeds: a series of statements that tested a new believer’s understanding of essential Christian doctrines
  • Emperor Constantine
    • After conquering Rome, Emperor Constantine issues the Edict of Milan in 313 and Christianity became fully legal and equal with all religions
    • The night before the battle with Rome, Constantine received a vision of a flaming cross, combined with the message “in this sign conquer”
  • Freedom and Peace Results in Compromise
    • Between AD400 and AD400, Christians gained earthly peace and power
    • Churches grew rapidly (not all growth is good)
    • Many joined the church to gain the good will of one more deity, other joined for social status
    • Church members began to identify themselves with earthly institutions and the institutional aspects of the church became overly important
    • The Gospel became diluted
    • Some resisted the church’s new status and spent their lives in exile or fled to communities in the desert

Names to be familiar with from this period:

  • Nero – AD37-AD68
    • Roman emperor, persecuted Christians after the fire in Rome, had the Apostle Paul beheaded
  • Ignatius – AD35-AD107
    • Disciple of the Apostle John
    • Apostolic church father
    • Apostolic Fathers:  Important First-Century Christians
    • Thrown to the lions and eaten alive
  • Polycarp – AD69-AD155
    • Disciple of the Apostle John
    • Apostolic church father
    • Burned to death at the stake
    • The last survivor of those who had talked with the eyewitnesses of Jesus
  • Justin Martyr – AD100-AD165
    • Christian philosopher and apologist
  • Tertullian – AD160-AD220
    • North African church planter
  • Jerome – AD345-AD420
    • Monk and scholar who translated the Bible into the Latin language of the day

 

*Some contents adapted from Dr. Harold Willmington’s notes on the church

As You Have Received…Walk

Quote of the Week:  “Your talk talks, and your walk talks; but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”

Here are the completed notes from the morning service August 2, 2015:

Scripture:  Colossians 2:6

1.  As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord

A.  Personal reception of the Lord

  • Point in time that you saw your self as a sinner unable to save yourself
  • You believed the Gospel
    • God loves you
    • Christ shed His blood for us when He died on the cross
    • Jesus resurrected
  • You personally appropriated Christ for yourself
    • Turning from sin – repentence
    • Trusted Jesus for your forgiveness and eternal life in heaven

B.  Confident of that decision being real based upon Biblical truth

  • Since that time God has changed your life – II Corinthians 5:17
  • No longer comfortable in your sin – John 16:7-8, Hebrews 12:5-8
  • Desire to be with God’s people – I John 3:14
  • Desire to obey the Word of God – I John 2:3-4

2.  So walk ye in Him

To walk in Christ is to live a life that is patterned after His

A.  Determine the Reality – Are you a fan of Christ or an authentic follower of Christ?

  • It’s not that fans don’t want a relationship with Jesus; It’s that they want the relationship with Him on their own terms
  • It’s not that fans don’t want a relationship with Jesus; It’s that they don’t want it to cost them too much.
  • Fans are satisfied going through the motions – God wants your love and He longs for you to passionately pursue Him.
  • The things that excite you – The things that excite you can also point to something or someone that is in competition with Jesus
  • Spiritual apathy screams – I don’t care

B.  Is your life characterized by practicing the presence of Jesus Christ on a daily basis?

  • Ongoing examination of your life before God
  • Immediately confessing sin
  • Striving to be right with others when problems arise
  • Asking yourself, what would Jesus do in a given situation
  • Prioritize your relationship with Christ above all else

C.  Consider the Following – Is your relationship with Christ best described as coasting or costly?

D.  Commit to the change God wants in your life

  • Radical:  Extreme change
  • Consistency:  Faithfulness over time
  • Commitment:  Putting yourself on the spot