This 13-part series of classes has been many years in the making. About 25 years ago I began in earnest to examine the features, character and characteristics of the church as it existed in its earliest years. As I sometimes do, I kept my notes all along the way, and this series of classes is to a large extent the product of those years of on-and-off studying the subject. Several things in my experience contributed to my interest in making this 25-year study which I will mention along the way, and those go much further back.
There may be some difficulty in using the individual parts of this series separately, although viewer are free to do so if it serves their purposes. But to those whose interest is in knowing what the church was like in its earliest years, I recommend starting with Part 1 - Introduction to the Church of the New Testament and proceeding through the parts consecutively.
I have prepared some slides that I used in presenting the series in a classroom setting before adapting it to use as sermons. I have left my cues to advance slides or activate animations in the notes as posted on Sermon Central. If anyone is interested in having the PowerPoint files with the slides, I will be happy to send them. Send me an Email at sam@srmccormick.net and specify what part(s) you are requesting. Be sure that the word “slide” appears in the subject line. It may take me several days to respond, but I will respond to all requests.
THE CHURCH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
OUTLINE OF THE STUDY
I. Introduction
II. The Origin of the Church
III. What is the church?
IV. The First Christians
V. Authority in the First Century Church
VI. Problems in the New Testament Church
VII. How the Church Functioned
A. Introduction to Functions
B. Apostles, Prophets, and Teachers
C. False Apostles, Prophets, and Teachers & Various Gifts and Functions
D. More Gifts and Functions
E. Evangelists, Preachers, and Ministers, Servants and Deacons
F. Pastors, Elders, Bishops, etc.
VIII. How the Church Worshiped
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IV. The First Christians
In this part, we examine what the earliest Christians were like, and what they did.
*Advance to outline slide
A. The first Christians loved one another dearly.
*Advance to “loved one another” slide
Exactly as Jesus commanded – the “New commandment” Jn 13:34, which the apostles often re-iterated:
*Advance slide to list of scriptures
John_13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John_15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
John_15:17 "This I command you, that you love one another.
Rom_13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
1 Thess_4:9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
1 Pet_1:22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
1 Jn_3:11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;
1 Jn_3:23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
1 Jn_4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
1 Jn_4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 Jn_4:12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
2 Jn_1:5 Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.
Secular writers, even some who did not agree with the doctrines of Christian faith, wrote over
and over, “See how they loved one another!”
*Advance to Slide - served
B. They Served Others
Meyer Reinhold was a classicist who wrote textbooks on various periods in ancient history. Asked by an interviewer for his reflections on the period when Christianity was introduced, he answered: “The Christians did something that had never been done before (except in isolated cases). But the Christians made it the centerpiece of their lives, and it worked. ”
“What was it?”
“Living for others.”
*Slide - were of one mind
C. They Were of One Mind
There was no discord or division, but peace, harmony, and mutual respect.
Acts 2:43 There was a feeling of awe.
Act 2:44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
Act 2:46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
The facts of the gospel, belief in them, and believers’ redemption from sin drew them together in such a way that differences in preferences and quibbles over petty things disappeared. We do not yet see people fighting over church issues, or demanding to prevail over others in matters of judgment and preference. Nor do we yet see one Christian, or a group of them, binding their scruples on others who do not have those same scruples. The 14th chapter of Romans with its teaching on allowing space for others to believe differently than ourselves on some question and act according to their belief, would be written much later when problems of that kind surfaced.
*Slide - distribution of food
D. There was a daily distribution of food.
Act 6:1 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. (NASB)
What was going on? Was it related to their giving up all their possessions or is it something every church should do now daily by their example? If we are to be the church of the New Testament, should we be doing now what they were doing then?
Food for thought.
*Advance to add “gave”
E. They Gave.
Giving rests on the principle of love.
John the Baptist was the first in the New Testament to teach giving.
Luk 3:10-11 And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" (11) And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise."
Jesus taught giving to those in need in his parables:
• The parable of the good Samaritan
• Rich man and Lazarus
• The Sheep and Goats
Christians in other places gave generously for the relief of their brothers and sisters in Judea--of money they themselves needed.
• For that specific purpose, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth before comeing to them in person to receive their gift: “Let each one lay by in store, as God has prospered him…” 1 Cor 16:2
• Macedonians set a wonderful example by giving according to and beyond their ability. They first gave themselves. 2 Cor 8:1-5
• Jesus, though he was rich, became poor for their sake, and ours. 2 Cor 8:9
• Paul avoids using the force of commandment so that they might give willingly. 2 Cor 8:10 - it is his advice, or opinion, that he gives.
• Giving benefits the giver. 2 Cor 8:10 (cf Acts 20:35 “It is more blessed…”)
• A gift is acceptable according to person’s readiness (KJV a willing mind), not on his giving what he does not have. 2 Cor 8:12
• Giving is to be according to the purpose of the heart 2 Cor 9:7
• God loves a cheerful giver - 2 Cor 9:7
• God is able, and he will cause to return, with increase, that which we spend relieving the necessities of others. 2 Cor 9:8-11
E. They did not have the New Testament. It was being written little by little, treatise by treatise, letter by letter, over 50 or more years. It would be about 400 years before there was a standard collection of these writings generally accepted and recognized as the sacred, inspired writings which today we call the New Testament. Even when the 27 writings became generally accepted as scripture, not everyone had copies of all those writings in their homes.
What did they use for guidance? They were guided by the apostles themselves while they lived, by hand-picked and empowered envoys such as Timothy and Titus, and by inspired prophets who spoke what they received by revelations.
F. Spread of the church
Initially the apostles stayed together in Jerusalem, even until the first dispersion (Acts 8:1).
It is reasonable - in fact necessary - to assume that at some point, the apostles split up and went separate ways, and no longer functioned as a group, as Jesus commanded them just before ascending to heaven:
Mat 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
They had not done so before the council on circumcision in Jerusalem (Acts 15), but after that we soon lose sight of most of them. We see some of their movements, but not others, and some of what we know is historical, not biblical (John in Ephesus, Peter in Rome, perhaps Paul in Spain).
See what Ananias was told Paul would do.
Act 9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
The law was to “go forth from Jerusalem” Isa 2:3, Micah 4:2
This was not the law of Moses, for they were going out among gentile nations who had no allegiance to the Jewish law.
The law that went forth from Jerusalem was a law of a different kind, referred to in various ways in the New Testament writings as:
The royal law - James 2:8
The law of liberty - James 1:25, 2:12
The law of God - Romans 7:22,25; 8:7; 1 Corinthians 9:21
The law of Christ - 1 Corinthians 9:21
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus - Romans 8:1-2
…and various other ways.
Since Paul wrote to the Romans that we are not under law (Romans 6:14-15), the law that was to go forth from Jerusalem must have been that law described in these various ways, and not another law like the one given at Mt. Sinai.
Christians scattered by persecution after Stephen’s death, except the apostles. As a result, the dispersing Christians carried the gospel to:
Samaria – Philip (Acts 8:5)
Ethiopia – Philip (Acts 8:26-40)
Caesarea – Cornelius’ household (Acts 10)
Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch – Jews only (Acts 11:19)
Antioch
• Hub of evangelism in addition to being a strong local church
• Counterpart of the church in Jerusalem, the two representing Jewish and gentile backgrounds. Jerusalem and Judea were Jewish territory, Antioch and Syria were pagan territory.
• The church at Antioch was not a cookie cutter copy of the church at Jerusalem. This alarmed many in the Jerusalem church, who were not comfortable with the way those in Antioch were doing things, and made it their business to delve into it. Some of them came to Antioch insisting that the practice of circumcision must be adopted by those Christians in the church at Antioch. So Paul and Barnabas, along with unnamed others, were sent to Jerusalem to inquire about the teaching their members were trying to insert at Antioch. This is a bit of a side trail to our discussion on the spread of the church, but anyone interested in pursuing it further may read the story and the outcome in Acts 15.
• In Antioch they took for themselves a new name that had not been used among the believers in Judea – “Christians.”
Paul journeyed to many places, often enduring persecution, culminated in his arrest and imprisonment, eventually bringing him to Rome. All along the way, he was spreading the word of redemption in Christ and everlasting life.
The history of the spread of Christianity insofar as recorded in the New Testament writings reports primarily of the work of Paul and his associates. However, Paul’s evangelistic work was by no means all the work that was going on. Jesus had told the eleven (who remained after the death of Judas Iscariot) to “Go … and make disciples of all nations.” Although their stories are not recorded in the New Testament, there is no doubt that they did precisely what they were chosen for when they were first called to follow Jesus, and were commissioned to do just before he ascended from their earthly view. There is secular history of the areas that each apostle worked in as written by early Christian writers, but those writings - while interesting - are not authoritative, being uncorroborated in the scriptures.
