The Early Church – A Light for Beaufort

All Grown Up

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 15:27:39 +0000

All Grown Up

What Would the Church Look Like Today?

The Acts of the Apostles is like a baby photo of the early Church.

We witness the growth of a beautiful family of faith, formed by Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit. Through this family, known as the Church, Jesus continues his ministry and cares for his people. Nearly two thousand years have passed since this portrait was taken.

As adults, we don’t look exactly like our baby pictures.

Our faces have lost their chubby cuteness, and our arms and legs have gotten longer. But many important attributes remain unchanged, such as our eye color or our number of limbs. Similarly, if the Church described in Acts continued to this day, we would expect it to have grown and matured, while retaining the essential characteristics seen in its infancy.

The Church would look a lot different today.

Just as a child grows and learns over time, we would expect the Church to develop over the years. As Christians reflect on the teachings of Jesus, the truths of the faith would gradually become clarified and more clearly understood. As the faithful seek to grow in their relationship with Jesus, new spiritual customs and manners of prayer would gradually develop. External characteristics may have changed, but it would still be the same Church found in Acts.

In its essentials, the Church would still be the same.

As we explored in previous messages, there are many aspects of the early Church that are essential to its identity and mission, and thus we would still expect to find them in the Church today. The Church would be one Church, visibly united in teaching and worship. It would not be limited to one area, language, or cultural group, but rather would unite the human race as one spiritual family. Its leaders would have authority that has been passed down from the apostles. Its faithful will all struggle with sin, but for those who seek to know and love Jesus, they will find all they need to become holy.

We should still expect to find this Church today.

Jesus intended to continue his ministry through his family of faith, the Church. People will always need to hear his teachings, to be fed with the Bread of Life, to be healed and forgiven. Since these needs of the human heart will never disappear, the Church is meant to continue until the end of time. This is why Jesus promised the apostles: “I will be with you always, until the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20)

We believe that the Catholic Church is this same Church.

We are not just Catholic Christians because our parents raised us this way, or because of the spiritual comfort we receive from our faith. We are Christians because we believe that Jesus is truly God. We are Catholic Christians because we believe that the Catholic Church is the same Church found in the Acts of the Apostles, but grown up. It is the Church started by Jesus, and through it he still ministers to us today. In our next message series, we will explore reasons for this belief.

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Built on the Apostles

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 15:05:23 +0000

Built on the Apostles

Leadership in the Early Church

The Founding Fathers knew our nation would need leaders.

When our nation began, the Founding Fathers recognized that we would need elected leaders. The need for leadership would not only be for the first generation of Americans, but for the entire existence of our country. The presidency, for example, was designed to be an office that outlived George Washington. The nation would always be led by a president, a successor to Washington.

Jesus knew humanity even better than the Founding Fathers.

He knew that his family of faith, the Church, would always need leaders. He called and trained the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, but their office would continue past their lifetime. The authority he gave them was not only meant for the first generation of Christians, but to be passed down through the generations, so that his family of faith would always be led by successors of the apostles.

The ministry of the apostles was meant to continue.

At the start of Acts, Peter reminds the apostles that they need to choose a replacement for Judas, “to take over this apostolic ministry.” Guided by God, they chose Matthias, who “was added to the eleven apostles.” (Acts 1:12-26) This event shows that the apostles understood their ministry to be an ongoing office, greater than any one of them as individuals. Matthias was the successor to Judas in his office of apostle.

As the Church grew, more leaders were needed.

As Christianity spread to new lands, the apostles would train new leaders to continue their ministry in each area. Through the laying on of hands, the apostles would pass on their authority to these leaders, whom they called bishops, meaning “overseers.” The bishops would often, in turn, pass on this authority to a new generation of leaders through the laying on of hands. The laying on of hands is a Scriptural gesture for the conveying of authority. Moses, for example, laid his hands upon Joshua as he made Joshua his successor. (Numbers 27:23)

Timothy received his authority from Paul.

After mentoring Timothy for many years, Paul made Timothy a bishop. Paul encouraged Timothy, reminding the young bishop of the gift he received from God “through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Tim 1:6) Paul also tells Timothy to “not be hasty in the laying on of hands,” meaning that he must be careful in choosing additional leaders. (1 Tim 5:22) Here one sees three generations of leaders: Paul, Timothy, and those to whom Timothy will pass on authority.

In Acts, Jesus provides leaders for his Church family.

People were not starting their own churches, leading a congregation on their own authority. Divine authority was given by Jesus to the apostles, who themselves passed on this authority to carefully chosen leaders. In this way, the ministry of the apostles would continue in each generation. Jesus would always be with his people, guiding them and teaching them as a united family of faith.

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One Family in Faith

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 15:52:24 +0000

One Family in Faith

Unity in the Early Church

As the early Church grew, it experienced its first crisis.

Because Christianity began as a movement within Judaism, most of the earliest Christians were Jewish. Many continued to follow the dietary laws and ritual customs which God had given to the Jewish people. But as Christians, were these laws and customs still required by God? For example, if a Greek man became Christian, did he have to be circumcised as God commanded in the Scriptures?

The crisis threatened to divide God’s family into two camps.

Jesus had respected the Jewish laws and customs during his lifetime, and he had not instructed his disciples to abolish them. Thus, many in the Church believed that Christians were still bound to follow these practices. They taught that unless a man is circumcised, he cannot be saved. (Acts 15:1) Others, like Paul, argued that these practices are optional for Christians and that they are not necessary for salvation.

The apostles gathered in Jerusalem to resolve this matter.

Led by Peter, the apostles discussed these questions at length. They concluded that these Jewish religious practices are not necessary for salvation. Christians are not required to be circumcised or follow Jewish dietary laws, but they must still follow God’s commandments in areas of morality, such as those regarding sexual purity. The apostles then sent out a letter announcing this decision to all of the Christian communities. (Acts 15:6-35)

Through the apostles, Jesus kept his Church united.

The letter was not sent by the apostles as a suggestion. The apostles expected that their teachings would be obeyed by all Christians who received the letter. The apostles understood that Jesus had given them authority to teach in his name, and that the Holy Spirit was teaching through them. (Matthew 28:20, Acts 15:28) At this crucial moment, Jesus worked through the apostles to protect his flock from error and keep them united as his spiritual family.

The early Christians exhibited a marvelous unity.

In our day, we have become accustomed to the idea of many competing churches, each with different beliefs and existing more or less independently of one another. But this gathering in Jerusalem paints a different picture of the early Church. The apostles were not lone rangers, each starting their own church with a different version of the Gospel. Rather, it was taken for granted that Christians would be united in worship, beliefs, and leadership. There was “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all.” (Eph 4:4-5)

The early Church was united as one family of faith.

Christians were from many different nations, ethnic backgrounds, and social classes, but they formed one Church. In each region they formed local congregations, but they were part of a family that knew no borders. Their faith in Jesus united them as one body, spread over many languages and lands. Humanity, once broken apart by sin, was being reunited by Jesus into a beautiful family of faith.

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Gathering the Nations

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 19:16:32 +0000

Gathering the Nations

The Early Church Unites All Peoples

One day, as the apostle Peter was praying, he saw a vision.

There was a great multitude of animals and birds, of the sort that dietary laws of the Old Testament prohibited the Jewish people from eating. God commanded Peter to rise and eat, and Peter replied that he would not, since the food is forbidden. But God replied, “Do not call anything unclean that God has made clean.” (Acts 10:15)

Strangers arrived looking for Peter.

They had traveled from Caesarea, an important Roman port in that region. They were servants of a man named Cornelius, a centurion in charge of the Roman soldiers in that city. Although he was not Jewish, Cornelius was a just man who sought to know God. God sent an angel to Cornelius, instructing him to send for Peter in the city of Joppa, about a day’s journey away. The servants went and found Peter just as the angel had said.

Peter visited Cornelius and something unexpected happened.

As Peter began to preach the good news about Jesus, the Holy Spirit came upon Cornelius and all in his household. Peter was astonished that the Holy Spirit would come upon Gentiles, or people who did not share the Jewish faith. Peter then baptized them, observing, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water, for they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have!” (Acts 10:47)

This was a turning point in the life of the early Church.

God had given the Jewish people many dietary and social laws to help them preserve their religious identity. They were not supposed to mingle with Gentiles or visit their homes. The original followers of Jesus were all raised with these laws and customs. These habits were so ingrained that, at first, it was difficult even for leaders like Peter to imagine sharing the Gospel with Gentiles.

Jesus intended for all to know him, Gentiles and Jews.

Through Peter’s vision and experience with Cornelius, Jesus reminded the early Church that there could no longer be a separation between those who are Jewish and those who are not. All people are meant to hear the Good News about Jesus and follow him. Christians began preaching the Gospel to all who would hear, both Gentile and Jew alike. Soon, Gentile Christians began to outnumber Christians with Jewish backgrounds.

The early Church was a family of faith meant for all peoples.

Jesus meant for his Church to a worldwide family of faith, embracing people of all backgrounds and ethnic groups. In this family, it did not matter if you were Gentile or Jew, rich or poor, master or servant. All became brothers and sisters in Jesus. Humanity, broken apart by sin, was starting to be reunited by Jesus in a beautiful family of faith.

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Living a New Life

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 26 May 2020 16:12:18 +0000

Living a New Life

Holiness in the Early Church

The apostles were arrested and told to stop preaching.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, the apostles had already helped about five thousand people to believe in Christ and be baptized. As the Church grew, the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem became alarmed. They arrested the apostles and threatened to put them to death if they did not stop teaching in the name of Jesus.

“We must obey God rather than men!”

The apostles stood up to their captors, insisting that they must speak about what they had seen and heard. They must obey God rather than men. The Jewish leaders eventually decided not to put the apostles to death, but to have them flogged instead: struck with thirty-nine lashes of the whip. Despite this severe punishment, the apostles left there “rejoicing that they been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name of Jesus.” (Acts 5:17-42)

How the apostles have changed!

When Jesus had been arrested and put to death on the cross, the apostles had abandoned their master in his time of greatest need. They had run away, terrified for their own lives. Only John was brave enough to be present as Jesus was crucified. And yet only a couple of months later, these same men have become fearless! They are now willing to endure all sufferings, even risk death, out of love for Jesus.

There was something different about the early Christians.

They devoted themselves to learning from the apostles, worshipping together, and living as a faith community. They sold their property and possessions so that they could care for each other and for the poor. Others could see that the Christians were living a new life. They were no longer the same; something had changed! (Acts 2:42-47)

Like Jesus, the early Church was holy.

In Scripture, holy means to be set apart for service to God. The temple in Jerusalem, for example, was holy because it was dedicated to worship of God. The early Christians were holy in this sense, in that they were called to be a people set apart and dedicated to God. Jesus invited his followers to unite with himself, and thus to begin to share in his own divine life. To be sure, they will still struggle with sin and brokenness. But they are given grace to gradually become holy like Jesus, to take part in his love and his goodness.

Through his Church, Jesus invites all to a life of holiness.

Through the preaching of the Church, Jesus shares the Good News and invites people to follow him. In the waters of Baptism, Jesus washes away sin and gives his followers new life. In the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus nourishes his flock with the Bread of Life. Through his family of faith, Jesus teaches his followers how to worship, how to pray, and how to live a life of goodness and truth. The Church is holy not because its members are perfect, but because Jesus is holy, and because he works through his Church to invite everyone into a deeper union with himself, and so share in his holiness.

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Filled With the Spirit

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 19 May 2020 14:40:55 +0000

Filled With the Spirit

The Church Is Born at Pentecost

After his resurrection, Jesus spent forty days with his apostles.

He appeared many times, comforting them and showing that he was truly alive. He taught them about the kingdom of God and gave them instructions. (Acts 1:1-3) Jesus was giving the apostles some final preparation for the mission he entrusted to them: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus told the apostles to wait for a special gift.

At the end of these forty days, Jesus instructed his apostles to wait in Jerusalem, for “in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then, as they watched, Jesus was lifted up into the air and returned to heaven. (Acts 1:4-11) Ten days later, on the Jewish festival of Pentecost, the apostles were gathered in prayer with other disciples. As they prayed, they heard a sound like the blowing of a strong wind, and they saw what looked like small flames that descended and came to rest on each of them. (Acts 2:1-4)

As Jesus promised, they were suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit.

No longer afraid of being arrested or killed, the apostles began to courageously preach about Jesus to the people of Jerusalem. The streets were filled with thousands of Jewish pilgrims who had journeyed to Jerusalem for Pentecost. Amazingly, as the apostles preached, the Holy Spirit allowed for them to be understood by all of these pilgrims, no matter what language they spoke! (Acts 2:4-13)

With great power, Peter proclaims that Christ is risen.

The apostle reminds the crowds that they and their leaders put Jesus of Nazareth to death, despite his good works and miracles: “You, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” But this was not the end of the story: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it!” He concludes, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” (Acts 2:23-36)

Jesus works through Peter to bring many to faith.

When the crowds ask Peter what they should do, he responds, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” As a result of this preaching, about three thousand people accept Peter’s message and are baptized! (Acts 2:38-41)

This is the birth of the Church.

On Pentecost, the special family of faith begun by Jesus grows from a small group to thousands of people. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the apostles begin fulfilling the mission given them by Jesus to make disciples of all nations. As these new converts return to their own countries, the Christian faith will begin to spread across the known world. As we read the rest of the Acts of the Apostles, we see these seeds bearing fruit, as more and more people come to know Jesus and are welcomed joyfully into his family of faith, the Church.

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Two By Two

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 12 May 2020 17:30:25 +0000

Two By Two

Jesus Works Through the Apostles

Jesus is going to be visiting your village!

Imagine living in Israel two thousand years ago, during the ministry of Jesus. You have heard that this carpenter from Nazareth teaches like no one has ever taught before. He performs miracles, heals the sick, and casts out demons. Your neighbors say that he is nearby, and he will be passing through your village today!

About midday, two average-looking fishermen walk into town.

After they introduce themselves as disciples of Jesus, you are greatly disappointed. Instead of coming to your village in person, Jesus has sent them in his place. To everyone’s surprise, the disciples begin to preach very powerfully about the kingdom of heaven. They also cure the sick and cast out demons, just like their master!

Jesus would often send out the twelve apostles in this way.

He sent them to teach and perform miracles. “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” (Matthew 10:7; see also Mark 6:7 and Luke 9:1.) He gave them his power and authority, meaning that they were able to speak and act in his name. Through the apostles, Jesus would minister to many people in many different places.

Why would Jesus send his apostles, instead of going himself?

Jesus was not a normal man, but God himself. He became one of us so that we can know him and have eternal life with him. Doesn’t it seem odd that Jesus would send weak, sinful human beings to do his work, when he was on earth and able to go personally?

Jesus was training the apostles for their future roles.

He knew that his earthly ministry would last only a few years; after his death and Resurrection, he would return to his heavenly Father. But the human heart would continue to need Jesus and his teaching, his healing, his forgiveness. His plan was to prepare the apostles so that they could be sent out and continue his ministry when he was no longer on earth. Through the apostles, Jesus would continue to invite countless people to know him and share in his divine life.

Jesus continues his ministry through the apostles.

As one reads the Acts of the Apostles, this plan of Jesus comes true. Sent out with his authority and power, the apostles begin to proclaim the kingdom of God and call their listeners to repentance. In his name, they heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead! (For example, Peter raises Tabitha from the dead in Acts 9.) The power is not their own, but Jesus working through them. Jesus forms a wonderful family of faith, the Church, through which he continues his ministry in amazing and unexpected ways.

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You’re Not Alone!

Linda Lathrop — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 14:57:31 +0000

You’re Not Alone!

God Gave Us a Spiritual Family

We are not meant to journey to God all by ourselves.

The current pandemic, forcing us into isolation and social distancing, has been a difficult reminder of our need for other people. We are not meant to be alone, separated from others. We depend on each another not only for our physical needs, such as food and medical care, but also for emotional health. Likewise, we are not meant to be alone on our journey with God. God intended for us to have a spiritual family to accompany us and support us in our faith.

The Bible is the story of God forming a family of faith.

As we explored in our message series, “Preparing the Way,” God always intended for us to know and love him through a family of faith. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were to help each other to love God. After sin entered the world, God called Abraham and began a new spiritual family. Abraham’s descendants eventually became the nation of Israel. God promised that one day, he would bless the entire world through Abraham’s descendants. (Genesis 12:3)

Through Jesus, the family of faith becomes open to all humanity.

God did something no one could have imagined: he became a human being, Jesus of Nazareth. He was born into the people of Israel. Through Jesus, all the nations of the earth are indeed blessed. The family of faith expands into a worldwide family, through which all peoples can come to know and love Jesus. Through this family, Jesus continues to invite all to share in the victory he has won for us.

The family of Christian believers is called the Church.

The original Greek word translated as “church” meant a gathering of people for a specific purpose. The early Christians began to describe themselves with this term. They were not referring to a building for prayer, as we often use “church” today, but Christians united in Jesus as a spiritual family. In the New Testament, we see this word used to describe the worldwide Christian family as well as local communities of Christians.

The Book of Acts describes the first years of the Church.

The Acts of the Apostles is the book in the New Testament directly following the four Gospels. In Acts, we see how the Christian faith began to spread throughout the whole world. We experience the joy of the early Christians, and we are inspired by their willingness to risk everything to follow Jesus and to share his Good News with others.

The example of the early Church inspires us still today.

In this message series, we will explore some of the important themes and events in the Acts of the Apostles. What mission did Jesus give the apostles? How did Jesus continue his ministry through them? What lessons can be learned from the early Christians that still apply to us today, as we journey with God?

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