Church History - Jude Ministries

1 Church History A SURVEY Church History Introduction Why would you want to study a bunch of old, dead people? Well, why do you read and study the Bible? Doesn t it tell you the story of a bunch of old, dead people? True, its central character, Jesus Christ, is still alive, but everyone else has long since passed away. But we desire to learn all we can know about Peter, Paul, James, John, and Priscilla. Why not others? Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV) 1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, There is this great cloud of witnesses watching us run our Christian race. Maybe, just maybe, if we look back upon the lives of some of these witnesses we can run a better race.

2 Christianity itself is deeply rooted in History . It involves two central groups of people the Jewish nation and the body of Christ, the Church . The central figure of Christianity is Jesus Christ, God come to earth as a Man. The Person and Work of Jesus is a real-time historical event. The birth, sacrifice, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are historical events and form the cornerstone of your faith. The entire story of the Bible is the unfolding of God s plan in History . The Gospel offers redemption for a hurting world. A study of Church History is the study of God at work in the world carrying out His plan for mankind. You are a member of God s Church body. The History of the Church is the story of your family. Studying the Church over the ages helps the modern Church understand controversies and heresies.

3 Cults were present in 200. the same as they are present today. To understand Christian doctrine in its context of History helps us to separate fads and falsehoods from the truth of the Bible. The cults of today have already been dealt with in the distant past. As a general comment, no two histories will view all events in the same fashion nor place emphasis in the same manner. What follows is a general survey of Church History . Refer to the various sources, as well as many others that exist, for a more detailed study. So, why study Church History ? Because it is the story of your family tree. All of these great cloud of witnesses are your distant brothers and sisters! Jim Arthur January 2004 Bibliography And Other Information Unless noted, all Scripture taken from The New King James Version.

4 Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996, c1982. Century Events are taken from Church History Institute, at One Hundred Key Events in Church History taken from Church History Institute, at Suggested Sources for Further Study; Cairns, Earle E., Christianity Through the Centuries, Revised & Enlarged Edition, Grand Rapids: Academie Books, a division of Zondervan Publishing House, 1954, 1981. Jones, Timothy Paul, Christian History Made Easy, Torrance, CA: Rose Publishing, 1999. Noll, Mark, A., Turning Points, Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1997. Schaff, P., & D. S. Schaff. History of the Christian Church . Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997. Shelley, Bruce L., Church History in Plain Language, Dallas: Word Publishing, 1982.

5 Vos, Howard F., Introduction to Church History , Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994. 2 Church History Lesson 1 The Church Commences to about AD 177 Acts 1:4-8 (NKJV) 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? 7 And He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

6 Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV) 1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:14 (NKJV) 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. First, let s make clear of that which we speak The Church is the universal, century spanning, body of Christ comprised of all believers of all ages between Pentecost of Acts 2:1 and the Rapture yet to come.

7 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NKJV) 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. Ephesians 4:12 (NKJV) 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 10:16 (NKJV) 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 3 Romans 7:4 (NKJV) 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. When we speak, then, of Church History , we are discussing the historical events and decisions that surround the people of Christ, those who are true believers or members of His Church .

8 We cannot judge if all members of this groups as defined by History were truly saved, but all of the events form the historical foundation of the Church as it exists today. For example, the Crusades were a series of events championed by the Church leaders of the day, but hindsight demonstrates the Crusades had little or nothing to do with the gospel of grace. Great cathedrals have been built with Church funds adored by masterpieces of art, yet, where is the gospel of grace? Was God or money the force behind their creation? Again, we do not know the answer to this question, but the artwork exists for our pleasure, use and enjoyment. The chart below demonstrates one possible method of breaking down the centuries into manageable units of time for studying Church History .

9 Periods of Church History Ancient Apostolic 30-100 Ante-Nicene 100-313 Nicene 313-590 Medieval 590-1517 Age of Reformation 1517-1648 Age of Reason and Revival 1648-1789 Age of Progress 1789-1914 Age of Ideologies 1914- What we are about to study, then, involves the History of the Church of Jesus Christ as it actually existed throughout the past twenty centuries. You will not agree with all of the theology expressed during this period nor will you approve of all the people involved. However, a clear understanding of these events will help you to understand how our doctrine developed, why we have denominations, why the Roman Catholic Church is both a cult and a major influence of Church History , and many more similar questions.

10 So come along and join us on this exciting trip .. 4 The Apostles The enemies of their Master insulted all of the apostles. They were called to seal their doctrines with their blood and nobly did they bear the trial. Tradition says that: Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of Ethiopia. Mark expired at Alexandria, after being cruelly dragged through the streets of that city. Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of Greece. John was put in a caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was afterward banished to Patmos. Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward. James, the Greater, was beheaded at Jerusalem, James, the Less, was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the temple, and then beaten to death with a fuller=s club.