Introduction: - We must approach the study Church history, seeing the Church as a “United Believing Community”. - This is not being presumptuous nor narrow minded but scriptural. Jesus’ dying prayer was for the Church, the Universal “catholic” Church to be ONE. - Although we are many, we are ONE. - This was also His first recorded prayer for us as a Church! John 17:20-21 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” 1. UNITY - From the outset we need to see the direction in which Christ saw the direction of the Church and the purpose for our presence on the Earth, as a united Community. - Our points of departure are UNITY and COMMUNITY. - The Church is called to be ONE. “That they all may be one". - This is not a hope nor a dream it is already done in Heaven, as this was our Lord’s own personal prayer, and therefore we may rest in the hope of it’s fulfillment. - We are the instruments God wishes to use to bring about this ONENESS, that Jesus asked the Father for. - We are to finish what He started. Jesus asked the Father to make us ONE so, “that the world may believe that You sent Me.” - “UNITY” is the other half of “commUNITY”. Without UNITY, community cannot exist.
2. COMMUNITY - To understand Community, we need to look back at the original context, in which Christ gave birth to His Community, the Church. - What was life like in Israel 2000 years ago? Was it like our modern independent lives today? - The answer is that life then, was VERY different to what it has evolved into today. - For the majority, life in Israel around the time of Jesus was very unfair. - The majority were POOR, not middle-class. - Society was made up of the majority being poor, and the minority being rich, with virtually no middleclass. - They were either very rich or very poor. - This lead to many injustices done to the poor, by the ruling rich class. - Poor people were BOTH economically and politically poor. - This left the majority (the poor), very vulnerable and helpless also in civil atrocities, like having their land taken away by rich rulers, etc. (1 Kings 21:1- 15) King Ahab had a palace in Jezreel, and near the palace was a vineyard owned by a man named Naboth. 2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Since your vineyard is so convenient to the palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it.” 3 But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.” 4 So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat! 5 “What in the world is the matter?” his wife, Jezebel, asked him. “What has made you so upset that you are not eating?” 6 “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or to trade it, and he refused!” Ahab told her. 7 “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel asked. “Get up and eat and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!” 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the city where Naboth lived. 9 In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for fasting and prayer and give Naboth a place of honor. 10 Find two scoundrels who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 So the elders and other leaders followed the instructions Jezebel had written in the letters. 12 They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people. 13 Then two scoundrels accused him before all the people of cursing God and the king. So he was dragged outside the city and stoned to death. 14 The city officials then sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.” 15 When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, “You know the vineyard Naboth wouldn’t sell you? Well, you can have it now! He’s dead!” 16 So Ahab immediately went down to the vineyard to claim it. - In order to seek economic and civil protection, the Israelites would seek employment from the wealthy. - However, being employed by a wealthy Patron extended beyond the normal “employer-employee” relationship as we know it today. - Being employed by a Patron, meant you now became part of his “Household”.
- “Households” were made up of : a) the Family Head, the Patron (Paterfamilias) b) his direct family. c) his extended family. d) servants and slaves. - It was not only family. - Becoming a member of a Household gave both economic and civil/political protection. - However being a member of a Household also had religious obligations attached to it. - The main obligation that is pertinent to our study of the Christian Community is the practice that, all the members of the Household had to devote themselves too the same Deity worshiped by the “Paterfamilias”, Family Head/Patron. - So when the Family Head gave his life to Christ, everyone in his Household were obliged to follow suit. - Save the Head of the Household, and the entire Household gets saved: The Jailor: (Acts 16:30-31) “Sirs, what must I (Paterfamilias), do to be saved?” 31So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” The Roman Centurion – Cornelius: (Acts 10:1-2, Acts 11:13-14) “1There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius (Paterfamilias), a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2a devout man and one who feared God with all his household”. ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, 14‘who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved”.
Other references to: N.T HOUSEHOLDS: John 4:53 1 Cor 1:11 Acts 10:21 Cor 1:16 Acts 16:5 Phil 4:22 Acts 16:31-34 2 Tim 1:6 Acts 18:82 Tim 4:19 Rom 16:10-11
- Religious meetings were held in the Paterfamilias’ home, as his home would be large enough to dedicate one room to such weekly religious meetings. - The Jewish “Synagogue” was a meeting in a home, Archaeology has confirmed this. - As Household’s converted to Christianity, the synagogues became Churches. (Acts 20:20) - 20“I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house”. (Philemon 1-2) - To Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, 2to the beloved Apphia, “ Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house”. - It was into this context that Christ gave birth to His Community, a Household of Believers. (Gal 6:10) “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith”. (Eph 2:19) “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone (Paterfamilias), 21in whom the whole building, being joined together (Unity), grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit”. - There did not exist any buildings “solely” dedicated as Churches until the 2nd and 3rd Century AD. - For the first two hundred years, Church was in someone’s home, and this included meetings to Ordain Priests and Bishops, Baptisms and Eucharist (Communion Services). - The fact is the Church is a Household, we are already a Community, and we just need to “live out” what we ARE already.
3. The Apostolic Church (30-100 AD) - Rome had various judgments against the early Church, which lead to our persecution. - To name only two of them: a. Anti-Family: Upon being saved and received into the “family” of the Christian Community, “The Household of Faith”, individual loyalty turned to that of their new-found Christian family. Although being Christian made the individuals better family members in their own homes, when they had to take sides, they gave their loyalty to their Christian family ‘The Household of Faith” first. b. Anti-Social behavior: This charge simply came from their refusal to participate in the immoral lifestyles of the Roman population. They refused to go along with the crowd.
4. Living in Communiy today - In order to understand how to live in Community today, we need to look back to the past. - Experiential Christianity is lived out in Community. - Experiential Christianity is lived our in Sharing. - Experiential Christianity is lived out in Loving. - Experiential Christianity is lived out in Receiving. - Experiential Christianity is lived out in Inter-dependence. - None of the above can be lived out in isolation and in independence. - Our modern culture is in direct opposition to Christian Community living. - Firstly it must be understood that both the desire and ability to live in Community is a grace given by our Paterfamilias Himself… Christ. - It is a super-natural grace which enters our lives upon our “rebirth” and initiation into the Household of Faith. - The way we think and live is not “natural”; we have become foreigners to this world. (Heb 11:13) “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth”. - Living in Community for us as modern Christians is possible, and God has given us all that we need to build up His Community on Earth: a) Sacrifice yourself: (Roma 12:1-5) 1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” b) Employ the Fruit of the Holy Spirit from within us: (Gal 5:22-26) “22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another”.
Conclusion - Christianity is the only hope of long-term survival for civilized mankind. - Our Theory of evolution has failed us, we are not getting stronger! - Our world is in a state of entropy, it’s getting weaker. - Our “pop psychologies” have been proven inaccurate, and have destroyed our morals. - Our non-biblical philosophies have left us void of any meaning to life. - We are destroying our planet. - We are loosing our families. - We are loosing Society and civilization. - We have been given the only TRUE hope – A Christian World. - It is planned for God to descend to Earth from Heaven, to live permanently with His Household, set up His government and rule and reign with His Household members for all eternity, in peace and everlasting prosperity, without sin, sickness or sadness. (Rev 21:1-7) - It is written: “1Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son”.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
References: 1. UNISA Biblical Archaeology Mod. 1, 1996 2. Dictionary of Paul & his Letters. Hawthorne. P.417, Inter Varsity Press. ISBN 0-85110-651-X 3. Against the Wind, M. Baum, 1998. The Plough Publishing House ISBN: 0-87486-953-6 4. The Study of Liturgy. SPCK Pub. Cheslyn Jones. 1978. ISBN: 0-281-03578-
