The church of Christ in Carthage, Missouri, is conducting a new adult class about church history. We're calling it FIRST2000, because this class is about the first two millennia after the death of Christ. This post is intended to be a supplement to the class and the handouts. Below, you will find mostly visual aids and links. Feel free to look in on our live class at the church building.
This lesson mostly addresses Biblical history - that record we have in the New Testament, specifically. We begin, of course, in the book of Acts, when the church is established on Pentecost. We will talk about the events prior to Pentecost and then move into the events that followed.
Without discussion, however, we will make a deep observation of the artwork below, filling out an O.P.T.I.C. sheet that asks for Overview, Parts, Title, Interrelationships, and Conclusions.
Without discussion, however, we will make a deep observation of the artwork below, filling out an O.P.T.I.C. sheet that asks for Overview, Parts, Title, Interrelationships, and Conclusions.
| Another O.P.T.I.C. will come out at the appropriate time to accompany the piece to the right. These and other events all follow that great day on Pentecost when the apostles are endowed with the Holy Spirit and sent out to preach the Gospel to all the world. Later, as the Gospel is preached not only to the Jews, but now to the Gentiles, churches begin to allow opinion, tradition, and preferences to guide them. People like Peter, and Paul continue to travel and visit the churches as well as send letters to them to clarify, rebuke, and praise as needed. Acts 15 is an especially interesting chapter in church history as it describes a council that attempts to make sense of apostolic authority and some things they believe are against the will of God. |  |
We must then move out of Luke's historical book of Acts and into the epistles (letter) and other sources. Nero comes along in the AD 60s, and Jerusalem falls in AD 70. John likely writes his account of the Gospel, probably the simplest to understand, and his three letters in AD 80, before being exiled to an island (Patmos) in the AD 90s, where, he writes about the Revelation.
We take a gander at all of these things before venturing forward from here. In future lessons, we will make historical references, rather than Biblical ones. Our emphasis will always be on the true words of inspiration and providence, but we will easily notice when the church "fathers" and others deviated and changed the church into something different.
We take a gander at all of these things before venturing forward from here. In future lessons, we will make historical references, rather than Biblical ones. Our emphasis will always be on the true words of inspiration and providence, but we will easily notice when the church "fathers" and others deviated and changed the church into something different.
