THE FIRST CHRISTIANS J A M E S 1 : 2-4 COUNT IT ALL JOY, MY BROTHERS, WHEN YOU

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1 THE FIRST CHRISTIANS J A M E S 1 : COUNT IT ALL JOY, MY BROTHERS, WHEN YOU MEET TRIALS OF VARIOUS KINDS, 3 FOR YOU KNOW THAT THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH PRODUCES STEADFASTNESS. 4 AND LET STEADFASTNESS HAVE ITS FULL EFFECT, THAT YOU MAY BE PERFECT AND COMPLETE, LACKING IN NOTHING. AD WHY ON EARTH DOES HISTORY MATTER, ANYWAY? HISTORY MATTERS BECAUSE IT S THE STORY OF HOW GOD WORKS AMONG HIS PEOPLE IN HIS WORLD! In the first century AD, two specific historical events a fire in Rome and the fall of Jerusalem caused Christians to be seen as a separate and dangerous sect. Roman governors and emperors mocked Christians, threw them to the beasts, and burned them at the stake. Yet, no matter what anyone did, God remained present among His people, working at every turn to cause the gospel to spread through the testimony of the church. Pastor Dillon Evans New Hope Baptist Church 1 P a g e

2 SESSION 1 OUTLINE HISTORY MATTERS BECAUSE: 1. The matters. The is rooted in historical events. 2. God s matters. The better we understand history, the better we can apply God s. 3. God s matters. History reminds us that God s includes more than our own generation. WHAT HAPPENED AFTER ACTS 28? 1. Persecution after the in, by. AD. 2. Division after the fall of, by &. Christians fled. AD. 3. Rome began to their emperors in their own lifetimes, AD. 4. Deepening of Christians began including Ignatius, Polycarp & Blandina being. IDENTITY Many of the early Christians had a hard time explaining what it really meant to be a Christian. The first Christians were nearly all Jewish and were viewed early on by Rome as a sect of Judaism. They continued Pastor Dillon Evans New Hope Baptist Church 2 P a g e

3 to worship in the temple and practice Jewish feasts and customs. They saw their faith in Jesus as the fulfillment of the hopes and dreams of Israel. We see this with Peter in Acts 2:14-36 & 3: How would you explain what it means to be a Christian to someone unfamiliar with Christianity? Nero in an attempt to stop the revolt against him caused by the fire and officially recognized them as a separate religion from Judaism. The church was greatly persecuted at this time. Judaism and Christianity are forever linked but have never been viewed the same again. After the fall of Jerusalem many Rabbis stopped teaching on the Messiah for they felt it caused their persecution when false Messiahs would arise and challenge Rome. Pastor Dillon Evans New Hope Baptist Church 3 P a g e

4 JESUS WARNED PERSECUTION WOULD COME J O H N 1 5 : REMEMBER THE WORD THAT I SAID TO YOU: A SERVANT IS NOT GREATER THAN HIS MASTER. IF THEY PERSECUTED ME, THEY WILL ALSO PERSECUTE YOU. IF THEY KEPT MY WORD, THEY WILL ALSO KEEP YOURS. 21 BUT ALL THESE THINGS THEY WILL DO TO YOU ON ACCOUNT OF MY NAME, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW HIM WHO SENT ME. How do you think you would respond to such persecution? WELL KNOWN MARTYRS: POLYCARP The word Martyr meant witness or one who testifies. Was a student of John the Apostle. Believed to be the last known church leader to have known an Apostle first hand. He was 86 years old when Martyred. Widely respected leader in the church and in society. Two of his students were tortured to give up his location. THE POLICE AND HORSEMEN CAME WITH THE YOUNG MAN AT SUPPERTIME ON THE FRIDAY WITH THEIR USUAL WEAPONS, AS IF COMING OUT AGAINST A ROBBER. THAT Pastor Dillon Evans New Hope Baptist Church 4 P a g e

5 EVENING, THEY FOUND HIM LYING DOWN IN THE UPPER ROOM OF A COTTAGE. HE COULD HAVE ESCAPED BUT HE REFUSED SAYING, GOD S WILL BE DONE. WHEN HE HEARD THAT THEY HAD COME, HE WENT DOWN AND SPOKE WITH THEM. THEY WERE AMAZED AT HIS AGE AND STEADFASTNESS, AND SOME OF THEM SAID. WHY DID WE GO TO SO MUCH TROUBLE TO CAPTURE A MAN LIKE THIS? IMMEDIATELY HE CALLED FOR FOOD AND DRINK FOR THEM, AND ASKED FOR AN HOUR TO PRAY UNINTERRUPTED. THEY AGREED, AND HE STOOD AND PRAYED, SO FULL OF THE GRACE OF GOD, THAT HE COULD NOT STOP FOR TWO HOURS. THE MEN WERE ASTOUNDED AND MANY OF THEM REGRETTED COMING TO ARREST SUCH A GODLY AND VENERABLE AN OLD MAN. They tried to get Polycarp to recant of his faith. WHEN THE CROWD HEARD THAT POLYCARP HAD BEEN CAPTURED, THERE WAS AN UPROAR. THE PROCONSUL ASKED HIM WHETHER HE WAS POLYCARP. ON HEARING THAT HE WAS, HE TRIED TO PERSUADE HIM TO APOSTATIZE, SAYING, HAVE RESPECT FOR YOUR OLD AGE, SWEAR BY THE FORTUNE OF CAESAR. REPENT, AND SAY, DOWN WITH THE ATHEISTS! POLYCARP LOOKED GRIMLY AT THE WICKED HEATHEN MULTITUDE IN THE STADIUM, AND GESTURING TOWARDS THEM, HE SAID, DOWN WITH THE ATHEISTS! SWEAR, URGED THE PROCONSUL, REPROACH CHRIST, AND I WILL SET YOU FREE. 86 YEARS HAVE I HAVE SERVED HIM, POLYCARP DECLARED, AND HE HAS DONE ME NO WRONG. HOW CAN I BLASPHEME MY KING AND MY SAVIOR? Pastor Dillon Evans New Hope Baptist Church 5 P a g e

6 Why did they consider Christians Atheists? POLYCARP IS BURNT ALIVE. HIS FINAL WORDS - O Lord God Almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of you, the God of angels, powers and every creature, and of all the righteous who live before you, I give you thanks that you count me worthy to be numbered among your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ and the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body, through the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be received this day as an acceptable sacrifice, as you, the true God, have predestined, revealed to me, and now fulfilled. I praise you for all these things, I bless you and glorify you, along with the everlasting Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. To you, with him, through the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and forever. Amen. Pastor Dillon Evans New Hope Baptist Church 6 P a g e

7 1 P E T E R 1 : IN THIS YOU REJOICE, THOUGH NOW FOR A LITTLE WHILE, IF NECESSARY, YOU HAVE BEEN GRIEVED BY VARIOUS TRIALS, 7 SO THAT THE TESTED GENUINENESS OF YOUR FAITH MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD THAT PERISHES THOUGH IT IS TESTED BY FIRE MAY BE FOUND TO RESULT IN PRAISE AND GLORY AND HONOR AT THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 8 THOUGH YOU HAVE NOT SEEN HIM, YOU LOVE HIM. THOUGH YOU DO NOT NOW SEE HIM, YOU BELIEVE IN HIM AND REJOICE WITH JOY THAT IS INEXPRESSIBLE AND FILLED WITH GLORY, 9 OBTAINING THE OUTCOME OF YOUR FAITH, THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS. Discussion Time Baptistic Roots in the 1 st Century Baptists have always had a spirit of being in the world and not of it. We see this spirit in Polycarp, he was well respected but yet didn t waiver at all in his faith. When the government authorities made decrees to acknowledge another God or supreme ruler Polycarp chose to embrace death rather than deny his Lord. Part of being a Baptist is having an unwavering and unshakable devotion to Jesus Christ and His authority. Do we have this today, do you? Can you envision a time in our society where you will be tested in this? Pastor Dillon Evans New Hope Baptist Church 7 P a g e

8 ROMAN EMPERORS Emperor Reign Description Death Nero AD The first part of his reign was Suicide peaceful, but in the second part he ordered the deaths of his chief advisors, many wealthy nobles, and even his own mother. When a massive fire in Rome struck in AD 64, he avoided culpability by blaming the Christians for it and ruthlessly persecuting them. Paul & Peter are martyred during Nero s persecution. Vespasian AD Ruler after Nero who was Illness instrumental in quelling a Jewish uprising in Jerusalem and eventually ordered his son Titus to destroy Jerusalem and the temple. Titus AD One of Vespasian s sons, who as a Illness military leader before becoming emperor destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Domitian AD Vespasian s youngest son, he is known for being the first emperor to demand the title lord and god of himself. (Traditionally, emperors were deified after their death.) He severely persecuted Christians in the later part of his reign. Assassinated Pastor Dillon Evans New Hope Baptist Church 8 P a g e