Leader s Notes Discussion 1 The Rise of the Early Church

Transcription

1 Leader s Notes Discussion 1 The Rise of the Early Church Note to the presenter: Thank you for choosing to be a discussion leader for Shadow Empire! The Voice of Prophecy team believes that seeds will be planted for God's Kingdom during this four-part presentation by Pastor Boonstra. Your willingness to serve as a moderator for these discussions helps to ensure that these seeds will not only sprout, but in time grow to maturity! It is our prayer that lives will be positively impacted and spiritually transformed during these studies. We thank God for each of you and have asked that He bless you in this work. These Leader s Notes contain a suggested script to assist you in leading each discussion. They also provide a correct answer for each question (provided in bold text) and an occasional tip on leading the discussion. After viewing Pastor Boonstra's presentation and reading the suggested biblical support, most students will naturally come to the same basic answer to each question. However, in some cases, there may be multiple acceptable answers to a question or a student may simply offer an incorrect response. In these instances, we suggest that you offer positive feedback and encouragement as you gently steer the discussion back to the scriptural support and ultimately to the provided answer. What a fascinating presentation by Pastor Boonstra! As we have seen, the story of Constantine ultimately becomes one of the most important stories in religious history, and much of what we understand about the appropriate relationship between church and state, as well as religious liberty, stems from his life. Please take out your study guide for this session. Let's spend a few minutes together reviewing and discussing what we have just learned. As noted in your study guide we will focus less on the historical material presented in the video and more on the issue of religious liberty itself. 1. How interesting to find that the birth of Constantine bears such an uncanny resemblance to the birth of Christ. Both were born to young women who found themselves pregnant outside of wedlock, and both were born in humble circumstances that obscured their true identities. When Christ was born, wise men from the east visited the city of Jerusalem in search of the Messiah (they were likely informed by Hebrew prophecies left behind in the East after the Babylonian captivity of Israel). When Herod the king heard the news that the long-awaited Messiah had been born, he wanted the baby killed. Why would Herod react that way? Let's read Matthew 2:1-3 together.

2 Matthew 2:1-3 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Why did Herod react the way he did? Because the wise men were asking for a king, which Herod perceived to be a threat to his reign. Imagine for a moment that you are royalty; a king or a queen! Now imagine someone tells you that a new royal has arrived in your kingdom. How would you feel? Sad? Angry? Fearful or threatened? This is the situation Herod found himself in and he was clearly not as nice of a royal as you would be. We don't know exactly what emotions Herod experienced, but we do know what terrible actions he desired to take to deal with this troubling news. 2. Now, when God first established the Israelite nation, they did not have a king like the other nations around them. Eventually, however, they asked for one. What was God s reaction to this request? Let's see what 1 Samuel 8:4-9 has to say. 1 Samuel 8:4-9 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

3 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them. What was God s reaction when the people asked for a king? From our text we see that God (and His prophet Samuel) was clearly displeased by this request. Human kingship was obviously not His original intent. However we also see that God gave Israel the freedom to make a poor choice. Rather than prevent them from choosing a king, God gave them the latitude to make a bad decision, but warned them of the consequences. A survey of the scriptures reveals that this is God s typical pattern, all the way back to human rebellion in the Garden of Eden. He allows people to make poor choices, but always warns us what the consequences of such a choice will be. The Bible seems to indicate that God believes in freedom of conscience. 3. Do you suppose God actually felt threatened by Israel s choice to have a king? What is the difference between God s reaction and Herod s reaction? Here are a few texts that will help us contrast the two approaches.

4 Revelation 4:9-11 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created. Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. These biblical passages contrast God's reaction to a threat with that of Herod. We see that God has an absolute right to rule in this universe; He is ultimately the only One who has such a right. Yet God doesn t force compliance. On the other hand, Herod s right to rule was dubious, and he did use force. Isn't it ironic that often the less legitimate someone s rule is, the more likely they are to resort to force?

5 4. Is having a human ruler really that bad? What were some of the consequences of choosing a human ruler? What elements of this warning do we still live with today? Let's read 1 st Samuel 8: Samuel 8:11-18 And he said, This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day. What consequences of choosing a human ruler did you see in this passage? What are some of the elements of warning that we still live with today? 1. Conscription 2. Taxes

6 3. Corruption In the 1600s, Christian scholars began to examine passages like 1 Samuel 8 and Deuteronomy 17, where God expressed His displeasure over the demand for an earthly king. It led many to wonder if God ever intended for human beings to have a human king at all. Their studies, over the coming century, helped inspire the drafting of the United States Constitution, which established a new American republic without a king. Here is a question for students of United States history. Which elements were included in establishing the kingless American republic? 1. The equality of all people, including the ruler. 2. The authority of a document rather than a person. 3. Safeguards against plundering the public. 4. Limits on power

7 6. At this point you may be wondering when Christ will establish His Kingdom here on earth. The Bible does not give us an exact date or time, but does it anticipate the ultimate establishment of His Kingdom here on earth? Here are several texts that speak to this: Daniel 2:28a But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Matthew 25:31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever! When does the Bible anticipate the ultimate establishment of Christ s Kingdom here on earth? We clearly see that Christ s Kingdom on earth will be established at His Second Coming, it will replace all earthly kingdoms and it will last forever. I am so thankful that we have the opportunity to be citizens of Christ's kingdom, aren't you? A Kingdom that will last forever. One that is ruled by a merciful, fair and just king. A King who gives His subjects the freedom of choice. King Jesus!

8 Let s pray: Lord, thank You that Your Kingdom is bigger than the rulers and powers of this world. Thank You that You are more powerful than any government here on earth. May Your Kingdom come soon, Lord, and I pray that we will be ready for Your soon return. In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you for coming today and for participating in this study. I hope that you will plan to join us tomorrow night for our second session, The Persecution of the Church. We ll be tackling some really big questions, such as: Why did the Roman Empire hate Christianity? Why did they torture Christians and put them to death? Why have Christians always been so counter-cultural? Pastor Boonstra will follow the young man Constantine as he heads to modern-day Turkey to work for Diocletian, the emperor who actually launched the 10-year persecution predicted in the letter to Smyrna in Revelation 2. Saturday morning at <time>, our topic will be A Marriage of Church and State. Then Saturday afternoon at <time>, our final session of Shadow Empire is on the topic, Constantine s Christianity. This is truly interesting material that you won't want to miss. So we look forward to seeing you tomorrow night at <time>, right here at <church name>. If you know of someone who would benefit from this presentation and study, please invite them to join us. Lastly, before you head home we would like to invite you to take a few minutes to enjoy some refreshments that are waiting for us in the lobby. We d love for you to join us! Good night.

9 For Further Study (These notes are being provided should you wish to review questions 7 9 as a group.) 7. God appears to have anticipated Israel s desire for a king years in advance. While allowing Israel to make that choice, what safeguards does Deuteronomy 17:14-20 report that He put in place? Deuteronomy 17:14-20 When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me, you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, You shall not return that way again. Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel. What safeguards do you see here in the text that God put in place for the kings of Israel?

10 1. The king would be subject to the rule of law God s law. 2. He was not to become wealthy off the public treasury. 3. He was not to be considered greater than his fellow citizens. 4. He was not to be a foreigner. 8. What was the eventual problem with worldly Israelite kings? What was the eventual result of Israel s affair with such kings? What does this say about God s attitude toward religious liberty, and the way He handles those who reject or oppose Him? Let's unpack each of these questions. We will start with the first by reading 2 nd Chronicles 36: Chronicles 36:5-9 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

11 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. What was the eventual problem with worldly Israelite kings? The problem with worldly rulers is that they are just as human as the rest of us. If a single human being is invested with too much power, it often leads to corruption. In Israel, the kings frequently became wicked and committed what the Bible calls abominations. And what was the consequence of Israel's affair with such kings? We find an answer in 2 nd Chronicles 36: Chronicles 36:17-19 Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. So, what was the eventual result of Israel s affair with such kings? God eventually allowed Nebuchadnezzar to conquer Jerusalem and destroy the temple, the symbolic center of God s government. The abominations of wicked kings led to the desolation of the temple, which gives us the familiar phrase the abomination of desolation mentioned in Bible prophecy. It s important to notice that

12 the biblical use of this phrase describes the sins of God s own people leading to disastrous consequences. Lastly, what does all of this say about God s attitude toward religious liberty, and the way He handles those who reject or oppose Him? Let's read Romans 1: Romans 1:22-25 Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. What does this say about God s attitude toward religious liberty? The Bible shows us that God's attitude toward religious liberty is one in which He warns people and then lets them have what they want. 9. When Jesus, the real King of Israel appeared, what did the people expect? What did Jesus say about His own Kingdom? What does this suggest about using civil power to establish the Kingdom of God? Let's look a few texts which will help us develop an answer to this series of questions. First we turn to Luke 24:21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

13 Now, let's look at John 6:15 - Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. Next we read, John 12:12, 13 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel! And finally, John 18:36 - Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here. What does this suggest about using civil power to establish the Kingdom of God? In these passages we see that people expected Jesus to physically overthrow the Roman Empire and re-establish the throne of David. But that s not how Jesus used His power on earth. God does not need to use civil power to establish His Kingdom. Second edition, September Voice of Prophecy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use these presenter s notes and presentation graphics for public presentation only. Please get written permission from the Voice of Prophecy prior to using this material for any other purpose. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.