Religion - Unit 1 Part 1

Define Ekklesia and explain how this term relates to the Church

Ekklesia literally means to call out, but as christians we use it to reference an assembly of people whom God calls together for a special relationship with him.

Similarly, the church is a group of people called together by God to strengthen their relationships with him together.

Describe the 3 meanings of the word “Church”

Universal community refers to the entire community of God’s disciples and those who follow his laws all around the world

Local community specifically refers to our diocese/archdiocese

Liturgical assembly refers to people gathered specifically for a liturgy such as a prayer or mass. It changes often because of those who are new to the group and those who are not present

Define divine revelation and explain how God revealed His plan for the Church in the OT

Divine revelation is God’s communication of himself by which he makes known the mystery of his divine plan

In the OT, God foreshadows the coming of christ and the building of the church through covenants, the law, and the word of prophets.

The covenant prepares the way for the church, the law sets the base for the churches teachings, and the word of the prophets predicts the unification of God’s people into the church

Explain what Typology is and give 2 examples from scripture of OT and NT types related to the church

Typology is the biblical of how people and events of the OT foreshadow greater realities in the NT, revealing God’s unified plan through history.

In the story of Abraham and Isaac, it is explained that all nations will be converted, pointing to the spreading of God’s word by the prophets and therefore the universal church.

In the OT, bread falls from the sky during the 40 years spent in the desert in search of the promised land. This foreshadows the use of the eucharist in Church, bread from the heavens.

Describe two ways Christ began to establish the Church during his earthly life

Jesus preached and taught about the kingdom of God, which prepares people for the church, its teachings, and the way it functions

He called to all people to be a part of his family, which invites them to be disciples of God, together, pointing to the universal church and general assembly within the church setting

Compare and contrast disciples v apostles. Give at least 3 similarities/differences

Disciples are students, followers of Jesus, and are the start of the church

Apostles are teachers, appointed by God for a special function in the church, and are the foundation of the church

Explain the significance of choosing 12 apostles

Because of the original 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 apostles act as a symbolic regathering of those 12 tribes

So, together they act as a new jerusalem

Describe the 3 different authorities the Apostles receive from Christ

They are able to preach the word of God and share with his disciples

They are able to drive out the demons, bringing the people closer to God

They are able to represent christ and so by doing this they help to teach others to be like him

Explain in detail what the Great Commission is

Jesus’ last command for the apostles states to spread the gospel across all nations. He tells them to bring people closer to God through the spreading of their word and baptism. Then he tells them that despite he is not seen, he will continue to be by their side as they do this

What does Jesus mean in the Gospel of Luke when he says that in order to be a disciple you must “take up your cross and follow me”?

He meant that we need to take it upon ourselves to follow Jesus to the end of the earth. We should be willing to die for Him and for our beliefs of him. This doesn’t mean take upon a burden like a relationship with a bf/gf. It literally means that we are to love God so endlessly that we put our lives on the line for him, like He did with his son.

Describe the significance of Peter receiving the “keys to the kingdom”

When peter recieves the kingdom he is given authority over all of God’s disciples. This is because he is not given keys to a hypothetical kingdom far in the future, he is given the keys to God’s kingdom. This kingdom is always and forever, constantly everywhere. This points to him being appointed as the first pope

What is Peter’s Aramaic name, what does it mean, and what is the signifance?

Cephas is his aramaic name which directly translates to rock. So, when Jesus says that upon this rock he will build his temple, he doesn’t mean upon this literal rock. He means that upon Peter, he will build his kingdom, placing Peter as the foundation for his temple and pointing to him becoming the first Pope

Why does Jesus ask Peter three, “Do you love me?” How does this connect to his betrayal and what does it teach us about Peter’s in the Church?

Jesus asks 3 times because Peter denied him 3 times. Each time he asks is essentially repentance for each of his denials. On top of his questioning, he also asks if Peter will tend to Jesus’ sheep. In this case, Peter is to act as the shepard to Jesus’ sheep. Or, he is to act as the pope, a helper, protector, and teacher to Jesus’ disciples

Explain 3 takeaways we can learn from the life of Peter

Faith has its ups and downs. Sometimes we mess up and doubt God, while other times we feel nothing but assured in God’s presence

God’s forgiveness is boundless. It doesn’t matter how much we sin, if we repent, God will come to our rescue and forgive us

God will never leave us on our own. We are not created to be solitary beings and so even when Peter doubted, God came back to him and saved him, similarly he would do the same for us.