Church History Notes

Text: God, the Word of God, The Gospel, Biblical Message (Church History).
Context (History): World Events; Event of particular place or society (World/Man History).
Church Message (Text) is Grafted on to History (Context).

God has revealed Himself in human history in a unique way.
The Old Testament (OT) & New Testament (NT) (Canon Bible) are historical narratives.
Christian proclamation is in Jesus and for Salvation.
The Bible tells of God's revelation in the life and history of His people within the context of Palestinian history.
History is crucial for understanding Jesus’ life, the entire Biblical Message, and church history.
Without history, it is impossible to know the revelation of God and His church.

Jesus’ Birth took place during the reign of Augustus Caesar, “when Quirinius was governor of Syria (Lk. 2:2).
It was in the days of Herod, king of Judea in Palestine (Lk. 1:5; Matt. 2:1).
Jesus began his ministry in the days of John the Baptist (Mk.1:9).
The Word who was made flesh in human history (Jn. 1:14); the Word who “was in the beginning with God (Jn.1:2).
The Word is “which we have heard, seen, look upon and touched with our hands” (I Jn.1:1).

Almost from the beginning of mankind, God has called out people from the disobedient, larger masses of humanity: Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.
He called out Israel, His Son from out of Egypt (Hos.11:1).
God would make a New Covenant with His people, reign through His Anointed One: He would be forgiven and receive instruction directly from the Lord (Jer.31:31-34).
Ultimately, the mantle of the chosen remnant comes to rest on one person, God’s real son (Matt.2:15).
This sets the stage for the Christian church of the NT.

The actual emergence of the NT Church happened on the day of Pentecost (Acts.2).
Until this time, Jesus’ followers referred to themselves as brothers (Acts 15:1,25), disciples (9:26), believers (5:12), and saints (Romans 8:27).
Around 42 AD, they were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26).
The word Christian is used only three times in the NT (Acts 11:26; 26:28; I Peter 4:16).
Christians were a separate and distinct group from Judaism and other ancient religious groups.
The term Christian means, “belong to Christ,” “Christ ones” “Christ-people.” They are those who follow the Christ. Christianity is a Christian movement (From the time of Augustine).
The NT church is built on the deeds of Jesus Christ (Matt.16:18) and the Holy Spirit (Acts.1:8).

Membership: Embraces all believers, living or dead.
Living or dead: Includes living and dead believers.
Denominational affiliation: Includes all believers, regardless of denominational affiliation.
Joining: One becomes a member by faith in Christ.

Membership: Embraces believers in a specific locale who meet for fellowship and worship.
Living or dead: Includes living believers only.
Denominational affiliation: Normally identified with a specific denomination or movement.
Joining: One becomes a member by profession of faith in Christ plus any requirements unique to the denomination, such as baptism.

English Term “Church”: from Greek Term “Kuriakun.”
- Meaning: “Belongs to the Lord,” “Lord’s.”
- Twice in NT: I Cor. 11:20 refers to “Lord’s Supper” and Rev. 1:10 refers to “the Lord’s Day.”
- Does not refer to assembly of people in NT or even church buildings.
NT usage of the Term “Church” is from Greek: Ek + Kaleo
- “Ekklesia” means “Assembly” of a called-out one in the city to have many legislative and judicial decisions.
- (The same meaning and condition is also found in Acts. 19:39,41).
NT usage of ekklesia is not that of classical Greek's use and meaning of “a political meeting.” (Secular meeting).

In NT, it is used 115 times, 3 of which are translated as assembly, and 112 as “Church.”
NT use of the word church is a translation of a Hebrew word “Eda” for “sunagoge” means “ the people even when they were not assembled” (Num.31:16: In NT, Jas:2:2-a meeting) and “Qahal” to signify “assembly of God” or “Congregation” as organized body of Israel” for a special and solemn religious occasions and purposes of God as receiving of the law (Deut. 5:22), the dedication of Solomon’s Temple (I King 8:14ff), and the reading of the book of the law by Ezra (Nehemiah 8:2) in OT(Septuagint).

Thus, NT use and meaning of ekklesia for church is “a people belong to God” “a called out one” “together in Christ” to preach the Gospel for proclamation of God’s Kingdom on earth, is Church.
It is used to refer to a specific local church and local churches (universal church) that be locally and invisibly identified.
It is the Church of the NT time with fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
This is the Biblical or Jesus’ Ideal of the church.

(i) Oneness in Christ
- It is one because it is the body of Christ with Christ as its head.
- There are many people of races and nations and language though there are oneness in Jesus Christ.
- This is the deepest meaning of the Church in its nature and existence of the Church.
(ii) Holy, Separated One
- The believers are sanctified by God through his only begotten son Jesus Christ from the sinful nature of the world and set a side as holy separated one.
(iii) Catholic and Apostolic
- The responsibility by the teaching of apostles and it is spread from one end of the world to the other through the preaching of the Apostles.
- The Church, therefore, is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.
Fellowship
- Today “fellowship” usually means “being chummy.”
- There is a need to reclaim the word.
- It is the closest equivalent we have for the Greek word, Koinonia, which is described by the early church and means such things as sharing, togetherness, participation, mutual concern.
- It is God’s gift.
- Paul blesses the church in terms of “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Koinonia of the Holy Spirit” (II Cor. 13:13).
- Koinonia is a fact, and must always characterize the life of the Church.

The preaching of the early Christian Church was not an agreement for the existence of God or an admonition to follow the dictate of some common human conscience.
It was primarily a simple recital of the great events connected with the historical appearance of Jesus Christ and a confession of what had happened to the community of disciples.
The Christian Church is a response to the “Good news” of God proclaimed and enacted by Jesus Christ.
It is not only a response to the gospel, it is part of the gospel since God desires not only to save men but to have them in fellowship with one another.