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Lesson OneThe Birth of the Church4 Activities
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Lesson TwoGrowth of the Christian Church4 Activities
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Lesson ThreeThe Spreading Flame4 Activities
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Lesson FourEarly Christian Life and Faith4 Activities
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Lesson FiveThe Young Church in Action4 Activities
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Lesson SixThe Formation of the Biblical Canon4 Activities
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Lesson SevenThe Martyr Faith4 Activities
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Lesson EightThe Age of Constantine4 Activities
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Lesson NineThe Development of Christian Doctrine4 Activities
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Lesson TenThe Emergence of Medieval Christianity4 Activities
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Lesson ElevenAugustine of Hippo4 Activities
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Lesson TwelveThe Monastic Movement4 Activities
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Lesson ThirteenMedieval Mission and Evangelism4 Activities
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Lesson FourteenThe Rise of Eastern Orthodoxy4 Activities
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Lesson FifteenThe Iconoclastic Controversy4 Activities
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Lesson SixteenThe Crusades4 Activities
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Lesson SeventeenMystics and Scholastics4 Activities
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Lesson EighteenThe Medieval Heritage of Beauty4 Activities
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Lesson NineteenMedieval Spirituality4 Activities
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Lesson TwentyHeretics and Inquisitors4 Activities
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Lesson Twenty-OneThe Rise of Religious Orders4 Activities
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Lesson Twenty-TwoJohn Wyclif4 Activities
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Lesson Twenty-ThreeThe Renaissance3 Activities
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Lesson Twenty-FourEurope on the Eve of the Reformation3 Activities
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 40
Lesson 1, Activity 1
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Overview and Objectives
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Lesson Overview
Jerusalem, as the center of Jewish religion and culture, was probably one of the least likely places for a new religion to find focus and gain momentum. Yet, it was exactly here that the church was formed by a sovereign act of the Spirit of God who gave energy and direction to that first generation of believers. This lesson explores the distinctively Jewish context of the church’s first days and ears and the sequence of events that brought the church into being.
Lesson Objectives
When you complete this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
- Describe the political and economic character of the religious establishment of Jerusalem.
- Explain two reasons why Jesus was perceived as a threat to the religious establishment.
- Explore ways in which the Pentecost festival provided a positive occasion for the birth of the church.
- Identify ways that the temple and Jewish religious worship served as the foundation for the faith and early life of the Church.
- Identify the four types of Jews and Jewish proselytes who became Christians.
- Explain the significance of having Galilean Christians in the leadership of a church full of Judeans.
Personal Reflection
As you proceed through this lesson have the following question in mind.
What was the significance for Christianity of the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus?