Church History 1

Church History
“In the Fullness of Time”
Birth to AD70

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
~Galatians 4:4-5

Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
~Mark 1:14-15


What made the 1st Century the Fulness of Time?

1. One Empire: ROME
The time of Jesus birth was ideal politically
The world was more peaceful than usual
The world was more networked than usual

2. One Language: GREEK
The time of Jesus birth was ideal culturally
The Greek language was universal
The Greek culture left people empty

3. One Need: CONNECTION
The time of Jesus birth was ideal philosophically
The Stoics were detached from the world
The Epicureans were lost in the world

4. One Promise: MESSIAH
The time of Jesus birth was ideal Scripturally
The 490 years was about to end
The promise was sure to be kept

5. One Answer: JESUS
The time of Jesus birth was ideal religiously
The Jewish religion provided an answer
The Jewish apostasy had reached its limit

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled”
~Acts 1:15-16

Who were the 1st generation believers?

The Jewish Remnant
Old Covenan/New Covenant (Key Passages)
The Nations = The World (Isaiah 10:21-22)
Israel = The Institutional Church (Romans 9-11)
The Remnant = The True Church (Galatians 3)

The 120
The 11 Disciples = 11 (Acts 1:13)
The 70 Servants = 72 or less (Luke 10:1)
Jesus’ Family = 3 or more (Acts 1:14)
The women = 3 or more (Luke 8:2-3, 23:49, Acts 1:14)
Miscellaneous = 4 or more (Luke 24:33, 1 Cor. 15:6)

Church Growth
Day of Pentecost = 3000+ (Acts 2:41) Spirit-led Preaching
Daily Life = ??? (Acts 2:47) Spirit-led Living
Healing of Cripple = 5000+ (Acts 4:4) Spirit-led Ministry
Administration = ??? (Acts 6:7) Spirit-led Organization
Persecution = ??? (Acts 8:4) Spirit-led Evangelism
Conflict ??? = (Acts 16:5) Spirit-led Decisions

What happened to the early church leaders?
Stephen: One of the seven, Martyrd (Acts 7:60)
James : Leader in Jerusalem, Martyrd (Thrown from temple)
Peter: Evangelist to Jews , Martyrd (Crucified upside-down)
Paul: Evangelist to Gentiles, Martyrd (Executed outside Rome)
John : The beloved, Died (probably of old age)

What separated the early church from Judaism?
Persecution from the Jews AD30
Persecution from the Romans AD64
The destruction of the temple AD70