A small group of Christians in the year 88 AD:
"Some of us are Jews; some are Greeks or Romans. Some are citizens; many are slaves. But we are all Christians, disciples of Jesus the Christ.
We think he was born about 88 years ago--that's why we call this the 88th year of our Lord. We believe he was crucified in 33, but we're not sure. All we have are some partial accounts of his life and teachings, plus a few copies of copies of letters from Paul or one of the others. The Lord's first disciples are almost all gone now. There are rumors that John is alive, but he is not here and we don't know where he is. Peter and Paul and many others were killed in 64, when Rome burned and Nero blamed it on us.
The Jews rebelled against Rome in 67. When the Christians in Jerusalem saw the city surrounded by armies, they remembered what Jesus said about that, and fled across Jordan to Pella, in the desert. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70, and by the time the fortress at Masada fell in 73, they had crushed the entire Jewish nation. Now they are after us, too. The three generals who decimated the Jews each became Emperor, one after the other--Vespasian and his two sons, Titus and Domitian. Now, we must hide because Domitian is trying to restore the Roman religion. He executes both Christians and Jews.
But tonight we are all here, together, and perhaps safe enough for the moment. So ... why have we come? Why do we slip out at night, away from our masters and hiding from the Romans, to meet in caves and catacombs and darkened rooms? What do we expect to happen that is so different, so attractive, so important, that we risk our lives to be here?"
What if we all placed ourselves into that situation--mentally, emotionally and spiritually? What if we could lay aside all the unnecessary paraphernalia, embellishment, and other trappings we have inherited from nineteen hundred years of church councils, tradition, theologians, translators and interpreters,?
We have to remember that First Century Christians did not have a creed, a prescribed order of worship, a special church language, a hymnal of their own, a set of scholarly commentaries, or anything like that. They didn't even have what we now know as the New Testament.
So ask yourself, "What kind of church meeting would bring me out at night if the government was trying to kill me?" Today, we can't even get people to church if it rains. What was it? What was there, in those early Christian meetings, that we don't have? What did they do that we don't do?--and what do we do that they never heard of? What has been added, and what has been lost?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
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3 comments:
What they had is the presence of Christ in their midst through the power of the Holy Spirit and an absolute conviction that nothing could separate them from the love God in Christ (even if they didn't have Paul's letter to the Romans to tell them this).
With Him present, and especially where two or more were gathered together, and with the support of one another in the face of persecution, then it's no wonder they were willing to risk everything for Him and each other. Death wasn't, and isn't, the end. Christ's resurrection was proof that He had conquered death.
They lived, and we as 21st century Christians are suppose to be living, as newly created being in God's kingdom. We're suppose to live this way here and now, not just someday after our spirits leave our bodies.
To be alive in this way, is the heart of Christianity, not the complicated doctrines or rituals. As you point out, 1st century Christians didn't have any of that. They had Christ, and Christ alone. They certainly had questions and applied their intellect to their questions of who Christ is and was, and the church doctrines they developed can be useful for us today. But many have focused too much on the doctrines, and not in being open to Christ's reality in their lives or the life of their communities (and churches).
I'm reading through Acts right now. And the first few chapters set up the first churches. Jesus, just before he goes to heaven, tells the 12 that the One is coming to baptize in the Spirit and they will receive power. So they and about 120 others go and pray together no stop. Low and behold they are baptized in the Spirit and they do receive Power.
Peter shares the message with a large crowd and 3000 people commit themselves to being Christ Followers. Those 3000 then start to have church but not as we know it. They loved each other and sold all of their stuff and gave one to another. They gathered together everyday and ate. And they shared their story with others and they increase in number everyday.
What did they do that we don't?
Prayed constantly.
Baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Seized opportunity to share their story.
Loved one another.
Gave to each other.
Hung out everyday.
The church over the past 200 years has had a ME problem. Look at how big my church is, we keep building up. See us! See us! Now I'm sure that isn't our intent, it is just what happens when we stop leaving our walls.
When was the last time you/I spent all day in prayer and fasting? Shared our story? Seized the moment? Invited someone over to the house? Gone out of our way to help someone?
Then there is the true repentance but that is another blog.
great post John!
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