DO WE NEED IT? The First Century Church Jesus Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23). Even at the local level He is the head and Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4). And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown
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Presentation Transcript
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DO WE NEED IT?<br>
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The First Century Church
Jesus Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23).
Even at the local level He is the head and Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4).<br>
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“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory”
1 Peter 5:4<br>
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The First Century Church
Jesus Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23).
Even at the local level He is the head and Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4).
Whatever a local church is and whatever it does it must look to Christ for authority.<br>
05
The First Century Church
The apostles were appointed as, and are still, the Lord’s chief spokesman.
Jesus sent them the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth (Jn. 14:26; 16:13).
The churches of the first century were established and set in order by the apostles as they were guided by the Holy Spirit.<br>
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The First Century Church
The apostles taught the same thing in every place (1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17).
Ideally there was a sameness among all the churches of the N.T.
This is because the churches were established and set in order by the apostles and they taught the same thing in every place.<br>
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The First Century Church
Some of the N.T. churches needed restoration.
The Corinthian’s needed a restoration of true worship (1 Cor. 11:20-23).
The Galatian’s needed a restoration of sound teaching (Gal. 5:1-6).
The Ephesian’s needed a restoration of the spirit of Christianity (Rev. 2:1-5).<br>
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Was It Needed in 18th & 19th Century?
Soon after the death of the apostles there was a wholesale apostasy.
Churches soon were overseen by one bishop.
Later, that one bishop came to oversee the work of several churches.
Then there came to be metropolitan bishops and eventually a pope.<br>
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Was It Needed in 18th & 19th Century?
The Reformation Movement
These were courageous men who sacrificed much, but they were wrong.
From their work came denominationalism with its different creeds and practices.
This was the scene of the religious world during the 18th and 19th centuries.<br>
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Was It Needed in 18th & 19th Century?
The N.T. restorers were pleading for a return to the Bible.
Their plea was noble, for they were doing in their generation what the apostles did in theirs.
If the apostles would have walked in to that scene there’s no doubt they would have called for a return to the pattern.<br>
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Restoration Must Be Ongoing
We must restore N.T. Christianity in every generation.
We are responsible to make sure our work and worship is according to the pattern.
We are also individually responsible to make sure the spirit of Christianity is restored in our hearts (Acts 8:4).<br>
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Restoration Must Be Ongoing
We must place equal emphasis on spirit & truth (John 4:24).
We can follow the pattern at every point, but lack the proper love & spirit.
We also can have a great deal of love and sacrifice, but pay little to no attention to the truth.
Both conditions are terrible.<br>
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We must continue to study and renew ourselves that we may restore the spirit and truth of N.T. Christianity in every generation.<br>
