Sunday Morning Bible Study

The Early Church To Early Reformation

John Rakestraw
Elder @ Northwest Church in Westminister, CO

I. The Ancient Church (100 – 313 A.D.)
Lesson 1. Historical Backgrounds and the World of the Early Church
Lesson 2. The Church in Jerusalem and the Mission to the Gentiles
Lesson 3. 1st & 2nd Century Conflicts with the State
Lesson 4. Early Apologists
Lesson 5. Defining the Faith
Lesson 6. Christian Life

II. The Imperial Church (313 to 476 A.D.)
Lesson 7. The End of Persecution and Beginnings of the Imperial Church
Lesson 8. The New Order
Lesson 9. Reactions to the New Order
Lesson 10. The Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicea
III. Medieval Christianity (476 to 1521 A.D.)
Lesson 11. The Western church, the Eastern church and the Arabs
Lesson 12. The Late Middle Ages & the Great Western Schism
Lesson 13. The Quest for Reformation & the Renaissance

Reference Materials

• The Story of Christianity – The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, Revised Edition; Justo L. Gonzalez
• Church History – From Christ to the Pre-Reformation, 2nd Edition; Everett Ferguson
• Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 3rd Edition; Everett Ferguson
• Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire; Peter H. Wilson

Course Rationale

• Without understanding our past, we are unable to understand ourselves, for in a sense the past still lives in us and influences who we are and how we understand the Christian message.
• The notion that we consistently read the New Testament exactly as the early Christians did, without any weight of tradition coloring our interpretation is an illusion. It is also a dangerous illusion, for it tends to dogmatize our interpretation, confusing it with the Word of God.
• Not only is our view of the present colored by our history, but our view of history is also colored by the present and by the future we envision.
• History is not the pure past; history is a past interpreted from the present of the historian.
• Every renewal of the church, every great age in its history, has been grounded on a renewed reading of history.
Historical Context:
• 333 B.C. – Alexander the Great & the Macedonian armies
• 323 B.C. – Ptolemaic rule
• 200 B.C. – Seleucid rule
• 164 B.C. – Hasmonean rule
• 63 B.C. – Roman rule
• 40 B.C. to 3 A.D. – Herod the Great
• 70 A.D – Destruction of Jerusalem
• 135 A.D. – Hadrian removes Jews from Judea

Galatians 4: 4 __“But when the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law”

Ladies and Men’s Classes meet on Tuesday Mornings at 10:00

The Tuesday Morning Ladies Bible Class began in July, 2013. Previous publications studied include:

“Friends may be a comfort and God may provide them to help us carry our burden, but we must learn to first seek His face and lay our trouble in His sure, strong arms. Only there will we find peace and strength for the days ahead.”

Quote by Casandra Martin in A Light In the Darkness

Ladies Bible Class Brunch

The Ladies Bible Class hosted a brunch on Tuesday. It was a wonderful time of fellowship. Thirteen attended. We ate a lot and laughed a lot and were blessed by the love we share in Christ. Thanks to all who came and helped.

On October 25th, 2016, the Ladies Bible Study held another of their wonderful brunch. Here are some pictures from this event celebrating the Word of the Lord.

Below the Class is preparing gift baskets for the elderly.

The Men’s Bible Study is currently studying the book,
6 Verses that can change your life by Joe Barnett.Th study involves looking at six challenges and promises of God through Scriptural references.“Meteorologists don’t control the weather, only report it, and give precautionary recommendations when it turns nasty. Hearing the advice won’t stop the storms, but heeding it may save your life. Likewise, hearing God’s advice won’t stop life’s storms, but heeding it will assure survival.”  – Joe Barnett