By the end of today’s lesson you will:

By the end of today’s lesson you will:
Have examined the key features of the life of the early Christian community, as outlined in Acts 2:42-47. Will be able to give examples of how the church today is modelled on this New Testament community of believers. Be able to define: Didache Kerygma Fellowship Sacrament

AO1 – Knowledge and Understanding AO2: Analysis and Evaluation
Spec Check – Component 1: Christianity Theme 2: Religious Concepts and Religious Life AO1 – Knowledge and Understanding AO2: Analysis and Evaluation E. Religious life – The community of believers: The New Testament community as a model for churches today (with reference to Acts 2:42-47) The role of churches providing worship and sacraments, religious teaching, mission, service and outreach, and fellowship for the community of believers. Whether the main role of the church is to provide religious teaching. The extent to which contemporary Christian churches should follow the New Testament model.

Starter You have two minutes to list what makes a good/strong community. Go! 0:39 0:40 0:38 0:42 0:43 0:37 0:41 0:35 0:31 0:30 0:32 0:33 0:44 0:34 0:36 0:46 0:54 0:53 0:55 0:56 0:58 0:57 0:52 0:51 0:47 0:29 0:48 0:49 0:50 0:45 0:28 0:08 0:07 0:09 0:10 0:12 0:11 0:06 0:05 End 2:00 0:01 0:02 0:04 0:03 0:13 0:14 0:23 0:22 0:24 0:25 0:27 0:26 0:21 0:20 0:16 0:15 0:17 0:18 0:19 0:59 1:00 1:41 1:40 1:42 1:43 1:45 1:44 1:39 1:38 1:33 1:32 1:34 1:35 1:37 1:36 1:46 1:47 1:56 1:55 1:57 1:58 2:00 1:59 1:54 1:53 1:49 1:48 1:50 1:51 1:52 1:01 1:31 1:10 1:09 1:11 1:12 1:14 1:13 1:08 1:07 1:03 1:02 1:04 1:05 1:06 1:15 1:16 1:25 1:24 1:26 1:27 1:29 1:28 1:30 1:23 1:18 1:17 1:22 1:19 1:20 1:21 Shared goals/vision, good leadership, mutual respect, meeting individual needs, inclusive, influence

The New Testament Community of Believers
Acts of the Apostles – written by Luke before AD 70 (less than 40 years after the crucifixion of Jesus) The book of Acts tells how Christianity spread. Acts 2:42-47 tells us about the early Christian community – its structure, practices, worship and discipline. LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42-47 Read Acts 2:42-47 (page 16 - workbook)
Highlight/underline the key features of the life of the early Christian community. What features make it a good/strong community? LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42-47 The fellowship of the believers 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42-47 We will now do an exegesis of Acts 2:42-47 to gain a better understanding of what the life of the early Christian community was like. You will use pages of your text books as well as the biblical passage. Make notes as we go through the passage. LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42 “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Read the second half of page 76 Hold up your answer to the following questions on your whiteboard … LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42 “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Who were the apostles? What does ‘didache’ mean? What Greek word means ‘proclamation’? The aim of kerygma was to proclaim what? Give one fact of the Gospel that the apostles taught. A community having a special relationship with God and each other is called a what? What two things led people to fellowship? Apostles = messengers/missionaries (as opposed to disciples = student/learner). The Apostles preached the message of the Gospel (Christ) LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42 “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Look at the kerygma. Can you find where in the Gospels each proclamation can be found? You may remember some from your study of the birth narratives. LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42 “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Read the first section of page 77 Hold up your answer to the following questions on your whiteboard … LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42 “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” What is signified by the ‘breaking of bread’ in this particular verse? What did this practice demonstrate about the early church community? LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42 “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Read the second section of page 77 Hold up your answer to the following questions on your whiteboard … LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42 “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Hold up your answer to the following questions on your whiteboard … How many times a day would Jewish men pray? Where else did the early Christians pray? State two types of prayer. LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:42 “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Look at the types of prayer mentioned on p77. Take it in turns to tell your elbow buddy what each type might mean/involve. LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:43 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. Hold up your answer to the following questions on your whiteboard … What did Luke mean by ‘wonders and signs’? What do you think the purpose was of these signs and wonders? Miracles; to reveal God’s power and to establish the credibility of the Apostles LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:44-45 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Read the third section of page 77 Hold up your answer to the following questions on your whiteboard … LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:44-45 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Think-Pair-Share What does having everything in common suggest about the community of believers? How do the believers actions of giving to those in need differ to communism? Common = suggests unity, shared values and goals. LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Acts 2:46-47 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. In Luke’s Gospel, he wrote how Jesus spent a good deal of time in the temple— cleansing it (Luke 19:45-46)—and teaching (Luke 19:47; 20:1; 21:37). He closed his Gospel by telling us that the disciples “were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:53). Now he tells us that they are continuing in that tradition. The apostles were surely aware that their participation in the temple put them in contact with large numbers of people to whom they could witness for Christ (sharing the kerygma). What is meant by the breaking of bread in verse 46? What was the impact of the apostles’ actions? LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Quiz, Quiz, Trade State the three things the early Christians devoted their lives to. What does didache mean? What is the Greek word for proclamation in reference to what the apostles preached? What do the Gospels say happened after Jesus’ resurrection? What was it that the apostles did that filled people with awe? What two things are signified by the breaking of bread in the New Testament community of believers? How often did Jewish men pray – a practice that the early Christians continued? State three types of prayer used by the early Christians. How often did the early Christians meet? How often did God add to the number of people being saved? LO1: To examine the key features of the life of the early Christian community (Acts 2:42-47)

Learning check … Have you examined the key features of the life of the early Christian community, as outlined in Acts 2:42-47? Can you give examples of how the church today is modelled on this New Testament community of believers? Can you define: Didache Kerygma Fellowship Sacrament?

The Church Today Modelled on Acts 2:42-47
Read Acts 2:42-47 again. Identify any practices mentioned in the passage that evident in churches today. LO2: To give examples of how the church today is modelled on this New Testament community of believers

Despite there being many different church denominations today, they all adhere to the teachings of the apostles, thus sharing fundamental beliefs. In church services across many denominations, the ‘Apostles’ Creed’ is often stated. ‘Creed’ from the Latin ‘credo’ meaning, ‘I believe’. LO2: To give examples of how the church today is modelled on this New Testament community of believers

The Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen. Creed (song) - by Third Day LO2: To give examples of how the church today is modelled on this New Testament community of believers

Living out Acts 2:42-47 LO2: To give examples of how the church today is modelled on this New Testament community of believers

Tasks Reciprocal reading – p78-79 Complete the AO1 activity on p79 LO2: To give examples of how the church today is modelled on this New Testament community of believers

Have evaluated whether the main role of the church is to provide religious teaching. Skills Focus - AO2 – Analysis and evaluation - Specialist language and vocabulary

AO2 – Issues for Analysis and Evaluation
Spec Check – Component 1: Christianity Theme 2: Religious Concepts and Religious Life AO2 – Issues for Analysis and Evaluation The extent to which both faith and works are aspects of justification. The extent to which the New Testament letters support arguments for justification by faith alone. Whether the main role of the church is to provide religious teaching. The extent to which contemporary Christian churches should follow the New Testament model. Whether love of neighbour is the most important moral principle in Christianity. The extent to which God’s behaviour towards humans is the basis for Christian morality.

Starter You have two minutes to list possible roles of the church in today’s society. Feedback 2 minutes

“The main role of the church is to provide religious teaching
“The main role of the church is to provide religious teaching.” Evaluate this view [30] Things to consider: P81 of your Christianity textbook. (Remember that these paragraphs provide many points, but they need explaining, supporting evidence and EVALUATING). Use your knowledge from other aspects of the specification – e.g. the Bible as a source of wisdom and authority in daily life, Church teaching on the trinity, atonement etc. The greatest commandment – Matthew 22:36-40 The Great Commission – Matthew 28:16-20 Acts 2:42-47 Faith in action Jesus’ teachings 10 Commandments Pages workbook

Remember to write a conclusion!
“The main role of the church is to provide religious teaching.” Evaluate this view [30] PESEL Point – Make a point/argument Explain – Explain that point/argument Support – Support the point using evidence, examples or reasoning. (Scholars are good to use here) EVALUATE – Is the argument any good? Link – Connect the paragraph to the question and to that which will follow. Remember to write a conclusion!

Learning Check … By the end of today’s lesson you will:

Have examined the key features of the life of the early Christian community, as outlined in Acts 2:42-47. Will be able to give examples of how the church today is modelled on this New Testament community of believers. Be able to define: Didache Kerygma Fellowship Sacrament