1. A Church of Converts: Widening the Circle of Jesus’ Followers
Chapter 2
A Church of Converts: Widening the Circle of Jesus’ Followers

2. What was the Church like after the crucifixion of Jesus?
Who were the followers?
Who were the leaders of the Jewish faith?
How did they feel about this movement?
Not unusual at the time, many movements within Judaism, most were tolerated, others found that if the leader of group was gone its followers also subsided,

3. The Original Circle Church begins with those who gathered around Jesus
Beliefs that united them came from Judaism
Looking for the Messiah to come
Recognize Jesus as this
Begins with a profound personal experience with Jesus

4. How do you personally experience Jesus today?
Are your experiences of Jesus so powerful that you would feel motivated to go out and share them with others?

6. What were some of the major events that affected the Apostles?
Last Supper:
Ritual meal (first Eucharist)
Serve one another
Share word of God
Garden of Gethsemane and Crucifixion
Resurrection: Crucial event in the Church
Without the Resurrection we would not have a Church
Pentecost

7. What do you know about Peter?

8. Peter’s Resume What would your resume look like?
What things do you need to offer up to God for healing and forgiveness?
What wonders is God calling you to?
If Peter walked into our classroom and you were allowed to submit two questions, what would you ask? Given what you know about Peter– write his response in complete sentences.

9. Pentecost
How were the apostles feeling after Jesus’ ascension into heaven?
Joined with Mary to celebrate Pentecost
Coming of Jesus’ Spirit/the Holy Spirit
Gave them the courage and confidence needed to be heralds of the Good News
“The Birthday of the Church”

10. Peter’s Speech
Read Acts 2:14-41

11. Peter’s Speech Peter addresses the crowd Asks them to become baptized
3000 Jews were baptized
What enabled Peter to preach like this?
What was the result of Peter sharing his gifts with the rest of the people gathered for Pentecost?
What would have happened if Peter had not risked sharing his gifts?

12. Jewish and Christian
Newly baptized did not see themselves as converting to Christianity
Movement spreads outside of Jerusalem
Began preaching in the Temple and local synagogues
Continued with Jewish traditions as well as celebrated Christian traditions at home

13. Trouble Jewish authorities are upset
Had apostles jailed-- managed to escape
Gamaliel urges them to leave it alone
Persecution escalates
Members are horrified that they are persecuted by their friends, family, community members

14. Stephen
Summarize the story of Stephen in your notes

15. What do you know about St. Paul?

17. Antioch First Jewish Gentile community Jerusalem community is opposed
Term Christian emerges
Took up a collection
Are charitable collections essential to being Christian?

18. Paul and Barnabas Roman empire Preaching to all Stayed with Jews
Sometimes met with hostility
Paul worked as tent maker

19. Crisis over the Law Strict dietary regulations and circumcision
Jerusalem believers felt all Christians needed to observe the Law
Seemed as though they were saying the biblical laws were more important than faith in Jesus

23. The Council of Jerusalem
Church council: a gathering of the leaders of the church to decide on major issues of doctrine or religious practice
50 CE: first council
Debate over Gentiles following the Law
Peter addresses the council and says God does not distinguish between Jews and Gentile

24. Decision Gentiles only had to follow the essentials
Dietary Laws: abstain only from things polluted by
Sacrificed to false gods
Fornication
Strangulation
Circumcision not required
Sent letters and representatives to Christian communities

25. Read Acts 15:1-31
Why do the Gentile Christians send Paul and Barnabas and several other leaders of the Church to Apostles and elders of the Church in Jerusalem? What difference would it have made had those Gentile Christians attempted to resolve this issue within their own community?
Read Galatians 2:1-21

26. Conflict Resolved, Essentials Defined
Belief in Jesus
Major turning point
In way Christian community saw itself
The missionary activity of the church
Decision making in the church
Which model of the Church emerges here?

27. Sets a pattern
The Church recognizes a problem or issues affecting the whole Church.
A meeting is called with all the Church’s leaders.
There is open discussion of all side of the issues with prayers for guidance by the Holy Spirit.
The chief bishop (usually the pope) makes a decision that is acceptable to all sides.
The chief bishop makes a formal announcement of the council’s conclusion.

28. Explain the implications of the Council for the early church as well as the church today.

29. Conclusions
People are and have always been willing to die for their faith
Universal Church
Not without conflict or resolve

30. What would Jesus do? Samaritan Woman
John 4:1-42
What is Jesus’ attitude toward non-Jews?
Would Jesus require Gentiles to follow Judaic Law?

31. Who is a Christian?
Is it enough to merely say, even if sincerely, that one is a Christian?
How can one verify a person’s claim of being a Christian? Are rituals and good works required?

32. Christian Communities
Peter and Apostles emerge as leaders
What were identifying characteristics?
When did conflict arise?
How did the apostles solve this problem?