A LEVEL RE, Religion 3b, the community of believers correctly answered graded A+ 2023

A LEVEL RE, Religion 3b, the community of believersmain key passage for this topic Acts 2:42-47 The Fellowship of the Believers Acts 2:42-47 - The Fellowship of the Believers --> quote 'They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.' 4 main sentences in Acts 2:42-47 --> The Fellowship of the Believers 1. 'They devoted themselves to the apostles' 2. 'to the breaking of bread' 3. 'to prayer' 4. 'had everything in common' The New Testament community of believers - Acts of the apostles is the first account of the spread of Christianity (1st Century CE) - Acts is thought to have been written by Luke 40 years after the crucifixion of Jesus - The lives of the early Christians are characterised mainly by the enthusiasm under the guidance of the Holy Spirit - From the beginning it has always had structure which has reflected in the practices, communal life and worship what is the first account of the spread of Christianity Acts of the Apostles - 1st Century first the sentence in Acts 2: 42-47 info (who is the key thinker) C.H. Dodd (a New Testament scholar) 'they devoted themselves to the apostles' - Along with others, Dodd used the term 'kerygma' meaning 'a proclamation' which relates to the idea from Acts about 'the apostles teachings'. - The aim of the Kerygma was to proclaim the key facts of the Gospel. It followed a particular pattern... o Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled, the Messiah has come o This has happened through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus o He was born of the house of David and died to save humankind o He was buried, but resurrected on the 3rd day according to scriptures o He ascended to heaven and sits on the right hand of God o He will come again to be humankind's Judge and Saviour o Therefore, all are called to repent and be baptised in his name --> The early Christians were devoted to these teachings and led them to a 'fellowship' with God second sentence of Acts 2:42-47 'Breaking of the bread' - The devoted themselves to the breaking of the bread - Breaking the bread can signify 2 things: 1. Breaking bread at Lord's supper 2. Dividing loaves at a communal meal (commonly shared meals in their time) - Both of these practices show the unity of believers - if it is signified the last supper then the unity comes between the believers and God, or if it was sharing meals the unity is with others through charitable acts. third sentence in Acts 2:42-47 'To the prayers' --> They devoted themselves to prayer --> Jewish men in Jerusalem prayed at temple 3x a day --> Early Christians also met in private homes, possibly because... - Pentecost experience was so intense that it compelled them to seek constant fellowship with God and each other - It brought them into contact with pious Jews who would then be introduced to Jesus the Messiah - They were aware that prayer was the main source of their strength as a community - The word prayer includes praise, adoration, thanksgiving, confession etc. 4th sentence in Acts 2:42-47 'Had everything in common' - All the believers had everything in common - Relates to the idea of wealth - Some believe Acts says to sell their possessions and distribute the proceeds to the poor, but actually early Christian communities didn't teach to redistribute your wealth. The communal life is not compulsory for all Christians - What Luke is trying to show is he voluntary, loving and selfless disposition of the early Christians. The HS acting in their lives caused them to care for the less fortunate. There was no general redistribution of wealth. 3 key topics for 'The new testament community of believers as a model for the contemporary church' 1. religious teaching 2. worship, sacrements and fellowship 3. mission, service and outreach 'The new testament community of believers as a model for the contemporary church' - religious teaching Over time, the church has split into different denomination. Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholic separated in 1054. Different denominations include Protestant Lutherans, Baptists, Congregationalists etc. All denominations still adhere closely to the teaching of the Apostles. All share the belief that Jesus was the Messiah, and he performed Gods work on earth etc.