CHAPTER 1
JESUS IS LORD
Sometime ago I read an article concerning the handling of counterfeit money by the U.S. Treasury Department. It stated emphatically, "The only thing they do with counterfeit money is burn it!" The article then explains that their trainees study the real money so thoroughly, that a counterfeit bill would immediately be detected by their thoroughly trained sight and feel.
Similarly, an exhaustive examination of the early church from its inception will enable us to easily identify religious Christianity's non-biblical church concepts practiced by many in today's postmodern world.
We cannot compare
In a postmodern world the rational arguments for the existence of God are cold and lifeless. However, a community of people gladly considers it a blessing to be defined by God's salvation event in Jesus Christ; and becomes Spirit-formed as true and living examples of a local and universal oneness. Thus, reflecting volumes to the world about [the Calvary event] and the saving grace of Christ that dwells within us.
The distinguishing characteristic of allowing ourselves to be defined this way is the restoration of a supernatural experience in the church, seen and unseen. The philosophical shift of the postmodern world from reason to the mystery or supernatural view provides a rich cultural context for the restoration of the early or first century view of the faith and the finished work of Christ. Therefore, it is in all sincerity not feasible to attempt comparing the life of Christ followers [Christians] with the principals and practices of secular humanism and religious Christianity, both will be covered thoroughly in a later section.
This approach to the "supernatural experience" is the strongest reality of God's presence to a lost world,
The Church throughout History
The Early Church The Institutional Church The Reformation Church
[PURITY] [APOSTATE] [RESTORATION]
Pentecost – A.D. 391 A.D. 391 – A.D. 1517 A.D. 1517 – Present
Unity in the body of Sacramental/ Judicial Unity in the body of
Christ (John 17:21; (Rev. 2-3) body of Christ (Rev. 3)
Ephesians 4:11-13)
The Early Church
The church throughout its history has appeared in many different cultures and therefore no one expression of the church stands alone as the true visible body of Christ. A goal for the body of Christ in the postmodern world is to accept diversity as a restoration reality, and at the same time seek unity in the process. The idea being common ground for the various forms of the true church – all based on its being one, holy and apostolic in teaching and authority.
One way of accomplishing this unity is the view that there is only one church, but it is expressed in many cultural ways. Jesus expressed His desire for the oneness of the church in the words of His prayer that, "all of them may be one.... That the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17:21). In the early church Jesus' statement meant "visible unity."
Concerning the oneness of the church, the Apostle Paul exhorts, "for by One Spirit we were all baptized into one body; whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free; and all made to drink into one Spirit" (I Corinthians 12:1-3). In Ephesians 4:3, he counsels, the church should be, "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." I pray that the leadership of the churches realize the degree to which secular humanism and religious Christianity are allowed to reign in churches is the degree to which the Holy Spirit is hindered in making those churches effective. Thus, their fundamental character of holiness, universal and apostolic kingdom service is impeded. This is depicted in the diagram above:
• The early Church was marked by its purity – Unity fueled by persecution.
• The Church of the Middle Ages or Dark Ages was marked by its apostate condition – "falling away" from the truths of God's Word.
• The Reformation Church is marked by restoration of biblical truths lost during the pre and Middle Ages and unity in the body of Christ through truths of God's Word.
Holiness
Many Christians are hindered in their walk over the issue of the church's holiness. The church is admonished to, "Be holy, because I am holy" (see 1 Peter 1:16). Contrary to many forms and practices this passage should be understood individually as well as standing for the whole body of Christ, for Peter defined the church as "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" (1 Peter 2:9). In studying the New Testament, we quickly become aware that the visible church contains both the clean and the unclean; as is indicated in Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares. Thus, the visible church contains both saints and sinners [truth and counter-truth]. The church on earth then may be regarded as having a church within the church. The church that is "holy and blameless," without "spot or wrinkle," is the one Christ, the Son will present to the Father.
Denominations are realizing that the old separatist model of "my way or the highway" is for all practical kingdom purposes – out! Additionally we are finding that we must be more tolerant of the human weaknesses of the church. For example I was at one time convinced that my concept of Christianity was the right one and my church was correct in its views. Therefore I would not associate with some churches that I believed had a lot of wrong views. Then one day I discovered that the church is not yet perfect (ethically nor doctrinally). Now I am able to embrace the entire body of Christ. This affirmation that the church is universal [all over the world] enables me to feel at home with other Protestant churches as we labor together to restore the faith of the early church. The faith based on the solid foundation of apostolic doctrine, first delivered to the saints (see Jude 3).
Believer's sing,
"Dear dying Lamb,"
"thy precious Blood
Shall never lose its power,
Till all the ransomed Church of God
Be saved to sin no more."
Catholic
The word catholic was first used by Ignatius when he wrote, "Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church." By this designation he pointed to the fullness of truth: the church that is catholic has all the truth – Jesus Christ. This catholic is not to be confused with the Roman Catholic Church. The early church used the word catholic to mean universal.
The catholic or universal vision of early Christians was evident in the impact of the gospel as it rapidly expanded for the first three centuries. The majority of the new converts were simple, humble people: slaves, women, and soldiers. It has been suggested that this existed due to the fact that most of the population were in that class. History records that by the end of the second century many people with the sharpest minds of the day were becoming Christ followers.
People turned to Christ in the second century, as they do today, for various reasons. Some prominent factors, however, worked upon the minds of humankind; and appear to have contributed to the growth of Christianity:
• First, early Christians were moved by a burning conviction. The Event had taken place. God invaded time, and humankind had been redeemed.
• Second, the Gospel of Christ met a widely felt need in the hearts of people. The early Christians realized by grace that only the active love of God – rather than the individual's natural love could make the Christian life possible and direct the believer outward to the needs of others.
• Third, the practical expression of Christian love was among the most powerful causes of Christian success. The pagans remarked, "See how these Christians loved one another."
• Early Christian love found expression in the care of the poor, of widows and orphans; in visiting those in prison, and those condemned to death in the mines; and in acts of compassion during famine, earthquake, or war.
• Christian faith had especially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers, and their care for the burial of the dead.
• Finally, persecution in many instances helped to publicize the Christian faith.
For these and many other reasons the Christian churches multiplied until Rome could neither ignore nor suppress the faith. It finally had to come to terms with it. There are a number of cases of the conversion of pagans in the very moment of witnessing the condemnation and deaths of Christians. This period of persecution was marked by the Christians' joyful acceptance of suffering as the way appointed by the Lord to lead His heavenly kingdom.
People always view with suspicion those persons who are different. Conformity not distinctiveness is the way to a trouble-free life. Thus, by simply living according to Jesus' teachings, the Christian is a constant unspoken condemnation of the pagan way of life. The early Christians were authentic followers of the narrow way. Not going about criticizing, condemning and disapproving, nor were they consciously self-righteous and superior as the counterfeits often portray. They reject the narrow way of living.
One down-fall of many Christians today is to talk a lot about what they are biblically, but their lifestyle or what they do does not coincide. That must change if we are going to be salt and light to the postmodern society, where many people are earnestly seeking true reality.
The Greeks and Romans had gods for every aspect of living:
• For sowing and reaping
• For rain and wind
• For volcanoes and rivers
• For birth and death
But to the Christians these gods were nothing – and their denial of them marked them as "enemies of the human race." A person could not simply reject the gods without arousing scorn as a social misfit:
• Every pagan's meal began with a liquid offering and prayer to the pagan gods. A Christian could not share in that.
• Most pagan feasts and social parties were held within the perimeter of the temple and after the sacrifice was made, the invitation was usually to dine "at the table" of some god. A Christian could not attend such feasts.
• When the Christian refused the invitation to some social occasion, he or she was considered rude, boorish, and discourteous.
The Christians' fear of idolatry also led to problems in making a living [in the market place].
• A brick mason might be involved in building the walls of a pagan temple.
• A tailor may be involved in making robes for a heathen priest.
• An incense-maker may be making incense for the pagan sacrifices.
• Unlike his pagan neighbor the Christian refused to take his weak and unwanted children out in the woods and leave them to die or be picked up by robbers.
• This regard for life also applied to sex and marriage.
This widespread hatred of Christians resulted in the first persecution from the Romans in A.D. 64. It was probably during this persecution that Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom in Rome. The fact was, the Christian as a Christian was legally an outlaw. "Public hatred," says Tertullian, "asks but one thing, not the investigation of the crimes charged, but simply the confession of the Christian name."
In his book, Church History in Plain Language, Dr. Bruce Shelly enlightens us. The supreme cause of Roman persecution of Christians arose from the tradition of emperor worship. This conflict between Christ and Caesar was gradual in coming:
• The worship of the Emperor assumed central place in the life of the empire
• The Roman Empire built a system of roads which were cleared of robbers,
• The seas were clear of pirates, a new security entered into life of the people.
This was called the "Roman peace," which resulted in a deep and heartfelt gratitude to the spirit of Rome. The Roman Empire was comprised of many different languages, cultures, faiths and traditions; which imposed a problem for unification.
It was an easy step for the spirit of Rome to become the goddess of Roma. By the second century B.C. there were many temples in Asia Minor to the goddess of Roma. People need a symbol; so the spirit of Rome and the goddess of Roma were incarnated in the emperor. There is no unifying force like the force of a common religion; nor is there greater disunity as experienced without a common religion. As a result Caesar worship became "the keystone" of imperial policy. It was deliberately organized in every province in the empire. Satan is using this strategy to try to eradicate Christianity from America by offering multi-cultures and multi-religions to nullify the unity and consensus of biblical Christianity. Christianity is a living organism [a life] which requires a birth, life, and growth (see John 3:3, 16).
Unlike Christianity, religion is actually an organization which relies upon obedience to established laws and rules of men [in most cases, dead men]. Christianity is life in Christ, the living founder! Only those who have experienced the new birth through Jesus Christ are authentic Christians. There is a religious Christianity, [counterfeit], as I have explained in an earlier section; which is one of Satan's major weapons used in his attempt to derail the Church of God through a web of customs, laws, and manmade traditions.
Notice, everywhere in the Empire temples to the godhead of the emperor appeared. Very subtly people within the empire came to believe that any allegiance in conflict with loyalty to the emperor and therefore to the empire, would only lead to disintegration of order.
Thus, Christian worship and Caesar worship met head-on:
The one thing no Christian would ever say was: "Caesar is Lord."
For the Christian, Jesus Christ and He alone was Lord. To the Roman the Christian seemed utterly intolerant and insanely stubborn: worse he or she was a self-confessed disloyal citizen.
Thus the familiar affirmation "Jesus is Lord," now almost a Christian cliché, originally challenged the lordship of the Roman Empire. It still does. The Lordship of Christ versus the lordship of the empire is the same contrast, as the opposition that we see in the Kingdom of God versus the kingdom of this world.
The body of Christ must prepare our saints for the ever-increasing battle as more and more secular judges are appointed to the bench. We must be able to counter this secular assault with saints not only in the courts but throughout the marketplace.
Rome regarded them as a band of potential revolutionaries threatening the very existence of the empire. Thus, we see that Caesar worship was primarily a test of political loyalty between the praises Christians offered in worship and the adulation Roman citizens directed to the reigning emperor.
It happened in the Roman Empire. Do we think America is exempt? Everywhere in this country we are seeing this principle being applied through a movement that among other things claims you can be a Christian and still embrace another faith or religion. One such group has named this union Chrislam; which fosters an "Islamized gospel." This concept allows the Muslim to become a Christian while continuing the practice of Islam. Yoga and other Eastern practices have been assimilated by many Christians. Use of the word "karma" has quickly become American slang. When ignored history has a tendency to repeat itself!
The Revelation of John reflects the Christian response to the imperial cult in Asia Minor toward the end of the first century. John traces the oppression of believers to the devil himself, to the great dragon, who wages war against the saints today through two agents – the spirits of the beasts of Revelation 13:
• The first is the beast from the sea (or abyss), the imperial power – Antichrist.
· The second is the beast from the land, the imperial worship – the false prophet.
