CF II IV

• According to the estimate of Deming (2015, 326-27), "Christianity is the world's largest religion, encompassing a third of the worlds population more than 2.2 billion people
• Today about 20% of all Christians live in Africa, and 25% live in Latin America; Europe accounts for another 25%, Asia for about 15% and North America for about 10%
• Jesus Christ


  Jesus, referred to by his followers as the Messiah prophesized in the Old Testament

  
• Christ


  The "Anointed One" which in Hebrew is translated as "Messiah"
• Most Christians believe that Jesus was not just human but also God, the only begotten Son of God sent to this world to redeem mankind from their sins or disobedience to God

  
• Four Gospels


  The books of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John in the Bible that provide accounts of the life of Jesus

  
• Jesus' birth


  1. Conceived in the womb of Mary through the Holy Spirit

  2. Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, which she was made aware through an angel

  3. Joseph, a carpenter to whom Mary was engaged, stood as the foster father of Jesus

  4. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a manger, visited by shepherds and the three Magi or wise men from the East

  
• Jesus' early life


  1. At the age of 12, Jesus was intelligently conversing with the Jewish scholars on matters concerning the Hebrew Scriptures

  2. At the age of 30, Jesus began his ministry to fulfill his divine mission

  
• Jesus' baptism


  1. Jesus was one of the people who went to the Jordan River to be baptized by the prophet John the Baptist

  2. During Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit appeared and descended on Jesus like a dove, and a voice from heaven proclaimed that Jesus was the prophesized Messiah

  
• Jesus' temptation


  1. Afterwards, Jesus went to the desert alone and spent 40 days fasting

  2. There the devil (Satan) appeared and tempted Jesus three times

  3. Jesus was able to overcome all these temptations
• The Apostles


  • Simon (Peter)
  • Andrew (Simon's brother)
  • James (son of Zebedee)
  • John (James' brother)
  • Philip
  • Bartholomew
  • Thomas
  • Matthew (Tax collector)
  • James (son of Alpheus)
  • Thaddaeus (or Judas, son of James)
  • Simon (the Zealot)
  • Judas (who later betrayed Jesus)
• Topics Jesus preached about

  • The Kingdom of God
  • His being the Messiah and the Son of God
  • Forgiveness
  • Love for God and one's neighbor (and enemies)
  • The power of faith
  • Humility
  • The proper attitude toward the Law of the prophets
  • Helping the needy
  • The proper way to pray and fast
  • The uselessness of worrying
  • Murder
  • Divorce
  • Adultery
  • Mercy
  • Hypocrisy
  • Judging others
  • Sabbath
  • His fulfillment of the prophecies
  • The last judgement
  • The great commission
  • And others
• Parables used by Jesus in his teachings

  • The workers in the vineyard
  • The wedding banquet
  • The ten virgins
  • The bags of gold
  • The tenants
  • The rich fool
  • The unmerciful servant
  • The mustard seed and yeast
  • The lost sheep
  • The lost son
  • The shrewd manager
  • The persistent widow
  • The ten minas
  • The good Samaritan

  
• Miracles performed by Jesus

  • Healing the sick
  • Healing the blind
  • Healing the mute
  • Healing the men with leprosy
  • Healing the crippled
  • Healing the paralyzed
  • Multiplying the five bread and two fish to feed five thousand people
  • Changing water into wine
  • Raising the dead (a girl and Lazarus)
  • Calming the storm
  • Restoring demon-possessed men
  • Walking on water
  • Resurrecting from the dead and ascending into heaven
• The teachings and missionary work of Jesus got him into conflict with political and religious authorities, who found some of his pronouncements and actions to be blasphemous, and considered him a threat to the stability of the control the Romans had on Israel
• Jesus' arrest and death

  1. The night before his arrest, Jesus had supper to celebrate the Passover with his apostles, which came to be known as the Last Supper of the Lord's Supper

  2. 3 days after his death, Jesus' tomb was found empty by his first visitors (3 Marys) and he was said to have resurrected

  3. He appeared to his disciples and friends, and ate and communicated with them

  
• Great commission - travel and make disciples of all nations, baptize people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teach them to obey God's commandments
• 40 days later Jesus ascended into heaven
• The early Christians suffered persecutions at the hand of the Romans until Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and made it the state religion of the Roman Empire
• The Holy Bible


  Consists of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the New Testament, originally written in Hebrew and Greek respectively

  
• The Old Testament contains many prophecies that are fulfilled in the New Testament
• Parts of the New Testament

  • The Gospels
  • Acts of the Apostles
  • The Epistles (Letters from the Apostles)
  • The Revelation

  
• The Gospels


  Originate from the Greek word "evangelion" meaning "Good News"
• The Four Gospels


  • Matthew's Gospel - Jesus as King of Jews, focuses on his teachings
  • Mark's Gospel - Jesus as Suffering Servant, shows his authority, probably the 1st one written based on apostle Peter's notes
  • Luke's Gospel - Jesus as Savior of all, arranged chronologically, has a sequel in Acts
  • John's Gospel - Jesus as God, focuses on the signs and miracles he performed

  
• Acts of the Apostles


  Describes the early stage of the development of Christianity, how it began and propagated first among the Jews and later among the Gentiles, narrated by the same author as the Gospel of Luke

  
• Highlights of the Acts of the Apostles

  • Within 40 days between Jesus' resurrection and ascension, he appeared to the apostles and his mother Mary and friends
  • Dedication and sacrifices of the apostles, primarily Peter and Paul, as they preached the teachings of Christianity in various regions
• The Epistles


  • The Pauline Epistles - 13 letters written by Paul addressing specific issues or problems, some written while in prison
  • The General Epistles - 8 letters written by other apostles for a general audience, also called Catholic Epistles
• The Book of Revelation

  Symbolically describes how the battle between Good and Evil will come to an end, written around 95 CE by "John of Patmos", considered Apocalyptic Literature
• The Seven Churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation

  • Ephesus - advised to return to its first love
  • Smyrna - advised to endure persecution
  • Pergamum - advised to repent
  • Thyatira - advised to remove its false prophetess
  • Philadelphia - advised to continue its patience and endurance
  • Sardis - advised to wake up from its sleep
  • Laodicea - advised to end its lukewarm faith
• Symbolism in the Book of Revelation

  • Whore of Babylon
  • Beast
  • Lamb
  • Locusts
  • Horseman
  • Horse
  • Lion
  • Bottomless pit
  • Fire
  • Smoke
  • Dragon
  • Woman
  • Certain numbers like 7, 3 and 666
  • Trumpets
  • Bowls
• The Book of Revelation culminates in the prophecy about the second coming of Jesus Christ
• Essential Doctrines of Christianity

  • The unity of God or God is one (monotheism)
  • God exists as a tri-unity (the Trinity)
  • Human depravity
  • Christ's virgin conception (birth)
  • Jesus' sinlessness
  • Jesus is fully God and fully human (deity of Jesus)
  • The necessity of God's grace
  • Necessity of faith
  • Jesus' atoning death or substitutionary atonement
  • Christ's bodily resurrection
  • Jesus' bodily ascension to heaven
  • Jesus' intercession
  • Second coming of Jesus
  • Inspiration of Scripture

  
• Christian Practices


  • Baptism (sacrament of initiation)
  • Prayer (communication with God)
  • Communion under both kinds (sacrament of remembrance)
  • Bible reading (source of guidance)
• The nature of God in Christianity is that of a pure spirit, eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, wholly good, just and caring, unlike the monotheism of Judaism and Islam which does not include the belief in the Trinity
• Prayer


  The elevation of the mind and the heart to God
• Prayer (for Christians)


  How Christians communicate with God
• Communion under both kinds


  • Reception under both "species" (both Wine and Bread)
• Bible


  Inspired by God, without error, and does not misrepresent the facts
• Bible (for Christians)


  They follow the rules it contains for living life and can turn to Jesus's teachings for moral guidance
• The journeys of these people remind us that faith does not exempt us from challenges but empowers us to navigate them with strength and resilience