Community of Believers

• Sacraments


  Sacred ceremonies which are believed to be means by which grace is conveyed to believers. The definition is “an outward and visable sign of an inward and spiritual grace”.
• Worship


  An act of praise, thanksgiving, devotion, or similar towards a deity.
• Public Worship


  Worship in a group, usually with one or more leaders. This may include church services, led prayer meetings, etc
• Private worship


  Worship held in a private setting, usually alone. This may include private prayer, saying the Rosary
• The Jerusalem Community


  Radical group of the “Jesus Movement”, led by well -known figures Peter & James (blood-relation of Jesus).

  Founded at Pentecost and existed in an atmosphere of persecution: Jewish authorities wanted to stamp out the Jesus movement – Saul was one of main persecutors

  Expected imminent return of Jesus (the Second Coming)
• Lifestyle of the Jerusalem Community

  Devoted to Apostle’s teaching

  Worshipped together – Temple 3x daily, in houses

  Breaking of bread, (simple Eucharist, more like a meal).

  Shared possessions and food – people decided if they wanted to sell /give, there was no compulsion

  Gave to the needy – had to allocate jobs to specific Christians, so Apostles could preach.
• The early church


  Many taught by the Apostles and followed the Apostles’ teachings closely.

  Worshipped regularly together

  Broke bread together, shared meals

  Possessions were shared

  Gave to the needy and the wider community.
• The Modern Church


  Apostle’s Creed said in most churches but doctrinal fragmentation since Reformation.

  Mass, other devotions e.g. Adoration, rosary, Divine Office (psalms) common today.

  Eucharist is now subject to different interpretations and so inter-communion can be a problem. It is less common for modern Churches to regularly share meals.

  Modern Churches focus less on giving up possessions – monks and nuns do, however.

  Charity is still common, particularly in Lent, but there are many other collections etc.
• Features of the Church (ACHO)

  1)Apostolic: Based on teachings and traditions of the Apostles

  2)Catholic: Embraces all God’s truth, wherever found, and all God’s people.

  3)Holy: The Church shares in God’s life and spreads it to others

  4)One: Unique. All are united in the same belief. (Creed)
• Functions of the Church

  Institutional- Structured as a human society

  Sacramental- A communion of grace

  Liturgical- Offering praise and worship

  Missionary- Task of sharing the good news

  Healing- For the good of humanity
• Was the Jerusalem Church an ideal Christian community?

  The Jerusalem community was NOT a standard model for churches elsewhere.

  The Jerusalem community is atypical, when compared to Paul’s instructions to his churches.

  There were problems with discipline and practice: not all the first Christians believed correctly, nor understood Christian practice, nor behaved in Christian ways.
• Ideal Christian community? P2

  
  

  The Jerusalem Community was not clear about certain matters e.g. circumcision. BUT other Churches had problems too. There is no “ideal” community.

  Paul also had his problems with the Churches he was responsible for.
• Is the primary function of the church to teach?

  The Church has always been concerned with exegesis and accuracy in evangelising and spreading the message of Jesus. However, for others, the primary functions of the Church are more practical – meeting the needs of the poor, oppressed and marginalised and facilitating worship and participation for all members of the community.

  It could be argued, based on the Parable of the Sower, that there is a key role within the Church for religious teaching, but this must be listened to and acted upon in order to have a service.