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Act’ing Like a Church. Acts: Spreading the Gospel to All Nations. The Acts of the Apostles. Volume 2 (or a continuation) of Luke’s Gospel Written by Luke about 20 years after the events it recounts Audience is the Non-Jewish Christians (Gentiles)
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Act’ing Like a Church Acts: Spreading the Gospel to All Nations
The Acts of the Apostles • Volume 2 (or a continuation) of Luke’s Gospel • Written by Luke about 20 years after the events it recounts • Audience is the Non-Jewish Christians (Gentiles) • Tells of the spread of Christianity after Jesus’ resurrection • Makes the connection between the Old and New Covenants
Using Acts to Understand the Church • It is said that the Catholic Church is the fullness of Christian Truth, but how do we know? • We are going to explore two things. • Apostolic Succession • How the early church operated
Let’s Start with Jesus and Peter • Jesus declares Peter as the Rock upon which “I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” • So what did Peter do after this? • He denied Christ 3 times • He ran from the crucifixion • He went back to being a fisherman • But… • He is the first to get visited by the risen Jesus • He leads the meeting that elects Mathias • He performs the first miracle after Pentecost • He leads the Council of Jerusalem
Apostolic Succession • We can trace Pope Benedict XVI all the way back to Peter. • We can trace Bishop Baker back to the original 12 apostles. • Why is this important? • Jesus • But how do we know?
How the Early Church Operated • Electing a new apostle. • Why was there a need for a new apostle? • Who was elected? • How was he elected? • Who lead the meeting of the apostles? • How do you become Christian? • Do you need to follow Jewish Law? • Who made the final decision?
How the Early Church Operated • Major points of the two issues are: • Leaders meeting for discernment lead by the Holy Spirit • One person had authority over the group • Decisions were binding upon the whole Church, not just where there were problems • They DID NOT MAKE UP NEW DOCTRINE
Teaching The Message Of Christ • Ways in which teachings are explained and clarified • Bishop’s conferences • United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) • Councils • Encyclicals • Letters from the Pope • Statements from Congregations • Committees run by Cardinals