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The Holy Spirit. The Paraclete. Final part of Jesus Creed…. “… he ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”. Ascension:.
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The Holy Spirit The Paraclete
Final part of Jesus Creed… • “… he ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”
Ascension: • The Ascension of Jesus refers to the time when Jesus stopped appearing to the disciples in visible, human form. • Being seated at the Father’s right hand means that Jesus continually prays for us as the Messiah and King. • Just before Jesus ascended he told his followers, “I am going to send you what the Father promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high… he left them and was taken up into heaven (Lk.24).”
Assign. • Read Acts 1:1-11 (p.180) and answer the following questions: • How many days was Jesus present from his resurrection to his ascension? • What command did Jesus give to his followers before he ascended? • What did Jesus say that the Holy Spirit would do to the followers? • What did the two men dressed in white say after Jesus had ascended?
The Final Part of the Apostles Creed • “… I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.” • We will be talking about the role of the Holy Spirit in the world over the next couple days…
Key Verse from the Acts of the Apostles 1:8 (Note: slide bground) • “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” • Disciple means one who learns • Apostle means one who is sent • On July 15th of every year the church celebrates the dispersion of the Apostles. • Christianity has, from the beginning, had a missionary message. • If the Apostles had not left then we would not know about Christ today. (see PG. 180 of your Bible)
So What? • What happened when this power came upon the disciples? How did it happen? • Read Acts 1:12-26. • They became Apostles. • Q: What were the requirements for being a disciple? • Q: Who were the two candidates? • Who was chosen? How • Then what happened… • Stay tuned next class.
Questions: Read Acts 2:1-47 (p.181) • What did the wind represent? The tongues? (re: Tower of Babel) • What did people think was happening to the believers? • Who preached to the crowds about Jesus? • What did Peter say to do to believe in Jesus? • How many people joined the Jesus movement on that day? • What did the new believers devote themselves to (vs.42)?
Pentecost: Feast of Weeks • Held 50 days after Passover • Festival of thanksgiving for the harvested crops • Jews of many nations would gather in Jerusalem for this festival • Thus, Peter’s speech was given to an international audience, and it resulted in a worldwide harvest of new believers—the first converts to the Way.
The Birth of the Way • What do you think about the first followers of Jesus being known as followers of the Way? • Is there a difference between believing in a set of ideals or following a person? • Think about it… • Do you think Christianity today has become too much about following a set of beliefs rather than following Jesus way of life? • The word Christian means little Christ’s or Christ-ones.
What did the earliest believers do? • Review: • They devoted themselves to four things: • The teaching of the apostles • To the communal life • The breaking of bread • To prayers **In this way a movement about a different way of living had started with Jesus and his first followers
The Story We Find Ourselves In • What feelings did Kincaid experience in church? Have you ever had any experiences like that? • What was Kincaid experiencing? • What choice did Dan say that Kincaid had to make after experiencing what he did? • What three things does the Spirit do inside of us?
The Beginnings… • Jesus brought together a community of men and women who were called out from the crowds to be disciples. • These disciples were the sent out as apostles into the world on a mission of expressing Jesus’ message of God’s kingdom, and helping others become disciples who will in turn help others. • The movement spread from country to country, generation to generation, all the way to us today.
It was not easy…The history of the Way • Read Acts 3 and 4 and answer the following questions: • Where did Peter and John go at 3 o’clock? Who did they meet there? • What did Peter give the man? Where did Peter say the power to heal came from? • In ch. 4 who confronted Peter and John? What did they warn them not to do? How did Peter and John respond?
The Early Persecuted Christians • Christians were persecuted for their strange beliefs and their way of non-violence when asked to give up their beliefs. • Christians met secretly for hundreds of years until an Emperor of the dying Roman Emperor named Constantine made Christianity the official religion of Rome (story of battle) • Q: Many people think that the acceptance of Christianity by the Roman Empire was a bad thing for Christianity. Why? Do you agree? Why or why not?
The Roman Catholic Church • Rome became the headquarters for the Christian movement… Both Peter and Paul moved there and were killed there… • St. Peter’s Basilica was built on top of Peter’s corpse. • Constantine found Peter’s bones and built a church on top of it. • Do you think Jesus would have wanted this?
What is Church? • Means “belonging to the Lord” • Local: A community of Christians who gather to worship • Global: It is also the whole worldwide gathering of those who have faith in Jesus Christ
The Mystery of the Church • Mystery is a reality filled with God’s invisible presence • The Church is at the same time: • A visible group and a spiritual community • A group organized with a fixed order and the mystical body of Christ • An earthly community blessed with heavenly riches
Metaphors of the Church • The Church is in a marriage union with Christ • The Church is a pilgrim on a journey towards a final destination (my icon) • The Church is a flock with Christ as the Good Shepherd • The Church is a vineyard with Christ giving it life and fruitfulness • The Church is like a human body • The Body of Christ
The Church’s mission statement • Message • Has often been abused (residential schools) • God’s love in Jesus Christ • Community • A group of people who really love each other • Service • Offering our lives for others • Worship • Is realizing that God is the source of life
Leadership within the ChurchDifferent opinions • Leadership structures within the catholic (universal) Church are based primarily on the Bible verse in Matt.16: 17-19 • After Peter said Jesus was the Christ, Jesus said to Peter: • … you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…
The Rock is: Peter the Apostle (Catholic) Jesus, Peter is just one of the stones (Orthodox) The confession of Peter that Jesus is the Christ (Protestant) The Kingdom Keys: Peter is the first pope and his successors are Jesus’ rep’s on earth (Catholic) All Christians have authority to act as Jesus’ rep’s equally (Protestant) Different interpretations:
Different responses to the Gentiles: • Judaizers (some Jewish Christians) • Gentiles must become Jewish first to be eligible for salvation • Gentile Christians • Faith in Christ as Savoir is the only requirement for salvation • Peter and James • Faith is the only requirement, but there must be evidence of change by rejecting the old life-style
Catholic Perspective: • See handout
The Church: Who’s In and who’s not? • Can non-Christians get to heaven • Three Baptisms • Water—official way to join the church • Blood—if killed/persecuted for justice, truth, Jesus • Desire—people who haven’t heard of Christ but who respond to the graces God gives them and live according to their consciences.
The Marks of the Church • One—Diversity within unity • Holy—made up of holy ones or saints, us! • Catholic—means universal • It is open to all people of every race • Least amount of followers in its birth place • Apostolic—means one who is sent • Meant to be Christ’s hands and feet to the world
Ecumenism • The movement which seeks the union of all Christian religions and eventually the unity of all peoples throughout the world • Very needed in today’s world with so many diff. splits in Christianity and in all of the world religions • My friend Abbas • Pere was very ecumenical
Similarities • Faith in the Trinity (unlike cults) • Acceptance of the Bible • Prayer and grace • Gifts of the Holy Spirit • The sacrament of Baptism • Commitment to God’s kingdom and desire to live a moral life and serve others
The Story We Find Ourselves In: Ch. 27 A Junior High Kid at Dance • What is the name of the final episode of “The Story We Find Ourselves In”? • What experience does Kincaid relate prayer to? How did he relate his experience in church to a cup of coffee? • What was Kerry’s birthday wish? • Have you had a memorable prayer experience? What happened?
The Communion of Saints All God’s People
The Communion of Saints • People who have responded to God’s invitation in Christ to be redeemed. • Includes the Church on earth, in heaven, and in purgatory.
The Communion of Saints:3 major parts • The pilgrim Church – those of us who are living on earth today aka Church militant • The Church suffering – those undergoing purification in purgatory. • The Church triumphant – those in heaven
What is Purgatory? • A state of purification or accountability that takes place after death for those who need to be made clean and holy before meeting God in heaven. • We have moments of purgatory on earth when we feel remorse or guilt for wrongdoings. • God wants us to shed our guilt before entering our new life. • Ex. Like a caterpillar to butterfly.
Who are the Saints? • Saint means holy or set apart • They’re both on earth and in heaven • Asking them for prayers is like asking someone down here for prayers. • Catholics venerate or honor saints, not worship them as worship is for God alone. • We can ask both family members and well known saints for their prayers. • All saints are alive either in this world or the next.
What About Mary? • Mary was given to be the mother of the Church meaning all of us. • She is our mum in heaven • Her greatest example is her “yes” to God during the incarnation. • The Church has given Mary four major titles
Mary: 4 Titles • Immaculate Conception – free of original sin so that she could house God in her womb • Virgin Mary – a virgin her whole life. • Mother of God, Mother of the Church – Mother of Jesus. • Assumption of Mary – she didn’t die. She is in heaven as in Rev. 12.
The Communion of Saints • Pic from Rapheal room
