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Church History
Alex Hanvey • May 8, 2023
What is Church history?
If someone were to ask you, what is the history of the Church? What would your answer be?
If you are like many Christians today (especially in the western Church) you may not have an answer at all. Unfortunately, not many pastors teach on the history of the church which includes very critical topics such as how we got the Bible that we read today.
Without knowing this history and how the church has survived throughout history, we are allowing ourselves and other Christians to be empty-handed against the lies and schemes of this world when they attack the church today.
You might think, but what does the history of the church have to do with our faith in Jesus. Well I am so glad you asked! Without knowing the history of the church and the Bible itself, you may be fooled by the lies of the world when they try to claim that “Jesus wasn’t even a real person” or that “He didn’t do and say the things the Bible says”. Then the world pushes to answer why we should believe the Bible and its validity.
It is important to know the history of the Church and why we believe the Bible to be the true written and inerrant Word of God.
The Bible even instructs us and gives us examples of how we are to share the history of God’s faithfulness with the generations after us. In Exodus 13:4, it says “And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery’”. [Reference to Israel being freed from Egypt] Later the Israelites are instructed as they are given the commandments in Deuteronomy 6:7, “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Another example in Joshua 4:6, it says “When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” [Reference to Israel crossing the Jordan to enter the Promised Land] Another great reference is Psalm 78:4, “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and His might, and the wonders that He has done.”
Without the passing down of knowledge and teaching, following generations will be further removed from what has happened and eventually lose all touch or reference to it. Thankfully, we have those who God used over the years to maintain, not only an oral record, but also a written record. Knowing the history of the Church and how things happened over time, allows us to remove doubts and questions from our minds that may be introduced by those attempting to deceive or mislead.
Sharing events or moments of God’s faithfulness that happened in our lifetime or that we have been taught as well, with those younger than us, can also help us to not forget. Psalm 77:11-12, “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago. I will consider all Your works and meditate on all Your mighty deeds.”
Over a series of outlets, we will be teaching through some Church History, including the Bible. Whether you are following us and the content we will be releasing or looking elsewhere, we encourage you to seek knowledge pertaining to the history of the Church so that you too can see God’s faithfulness.
There are many things in this world that Satan will attack us with. The past few weeks God has really been speaking to me about 3 in general: Worry, Doubt and Fear. One of the quickest ways for the enemy to knock your day off the tracks is through worry. When we worry, we are no longer trusting God and relying on His Word and Strength. When we worry, we begin to have the mindset that we can fix our own problems and that we are in control. We must never forget that God is more able to fix anything way before we can ever do so ourselves. If we allow worry to take over our mindset, then we begin to doubt God and everything that we know to be true about Him. Psalm 16 says, “Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.” This is very powerful and very essential in overcoming the worry and doubts that are trying to overtake us. Verse 2 goes on to say, “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.’” Apart from God, we have nothing worth turning to or relying on. Every good and worthy thing that we have, every blessing, every person that we have is from God. Verse 5 reads, “Lord You alone are my portion and my cup; You make my lot secure.” This is something that we must meditate on daily. Through the worry and doubt, the fear begins to creep in. Fear is another way that the enemy really tries to weaken us and break us down. Fear is something that we do not have to face. The fear that we should have is the fear and reverence of the Lord our God. God wants us to know that He is always with us and will never forsake us! Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Again in verse 8 it says, “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” God reminds us many times that we do not have to be afraid! We do not have to fear this world, but instead trust in Him for He is always with us. When we sense ourselves becoming weak, starting to worry or doubt we can always turn to God and ask for His strength and comfort to come over us. We are not alone, “He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
I really feel at times that I freeze up and get scared when I want to speak God’s Word or about God. I feel the urge and desire to write but it’s like I get writers block instantly and don’t know what to say or how to even say it. I find myself questioning then, is God wanting me to say something or is it just myself that wants to speak. Then I begin to notice that I am afraid to ask God what He would want me to say. I sort of laugh because I don’t understand what I am worried about. It is a really weird and sick feeling all jumbled up together. I pray that the words I speak, will not be from myself but from God that can inspire, encourage or lift up someone else. Words are so powerful and God tells us this in Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue has the power of life and death…” Think about this for a second, about how powerful our words can be! Hawk Nelson’s song “Words” is really good about explaining how words can make you feel. “Words can build you up, Words can break you down, Start a fire in your heart, Or put it out.” Those lyrics help to explain how you can use your words to build someone up or break someone down. We are called to tame our tongues because they are like a sword and can cut someone so deeply. Psalm 141:3 says, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” Maybe when I am hesitant to speak or begin to write, it is that guard over my tongue, keeping me from speaking my own words and not God’s Words. Or maybe it is a way to keep me from speaking without thinking. It is better to be hesitant in what you say than to just blurt out words. “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Matthew 15:11.
I’ve been reading in the Bible a lot on freedom lately. ***Totally just hit me***, now that I think about it, our recent sermons the past two weeks have been on breaking the chains that bound us also. I have to just laugh a little bit at how God speaks to me and I don’t always notice immediately. Freedom is a big word and a freeing word. I know you are probably thinking, “well, DUH!” If you just stop for a moment and sort of clear your mind, then think of the word “Freedom”. You can almost feel the stress and weight of the chains falling right off of your shoulders. Galatians 5:1 tells us, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Plain and simple, Christ died so that we may be free! Through Christ and Christ alone we have freedom! Many times we let ourselves become bound by the worries, stress and problems of this world. Stress can really wear you out both physically and mentally. To be free from what makes us slaves to this world and to our flesh, we must live by the Spirit. Galatians 5:13 says, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh…” For all who believe in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we have the Spirit to guides us. Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Jesus came to remove our chains and heavy yoke. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” You do not have to carry the load on your own. Jesus wants to remove the weight from you and give you rest.