The Church 1000 – 1500 AD! (August 22nd)
Acts 14:1 – 7
1.) The church that was born on Pentecost continues to be alive today. It looks different in every community, every country, every denomination. The church appears to have more about it that is different than what is common.
Jesus spoke these words to Peter, in Caesarea Philippi, after Peter had confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” (Mathew 16:17, 18, New Living Translation)
The church is based on the profession of faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God. Nothing can prevail against it, not even the gates of hell! The church is here today.
2.) Let’s look at a picture of the early church and how through history the church continues.
Paul and Barnabas spoke the message of Jesus Christ in the synagogue in Iconium. What we discover in the book of Acts is another beginning point of the church. In this beginning point in Iconium I want to lift up three insights into the church.
a.) Good news about the Lord is not always welcomed. It can divide people. “The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.” (Acts 14:4, 5)
We live in a day when the faith is welcome and appreciated within this community but we can see that our culture is shifting in this regards. We don’t like the feeling and foundation that seems to be changing.
b.) Miraculous signs, wonders and experiences can often accompany God’s grace. “So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.” (Acts 14:3)
There are experiences that people have that we would call as miracles. There are experiences in the life of the church that we cannot explain apart from the grace and glory of God. Grace leads us to God.
c.) The Spirit led the church to be on the move. “But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the good news.” (Acts 14:6, 7)
There are times when obstacles come. We need to keep moving and be led by the Spirit.
3.) So the church grew from its beginning as we discover in the book of Acts. It was explosive, then under Constantine’s leadership was impressive and exclusive. Then we shall discover in the time period approx. 1000 – 1500 it became intensive and continued to grow in unusual ways. The church in Acts gives glimpse of the church throughout the centuries.
4.) As the big cathedrals, church buildings, were being built the church took the central focus of the village life. The practice of learning, education and schools were linked to these cathedrals. The joining of faith and scholasticism were seen as righteous and a good thing. There were methods involved with students and teachers in learning the different subjects. So, education was very important and grew out of the ministry of the church.
“The curriculum of the cathedral school was limited to grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy – the seven liberal arts, so called because in ancient Rome their study had been reserved for liberi, “freemen.” (Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley, page 198.)
So the term “Liberal Arts” comes from liberi, which is what freemen studied in ancient Rome. It all began in cathedrals schools. There were different men trained in these schools and some that have a world influence. Thomas Aquinas was a scholar during this time.
5.) So, in the church at this time, men were scholars, (women were generally not educated in the formal schools but at home) and were educated with a Christian worldview, an understanding of faith, a belief that God had created the world. So, the influence of education in the life of the church impacted the world and its culture. These schools that were primarily started to educate clergy began to educate all who came.
(An interesting side note of history is that several hundred years later the schools that were started independent of the church were all were started with a Christian framework. Schools like Oxford, Cambridge, etc. started out this way. In our own country schools with names like Harvard, Princeton and Yale were started to educate clergy.)
As clergy and scholars gained education we see a clash with the Catholic Church and the popes in particular whose rise to power and popularity is at an all-time high.
6.) The political landscape was going through different changes and this meant that the role of the pope, the papacy, took on a greater status. Popes could be good spiritual leaders but they had to deal with a lot of political aspects that at time distracted them. At times the popes were corrupt and politically motivated. This caused some people to decry their type of theology that allowed them more power. At times it was corruption that was occurring. There was some fundraising going on that in some instances that had more to do with financial greed, building projects than a theology of giving.
During this time period the practice of indulgences, having your sins forgiven, or the pronouncement of that result, were sold for money. You could sin all you wanted and for a certain amount of money donated to the church you be forgiven by the pope or priest or some representative. This is one practice that we probably find it hard to believe was practiced.
Two men of note who were educated began to speak out at what was being practiced and taught. John Wyclif denounced the worldliness of the popes and emphasized the freedom of the spiritual man. John Hus viewed Christ, not the pope, as the head of the church.
Because they were educated in the church they understood the theology and could communicate in a way that made sense to the population. People began thinking about these ideas, and so began a way of “thinking” of the faith, life and church.
7.) On man in particular was influential around the 1500’s. His name was Martin Luther. He was known for “protesting” his 95 theses against the Catholic Church. He was protesting the corruption of the popes and the theology that the church was teaching. He believed it was wrong. He was very opposed to the practice of indulgences. Martin Luther also did something that was revolutionary in that he translated the Bible into German so that all the people could read it for themselves.
Martin Luther was used by God in church history to start the reformation. A time of refocusing and renewing a portion of the church. There were other thinkers, teachers, and leaders like John Calvin, John Knox, Ulrich Zwingli who protested for a variety of reasons.
8.) Martin Luther wrote a number of songs and perhaps the most familiar one is “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” I want to look at that hymn and read it as our closing statement of faith. Martin Luther experienced tough times as he debated, protested and stood against the leadership of the church.
Martin Luther was very influential in the history of the church. He brought songs, a Bible in the language of the people and the truth that faith was not focused in one man, the pope, are some of Martin Luther’s legacies.
9.) Politically, around the 1500′s, there were lot of different countries going through power struggles and some of the leaders had connections with the church and some did not. In England a King named Henry VIII was alive. Listen to this quote.
“Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death.
Henry VIII was a significant figure in the history of the English monarchy. Besides his six marriages, he is known for his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry’s struggles with Rome ultimately led to the separation of the Church of England from papal authority and establishing himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. He changed religious ceremonies and rituals and suppressed the monasteries, while remaining a fervent believer in core Catholic theological teachings, even after his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church.” (From Wikkipedia)
10.) Here is the reason that the Church of England was established. Henry VIII was married to Catherine. Henry wanted his marriage annulled so he could marry Anne Boleyn. To get an annulment, which is a granting of dissolution of marriage, you had to have a reason and the pope or priest would approve. When the pope refused to do this Henry pronounced himself the head of the new Church of England. He, in a sense, proclaimed that the Roman Catholic Church had no authority over him, as the King or over England. He began the Church of England in that act and then he married Anne, who motivated him in the beginning. Isn’t that a really spiritual reason for the church to come into existence?
Church history has moments that have very little to do with “theology” but more with “personality” as it relates to the church. You wonder how the church can still exist!
11.) I mention Henry VIII and this beginning as the Church of England because a few hundred years later a man would be born that was a part of that church. He was used of God to bring renewal and revival to the lives of people in powerful and influential ways. That man was John Wesley. We have a link to Henry VIII in the life of the church. One we might not want to admit, but we are connected.
12.) As I wade through this time period of Church history it seems like it gets thicker and thicker with the human stuff of sin, selfishness, and greed. How can the church still exist?
Jesus told Peter that on the rock, the profession of faith in Christ, the church would be built and nothing would be able to defeat it. Selfishness, scandals, big egos, pride, disaster, or even the gates of hell shall not overcome the church. There are times the people might wonder, “how will the church survive?” But we continue to see it is not based on a location, a favorite political time, a great leader or scholar, but it is based on faith.
I invite us to proclaim our faith as we read the words of “A Mighty Fortress in our God” as our witness, written by a man of faith during this time.
