Are you ready for some "Church History"?

“Church History is the record of God's gracious, wonderful and mighty deeds, showing how by His Spirit and Word He rules His Church and conquers the world.”   Nils Forsander

It’s hard to believe that it’s been fifteen years since 911 and the attack on the United States by Islamic terrorists. 911 mastermind, Osama bin Laden, described the United States’ war on terrorists as a “new crusade against Islam.” In a sound-bite world, a crusade became a term used by both sides to resurrect past conflicts between the two major world religions.  Christians often find themselves apologizing for the Crusades as some sort of diplomatic maneuver when they share Christ, particularly with someone who’s Muslim. You’ll never understand the Crusades or the current tension between Christianity and Islam unless you’ve first studied Church History.

  Church History permeates our culture. It doesn’t matter what your religious background is, you won’t understand today’s Western world—including its wars—unless you know Christian history.

  So many aspects of American culture come from Christian sources. Biblical expressions are embedded in our language. Ethical positions were often birthed in Church History, i.e., Just War Theory. Many assumptions about who we human beings are and our purpose on this planet, though fragmented and unmoored from biblical theology that once anchored them. Musical styles, even Rock, owe much to the spirituals of slaves. You won’t understand the holidays unless you know Church History—Easter, Christmas…even Halloween. While they may include “pagan” elements, their frame of reference was always thoroughly Christian…and please don’t forget St. Patrick's Day! What about art? Stroll through almost any art museum and try to avoid Christian references, explicit and implicit. Even science, many believers were fathers and mothers of the scientific revolution. American culture is soaked in “leftover Christianity.”

  Next week we’re beginning a several week DVD study of Church History. We’ll watch the DVD and then break into age appropriate groups to work through the material.

  Why are we doing this? Why do we believe it’s important for our church? First, because most believers have very little knowledge of Church History. You can’t understand today and be prepared for tomorrow, unless you have some knowledge of Church History. While we won’t become bogged down in minute details or endless dates, this study will be an overview of key events in each era with a brief explanation. We’ll look at why these particular events are important, both theologically and historically. Hopefully, it will open up opportunities for you to discuss with your family that day or later in the week about what you believe and why it’s important. Here are a few reasons why we should study Church History.

  The Bible exhorts us to know our past. The Old Testament in particular is filled with references to God commanding Israel to remember His deeds of the past. He instituted ceremony after ceremony, festival after festival that caused His people to look to what He’d done in the past. The events of the past are powerful reminders of God’s faithfulness. They increase our faith, reassuring us that as God has acted in the past, He’ll act in the future.

  It helps us understand the present. The study of Church History is a humbling experience. It allows us understand and sympathize with the plight of those who came before us. It helps us appreciate the blessings we take for granted today were often not enjoyed by our brothers and sisters of yesterday. It keeps us from developing a view of the faith too narrowly focused on our day, ignoring the long, storied history of the Church. It shows us we’re not all that different from believers in the past and helps us avoid some of the sins and blunders they’ve made.

  It helps us prepare for tomorrow. As we see the patterns of the past, we can begin to formulate ideas about where current trends will lead. By understanding the past we start to understand the future. When we understand where our current trends are taking us, we can react to avoid heading down paths that have been shown to be disastrous.

  It helps us to trust God more and see His hand at work in this world. Throughout history God has revealed Himself in mighty ways, continually providing for His people through trials and persecution. As we study the past, we see the many ways in which God’s providence has been displayed. It’s a vital teaching tool to prepare us to face trials or persecution in our day. It spurs us on to greater love and gratitude of God and deepens our confidence in His promises. As He’s been faithful to His people in the past, He’ll be faithful to us and to our children.

  It helps us be alert for theological error. In many ways the history of the church is a history of action and reaction. Much of Christian theology has been developed and then strengthened in response to error and heresy. When we study the past, we see how errors developed in the Church. This is valuable as we face inevitable error in our own day. Many Christians repeat the same battles over doctrine, yet could spare themselves a great deal of trouble by being familiar with the past. By studying what’s already happened, we can avoid future errors and the patterns that precede error.

  It helps us understand people. While we can’t speak with Christian heroes who’ve lived before us, by studying history we can better know and understand them. We see the parts of their lives that brought glory to God and the parts that didn’t. We can learn much, not just from history, but from specific people who lived in a period of history.

  It helps us be faithful and to persevere. As we see how men and women, and even children persevered throughout the history of the Church, it encourages us. Since Jesus ascended into Heaven, believers have lived in anticipation of His return. Those who lived in the 1^st century expected this event would be imminent. Yet, two millennia later, we continue to wait. As we look at Christian History, we arm ourselves with the knowledge Christ’s return may still be far off but like them, by His grace, we can persevere. His grace that met their needs is available to us, too.

  Please make our series on Church History a priority for you and your family. It will help you grow spiritually and be better prepared for both today and tomorrow. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.