Discovering the

Early Church
ACTS - PART 1

DISCOVERING GOD’S WAY - TEEN/ADULT, YEAR 1, BOOK 1

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Discovering the
Early Church
ACTS - PART 1
Written by Joshua Creel

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Robert Harkrider Lauren Mayeux
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Discovery #1: What is the church? .....................................................1

Discovery #2: When was the church established? ..............................6

Discovery #3: How was the church established? ..............................11

Discovery #4: What was the purpose of miracles? ............................17

Discovery #5: Who did the early church try to please? .....................22

Discovery #6: How did the early Christians care for each other? ......28

Discovery #7: How did the early church deal with problems? ..........33

Discovery #8: How did the early church respond to persecution? ....38

Discovery #9: How did the early church grow? ................................43

Discovery #10: Is there a place for everyone in the church? .............49

Discovery #11: How did Gentiles become part of the church? .........55

Discovery #12: Does God really care about the church? ..................61

Discovery #13: Reviewing what you have discovered ......................66

Discovery #1 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this
rock I will build My church; and the gates of Ha-
des will not overpower it.” (Matthew 16:18)

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

The central theme of the Bible is
the story of Jesus Christ. The Old Testa-
ment prepares us for the coming of Je-
sus, revealing in prophesy why Christ
would come and what He would do.
Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus
explained to the apostles that He came
to fulfill all the prophecies of the Old
Testament: “all things which are written
about Me in the Law of Moses and the
Prophets and the Psalms must be ful-
filled” (Luke 24:44).
The first four books of the New
Testament tell the story of Jesus’ life,
death, resurrection, and ascension into
heaven. We call these books “the gos-
pels” because they The word
tell the good news “gospel” means
about Jesus who Peter “good news.”
confessed to be “the
Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mat-
thew 16:16).
The book of Acts is the continu-
ation of the story of Jesus. It records
how Jesus kept His promise to build
His church and how the church spread
across the world. Before we discover
how these events occurred we must
first understand what the church is. Let’s
search the Scriptures and discover what
they say about the church.

What Does “Church” Mean To You?

Instructions: Brainstorm and write 5 things that come to your mind when you
think about “church.” When you come to class you can see how your ideas
compare to those of your class mates and teacher.
What “Church” Means To Me:

1. _______________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________________

5. _______________________________________________________________

Discovery #1: What is the Church? 1

 The Church Is...
A “CALLED OUT” PEOPLE
Our word “church” is taken from the Greek word ekklesia and was used to
describe public gatherings where people would be called out of their homes to
attend the assembly. So, ekklesia literally means “called out.” The church is made
up of people who have left the things of the world to follow Christ.
• Read 1 Peter 2:9. Christians are called out of ________________ and called
into His marvelous ___________.
• According to 2 Thessalonians 2:14 we are called by the __________________.

THE BODY OF CHRIST “And He put all things in sub-

Your body has a head containing a brain jection under His feet, and gave
which controls everything your body does. Ac- Him as head over all things to
the church, which is His body,
cording to Ephesians 1:22-23 the church is the
the fullness of Him who fills all
body of Christ. Jesus is the head, so the church
in all.”
must obey Him. (Eph 1:22-23)
• Read Ephesians 4:4. How many bodies does
Christ have? ______________.
• According to 1 Timothy 3:15 the purpose of
the church is to be the “pillar and support of the
__________.”

THE KINGDOM
For a kingdom to exist there must be a king
who rules. The United States is not a kingdom;
instead, it is ruled by elected officials, not a king.
However, according to John 18:33-37 Jesus testi-
fied to Pilate that He is a King. If Jesus is a King,
He must have a Kingdom!
• Jesus told Pilate that His Kingdom is not of this
_______________.
• Where does Jesus now sit and what did God
place under His feet? (Ephesians 1:20-23)
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
“Jesus answered, “My kingdom
is not of this world. If My king-
dom were of this world, then
My servants would be fighting
so that I would not be handed
over to the Jews; but as it is, My
kingdom is not of this realm...
You say correctly that I am a
king. For this I have been born,
and for this I have come into the
world, to testify to the truth. Ev-
eryone who is of the truth hears
My voice.””
(John 18:36-37)

2 Acts: Discovering the Early Church

• Does the Kingdom of Jesus now exist? (Colossians 1:13) __________________
• Jesus is head of the church, meaning He rules over it. Does this mean that the
church and the Kingdom are the same thing? ______________________________

THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD

The word “household” emphasizes the inhabit- “I write so that you will
ants of a house, not the physical structure. Your family know how one ought to
conduct himself in the
might live in a house, but the “household” is composed
household of God, which
of the people who belong to your family. The church is is the church of the living
the household of God. God is the Father of the family God, the pillar and sup-
and everyone else in the family are His children. port of the truth.”
(1 Tim 3:15)
• How does someone become a child of God?
(Galatians 3:26-27)
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

THE TEMPLE OF GOD “So then you are no lon-

The Old Testament records how the Israelites built ger strangers and aliens,
but you are fellow citi-
a tabernacle while they were at Mt. Sinai, and King
zens with the saints, and
Solomon built a temple for God much later. The glory are of God’s household,
of the Lord filled both of these structures, showing that having been built on the
God dwelt with His people (Exodus 20:24; 2 Chron. foundation of the apostles
6:18-21). Jesus said there would be a time when God’s and prophets, Christ Jesus
people would no longer worship in Jerusalem (the Himself being the corner
stone, in whom the whole
site of the temple) but would worship “in spirit and in
building, being fitted to-
truth” (John 4:24). Jesus never commanded Christians gether, is growing into a
to build tabernacles or temples because the church is holy temple in the Lord,
the temple of God! in whom you also are be-
ing built together into a
•In the Old Testament the temple was where God dwelling of God in the
Spirit.”
dwelt with His people. Where does God now dwell
(Eph 2:19-22)
with His people? (1 Cor. 3:16) ____________________
______________________________________________

Discovery #1: What is the Church? 3

 Section 2: Putting It All Together
APPRECIATING THE CHURCH This is a team project. Your teacher
will divide your class into three teams and each team will answer one of the sec-
tions below and then report what they have discovered to the class.

SECTION 1: The church is made up of people who have been called out of dark-
ness and into the light. Answer the following questions using these passages:
Eph. 4:17-23; 1 John 1:5-7; 2 Peter 2:20-22.
1. How are Christians commanded NOT to walk?__________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. What happens to our relationship with God when we walk in darkness?
____________________________________________________________________
3. How does the Bible describe one who turns from light back to darkness?
____________________________________________________________________

SECTION 2: The church is described as both the body of Christ and His king-
dom. The body serves the will of the head just as the Kingdom serves the will of
the King. Answer the following questions using these passages: Matt. 28:18; Col.
3:17; John 12:48.
1. How much authority does Jesus have? _________________________________
2. What should be done by the authority of Jesus (in His name)? ______________
____________________________________________________________________
3. How will Christ judge us? ____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

SECTION 3: The church is described as the household of God. God is the Father
and all Christians are His children. Answer the following questions using these
passages: Romans 5:8-10; 1 John 3:1; 5:14-15; Gal. 4:7.
1. How do we know the Father loves us? _________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. What confidence do children of God have? ____________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. If we are children of God, we are also ________________________________.

4 Acts: Discovering the Early Church

 What Have You Discovered?
WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
First, answer if the following statements are True or False. Then, tell which passage
of Scripture gives the answer.
_____ 1. Jesus said His Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. _____________________
_____ 2. Jesus is head of the nation of Israel. _______________________________
_____ 3. We become children of God through faith and baptism. _____________
_____ 4. Jesus’ kingdom does not exist yet. ________________________________
_____ 5. The church is the household of God. ______________________________
_____ 6. Jesus is head of the church. _____________________________________
_____ 7. We are called out of darkness by the gospel. _______________________
_____ 8. Jesus has many bodies (churches). ________________________________
_____ 9. God now dwells in a temple in Jerusalem. _________________________
_____10. We are called out of light and into darkness. ______________________

Thinking About The Discovery

PART 1: Take a few minutes and review what you wrote on the first page of this
lesson: “What ‘Church’ Means To Me”. Has your idea of the “church” changed at
all? How?_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

PART 2: Review what you’ve studied in this lesson. In your own words, write what
you think it means to be a member of Jesus’ Kingdom, the church.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Discovery #1: What is the Church? 5