GATHERED TOGETHER
Part 8 of 12 Celebrating Scripture Series
1Timothy 1:3
“As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.”
Think about Jesus’ disciples watching Him rise higher into the air, until He disappeared from sight (Luke 24:51). They remembered Jesus commanding them to go into the world and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). They were to baptize people, just as John the Baptist had done (Matthew 14:3-12).
When the Holy Spirit arrived (Acts 2:1-4), Jesus’ disciples sprang to life. It was time to get busy. Peter stood tall and raised his voice to address the crowd: “Fellow Jews visiting Jerusalem, listen to me!”
Peter spoke boldly, urgently recapping the story of a Nazarene named Jesus. He quoted Scripture, proving that his words were true. That day, 3,000 people came to believe in Jesus (Acts 2:14-41). “…the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts2:47).
Soon, copy-cats emerged. False teaching began spreading like wildfire. It became difficult to filter out God’s truth from all the lies.
The Holy Spirit directed the apostles to write everything down. Christian leaders gathered together their writings into one place; their work was sacred, and trustworthy.
Take Home Nugget
To separate God’s truth apart from the world, the Holy Spirit directed church leaders to preserve what is sacred. A Christian Canon (KAN-on means rule, or standard measurement) was born. The first Council of Nicaea (Ni-SEE-a) met to resolve arguments among Christians in 325 A.D. (Anno Domini is Latin for “the year of the Lord”).
The apostles’ sacred writings laid the foundation for The Nicene (ni-SEEN) Creed. Confessing aloud believers declare aloud this declaration of Christian faith. The body of witnesses so declaring, is separated as God followers from everyone else in the world.
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through Him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
He came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered death and was buried.
On the third day He rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
Who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
Who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic [universal] and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
A personal, private lesson experience with our staff
Written for www.Biblestudyforkids.com
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