Ecclesia

Lessons from the Early Church

Tyler Cook

Ecclesia is the English transliteration for the Greek word “church.” This word is like a multifaceted diamond with many beautiful features to consider. Contrary to popular opinion, the word church is not primarily about attending a Sunday morning service or the building it meets in. It is about a group of people devoted to fervently loving God and one another.

Our Christian heritage was birthed out of the first-century church. This body of believers was responsible for the first Christian revival and for taking the first steps to fulfill the great commission. Many were eyewitnesses to Christ himself and knew God’s design for His church.

The question becomes, how much does our modern-day church expression resemble the church that was most closely tied to the physical life of Christ? Are we straying from some of the foundational principles established by the early church? What lessons can be learned, and how must we change to have the same impact on society that our brothers and sisters had in the first century? In this course, we cover all these questions including topics such as:

• How persecution affects the church

• What spiritual practices the early church was devoted to

• How godly fear promotes holiness among His people

• Why we need to avoid watering down the message of the gospel

• How to appoint church leadership based on the early church model

• The similarities and differences between Israel and the church

• And so much more …