Embracing Church History for Faithful Living Today

Summary

### Summary

In today's sermon, we explored the significance of understanding church history and how it shapes our present faith and practice. We began by reflecting on the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus from Luke 24, illustrating how understanding the past can illuminate our present. This led us to a brief overview of church history, focusing on three main themes: the Enlightenment, the Great Awakenings, and the Plymouth Brethren movement.

The Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, marked a period where human intellect and reason were highly valued, often leading to spiritual apathy and secularism. This era saw a shift from the church being the sole arbiter of truth to a more skeptical and empirical approach to understanding life and faith. This skepticism led to a decline in church attendance and spiritual fervor, as illustrated by the anecdote of only six people attending Easter service at St. Paul's Cathedral in 1800.

In contrast, the Great Awakenings in the 18th and 19th centuries were periods of intense revival and spiritual renewal. Preachers like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and John Wesley drew massive crowds with their fervent sermons, leading to widespread conversions and the establishment of new denominations like the Methodists. These revivals emphasized the importance of heartfelt faith and personal transformation.

The Plymouth Brethren movement emerged in the 19th century as a response to the perceived spiritual apathy of the established church. Key figures like John Nelson Darby and George Mueller sought to reconstitute the church based on New Testament principles, emphasizing the priesthood of all believers, simplicity in worship, and a communal approach to church life. This movement also had a strong focus on the imminent return of Christ, which instilled a sense of urgency in their faith practice.

In applying these historical lessons to our lives today, we emphasized the integration of head, heart, and hands in our faith. We must balance intellectual understanding, heartfelt devotion, and active service. Additionally, we should strive for simplicity in our lives, focusing on what truly matters, and maintain a sense of urgency in our Christian walk, always ready for Christ's return.

### Key Takeaways

1. Integration of Head, Heart, and Hands: True faith requires a balance of intellectual understanding, heartfelt devotion, and active service. The Enlightenment's focus on reason led to spiritual apathy, while the Great Awakenings emphasized heartfelt faith. We must integrate all three aspects to avoid superficiality and ensure holistic spiritual growth. [27:53]

2. Simplicity in Worship and Life: Inspired by the Plymouth Brethren, we should strive for simplicity in our worship and daily lives. This means focusing on the essentials of faith, such as Bible study and communion, and living generously. George Mueller's life of faith and simplicity serves as a powerful model for us today. [30:50]

3. Sense of Urgency: The Plymouth Brethren's belief in the imminent return of Christ instilled a sense of urgency in their faith. While we may not share their exact eschatological views, we should still live with a sense of urgency, always ready for Christ's return. This perspective helps us prioritize what truly matters in our lives. [32:47]

4. Learning from History: Understanding church history helps us learn from past mistakes and successes. The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus shows how understanding the past can illuminate our present. By studying church history, we can better understand our identity and mission as the church today. [01:26]

5. Community and the Priesthood of All Believers: The Plymouth Brethren emphasized the communal nature of the church and the priesthood of all believers. This means that every believer has a role to play in the body of Christ, and we should foster a sense of community and mutual support within the church. [21:19]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[01:26] - The Road to Emmaus
[02:31] - Understanding Church History
[03:27] - Overview of Church History Series
[04:52] - The Enlightenment and Age of Reason
[06:14] - Key Figures of the Enlightenment
[07:44] - Impact on Faith and Secularism
[10:01] - Spiritual Apathy and Church Decline
[12:08] - Theological Responses and Biblical Studies
[13:03] - The Great Awakenings
[14:39] - George Whitefield's Sermon
[17:04] - Impact of the Great Awakenings
[18:14] - The Plymouth Brethren Movement
[19:54] - Reconstituting the Church
[21:19] - New Testament Model of Church
[24:13] - George Mueller's Legacy
[25:21] - Brethren Distinctives
[27:53] - Integration of Head, Heart, and Hands
[30:50] - Simplicity in Worship and Life
[32:47] - Sense of Urgency
[34:13] - Closing Prayer

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Luke 24:13-35 - The Road to Emmaus

#### Observation Questions
1. What were the two disciples discussing on the road to Emmaus, and how did Jesus respond to their conversation? [01:26]
2. How did the Enlightenment period affect church attendance and spiritual fervor, as illustrated by the anecdote of St. Paul's Cathedral in 1800? [10:01]
3. What were the key characteristics of the Great Awakenings, and who were some of the prominent preachers during this time? [13:03]
4. How did the Plymouth Brethren movement seek to reconstitute the church, and what were their main principles? [19:54]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus illustrate the importance of understanding church history for our present faith? [02:31]
2. In what ways did the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and skepticism lead to spiritual apathy and secularism? [07:44]
3. What impact did the Great Awakenings have on the church and society, and how did they emphasize the importance of heartfelt faith? [17:04]
4. How did the Plymouth Brethren's focus on the imminent return of Christ influence their sense of urgency and simplicity in worship? [21:19]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflecting on the integration of head, heart, and hands, which area do you feel most challenged to grow in: intellectual understanding, heartfelt devotion, or active service? How can you take a step in that direction this week? [27:53]
2. The Plymouth Brethren emphasized simplicity in worship and life. What are some ways you can simplify your own life to focus more on what truly matters? [30:50]
3. The sense of urgency in the Plymouth Brethren movement was driven by their belief in the imminent return of Christ. How can you cultivate a similar sense of urgency in your faith without becoming anxious or overwhelmed? [32:47]
4. Understanding church history helps us learn from past mistakes and successes. How can you incorporate lessons from church history into your personal faith journey? [01:26]
5. The Plymouth Brethren emphasized the priesthood of all believers and communal church life. How can you contribute to fostering a sense of community and mutual support within your church? [21:19]
6. George Mueller's life of faith and simplicity is a powerful model. What steps can you take to live more generously and dependently on God, following Mueller's example? [24:13]
7. If you knew Jesus was coming tomorrow, what is one area of your life you would change? How can you start making that change today to live with a sense of urgency and readiness? [33:28]

Devotional

Day 1: Balancing Intellectual Understanding, Heartfelt Devotion, and Active Service
True faith requires a balance of intellectual understanding, heartfelt devotion, and active service. The Enlightenment era, with its emphasis on reason and skepticism, led to spiritual apathy and a decline in church attendance. In contrast, the Great Awakenings emphasized heartfelt faith and personal transformation, drawing massive crowds and leading to widespread conversions. To avoid superficiality and ensure holistic spiritual growth, we must integrate all three aspects of faith: head, heart, and hands. This integration helps us to live out our faith in a way that is both intellectually satisfying and spiritually fulfilling. [27:53]

James 2:17-18 (ESV): "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

Reflection: In what ways can you actively serve others this week to demonstrate your faith in action? How can you ensure that your intellectual understanding and heartfelt devotion are also part of this service?

Day 2: Striving for Simplicity in Worship and Life
Inspired by the Plymouth Brethren, we should strive for simplicity in our worship and daily lives. This means focusing on the essentials of faith, such as Bible study and communion, and living generously. The Plymouth Brethren movement, led by figures like John Nelson Darby and George Mueller, emphasized simplicity in worship and a communal approach to church life. George Mueller's life of faith and simplicity serves as a powerful model for us today, reminding us to focus on what truly matters and to live generously. [30:50]

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (ESV): "And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one."

Reflection: What are some areas in your life where you can simplify and focus on the essentials of your faith? How can you practice generosity in your daily life?

Day 3: Living with a Sense of Urgency
The Plymouth Brethren's belief in the imminent return of Christ instilled a sense of urgency in their faith. While we may not share their exact eschatological views, we should still live with a sense of urgency, always ready for Christ's return. This perspective helps us prioritize what truly matters in our lives and encourages us to live faithfully and purposefully. By maintaining a sense of urgency, we can ensure that our actions and decisions align with our faith and values. [32:47]

1 Peter 4:7-8 (ESV): "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a sense of urgency in your faith without becoming anxious or overwhelmed? What steps can you take today to prioritize what truly matters in your life?

Day 4: Learning from Church History
Understanding church history helps us learn from past mistakes and successes. The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus shows how understanding the past can illuminate our present. By studying church history, we can better understand our identity and mission as the church today. This knowledge helps us to avoid repeating past errors and to build on the successes of those who have gone before us. It also provides us with a deeper appreciation for the rich heritage of our faith. [01:26]

Romans 15:4 (ESV): "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Reflection: What is one lesson from church history that you can apply to your life today? How can this lesson help you better understand your identity and mission as a follower of Christ?

Day 5: Embracing Community and the Priesthood of All Believers
The Plymouth Brethren emphasized the communal nature of the church and the priesthood of all believers. This means that every believer has a role to play in the body of Christ, and we should foster a sense of community and mutual support within the church. By embracing this principle, we can create a more inclusive and supportive church environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. This communal approach helps us to grow together in faith and to support one another in our spiritual journeys. [21:19]

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 (ESV): "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many."

Reflection: How can you actively contribute to fostering a sense of community and mutual support within your church? What role do you feel called to play in the body of Christ?

Quotes

1. "Understanding church history is not just about understanding the church in the past, but also important for how we are today. So we can learn to live today. We can understand from the mistakes and from the lessons. We can understand the lessons of the past, and we can therefore apply them to our lives today." [01:26] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "As Jesus did so, it says their hearts burned within them. It's not until they understood their past here in Scripture, leading up to the present time in their moment in their lives that day, that they then were able to understand who Jesus was. And history does something like that to us as well, church history." [02:31] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "The church didn't just appear here in the 21st century, here in 2024. It's been around for a long time, centuries. And so as we understand our past, as we understand how God has been working in the past, hopefully this does something similar to us, that we can understand, therefore, who we are, at least parts of who we are today." [03:27] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "The primary project of this period was to apply human reason to all the reality. And thinkers of the day valued above all else, reason, skepticism, and empirical observation. So there's one thing. One picture I want to leave you with is this picture of the mind. An attempt to apply the mind and reason and logic and observation as thoroughly and rigorously as possible to every area of our existence, including the church and faith." [07:44] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "What happens in the Enlightenment as a general trend is that as the Enlightenment progressed, there was a kind of a spiritual apathy that began to set in. Kind of a secularism, a divorce between the church and the secular world, the church and the state, and the church and the rest of the society. Because reason began to even be skeptical about the church, about faith." [08:52] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "We sometimes think that the church is this constant, or in modern eras, this constant decline in terms of secularism, but actually it's not quite true. There's these kind of waves and troughs in terms of spirituality and response to God's word throughout history. And this was definitely one of the troughs in terms of modern history." [10:48] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "Powerful sermons, convicting people of their present state, of their hearts, and many people, came weeping, confessing emotional responses, and fell to their feet, and brought their lives to the church, and to the Lord, in these revivals. Entire churches, entire denominations actually were begun. The Methodists were one of the results of these great revivals. Missionary activity increased during this time." [16:30] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "The picture I want to leave with you is this heart, and the affections of the heart in particular. In fact, Jonathan Edwards, one of the first great revivalist preachers, wrote a book called A Treatise on the Religious Affections, which is describing true signs of a real religious conversion and transformation of the heart." [17:44] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "One of the real contributions of Brethrenism is this real activism, this real sense of just doing something and being active for the Lord. So, again, what are some of the Brethren distinctives? Well, I've mentioned a few. I'm just going to focus again on four, or three and a half, I guess. The end times, there's this focus on the end times, that they were right on the cusp of Jesus, Jesus returning." [25:21] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "How do we recapture a sense of the urgency of the Christian life that can take our eyes off of the focusing of the things around us and onto the things of God, the things truly important? Think about in your life, if the Lord Jesus were coming tomorrow, tomorrow, what's one area of life that you would change? That's how these men lived in that era. They believed Jesus was coming very soon." [33:28] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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Transcript

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