1 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:21,280 David McCullagh: Now, we're beginning a new series, um, I think I've told 2 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,499 you before, I love the Old Testament and that's why perhaps the Tabernacle 3 00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:28,120 was a study that I particularly enjoyed because it got into a little bit of that. 4 00:00:28,510 --> 00:00:31,950 Um, coming a second closer, I do love church history. 5 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,720 Um, and one of the reasons for that is you're going to discover a quote. 6 00:00:36,355 --> 00:00:39,845 Um, on your, uh, on your handout in just a moment. 7 00:00:40,675 --> 00:00:46,025 Uh, in our house we enjoy one or two, uh, programs. 8 00:00:46,244 --> 00:00:48,544 Uh, Silent Witness, if you're familiar with it. 9 00:00:48,545 --> 00:00:52,184 Um, I can't even remember the rest of them. 10 00:00:52,184 --> 00:00:53,444 There was one on Forgotten. 11 00:00:54,110 --> 00:00:57,089 Uh, there was a Canadian one as well, I can't remember what it 12 00:00:57,110 --> 00:00:58,540 was called, the Coroner I think. 13 00:00:58,900 --> 00:01:03,839 And it's that idea of what the past can teach us today in discovering how 14 00:01:03,839 --> 00:01:07,470 murders were committed but also who done them and it's, it's murder mystery 15 00:01:07,470 --> 00:01:09,020 but it's from a different perspective. 16 00:01:09,830 --> 00:01:12,860 And it's one of those shows that you're, you're trying to follow that trail 17 00:01:12,899 --> 00:01:15,949 because the trail does lead to today. 18 00:01:17,169 --> 00:01:19,609 And we do that with our, our family. 19 00:01:19,930 --> 00:01:20,920 history as well. 20 00:01:22,130 --> 00:01:25,160 We do it whenever we think about where we've come from. 21 00:01:25,980 --> 00:01:28,450 And I suppose that's what always fascinates me whenever I'm putting 22 00:01:28,450 --> 00:01:32,569 together a tribute for someone whose funeral service I will conduct. 23 00:01:33,210 --> 00:01:36,815 You learn of people who perhaps started life on the shore road and They were 24 00:01:36,815 --> 00:01:39,565 maybe the last in the children, so the fishing industry wasn't for them. 25 00:01:39,565 --> 00:01:43,305 There wasn't enough room, and so they ended up moving up country, perhaps to a 26 00:01:43,305 --> 00:01:45,565 maternal farm, and ended up being farmers. 27 00:01:45,565 --> 00:01:48,464 And so, all of a sudden, from becoming a fishing family, they became a 28 00:01:48,464 --> 00:01:49,955 farming family, and for generations. 29 00:01:50,155 --> 00:01:53,735 That's all that particular family have known, and in this age in 30 00:01:53,735 --> 00:01:56,585 which we're living, and I've had a few of these experiences myself, 31 00:01:56,585 --> 00:01:59,925 where families have moved away from Manilong to find work whenever. 32 00:02:00,375 --> 00:02:04,855 Uh, we had our first storm in Parliament and the civil service was, was growing, 33 00:02:04,855 --> 00:02:06,925 or there was work up in Belfast. 34 00:02:07,135 --> 00:02:10,065 And so families moved and they became city families. 35 00:02:10,454 --> 00:02:12,544 But yet they always retained a connection. 36 00:02:12,545 --> 00:02:14,904 But as soon as they came home, you knew they weren't from here. 37 00:02:14,904 --> 00:02:16,525 You knew they were those city people. 38 00:02:17,364 --> 00:02:19,834 Even though they grew up here, they changed. 39 00:02:19,835 --> 00:02:23,785 And they became defined, even defining themselves as city people. 40 00:02:23,785 --> 00:02:28,129 Because if they were truly honest, they enjoyed coming to Annalong. 41 00:02:28,829 --> 00:02:34,920 for the holidays, but perhaps not to live, because we were just that little 42 00:02:34,929 --> 00:02:37,010 bit further out from the bus route. 43 00:02:37,670 --> 00:02:40,929 Nowadays, you're further out, uh, from the internet service, 44 00:02:40,970 --> 00:02:42,649 I think is the major complaint. 45 00:02:43,660 --> 00:02:47,140 So we like to know who we are and where we've come from. 46 00:02:47,640 --> 00:02:50,340 And that's the significance of church history. 47 00:02:51,049 --> 00:02:53,780 And whether you wanted to call it church history, maybe that's too 48 00:02:53,820 --> 00:02:56,999 academic for you, maybe you just want to call it the story of the 49 00:02:57,010 --> 00:02:58,549 church, whatever you want to call it. 50 00:02:59,820 --> 00:03:05,370 The 2, 000 years that we will cover in the next decade of Midweek Series, 51 00:03:05,380 --> 00:03:08,509 perhaps, define who we are today. 52 00:03:08,899 --> 00:03:13,029 Not just in our theology that we might look back to only 500 years 53 00:03:13,029 --> 00:03:17,439 ago, or more recently what has shaped and defined church today and what 54 00:03:17,450 --> 00:03:19,019 previous generations have done. 55 00:03:19,799 --> 00:03:25,339 But right at the very beginning, 2, 000 years ago, after we leave the 56 00:03:25,350 --> 00:03:31,325 Acts of the Apostles, we jump to Um, what we understand and learn today. 57 00:03:31,714 --> 00:03:35,564 And so as we begin this evening, we're calling this Direct Beginnings. 58 00:03:36,465 --> 00:03:38,293 Because there is a direct connection. 59 00:03:38,295 --> 00:03:42,105 We, we simply don't drop off Acts 28 and wonder what happened. 60 00:03:42,674 --> 00:03:47,934 There are people who were known in the biblical text who continue, uh, through 61 00:03:47,934 --> 00:03:53,304 writings that are extra biblical and tell us what life was like for them. 62 00:03:53,304 --> 00:03:55,495 And we'll look at two of those this evening. 63 00:03:55,495 --> 00:03:58,614 But the first of all is, why learn our church history? 64 00:03:59,815 --> 00:04:02,405 Well, church history is beneficial to us. 65 00:04:03,545 --> 00:04:06,535 As I've said, church history tells us who we are today. 66 00:04:06,975 --> 00:04:11,314 Not just about what we believe, but also our practice. 67 00:04:11,954 --> 00:04:19,685 Why do we, particularly here in Annalong, use shortbread and not pan bread? 68 00:04:22,034 --> 00:04:23,835 That's our church history. 69 00:04:24,605 --> 00:04:28,055 Why is there a T junction Church in County R Ma? 70 00:04:28,385 --> 00:04:32,164 When I say T Junction, it's in the form of a T equal lengths in every 71 00:04:32,255 --> 00:04:36,995 wave coming from the pulpit, and they put tables down the aisle and they 72 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,784 sit at table for the Lord's Supper. 73 00:04:40,145 --> 00:04:43,594 That's their church history, but it's not ours. 74 00:04:44,515 --> 00:04:49,195 But the commonality is we sing from a blue hymn book, the revised 75 00:04:49,195 --> 00:04:53,844 hymn book, or perhaps our practices in how we lift the collection. 76 00:04:55,110 --> 00:04:59,530 That's our practice, which goes hand in hand with also what we believe. 77 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:04,019 And so as we look over certain figures and certain events, it'll define why 78 00:05:04,019 --> 00:05:07,779 we do what we do, but it'll define why we believe what we believe. 79 00:05:08,595 --> 00:05:13,375 And one current, uh, professor, he's actually president of the 80 00:05:13,395 --> 00:05:17,915 Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Florida, uh, Stephen J. 81 00:05:17,915 --> 00:05:21,934 Nichols said this, and this is the first quote there in italics, uh, about a 82 00:05:21,934 --> 00:05:23,294 quarter of the way down your handout. 83 00:05:23,755 --> 00:05:27,869 The past enriches our lives in surprising ways. 84 00:05:28,740 --> 00:05:33,330 In our past, our family history, we see examples of faithful disciples. 85 00:05:33,690 --> 00:05:38,420 We can be encouraged and even inspire, inspired by their faithfulness. 86 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:44,919 But far more, we see examples of God's faithfulness to his people. 87 00:05:44,930 --> 00:05:50,920 And I read that a while ago and I thought, that's, that's pretty good. 88 00:05:51,620 --> 00:05:55,320 If you want a reason of why we do it, that's it there, because actually we 89 00:05:55,320 --> 00:06:00,650 call it church history, but it's the story of God at work in human history and 90 00:06:00,650 --> 00:06:02,990 we must remember that it is his story. 91 00:06:02,995 --> 00:06:08,200 It's not ours, and I think it's key of what's, how we understand this 92 00:06:08,205 --> 00:06:14,820 moving forward, that church history, the story of the church only works. 93 00:06:15,435 --> 00:06:17,135 when we understand it through the Holy Spirit. 94 00:06:17,745 --> 00:06:21,475 Presbyterians are given a short straw, I believe, in how we look 95 00:06:21,475 --> 00:06:23,075 and perceive the Holy Spirit. 96 00:06:23,075 --> 00:06:27,284 Just because we don't do it like others doesn't mean we don't have a firm belief 97 00:06:27,284 --> 00:06:28,555 in the working of the Holy Spirit. 98 00:06:28,555 --> 00:06:30,075 And this is where it begins. 99 00:06:30,615 --> 00:06:34,315 It begins in the salvation of generations before us. 100 00:06:34,835 --> 00:06:39,215 It works in the revivals and in the movements, missionary movements of 101 00:06:39,215 --> 00:06:43,935 the church that not only spread from Jerusalem into all the world, but spread 102 00:06:43,935 --> 00:06:46,665 across Africa, Asia, South America. 103 00:06:46,915 --> 00:06:49,405 Even America itself at a time had to be evangelized. 104 00:06:51,385 --> 00:06:56,155 And so the Holy Spirit was at work and has been at work and will continue to be at 105 00:06:56,155 --> 00:06:57,615 work and that's what we're going to see. 106 00:06:58,405 --> 00:07:01,255 That actually, church history is the history of the Holy Spirit at 107 00:07:01,255 --> 00:07:04,385 work in all places and in all times. 108 00:07:05,694 --> 00:07:10,934 And that's what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse, 109 00:07:11,095 --> 00:07:14,195 uh, sorry, chapter 1 and verse 10. 110 00:07:14,854 --> 00:07:19,375 That it was he who delivered us from such a deadly peril and he will deliver us. 111 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:23,349 On Him, we have set our hope that He will deliver us again. 112 00:07:24,169 --> 00:07:27,989 See, when we learn the movement of God through His Spirit, when we see 113 00:07:27,989 --> 00:07:31,669 Him at work, as we will particularly see it in these two first characters 114 00:07:31,669 --> 00:07:35,739 this evening, well then we see how God will deliver us in the future. 115 00:07:36,889 --> 00:07:41,240 As we've known God in the past, so we will know Him for today, and 116 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:42,420 we will know Him for the future. 117 00:07:43,239 --> 00:07:47,239 Supported by Scripture, of how we see God work in the Biblical text. 118 00:07:47,875 --> 00:07:50,995 As well as the testimonies that we will now hear over these next number 119 00:07:50,995 --> 00:07:56,964 of weeks of people from our past Who will tell us how faithful God has been. 120 00:07:57,615 --> 00:07:58,655 So where to begin? 121 00:07:59,655 --> 00:08:02,285 Whenever you're thinking of church history, it's a good question. 122 00:08:02,474 --> 00:08:03,685 Where could you begin? 123 00:08:03,695 --> 00:08:06,039 You could start in the garden if you wanted to. 124 00:08:07,030 --> 00:08:12,330 You could start, uh, whenever we picked up that series that we did, um, last year or 125 00:08:12,359 --> 00:08:15,450 the blank page in your Bible a couple of years ago, we could have picked up there 126 00:08:15,450 --> 00:08:19,299 as we enter into the formation of the church with the coming of Jesus Christ. 127 00:08:19,969 --> 00:08:22,340 Well, we're actually going to begin with what's key. 128 00:08:22,355 --> 00:08:28,495 in Acts chapter 1 verses 6 to 11 and the ascension of Jesus. 129 00:08:28,855 --> 00:08:29,885 So we're going to read that. 130 00:08:30,635 --> 00:08:32,225 If you do have your Bibles, turn to it there. 131 00:08:32,515 --> 00:08:35,975 Acts chapter 1 and verses 6 to 11. 132 00:08:39,485 --> 00:08:43,585 The text says, So when they had come together, they asked him, 133 00:08:43,585 --> 00:08:47,165 Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? 134 00:08:47,605 --> 00:08:52,280 He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons that the 135 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:54,930 Father has fixed by his own authority. 136 00:08:55,510 --> 00:08:59,360 But you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. 137 00:08:59,850 --> 00:09:04,099 And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and 138 00:09:04,099 --> 00:09:06,849 Samaria and to the end of the earth. 139 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:12,560 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, 140 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:14,550 and a cloud took him out of their sight. 141 00:09:14,949 --> 00:09:19,779 And while they were gazing into heaven, As he went, behold, two men stood by them 142 00:09:19,779 --> 00:09:25,149 in white robes and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? 143 00:09:25,529 --> 00:09:31,809 This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way 144 00:09:32,019 --> 00:09:35,879 as he saw, as you saw him go into heaven. 145 00:09:36,460 --> 00:09:36,960 Amen. 146 00:09:37,939 --> 00:09:39,650 This is the Word of God. 147 00:09:41,719 --> 00:09:43,129 So this is where we begin. 148 00:09:43,699 --> 00:09:48,390 The ascension of Jesus Christ because it's in this moment that the disciples 149 00:09:48,390 --> 00:09:55,630 are told what to do They're told to go out and we know the Great Commission We 150 00:09:55,630 --> 00:10:00,380 have it in Matthew 28 go into all the world, but but here we have what they're 151 00:10:00,380 --> 00:10:07,550 to do Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria Some people have looked at that as a, a circle. 152 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,710 Jerusalem is the inner circle, where they were, going out to Samaria, the countries 153 00:10:11,710 --> 00:10:15,480 around them, or, or sorry, Judea, the countryside around them, and then out 154 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:19,010 to Samaria, to the world around them. 155 00:10:19,810 --> 00:10:23,130 That's nearly too limiting, because it's geographical. 156 00:10:24,420 --> 00:10:27,310 If we think of it in these terms, Jerusalem was where they knew, the 157 00:10:27,310 --> 00:10:31,770 people they knew, begin there, then go to the countryside you knew. 158 00:10:32,585 --> 00:10:37,025 the people that you know, the culture that's familiar within Judea, and then 159 00:10:37,025 --> 00:10:42,425 go to Samaria, the beginning of the Gentile world, and there, mixed with 160 00:10:42,425 --> 00:10:48,105 a culture you don't know, and spread out through to the ends of the earth. 161 00:10:49,195 --> 00:10:52,505 That's perhaps a better way to view that than, than simply, 162 00:10:52,775 --> 00:10:54,655 uh, that's just three circles. 163 00:10:54,655 --> 00:10:58,635 But what's happening in each, to the area and people you know. 164 00:10:59,174 --> 00:11:03,755 Then to the countryside, that's familiar, but it's a culture that is known. 165 00:11:04,225 --> 00:11:10,315 Then going beyond that and even more into the pagan culture and into all the world. 166 00:11:10,995 --> 00:11:13,705 But notice what Jesus says. 167 00:11:14,595 --> 00:11:18,045 He says this will happen when you will receive power. 168 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:21,610 from the Holy Spirit that's going to come upon you, and 169 00:11:21,610 --> 00:11:23,450 then you will be my witnesses. 170 00:11:23,830 --> 00:11:28,579 That's why we see this as a movement and as a work of the Holy Spirit. 171 00:11:30,310 --> 00:11:33,560 The church can only move as the Spirit leads. 172 00:11:34,849 --> 00:11:37,710 The church is obedient to the Spirit. 173 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:44,360 The great missionary movements of the past have been faithful in where they have gone 174 00:11:44,949 --> 00:11:46,590 and in the message they have proclaimed. 175 00:11:47,655 --> 00:11:52,444 And as we go in step with the Spirit, then we know that God 176 00:11:52,444 --> 00:11:55,655 will bless his work in his way. 177 00:11:56,655 --> 00:12:02,994 And so the life and witness of the Church throughout all of time has been led by 178 00:12:02,994 --> 00:12:06,465 the Spirit and must be led by the Spirit. 179 00:12:06,625 --> 00:12:12,485 Spirit led and Spirit filled, and that's why we recognize the Holy 180 00:12:12,485 --> 00:12:14,625 Spirit at work in our Church history. 181 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:19,140 But we're not going to go through Acts. 182 00:12:19,410 --> 00:12:24,709 We're already, or we've already done that and are at a certain point along the way. 183 00:12:24,709 --> 00:12:28,119 We're going to jump to the end of Acts because that's where we really begin. 184 00:12:28,129 --> 00:12:31,499 That's why this is entitled Direct Beginnings. 185 00:12:32,180 --> 00:12:36,449 Because we're going to really pick up where Acts leaves off. 186 00:12:37,569 --> 00:12:42,415 And so as the canon of Scripture closes, We have Revelation, and Acts 187 00:12:42,495 --> 00:12:46,175 of the Apostles, and Revelation, certainly the first couple of chapters, 188 00:12:46,175 --> 00:12:49,985 that is, the letters to the seven churches, are inextricably linked. 189 00:12:50,564 --> 00:12:55,244 You can't read the seven letters to the seven churches unless you 190 00:12:55,244 --> 00:12:56,934 understand the Acts of the Apostles. 191 00:12:57,374 --> 00:13:02,730 Because it is to those very churches that Jesus is speaking. 192 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:07,750 And so as we finish the Acts of the Apostles, we know 193 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:10,049 Paul is on his way to Rome. 194 00:13:10,550 --> 00:13:13,140 He's there because that's what he wanted to. 195 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:18,570 He wanted to go because of appealing to Caesar. 196 00:13:18,780 --> 00:13:21,710 And we have that there in Acts 25 and verse 11. 197 00:13:22,700 --> 00:13:24,150 And Acts closes in A. 198 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:24,180 D. 199 00:13:24,180 --> 00:13:25,190 63. 200 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:27,380 And this is what we learn at the close of that. 201 00:13:28,420 --> 00:13:32,150 Speaking of Paul, he lived there two whole years at his own expense 202 00:13:32,150 --> 00:13:36,039 and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and 203 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:42,310 teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. 204 00:13:42,799 --> 00:13:47,839 And there you have Paul, even though he's waiting to be tried by Caesar. 205 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:50,220 He, he's still proclaiming the truth. 206 00:13:50,220 --> 00:13:53,820 He's an older man now, it's likely the year after Paul is martyred. 207 00:13:54,300 --> 00:13:58,739 We don't have records of that, but it's most likely Paul dies in A. 208 00:13:58,750 --> 00:13:58,769 D. 209 00:13:58,769 --> 00:13:59,759 64. 210 00:14:00,759 --> 00:14:04,080 And so we, we leave Paul doing what he's been doing since his 211 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:06,519 conversion, proclaiming the good news. 212 00:14:07,339 --> 00:14:09,120 So what happens after this? 213 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:13,010 What happens to the church after A. 214 00:14:13,010 --> 00:14:13,220 D. 215 00:14:13,220 --> 00:14:13,960 64? 216 00:14:14,390 --> 00:14:17,050 Well, you know I like to give you as much as I can. 217 00:14:17,050 --> 00:14:18,619 We're not going to look at this in any detail. 218 00:14:19,295 --> 00:14:23,115 So, top of page 2 there, there's a grid, um, and it's on the screen as well, 219 00:14:23,245 --> 00:14:27,595 and this grid is a, a bit of an idea of how the Acts of the Apostles work. 220 00:14:28,085 --> 00:14:30,375 And so you see here, anywhere between A. 221 00:14:30,375 --> 00:14:30,595 D. 222 00:14:30,595 --> 00:14:33,995 64 and 67, Paul and Peter are martyred. 223 00:14:34,335 --> 00:14:37,045 And it's during the time of Nero, but of course it's also 224 00:14:37,045 --> 00:14:38,235 the time of the Great Fire. 225 00:14:38,464 --> 00:14:41,174 And so most of the persecution came because of the Great 226 00:14:41,174 --> 00:14:45,055 Fire, which was started by Nero but blamed on the Christians. 227 00:14:45,615 --> 00:14:48,704 And so we don't know exactly when, but somewhere between those years 228 00:14:48,704 --> 00:14:53,305 at the bottom of that grid, 64 to 67, Peter and Paul are martyred. 229 00:14:53,734 --> 00:14:55,635 And it's only verbal tradition. 230 00:14:56,065 --> 00:14:57,415 that teaches us that. 231 00:14:57,875 --> 00:15:02,155 And that's important for us to understand as we go into this evening because 232 00:15:02,155 --> 00:15:08,794 we're going to look at two people and their names are Ignatius and Polycarp. 233 00:15:09,355 --> 00:15:13,609 Now I grew up with a lot of people around me called Ignatius I didn't grow up 234 00:15:13,609 --> 00:15:15,439 with anyone around me called Polycarp. 235 00:15:15,919 --> 00:15:19,279 I don't know anybody called Polycarp, but in Cady there were 236 00:15:19,279 --> 00:15:21,199 a few Ignatiuses along the way. 237 00:15:21,479 --> 00:15:25,329 I don't know if you've any in Annalong, but I grew up with being a familiar name. 238 00:15:25,839 --> 00:15:28,909 Um, I could never understand what a nickname for Ignatius would be, 239 00:15:28,909 --> 00:15:31,439 or a shortened version, so we're not going to try that this evening. 240 00:15:32,579 --> 00:15:36,189 Anybody know or heard of Ignatius, as in this Ignatius we're 241 00:15:36,189 --> 00:15:37,810 talking about, and Polycarp? 242 00:15:38,569 --> 00:15:39,019 Good. 243 00:15:41,825 --> 00:15:44,455 I see heads nodding, and I see you going, Nope, don't have a clue. 244 00:15:44,465 --> 00:15:48,725 Well, in the days of Polaroid cameras, I'm delighted to be able to show 245 00:15:48,725 --> 00:15:52,174 you pictures of them, or at least etchings of what they look like. 246 00:15:52,174 --> 00:15:52,885 You have them there. 247 00:15:52,915 --> 00:15:53,715 Ignatius. 248 00:15:54,245 --> 00:15:56,185 Ignatius means to ignite. 249 00:15:57,464 --> 00:15:58,144 Ignatius. 250 00:15:58,515 --> 00:16:01,065 And polycarp means many fish. 251 00:16:01,885 --> 00:16:07,584 And there's no better name for these two fathers of the church. 252 00:16:09,415 --> 00:16:13,155 As we'll discover, Ignatius really did ignite. 253 00:16:13,460 --> 00:16:20,970 Something he ignited truth in the church, Polycarp, uh, the, what we 254 00:16:20,970 --> 00:16:24,900 would call the first to be persecuted because we have a written detail 255 00:16:24,900 --> 00:16:27,030 of his persecution, his martyrdom. 256 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:33,660 Uh, he really was, uh, someone who gathered many fish because in his 257 00:16:33,660 --> 00:16:38,010 ministry where he was 86, he was allowed to continue ministering until he was 86. 258 00:16:39,090 --> 00:16:44,600 He, he truly was the one who, who discipled many of the church fathers for 259 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:46,510 the generations that would follow him. 260 00:16:47,450 --> 00:16:50,959 And so that, these are the two we're going to look at, but the reason why 261 00:16:50,959 --> 00:16:55,439 we're going to start is because they have direct connections to Scripture. 262 00:16:56,220 --> 00:17:01,530 Because both of these men were disciples of John the Apostle. 263 00:17:03,390 --> 00:17:05,930 Have you ever wondered what happened to the disciples? 264 00:17:07,744 --> 00:17:11,444 Because they, they were in what we call the rabbinic tradition. 265 00:17:11,454 --> 00:17:12,815 Jesus was their rabbi. 266 00:17:13,035 --> 00:17:14,355 Jesus was their teacher. 267 00:17:14,723 --> 00:17:19,174 That meant that a rabbi gathered people around him who he would invest 268 00:17:19,175 --> 00:17:21,035 in, who he would train and instruct. 269 00:17:21,064 --> 00:17:26,473 And what that was supposed to do was for them to become rabbis in due course, so 270 00:17:26,473 --> 00:17:28,745 that they would gather people around them. 271 00:17:29,315 --> 00:17:33,615 Now we don't have the rabbinic system now, but we have something similar. 272 00:17:33,875 --> 00:17:34,995 We call it discipling. 273 00:17:36,210 --> 00:17:42,270 . So John Disciple as a disciple, he discipled Ignatius and Polycarp. 274 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:47,700 Now, we don't know this, uh, through the biblical text, but in what is 275 00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:51,930 called the martyrdom of Polycarp, the record of, of what happened to 276 00:17:51,930 --> 00:17:57,750 his life, we're told that both these two men, um, were disciples of John. 277 00:17:57,750 --> 00:18:03,180 In fact, Polycarp went on to, or he discipled Erren, or who 278 00:18:03,180 --> 00:18:04,560 is the next church father? 279 00:18:04,865 --> 00:18:06,945 that will come in a timeline for us. 280 00:18:07,495 --> 00:18:10,155 And so it was one disciple discipling another, discipling 281 00:18:10,155 --> 00:18:14,394 another, and so we have this line of succession of discipleship that 282 00:18:14,405 --> 00:18:16,565 brings us to who we are today. 283 00:18:17,524 --> 00:18:22,805 So the Apostle John, who by this stage is on Patmos, um, receiving the 284 00:18:22,805 --> 00:18:31,475 revelation, um, Polycarp and Ignatius are in faith, have been discipled, and 285 00:18:31,475 --> 00:18:33,135 are now in their places of Antioch. 286 00:18:34,710 --> 00:18:39,780 So let's begin by looking at Ignatius the Bishop of Antioch. 287 00:18:40,060 --> 00:18:44,580 He was born roughly around 35 AD and he was born in Ephesus. 288 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,499 And we're going to hear a lot of these place names because they're places that 289 00:18:49,499 --> 00:18:51,660 have been on Paul's missionary journey. 290 00:18:52,190 --> 00:18:53,640 So he was born in Ephesus. 291 00:18:54,245 --> 00:18:58,315 We know that Timothy was in Ephesus, and so it's most likely that he 292 00:18:58,325 --> 00:19:00,055 benefited from that instruction. 293 00:19:00,315 --> 00:19:03,685 And as I've said, he was a disciple of John the Apostle. 294 00:19:03,955 --> 00:19:08,514 But he, he did go on, uh, rather quickly, uh, to the church in 295 00:19:08,514 --> 00:19:10,144 Ephesus and minister there. 296 00:19:10,315 --> 00:19:11,605 Or sorry, the church in Antioch. 297 00:19:12,125 --> 00:19:16,554 Um, he's from Ephesus, a great city, a great place of learning, and a great 298 00:19:16,564 --> 00:19:21,284 heritage for him, and we understand that he was martyred in AD 110. 299 00:19:21,635 --> 00:19:26,835 So he lived a good age too, but not much is known about what he did in his 300 00:19:26,835 --> 00:19:31,024 teaching and in his ministry, um, because it wasn't necessarily written down. 301 00:19:31,285 --> 00:19:34,335 We know some of his epistles, his letters, and that's what we're going 302 00:19:34,335 --> 00:19:36,435 to look at briefly this evening. 303 00:19:38,289 --> 00:19:43,360 And what, uh, Ignatius is known for and why is he, why he is important for us is 304 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:47,019 that he stood firm against false teachers. 305 00:19:47,570 --> 00:19:50,450 Uh, this is something that plagued the church. 306 00:19:51,140 --> 00:19:54,530 We know it because, uh, John dealt with it himself. 307 00:19:55,590 --> 00:19:59,610 He was telling the people to stand firm, and there was a belief in 308 00:19:59,610 --> 00:20:04,020 the days of Ignatius that Jesus didn't really come in human form. 309 00:20:05,259 --> 00:20:07,330 It was more than a story. 310 00:20:07,995 --> 00:20:12,895 In that there was a real person, but it was implied rather than a reality. 311 00:20:14,205 --> 00:20:18,245 And this troubled Ignatius, as you can understand, but you have to understand 312 00:20:18,245 --> 00:20:19,355 the culture of the time as well. 313 00:20:19,365 --> 00:20:20,135 This is all new. 314 00:20:20,145 --> 00:20:21,295 Nothing's written down. 315 00:20:21,635 --> 00:20:24,205 There's no scripture to go to and contend with. 316 00:20:24,854 --> 00:20:28,504 Rather, it's what the Apostles have taught, because isn't that what 317 00:20:28,504 --> 00:20:30,305 the early church did in Acts 4? 318 00:20:31,195 --> 00:20:34,245 They listened to the Apostles teaching, and that's how the church was formed 319 00:20:34,245 --> 00:20:35,975 in its understanding of salvation. 320 00:20:36,989 --> 00:20:41,739 of Christology, and who Christ was, and what atonement was, and redemption. 321 00:20:42,759 --> 00:20:45,989 And so now this second generation are taking that, and they're the 322 00:20:45,989 --> 00:20:48,929 ones who, along with the Apostles, are starting to write down. 323 00:20:50,035 --> 00:20:54,395 And so in the epistles of Ignatius, he is writing to the church to warn them. 324 00:20:54,955 --> 00:20:58,045 And in fact, it's there, he quotes in the middle of the text there, 325 00:20:58,324 --> 00:21:00,575 um, I think it's over on page three. 326 00:21:01,175 --> 00:21:04,725 He's writing and he tells the church to say, look, when you hear false teaching 327 00:21:04,725 --> 00:21:08,914 about this, when you hear that there's issues with Jesus, close your ears. 328 00:21:09,374 --> 00:21:10,934 Don't listen to them. 329 00:21:12,795 --> 00:21:14,195 And you can understand why. 330 00:21:15,095 --> 00:21:19,925 And really, this nails for us our understanding of salvation. 331 00:21:20,655 --> 00:21:25,384 Because from this moment of Ignatius, we continue to believe the 332 00:21:25,384 --> 00:21:28,185 truth of salvation in the church. 333 00:21:28,765 --> 00:21:33,313 That Christ indeed did come, the deity, the God man. 334 00:21:33,313 --> 00:21:38,443 He did indeed die a death he did not deserve. 335 00:21:38,443 --> 00:21:42,034 He did indeed rise from the dead. 336 00:21:43,195 --> 00:21:46,325 And if you don't believe that, then you have no salvation. 337 00:21:46,785 --> 00:21:50,525 And so Ignatius was writing to the church to say, don't listen to this 338 00:21:50,525 --> 00:21:52,725 falsehood, don't listen to these people. 339 00:21:52,745 --> 00:21:56,675 This is, this is long before we get to the Gnostics, who have some secret knowledge. 340 00:21:57,025 --> 00:22:00,674 This is right in the very opening years of the church, where they're, they're 341 00:22:00,675 --> 00:22:03,295 starting to challenge what salvation is. 342 00:22:04,615 --> 00:22:09,095 That actually salvation is works and just pleasing God, going back to a Jewish 343 00:22:09,125 --> 00:22:13,545 way, rather than the way of Christ, understanding that he is the Son of God. 344 00:22:14,925 --> 00:22:19,384 And so what Ignatius fought in his epistles and ultimately what brought him 345 00:22:19,384 --> 00:22:23,435 to his martyrdom, we still stand on today. 346 00:22:24,195 --> 00:22:29,104 Salvation alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone. 347 00:22:31,175 --> 00:22:35,284 Now those terms were not adopted for a couple of hundred centuries 348 00:22:35,314 --> 00:22:39,055 or a couple of centuries later, but this is where it begins. 349 00:22:39,405 --> 00:22:43,764 And this is the battle that was fought in the church, in Antioch, 350 00:22:44,035 --> 00:22:45,745 and in the surrounding areas. 351 00:22:46,190 --> 00:22:50,590 So that the church would be strong in what it believed about salvation. 352 00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:54,989 And that's the heritage that we stand in today. 353 00:22:55,649 --> 00:23:02,029 The testimony of Ignatius makes us gospel centered people today. 354 00:23:03,689 --> 00:23:06,600 So whenever you go back and think of his name Ignatius, Ignite, 355 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:08,820 he truly did ignite something. 356 00:23:09,409 --> 00:23:12,739 He ignited the truth about salvation and the gospel. 357 00:23:13,460 --> 00:23:16,320 that we benefit and rejoice in today. 358 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,550 Well, let's move on to our second person who's called Polycarp. 359 00:23:20,550 --> 00:23:23,830 And Polycarp was born in A. 360 00:23:23,830 --> 00:23:24,320 D. 361 00:23:24,340 --> 00:23:25,000 70. 362 00:23:25,970 --> 00:23:31,579 We don't exactly know where he was born, but we believe it to be Turkey or Asia 363 00:23:31,580 --> 00:23:34,550 Minor, as it was known in biblical times. 364 00:23:34,580 --> 00:23:37,950 And he, again, was a disciple of John the Apostle. 365 00:23:38,300 --> 00:23:42,870 But the difference with him, as I've said, is he went on to disciple others. 366 00:23:43,695 --> 00:23:48,175 He was born in Turkey and he ministered in Turkey because he went to Smyrna 367 00:23:48,565 --> 00:23:51,765 to that place that we read off in Revelation the letter to the church 368 00:23:51,765 --> 00:23:58,024 in Smyrna that we'll come to look at in a moment and he was martyred in A. 369 00:23:58,025 --> 00:23:58,384 D. 370 00:23:59,034 --> 00:24:05,235 155 so here was a man who lived long and had a strong ministry and it's actually 371 00:24:05,245 --> 00:24:11,915 more the end of his life that we look at Antioch was a city much like, um, sorry, 372 00:24:11,915 --> 00:24:16,025 Smyrna was a city much like Antioch that was at the hub of Roman life. 373 00:24:16,695 --> 00:24:19,455 There were Roman rule but also Roman culture. 374 00:24:19,790 --> 00:24:25,120 and Roman God, gods and in the midst of all of this he managed to disciple, 375 00:24:25,460 --> 00:24:29,700 he managed to see conversion and as I said earlier he was a faithful 376 00:24:29,700 --> 00:24:34,490 teacher of Arrhenius, who was the next church father to come after them. 377 00:24:34,490 --> 00:24:39,667 So both of these two men are building on what has been, what already has been done. 378 00:24:39,667 --> 00:24:44,195 They're ministering to the second generation of believers following in 379 00:24:44,195 --> 00:24:46,795 the footsteps of Paul and of John. 380 00:24:50,195 --> 00:24:54,165 We want to look at, uh, Polycarp at the end of his life. 381 00:24:55,025 --> 00:24:58,544 Because Polycarp for us is about persecution. 382 00:24:59,405 --> 00:25:01,534 We know that others were persecuted. 383 00:25:02,085 --> 00:25:05,925 But we have no written literature that tells us in detail the level 384 00:25:05,925 --> 00:25:07,345 that we have about Polycarp. 385 00:25:08,615 --> 00:25:13,185 And so he really, it's not that he sets the example, but he gives us the 386 00:25:13,185 --> 00:25:15,835 truth of Of what the church was facing. 387 00:25:17,235 --> 00:25:19,745 And in Antioch there was, er, in Smyrna there was strife as 388 00:25:19,745 --> 00:25:20,955 much as there was in Antioch. 389 00:25:21,695 --> 00:25:24,685 But he kept going, but he became noticed as well. 390 00:25:24,725 --> 00:25:25,825 It was a port city. 391 00:25:26,264 --> 00:25:27,995 And so trade was coming in and out. 392 00:25:28,514 --> 00:25:32,054 And the problem in Smyrna, as well as the whole Christian world, 393 00:25:32,054 --> 00:25:34,634 is they were called atheists. 394 00:25:34,804 --> 00:25:36,024 Now that's ironic, isn't it? 395 00:25:36,364 --> 00:25:39,254 The Christians were actually called atheists. 396 00:25:39,784 --> 00:25:43,074 And the reason why they were called atheists was because they 397 00:25:43,074 --> 00:25:47,584 didn't believe in the pantheon of gods of the Roman culture. 398 00:25:48,575 --> 00:25:50,034 They only believed in one true God. 399 00:25:50,225 --> 00:25:51,774 And really, what was the clincher? 400 00:25:51,774 --> 00:25:55,784 Why they were really called atheists was because they didn't 401 00:25:55,834 --> 00:25:58,435 worship the Emperor as God. 402 00:25:58,985 --> 00:26:01,695 They didn't worship Caesar as God. 403 00:26:03,745 --> 00:26:07,855 And in Smyrna, it was Polycarp who took his stand. 404 00:26:08,775 --> 00:26:12,185 And in taking that stand, he led many to Christ. 405 00:26:12,764 --> 00:26:17,284 He wasn't afraid to stand up to the culture of his day and of his time. 406 00:26:18,104 --> 00:26:20,905 And he spoke for what was right and what was true. 407 00:26:23,195 --> 00:26:26,050 And you know, this attracted attention. 408 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:32,420 The whole way in Rome with the Caesar of the time Trajan who 409 00:26:32,529 --> 00:26:40,399 orders directly from his palace the arrest and execution of Polycarp. 410 00:26:40,950 --> 00:26:45,250 Well Polycarp and Smyrna gets wind of this and so he runs and he hides. 411 00:26:45,279 --> 00:26:50,290 86 years of age he goes and he hides and he hides out in an estate, in a 412 00:26:50,290 --> 00:26:55,625 barn, in an outhouse amidst the bales of hay, and eventually the Roman soldiers 413 00:26:55,625 --> 00:26:58,715 who have been tasked to find him with the arrest warrant track him down. 414 00:26:59,804 --> 00:27:03,185 They, uh, find him hiding in behind the bales. 415 00:27:03,764 --> 00:27:08,184 They see him, but more importantly, Polycarp sees them because he's, quite 416 00:27:08,195 --> 00:27:12,535 literally, the 86 year old man has run them ragged, and he sees that they're 417 00:27:12,535 --> 00:27:14,735 tired, and he sees that they're hungry. 418 00:27:15,020 --> 00:27:20,270 And he tells the master of the estate to prepare food for the Roman soldiers. 419 00:27:20,719 --> 00:27:24,659 And he willingly goes after they have rested, and after they've 420 00:27:24,659 --> 00:27:27,250 been fed, to face execution. 421 00:27:30,379 --> 00:27:37,110 Well, as Polycarp is brought, he's taken into what is a familiar scene. 422 00:27:37,605 --> 00:27:40,325 He's taken into an amphitheatre. 423 00:27:41,355 --> 00:27:44,735 And in this, this is an amphitheatre, maybe I shouldn't confess, this is 424 00:27:44,785 --> 00:27:46,535 an amphitheatre from our holidays. 425 00:27:46,805 --> 00:27:51,104 So you have one of our holiday pics on the back of your sheet there. 426 00:27:51,754 --> 00:27:54,694 That's simply to say, here's what it looks like, in case you've 427 00:27:54,694 --> 00:27:56,104 never really seen one before. 428 00:27:56,104 --> 00:27:57,615 We're not talking about the Colosseum. 429 00:27:58,304 --> 00:28:01,665 We're talking about local, provincial amphitheatres throughout 430 00:28:01,665 --> 00:28:02,835 the whole of the Roman Empire. 431 00:28:03,125 --> 00:28:07,925 This is one simply from a little place just above Florence in Italy. 432 00:28:09,195 --> 00:28:12,655 And here Polycarp was brought out on the center stage. 433 00:28:13,795 --> 00:28:16,845 And behind him in chains and shackles were other Christians 434 00:28:16,855 --> 00:28:18,565 who would be executed likewise. 435 00:28:19,095 --> 00:28:23,764 And the Roman official says to Polycarp, I want you to turn round and say to 436 00:28:23,764 --> 00:28:26,954 these Christians, Away with you atheists. 437 00:28:27,504 --> 00:28:31,675 And the whole reason for doing that was so that in doing it, Polycarp 438 00:28:31,675 --> 00:28:32,865 would actually recant his faith. 439 00:28:34,170 --> 00:28:36,780 Because if these were being tried for being Christians, and if they had a 440 00:28:37,100 --> 00:28:40,980 profession of faith in Christ, Polycarp was basically saying, You're atheists. 441 00:28:41,150 --> 00:28:44,900 He would have got himself off the hook, retired, and been fine to 442 00:28:44,900 --> 00:28:46,110 live out the rest of his days. 443 00:28:47,585 --> 00:28:54,735 But Polycarp, the man of many fish, took a stand that was bold and that was brave. 444 00:28:55,875 --> 00:29:00,995 In his 86 year old voice, he stood in front of that amphitheater. 445 00:29:01,715 --> 00:29:06,545 He didn't look at the Christians behind him, but he looked at every face before 446 00:29:06,545 --> 00:29:15,945 him on every tear, and he put out his hand and he said, Away with you, atheists. 447 00:29:19,949 --> 00:29:24,469 The best of the Roman world, including the Roman officials in front of him. 448 00:29:25,180 --> 00:29:32,100 He not only disobeys their order, but he condemns them for their 449 00:29:32,100 --> 00:29:34,159 lack of faith in Jesus Christ. 450 00:29:34,789 --> 00:29:37,560 They're the atheists, not him. 451 00:29:39,929 --> 00:29:43,799 He was given the opportunity to recant, and this is what he said. 452 00:29:44,879 --> 00:29:47,840 In a bold statement, he said, Eighty six years I have 453 00:29:47,860 --> 00:29:52,800 blaspheme my king who saved me? 454 00:29:54,639 --> 00:29:56,479 Polycarp right to the very end. 455 00:29:56,945 --> 00:29:59,105 proclaimed his lord and his master. 456 00:29:59,105 --> 00:30:00,265 He did not recant. 457 00:30:00,445 --> 00:30:02,415 He did not forgo his faith. 458 00:30:02,925 --> 00:30:07,995 And so he has set the standard of what is martyrdom, of what we know as martyrdom 459 00:30:07,995 --> 00:30:09,925 because it is written for us in detail. 460 00:30:10,995 --> 00:30:15,655 And he was quite quickly taken, tied to a stake, burnt. 461 00:30:19,655 --> 00:30:23,155 But it shouldn't come as any surprise to us. 462 00:30:23,645 --> 00:30:25,885 of why Polycarp was the way that he was. 463 00:30:25,885 --> 00:30:30,495 We may not know the man, but just in these two incidences, the, the action 464 00:30:30,495 --> 00:30:35,235 of waving the hand in front of the, the whole of the Roman citizenship, to saying 465 00:30:35,235 --> 00:30:39,515 that he, after 86 years, he would not recant or blaspheme against his Lord. 466 00:30:39,805 --> 00:30:44,365 Let's remember what Jesus said to that very church in Smyrna. 467 00:30:45,295 --> 00:30:50,795 Because in Revelation, Chapter 2, in verses 8 to 11, that 468 00:30:50,795 --> 00:30:53,815 bottom, that red writing there at the bottom and over the page. 469 00:30:54,555 --> 00:30:58,035 And to the angel of the church of Smyrna write, the words of the first 470 00:30:58,045 --> 00:31:00,505 and the last, who died and came to life. 471 00:31:01,215 --> 00:31:06,545 I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich. 472 00:31:07,025 --> 00:31:10,545 And the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, 473 00:31:11,265 --> 00:31:12,805 but are a synagogue of Satan. 474 00:31:13,675 --> 00:31:16,715 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. 475 00:31:17,185 --> 00:31:20,635 Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison. 476 00:31:21,145 --> 00:31:24,825 that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. 477 00:31:25,635 --> 00:31:30,035 Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 478 00:31:30,335 --> 00:31:34,795 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 479 00:31:35,045 --> 00:31:37,715 The one who conquers will not be hurt. 480 00:31:38,140 --> 00:31:39,110 By the second death 481 00:31:43,470 --> 00:31:52,230 the bishop of Smyrna whether he received this from John or not But when you compare 482 00:31:52,230 --> 00:31:58,930 his life to what was given to the church, he lived this message He had already 483 00:31:58,930 --> 00:32:04,620 gone through the first death the first death to his own self Where he forgone 484 00:32:04,630 --> 00:32:09,450 his own way of living and was went to Christ as the sovereign and knew him as 485 00:32:09,450 --> 00:32:14,030 the sovereign Lord For him, the second death had been burned to the stake was 486 00:32:14,030 --> 00:32:17,350 nothing, because he'd already been tested. 487 00:32:18,030 --> 00:32:22,720 He had stood firm, and he was welcomed into the heavenly realms. 488 00:32:24,660 --> 00:32:30,810 For the early church, as they would face persecution, as Polycarp recognized, but 489 00:32:30,810 --> 00:32:37,210 also, uh, as Ignatius recognized, in terms of false teaching, the promise is given 490 00:32:37,210 --> 00:32:40,420 to them that Christ will be with them. 491 00:32:40,950 --> 00:32:42,840 That they can trust in Jesus. 492 00:32:43,110 --> 00:32:47,100 They can trust in him as Savior, and in doing so, he will see them through. 493 00:32:47,830 --> 00:32:50,560 And you know, we don't know what lies ahead of us today. 494 00:32:51,010 --> 00:32:52,260 We don't, none of us can. 495 00:32:52,540 --> 00:32:54,700 We can't look into a crystal ball. 496 00:32:54,910 --> 00:32:59,070 None of us has any of that at our fingertips, nor would we want it. 497 00:33:00,330 --> 00:33:07,650 Rather, we wait on the Lord, and as His Spirit has led His church and His people. 498 00:33:08,355 --> 00:33:14,195 As it has been spirit led and spirit filled so we too will be 499 00:33:14,195 --> 00:33:16,675 spirit filled and spirit led. 500 00:33:18,855 --> 00:33:22,905 We too will face false teaching that we must stand against. 501 00:33:23,455 --> 00:33:29,085 We too will face persecution in some shape or form and in many ways in this current 502 00:33:29,105 --> 00:33:31,735 age the two are becoming closer together. 503 00:33:32,615 --> 00:33:35,295 Where the persecution is following false doctrine. 504 00:33:36,195 --> 00:33:40,075 Because the false doctrine is coming from the world that tells us we're wrong. 505 00:33:40,500 --> 00:33:42,920 And because we don't believe what the world wants us to believe, then 506 00:33:42,930 --> 00:33:45,010 we are facing persecution for it. 507 00:33:45,860 --> 00:33:48,810 But Jesus has promised to be with us to the end. 508 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:52,560 He has promised to see us through, that indeed, as the letter was 509 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:56,150 written to the church in Smyrna, so we have gone through the first death. 510 00:33:56,610 --> 00:34:00,880 And whatever the second death, however it comes through, ill health or sickness 511 00:34:00,910 --> 00:34:05,635 or through persecution, We can stand firm because we will be seen safely home. 512 00:34:06,095 --> 00:34:08,525 And that's what Peter tells us in 1 Peter. 513 00:34:09,094 --> 00:34:14,225 Some of the, a passage that I love in chapter 5 verses 6 to 11 where he says, 514 00:34:14,235 --> 00:34:18,855 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper 515 00:34:18,855 --> 00:34:24,775 time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you. 516 00:34:25,465 --> 00:34:27,195 Be sober minded. 517 00:34:28,745 --> 00:34:29,824 Be watchful. 518 00:34:30,550 --> 00:34:33,500 Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring 519 00:34:33,500 --> 00:34:35,340 lion, seeking someone to devour. 520 00:34:36,100 --> 00:34:41,080 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of 521 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:44,210 suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 522 00:34:44,889 --> 00:34:49,050 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has 523 00:34:49,090 --> 00:34:55,000 called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, 524 00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:57,880 strengthen, and establish you. 525 00:34:58,330 --> 00:35:00,980 To him be the dominion forever and ever. 526 00:35:02,220 --> 00:35:02,530 Amen. 527 00:35:06,230 --> 00:35:12,319 We started with a set of three Jerusalem, Judea, and 528 00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:15,200 Samaria, and all the world four. 529 00:35:15,650 --> 00:35:20,910 And so we finish with a set of four, that Christ himself will restore 530 00:35:21,405 --> 00:35:25,245 Confirm, strengthen, and establish. 531 00:35:26,975 --> 00:35:28,535 What do we learn from church history? 532 00:35:28,535 --> 00:35:31,465 What do we learn from the testimonies of Ignatius and Polycarp? 533 00:35:32,245 --> 00:35:34,925 That God is good, and God is faithful. 534 00:35:35,525 --> 00:35:41,495 To us as individuals, as families, to a particular congregation here, but to the 535 00:35:41,505 --> 00:35:44,405 church worldwide, He remains faithful. 536 00:35:44,415 --> 00:35:48,175 And I do say, if you do have the opportunity to go to this event 537 00:35:48,395 --> 00:35:52,515 on Friday week, make every effort to go, because that's how we learn 538 00:35:52,515 --> 00:35:54,095 of what God is doing in the world. 539 00:35:54,445 --> 00:35:57,865 Beyond these shores, as much as we're hearing about church closure on one 540 00:35:57,875 --> 00:35:59,345 hand, and church planting on the other. 541 00:35:59,785 --> 00:36:03,815 So we need to see beyond our shores, and we need to go to countries 542 00:36:03,825 --> 00:36:07,385 where, where it's so different, but yet know the testimony that 543 00:36:07,385 --> 00:36:12,045 even in the most challenging of circumstances, God is at work. 544 00:36:14,125 --> 00:36:16,795 Cast all your cares on Him. 545 00:36:18,785 --> 00:36:22,495 Trust Him, because He cares for you. 546 00:36:23,835 --> 00:36:24,815 That's what we learn. 547 00:36:25,505 --> 00:36:29,225 That's why it's important to hear these stories and these testimonies. 548 00:36:30,155 --> 00:36:34,515 So that we can stand on the heritage of faith, not on that alone, but on 549 00:36:34,515 --> 00:36:39,205 the Christ, who has seen each and every one of his children through 550 00:36:39,205 --> 00:36:41,725 each generation and each circumstance. 551 00:36:42,545 --> 00:36:46,435 We are gonna take about 10 minutes to discuss some things about tonight, because 552 00:36:46,435 --> 00:36:48,235 we need to, to see how it works out. 553 00:36:49,035 --> 00:36:52,435 And there you have three questions to think about round your tables. 554 00:36:53,185 --> 00:36:56,895 Is there any concern for false teaching in the church, both local and global today? 555 00:36:57,325 --> 00:37:01,575 How can we respond to any form of teaching that goes against the word of God? 556 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:06,160 And we are familiar with persecution in churches around the world, but how do we 557 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:10,840 see persecution in the church in the UK and Ireland, and how can we respond to it? 558 00:37:11,430 --> 00:37:15,450 So I'm going to pray, uh, then we'll go to those questions. 559 00:37:15,860 --> 00:37:20,330 Um, we'll take a, a pause around nine or just after it. 560 00:37:20,330 --> 00:37:24,640 We'll sing another song and then we'll take a bit of time to pray this evening. 561 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:28,060 So let me pray for us as we finish off certainly this part this evening. 562 00:37:29,500 --> 00:37:32,620 Our Father God, we thank you that as we look at church history, it's not academic. 563 00:37:32,650 --> 00:37:36,960 It's not there for books and for people who are particularly interested. 564 00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:38,910 It's a lesson for us. 565 00:37:39,270 --> 00:37:40,550 And so may we grow in it. 566 00:37:41,660 --> 00:37:42,790 May we grow through it. 567 00:37:42,790 --> 00:37:46,230 And may we see your spirit at work now as then. 568 00:37:46,745 --> 00:37:50,615 So that we will stand strong for we are the sea of the same faith. 569 00:37:51,705 --> 00:37:56,655 It's this heritage of salvation that Ignatius, uh, fought for us. 570 00:37:57,295 --> 00:38:02,515 It's understanding that the world will always be against us as Polycarp stood 571 00:38:02,515 --> 00:38:04,285 for what was right and true in his day. 572 00:38:05,135 --> 00:38:06,695 So may we be faithful and do likewise. 573 00:38:07,620 --> 00:38:10,260 May these passages of scripture that we've looked at this evening 574 00:38:10,260 --> 00:38:14,360 encourage us along the way, and may we grow more in the likeness of Christ. 575 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:18,740 And so as we discuss these things and think them through now, help us to learn 576 00:38:18,790 --> 00:38:21,370 and to grow, so that we may know you more. 577 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:23,220 And we ask this in Jesus name. 578 00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:24,770 Amen.