I am currently the Youth Pastor for The Church Next Door in Prescott Valley, AZ. On Sunday, August 11, 2019, I took over teaching the adult Sunday School class (the foundation of why we learn from history) before the regular service. (If you find yourself in North Central Arizona, specifically the Prescott Valley area, come join in from 8:45 to 9:45 AM, and then stay for the singing and sermon at 10!)

The second and third lessons were combined in the post two weeks ago, with a look at when the Church was founded and the various forms of leadership Jesus dealt with. Previous was a look at how he rebuked those in leadership.

Again, here are my notes:

Nothing New: The Importance of Church History

Lesson 7: Christ and the Church’s Foundation – Modern Comparisons

The leadership in the time of Jesus included the entirely secular yet pagan Roman Empire, the hyper-religious Pharisees, the super-compromised Sadducees, the fastidious Essenes, and the rebellious Zealots.

Briefly, how do we see nothing new in our leadership?

Modern comparisons:

• Rome: Previously we looked at Roman government versus that of today.

• The Divided leadership (remember that there can be bleed-over from group to group):
  • Pharisees – Got a lot right, but added a lot.
  • Sadducees – The compromised
  • Essenes – The Preservation of Scripture
    • Mainly felt like they had to separate from corrupt society.
      • Essentially lived in communes (Yeah, kinda like hippies, but also very little like hippies.)
      • Not completely absent: Still had people living in town
        • Could help with supply runs, news of events, keep tabs on society.
      • Their main goal was the preservation of the Torah, other important writings, and godliness.
        • Think of Qumran, the place of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These were those people!
    • Messiah – Oh, he was coming soon!
      • Probably understood better than most what the Messiah was going to be like, expecting more of a great religious leader.
        • Most closely associated with Pre-Millennialism today.
        • Most likely played a large role in creating copies of the gospels and letters of the New Testament.
        • Probably disappeared as a sect because most believed their Messiah had come and obeyed the Great Commission
    • See Mark 14:12-16: Was this man possibly an Essene disciple that Jesus planned with to avoid confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees? (Also, people living in Jerusalem were required to share space with pilgrims during the Passover, so it could just be some “random guy” and Jesus used foreknowledge to tell Peter and John what to look for.)
    • Modern comparisons:
      • Obviously Monks, much of the Catholic priesthood and nuns
      • Many evangelical churches/denominations obviously fit this description of being largely separated from though still amongst society.
      • Some mainline denominations match up, especially those that have split over compromises with society
        • i.e. Anglican Church North America splitting from the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada (the breaking straw being the ordination of practicing homosexuals and allowing for gay marriage)
      • Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Churches and the like
        • Obviously more extreme, being King James Only-ists: all other translations/versions are satanic and lead to corruption.
        • The most extreme examples of this would be Westboro Baptist Church (basically the Phelps family) and its spiritual successor Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, AZ (pastored by Steven Anderson)
      • For a different extreme:
      • New Apostolic Reformation and other ultra-/super-charismatic churches and movements
        • Yes, they are under this list, too. Stay tuned for more!
        • They definitely separate themselves out as different.
          • The Seven Mountain Mandate demands they work toward “reclaiming” the seven major areas of society until the whole world is under Christ’s authority. So, separate but only in how they do things.
        • Also copy scripture, but typically by making drastic changes.
          • The most recent example is probably The Passion Translation. It is not really a translation, more of an untrustworthy paraphrase that makes some drastic changes. (Still in progress: only has the Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Songs, and the New Testament.)
      • Most cults that separate and add to Scripture
        • These are the crazy people who obviously get brainwashed/do the brainwashing and often lead to dangerous and even deadly practices.