Followers of Jesus 200 years after his death had very different expressions of their faith, community, and spiritual lives than Christians do today. What can we learn from them for today and for the future? In this video, I’m exploring seven lessons from the early followers of Jesus that I think could revitalize what it means to be a Christian in community with others.
The following is a text version of this posting.
Christian churches in Western cultures are in decline. They have been since the 1970s. While institutional religion probably won’t head to extinction, fewer people will find that churches as we know them are the right place for them. Yet, many people continue to value the teachings of Jesus who called his followers to live lives of love and compassion.
In a previous video, I described some aspects of the lives of the followers of Jesus from the two centuries after his death and before the creation of the Christian church. I think there are some lessons we can learn from that era for those of us who continue to value the teachings of Jesus but are also uncomfortable with Christian churches. Today, I want to address seven lessons from the followers of Jesus from the first two centuries that I find relevant for the followers of Jesus today.
- The early followers of Jesus met in small groups, often with just 8 to 14 people. That was their foundation. It’s the kind of foundation we need to recreate rather than depending on larger organizational structures. Larger organizational structures focus on maintaining their structures. Small groups focus on the members of the group.
- With a focus on the members of the group, the early followers of Jesus made the relationships with each other central. They formed communities that supported each other in real life, both in terms of faith and spirituality as well as all the other aspects of living.
- Meeting in small groups, the early followers of Jesus didn’t have elaborate rituals. Instead, they shared meals. Communion or the Eucharist wasn’t a little wafer and a sip of wine. It was a festive meal. They shared the best meal they could prepare. This was the communion where the bonds of community were forged.
- As they gathered, they shared stories about the teacher and what they knew about Jesus. In time, some stories were written and shared among other groups. In these small groups, over dinner, they explored what the teaching of Jesus meant for their lives.
- The early followers of Jesus weren’t focused on which beliefs were right and which were wrong. There was no dogma. When we examine the written materials that survived from the first two centuries, we find that there were many opinions about Jesus and his mission. For at least two hundred years, these small groups didn’t need to have creeds or dogma but allowed people to explore their faith.
- Even though the groups were small, there was a focus on equality and inclusion. As Paul wrote, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. Instead, all were one. We need this kind of radical inclusion today in our communities of faith.
- There was no need for everyone to have the same experience or believe the same things. All needed to be followers of Jesus as they learned from what was handed down to them. Similarly, groups were not all the same. That’s very clear from Paul’s letters where each group had its own leadership and challenges.
The important lessons for the future that we can take from the early followers of Jesus boil down to simple things. As followers of Jesus, we are all students of one teacher. In addition, we learn together and from each other. I think if people can return to this way of life, the teachings of Jesus could become vibrant again.