SALVADOR, Robin

SIMOY, Klarizze
SIÑO, Ferl
SORREDA, Raine
TRINIDAD, Dane
BSA15

1. Give / discuss the life core patterns of the early Christian community.
The Life of the Early Christian Community – The life exemplified by the early Christian
community showed certain patterns that our church tried to follow. The following life-core
patterns are deduced from Acts 2:42-47.

 Kerygma (Proclamation/Instruction) – The first Christian community proclaimed this

good news of salvation through their words and lives that Jesus is the Lord. Their
instruction is centered on this holy truth and they were ready to die for the Lord.
Kerygma requires a response from us, that we should repent of our sins, accept baptism,
and live in the new life which Christ is offering. This alone will prepare us for the coming
judgment that is to come upon all humanity. There is an urgent need to conform
ourselves to Christ and be prepared by him for the coming judgment.
 Koinonia (Community) – The early Christians gathered themselves together and formed
into a community of faith. The early Christians “continuously devoted themselves to
fellowship” (Acts 2:42) The word for "fellowship" is koinonia, which means "to have in
common" or "to share." As those who are united with Christ, we are to share the life of
Christ with one another in a way that results in individual and corporate spiritual
growth.
 Diakonia (Service) – Early Christian community performed good deeds like Jesus. Faith
in Jesus was a matter of action and not just through words. They lived out Jesus’
demand of being humble servant to one another. “They worked with their whole being
for the Lord rather than for men” (Col 3:23)
 Leitourgia (Worship) – During their private gatherings, early Christian community
always celebrated the breaking of the bread as a form of worship that Jesus had leaved
them as remembrance of his selfless life offering for all. The celebration is called as the
life-core of the community. With that, all other life-core patterns are united and find
expression. It is a celebration of offering to God who they are and what they do. As
stated in Acts 2: 46-47, “They went to the temple area together everyday, while in their
homes they broke bread. With exultant and sincere hearts they took their meals in
common, prasing God and winning approval of all the people.” The common worship
 they have is called Leitougia, being the Lord as the center of their lives, giving them
courage to proclaim Jesus’ life and mission and strengthened their faith and attitude to
render their loving service to each other.

7. Give / discuss the three fold mission of the church.

The three-fold mission of the Church and Jesus Christ are the prophetic mission, the
priestly mission, ang the kingly mission. Jesus announced the kingdom of God. His mission was
to have God reign in the hearts of all and to have peace and justice in the world. Jesus exercised
his royal office by serving.
In the church, the prophetic mission can be manifested through proclaiming and
teaching God’s word and also, by witnessing through acts of love and service to others. The
church authoritative teachers are the Pope, bishops, and priests that fulfills their duty of
teaching authoritatively the word of God. Jesus served as a prophet which means a mediator
between God and men and a person who speaks for God. Prophets are witnesses to God, calls
people to conversion, and may also foretell the future. Prophets often are killed for their
message. Jesus fits this description. He is none other than the Word of God in the flesh. He
called the world to turn from sin and return to the Father and was put to death for it. In
Scripture Jesus is presented as a prophet. He foretold his passion and resurrection.
The priestly mission is exercised in the church by celebrating the sacred mysteries. The
priest was basically the leader who is concerned with purity. A priest is a mediator, or bridge,
between God and human beings. He offers sacrifice to God on behalf of all. Once a year on the
Day of Atonement the Jewish high priest went into the Holy of Holies in the temple. There he
offered sacrifice to God to make up for his sins and the sins of the people. It was priests’ duty to
ensure that God’s people were pure enough to come into God’s presence or simply prepares a
way by which people might approach God. Jesus fulfilled this function by purifying us of sin.
The kingly mission focuses on exercising the kingship as Christians, above all in the
spiritual combat in which they seek to overcome in themselves the kingdom of sin and then to
make a gift of themselves so as to serve the people of the world. A king is a person who has
supreme authority over a territory. When the Jewish people were ruled by kings, they became a
nation. They longed for a Messiah who would again make them great. Jesus is spoken of as a
king in the Gospels. Jesus announced the kingdom of God. His mission was to have God reign in
the hearts of all and to have peace and justice in the world. Jesus exercised his royal office by
serving.

13. Explain Monasticism, Donatism and Nestorianism.

 Monasticism is where an institutionalized religious practice or movement whose
members attempt to live by a rule that requires works that go beyond those of either the laity
or the ordinary spiritual leaders of their religions. Commonly celibate and universally ascetic,
the monastic individual separates himself or herself from society either by living as a hermit or
religious recluse or by joining a community (coenobium) of others who profess similar
intentions.
Donatism was a heretical sect of Christianity that challenged the established church in
the fourth century, as Catholicism was on the rise. Donatism, which began in North Africa,
taught that Christians were called to asceticism and personal purity and that holiness was
proved in one’s faithfulness in enduring persecution. Those whose faith wavered under threat
of death were impure and not worthy of being members of the church. The Donatists
considered theirs as the only true church and refused to acknowledge ordinances administered
in other churches.
Nestorianism is the Christian doctrine that Jesus existed as two persons, the man Jesus
and the divine Son of God, or Logos, rather than as a unified person. This doctrine is identified
with Nestorius, patriarch of Constantinople. This view of Christ was condemned at the Council
of Ephesus in 431, and the conflict over this view led to the Nestorian schism, separating the
Assyrian Church of the East from the Byzantine Church.
In conclusion, Monasticism is where someone choose to be secluded to serve god, while
the Donatism is a notion wherein the religious members must have a strong faith that when
faced with death they will choose death rather than to condemn God. The Nestorianism is a
doctrine wherein they believe that Jesus existed as two persons, as the God and as the son who
came down to earth who have saved us from our sins. These three aspects of beliefs or
doctrines is solely based on how people perceive God and how they value his existence as well
as how strong should their faith be at the time where this issues are a hot topic in the early
years.