The Lord’s Day in years just past
You have heard this day called Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday or perhaps Pascha. But today, on the 17th day of April in the year of our Lord, 2022, I would simply like to look back at celebrating ‘the Lord’s Day’ as followers of Christ Jesus have done since His resurrection.
HOLY Week (we once called it)
CLICK the link above to read some of what I have said before about Holy and weeks and festivals. ALSO, Feel free to comment on anything from my fiery EDITORIAL which I have moved to Comments to get to my perspective about the Lord's Day of the first century Christ followers. - RH
LENT, we once set aside as preparation of repentance preceding the death of Christ for our sins.
Yet in this NOT so HOLY time, now universally referred to as, the “COMMON Era” (as opposed to years we once called, Before Christ, now known as Before the Common Era); HOW intolerant are we who insist that JESUS IS LORD (and no other), as the world continues in its most common and ordinary daily sin! HOW insensitive of followers of CHRIST to PROCLAIM: JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN TODAY!
In the Holy Week of our Lord, A.D. 2022
(In case you missed these posts which lead us to this Lord’s Day Sunday)
The Gospel of Resurrection Sunday +++ in context
Have YOU shared the Gospel of the Lord Christ Jesus?
The Lord’s Day witness to the everyday saints of the Church
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18 NASB – Verse of the Day via BibleGateway.com
This epistle was most likely written in the first half of A.D. 55 from Ephesus (16:8, 9, 19) while Paul was on his third missionary journey.
John MacArthur :: Bible Introductions – 1 Corinthians via BlueLetterBible.org
Easter: a narrowed narrative that missed the Church
Why do I start with a Scripture about the Cross, rather than a traditional narrative of Resurrection morning from the Gospels?
(Think about this, now…)
The Gospels were NOT written as an immediate message from the pulpit of A.D. 30.
Yes, that’s about when the Lord Jesus was crucified, buried and rose in body and spirit from the grave!
But the Apostles Matthew and John, and later disciples Mark and Luke recorded their GOOD NEWS of JESUS’s Resurrection for a much later following of the Church.
On this Lord’s Day, in the year of our Lord 2022, we glance at just a few events of THEIR Church life.
Why the Gospel was Good News on the Lord’s Day
- A.D. 32 – Stephen martyred & Saul persecutes Christ followers
- A.D. 37 – Caligula declares himself a god
- A.D. 44 – the Apostle James, brother of John, is martyred
- A.D. 46 – Julian calendar changes the year
- A.D. 49 – the jews expelled from Rome
- A.D. 50’s (~20 years after Jesus’ Resurrection)
- + Mark writes his Gospel;
- + Matthew writes his Gospel
- A.D. 54-68 – Nero is Emperor
- A.D 64-68 Nero persecutes Christians after burning Rome
- A.D. 60 + Luke writes his Gospel
- A.D. 62 – James, brother of Jesus and head of the Jerusalem church martyred
- A.D. 66 – Jewish revolt against Rome
- + Apostle Peter martyred in Rome
- + Paul, Apostle to the gentiles, martyred in Rome
- A.D. 70 – Jerusalem falls to Rome and is burned
- A.D. 80’s + John wrote his gospel ca. A.D. 80–90, about 50 years after he witnessed Jesus’ earthly ministry. – J.M.
Sources for above: Then and Now Bible Maps, Rose Publishing & BlueLetterBible.org commentaries
Each Lord’s Day
The saints of the A.D. first century church gathered each Lord’s Day to worship the Lord God by the grace of Christ Jesus and though the power of the Holy Spirit.
Do YOU?
For many centuries the Lord’s Day was set apart as Holy to the Lord for morning and evening worship, as well as study of doctrine from the Bible, as the business of the world (reluctantly) remained CLOSED on Sunday.
They gathered frequently in each others homes to hear the Gospel and receive the letters of the Apostles.
These saints (small ‘s’) of the church, “Christians” (as Christ followers came to be known), delighted to serve one another in Christ-like love.
The saints of THE WAY, knowing that as one of the Lord’s SAVED and REDEEMED ones, suffering in a world violently opposed to JESUS CHRIST and the LORD GOD, endured for these brief times because of HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION.
We have begun eternal life and need not suffer the WRATH of GOD’s punishment for our many, many sins against God and against man.
A.D. 90, The Lord’s Day
The aging Apostle, lone survivor of many trials for Christ among those who Jesus first chose some sixty years ago, concludes his Gospel; a fourth, following that which has already been proclaimed to tens of thousands throughout a world of Rome’s temporary ownership by Matthew and two faithful gentile servants of The Way.
The Apostle John writes of that glorious day:
Now when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were together due to fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, “Peace be to you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side.
The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you; just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
Gospel of John 20:19-21 NASB
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