The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day

Christianity

Introduction

'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'1 A simple directive spoken by God himself through Jesus Christ in the Sermon at the Mount, this Great Commission has impacted a countless number of lives throughout the years. The command given by Jesus at that time was actually to act as a continuance of His ministry after his death. Apparently this command continued to be fulfilled even far beyond His ascension into heaven. The commandment sparked the beginning of Christianity and throughout the years, its cultures, religions and beliefs poured out upon the continents, including the New World. The intent of this report is to show the transfer of Christianity from the Old World to the Americas; it is to outline its beginnings and show its impact on the Indian people.

Every Christian must acknowledge an immense debt of gratitude to the Jewish people. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus is the Christ, the long-promised Jewish Messiah, who by his life, death and resurrection saves from sin and all its consequences. Those who worship Jesus as their Divine Lord and Saviour have thus received God's most precious gift through the Jewish people. Therefore they have compelling reason to show love to that people in every possible way. Concerned about humanity everywhere, we are resolved to uphold the right of Jewish people to a just and peaceful existence everywhere, both in the land of Israel and in their communities throughout the world. We repudiate past persecutions of Jews by those identified as Christians, and we pledge ourselves to resist every form of anti-Semitism. As the supreme way of demonstrating love, we seek to encourage the Jewish people, along with all other peoples, to receive God's gift of life through Jesus the Messiah, and accordingly the growing number of Jewish Christians brings us great joy. In making this Declaration we stand in a long and revered Christian tradition, which in 1980 was highlighted by a landmark statement, "Christian Witness to the Jewish People," issued by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. Now, at this Willowbank Consultation on the Gospel and the Jewish People, sponsored by the World Evangelical Fellowship and supported by the Lausanne Committee, we reaffirm our commitment to the Jewish people and our desire to share the Gospel with them. This Declaration is made in response to growing doubts and widespread confusion among Christians about the need for, and the propriety of, endeavors to share faith in Jesus Christ with Jewish people. Several factors unite to produce the uncertain state of mind that the Declaration seeks to resolve. The Holocaust, perpetrated as it was by leaders and citizens of a supposedly Christian nation, has led to a sense in ...