Acts: Spreading the Gospel to All Nations

Volume 2 (or a continuation) of Luke’s GospelWritten by Luke about 20 years after the

events it recountsAudience is the Non-Jewish Christians

(Gentiles)Tells of the spread of Christianity after Jesus’

resurrectionMakes the connection between the Old and

New Covenants

It is said that the Catholic Church is the fullness of Christian Truth, but how do we know?

We are going to explore two things.Apostolic SuccessionHow the early church operated

Jesus declares Peter as the Rock upon which “I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.”

So what did Peter do after this?He denied Christ 3 timesHe ran from the crucifixionHe went back to being a fisherman

But…He is the first to get visited by the risen JesusHe leads the meeting that elects MathiasHe performs the first miracle after PentecostHe leads the Council of Jerusalem

Electing a new apostle.Why was there a need for a new apostle?Who was elected?How was he elected?Who lead the meeting of the apostles?

How do you become Christian?Do you need to follow Jewish Law?Who made the final decision?

Major points of the two issues are:Leaders meeting for discernment lead by the

Holy SpiritOne person had authority over the groupDecisions were binding upon the whole

Church, not just where there were problemsThey DID NOT MAKE UP NEW DOCTRINE

Ways in which teachings are explained and clarified Bishop’s conferences

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

Councils Encyclicals

Letters from the Pope Statements from Congregations

Committees run by Cardinals