About the year 50 A.D. — twenty or so years after the death of Jesus — the first generation of Christians faced a choice. On the one side were those who thought it was necessary for the followers of Jesus to follow Jewish practices. After all, Jesus and all of his apostles were Jews. Why should they abandon ancient traditions? On the other side were those who wanted to welcome non-Jews, gentiles, into the Christian fellowship without any expectation of their adopting Jewish ways. This was the first great turning point in the Church’s history. Was the Jesus movement going to remain a part of Judaism or follow its own path? They resolved that dilemma was by looking at the experience of what God was doing among them.
MAY22018
By Church Staff