The First Erosion

The earliest days of the Lord’s church are outlined for us in the book of Acts.  As the church beings it is focused on surrendering to the authoritative teaching of the apostles, to authentic fellowship with each other, to intense worship, and prayer.

It is not long before the professional body – the Jewish Sanhedrin,  attempts to erode away some of that spiritual devotion.  Peter and John successfully divert the rush of eroding pressure and their resolve becomes even stronger.  They share their story with the brothers and sisters, the house is shaken by the Spirit of God, and the erosion-free journey of boldness is the continued path.

It is not long, however, before this steadfast nature erodes.  Amazingly the pressure does not come from the outside, but from within.  The first successful erosion comes from within the church itself and it has to do with the loss of integrity!

This lesson will examine the dangers that develop when individuals and/or collective groups suffer a loss of integrity. How did it happen in the early church? What resulted?  What can be done to reestablish integrity once it has been lost?  All these questions are evaluated in the context of Acts 5  in this lesson entitled,  “The First Erosion.”