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Lesson 3

Disciples of the Apostles

In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul tells Timothy to entrust the truth to faithful men who can teach others also. Have you ever wondered who some of those faithful men might have been?

Lesson 3 focuses on the Christian leaders who came immediately after the time of the apostles. These early believers stand as examples of faithfulness and courage.

Audio Lecture:

Lecture Slides:

Lesson 3 -- Forerunners of the FaithNathan Busenitz
00:00 / 07:49

The video lectures below do not directly follow the Student Workbook or the Teacher Guide. Rather, they are intended to provide supplemental content to the material in Lesson

VIDEO 1: In introducing the apostolic fathers, the first early church leader in our list is Clement of Rome. Clement pastored the church of Rome in the 90s of the first century.

VIDEO 2: This video highlights the ministries of Polycarp of Smyrna and Ignatius of Antioch, both of whom were martyred for their commitment to the Lord Jesus.

VIDEO 3: (Optional) Papias of Hierapolis emphasized the coming kingdom of Christ. The Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas also contain interesting perspectives. In this video, we discuss all three. 

VIDEO 4: The Didache and the Epistle to Diognetus are both anonymous. Yet they provide fascinating insights into how early Christians thought about the church and the gospel.

FOR FUN: Here is a message about Polycarp preached to a group of college students. 

PolycarpNathan Busenitz
00:00 / 15:15
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