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Series Code: LIN
Program Code: LIN000001A
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00:18 As we trace back our spiritual lineage
00:21 to the early centuries, 00:23 we find the Christian church, a maligned religion. 00:27 It was not popular. 00:28 Many of the Christians in the early centuries 00:31 paid the ultimate price for their faith 00:34 with their lives. 00:35 The Colosseum in Rome 00:37 stands today as a testament of this fact. 00:40 Under pagan Rome, 00:42 the Christian church struggled along, 00:44 but one thing was sure, 00:46 the intensity of the persecution 00:49 kept the church free 00:51 from nominal and lukewarm Christians. 00:54 If you were a Christian, you had to be all in. 00:57 There was no middle ground. 01:00 But in the fourth century, 01:01 an event would come along 01:02 that would change all of that dramatically. 01:05 The conversion of Constantine changed the course of history 01:09 for the whole of Christendom, 01:11 and the roots of that come down here to York, England. 01:17 In 306 AD, Constantine was declared Emperor here. 01:22 His father, Constantius, 01:24 was in Britain from 305 to 306 AD 01:27 and Constantine was with him until his death. 01:30 He was then declared Emperor, 01:32 but it was not to be a smooth sailing. 01:35 They were counterclaims to the Emperorship 01:37 from Licinius and Maxentius. 01:40 And it was before a battle with Maxentius 01:42 that Constantine felt he needed more help 01:45 than just the soldiers he had, 01:46 and so we sought the help of God. 01:49 He believed he saw a cross in the sky and heard the words 01:53 "By this sign you shall conquer." 01:56 He took this as a sign to convert to Christianity 01:59 and a major switch began to take place. 02:03 Rome would go from being pagan to papal, 02:07 from paganism to professed Christianity. 02:10 Many historians debate 02:11 the authenticity of Constantine's conversion. 02:15 Was it a deep rooted biblical conviction 02:18 or was it a political ploy 02:20 to keep a divided Empire together? 02:23 One thing is sure, though, that after his conversion 02:26 practices crept into the church 02:29 that previously had no place there. 02:31 Temples that were pagan would change to Christian, 02:35 the Pantheon in Rome 02:36 was changed into a Christian church, 02:38 and the names of gods 02:40 were changed to Christian saints. 02:42 For example, Jupiter became St. Peter, 02:46 and the list goes on. 02:52 While some were happy for these changes 02:54 and welcome the lack of persecution 02:57 and their newfound status, 02:58 there were many Christians all over Europe 03:01 who resisted these changes. 03:03 For them, the persecution continued 03:05 as they stayed out of line with the Mother Church. 03:09 These were Christians 03:10 who were maintaining the pure Apostolic Faith 03:13 that was handed down to them over the years. 03:16 It was scattered groups of people 03:18 all over Europe, 03:19 in northern Italy, in southern France, 03:22 the Celtic Church here in Britain, 03:24 and in various other places. 03:26 The Bible refers to them as the church 03:29 in the wilderness in Revelation 12:6 and 14, 03:34 they were not always the biggest, 03:35 they were not always the largest, 03:37 but God would always have people 03:39 that were true to Him 03:41 and that were faithful to His Word. 03:43 And so from this point on, 03:45 two branches of the church would emerge. 03:48 The recognized, the mainstream but the compromised church 03:52 and then the persecuted, often the smaller, 03:54 but the pure church. 03:56 The question for us today is, 03:58 which one of these two are we a part of? 04:01 May we never compromise truth for popularity, 04:05 may we be faithful to God and to His word, 04:08 no matter what the situation is. 04:40 Whilst the long night 04:42 of the Dark Ages covered Europe 04:45 and darkness covered the people, 04:47 the lamp of truth still shone brightly 04:50 in Scotland and Ireland. 04:52 These two countries on the brink of the known world 04:56 stood like a wall to resist 04:59 the menace of advancing religious tyranny. 05:03 Scotland in particular, 05:05 like the Waldenses in northern Italy, 05:07 found in her rugged mountains a fortress. 05:16 Iona is an isolated island 05:19 that has become famous in Christian history. 05:21 It became a central point 05:23 to the Celtic Church for many centuries, 05:26 preserving true biblical faith, 05:28 teaching, educating, and sending out missionaries. 05:32 The story of Iona starts with a man 05:35 by the name of Columba, 05:36 who was actually from Ireland and was born of royal descent. 05:40 He lived in Ireland 05:42 and worked there till the age of 32. 05:44 And from the ages of 25 to 32, 05:47 he is credited with raising up over 300 churches. 05:52 Having a missionary spirit burning deep within him, 05:56 he set sail from Derry in the year 563 06:00 with 200 of his companions and came to Scotland. 06:04 They landed here in Iona, 06:07 just off the coast of the Isle of Mull, 06:09 in this bay, 06:10 which is today named Columba's Bay. 06:13 Despite finding a windswept and barren island, 06:16 they built houses, planted crops, 06:19 and founded a Christian school 06:21 which would later attain the highest reputation 06:24 for the pursuit 06:25 of biblical studies and science. 06:27 The students had a well-rounded education. 06:30 And in addition to their classes 06:32 they would spend time in physical labor, 06:34 in gardening, in baking, in farming, 06:38 and in prayer, and singing. 06:40 The students would frequently have to spend 06:42 18 years of study before they were ordained 06:45 for the gospel ministry. 06:47 It was not a monastery and they were not monks. 06:50 It was a great mission training institute. 06:54 The Bible was central to Columba 06:57 and the school here in Iona. 06:59 Columba built a church on the Bible 07:01 and the Bible alone 07:03 and is credited with copying 300 copies 07:06 of the New Testament himself with his own hands. 07:09 Imagine how many copies his students and fellow faculty 07:13 produced over the many years 07:15 the school was based here on this little island of Iona. 07:20 They followed the commandments of the Bible, 07:22 including keeping the fourth commandment. 07:25 In fact, the church here in Iona 07:27 kept the Sabbath for several centuries. 07:30 In many ways the believers here were preserving a faith 07:34 that was handed down to them 07:36 over the generations since the earliest believers. 07:40 They did not see themselves as reformers 07:42 or as breaking away from Rome 07:45 for the faith that they kept had been around much longer. 07:53 Columba labored here for 34 years 07:56 before passing to his rest on the 9th of June, 07:58 which was a Sabbath day. 08:00 Iona would for many centuries 08:02 be a leading center of the Celtic Church, 08:05 sending missionaries out from the shores of Scotland 08:08 flowing to the Continental church. 08:11 Columba's followers would hold this island 08:13 for 641 years 08:15 before they were driven out by the Benedictine Monks. 08:20 Iona stands to us today and gives us lessons 08:24 in the missionary work that took place here, 08:27 while today many people come for a time of peace, 08:30 reflection, and contemplation, 08:33 a place where they can feel closer to God. 08:36 We cannot deny the work that took place here. 08:39 Maybe God is calling you to go and get trained, 08:42 like the missionaries who would come here 08:44 to be trained and would go out for service. 08:47 Maybe God is calling you 08:49 to be trained for mission service. 08:51 Maybe He's calling you 08:52 to a life of full-time ministry. 08:54 Maybe God is calling you 08:56 to change the whole course of your life. 08:58 And if God is calling you, 09:00 harden not your heart and follow the Lord's leading. 09:18 In the seventh century, 09:20 Iona was a well-equipped university. 09:23 It was making a huge impact both here in the British Isles 09:26 and further afield. 09:28 England as a country did not exist then. 09:30 It was split 09:32 into different regions or areas. 09:34 And the local king, King Oswald of Northumbria 09:38 sent a message to Iona 09:39 requesting that a missionary be sent here. 09:43 Aidan, who had been trained in Iona was sent down here. 09:46 And when he arrived, he requested of the King 09:50 if he could set up his training school here 09:53 on the island of Lindisfarne. 10:01 Lindisfarne lies 235 miles from Iona, 10:06 which if travelled by foot would take over a week. 10:09 It is also known as the Holy Island, 10:12 though it's not completely isolated 10:14 from the mainland. 10:15 It's a tidal island, approximately 1,000 acres, 10:19 3 miles long, and 1.5 miles wide. 10:22 And twice a day, when the tide comes in, 10:25 the island is isolated. 10:27 There is something about the solitude 10:29 and isolation of being on an island 10:32 that these early missionaries seemed to value, 10:35 a place to come aside, rest, 10:38 study, and be equipped for mission service. 10:46 Aidan was well-balanced in character. 10:48 He was strong in religious fervour. 10:51 He was very industrious, 10:52 and it was said that he was never idle. 10:54 In him was that living flame 10:57 which burned so strong in many of the missionaries 11:00 that were sent out by Patrick and Columba. 11:03 He was deeply concerned for the poor 11:05 and spent much of his life 11:07 in an effort of ransoming slaves. 11:09 You see, he had a very practical faith. 11:19 He did for England 11:20 what Columba had done for Scotland. 11:23 In establishing the training Center here, 11:26 the fields were used to give work 11:27 to support the students. 11:29 They also established other training centers 11:31 in places like Melrose and Whitby. 11:34 Aidan was succeeded by Finan. 11:37 And he established a training Center 11:39 in Tilbury in Essex 11:40 and was instrumental 11:42 in evangelizing central England. 11:44 Finan was succeeded by Colman. 11:47 And in 30 years these 3 men 11:50 did a powerful work here in England 11:52 and paganism was swept away 11:54 and replaced by New Testament religion. 11:58 These great men were not monks as we would understand today 12:02 but missionaries maintaining the faith 12:04 that they had learned on Iona. 12:06 In Truth Triumphant, page 127, it reads, 12:10 "It is no exaggeration to say 12:12 that, with the exception of Kent and Sussex, 12:15 the whole English race 12:16 received the foundation of their faith 12:18 from Celtic missionaries." 12:22 You see, in 30 years, 12:23 these men took the gospel to the country of England 12:27 and almost 3 quarters 12:28 was won by their missionary work. 12:31 They did this in an age where they had no internet, 12:34 no TVs, no modern forms of communication that we have. 12:38 Today God has placed us 12:40 in different parts of this country, 12:42 in different parts of the world. 12:44 And He's given to us His Word, 12:46 He's given to us the message 12:48 that He wants to be taken to every nation, 12:50 tongue, and people. 12:52 May we be faithful in our local churches 12:55 and in the communities that our churches are placed in 12:57 that we would take the message 12:58 and share it with those who have not heard 13:02 that Jesus can come soon. 13:27 Whitby, England, today a seaside town, 13:30 but the spiritual heritage of this town 13:32 dates all the way back to the seventh century. 13:35 In 656, the abbey was founded by Abbess Hilda. 13:39 And in 663, the Whitby Synod was held here 13:43 between the leaders of the Celtic Church 13:45 and the leaders of the Catholic Church 13:47 and it was not without confrontation. 13:50 This synod set the dates for Easter 13:52 that are kept by the church today 13:54 and it also led to the establishment 13:57 of the Roman religion elsewhere in England. 14:04 At that time, in this part of England, 14:07 the Celtic Church was the dominant faith 14:10 due to the missionary work of Aidan 14:12 who had been sent over from Iona. 14:15 These people were Bible believers. 14:17 They kept the Sabbath, 14:18 and they did not recognize the papacy 14:20 as ruler in spiritual affairs. 14:30 Coleman was the successor of Finan, 14:32 Finan was the successor of Aidan, 14:34 who originally started the work here in England. 14:37 And Coleman had only been working 14:38 for three years 14:40 when the Council of Whitby was called. 14:41 He had a couple of things against him, firstly, 14:43 that he had only been working for three years, 14:46 secondly, that his opponent Wilfrid 14:48 was well drilled in the Papal argument. 14:51 And thirdly, 14:52 that the queen of the king was Catholic. 14:55 The principal question of the debate 14:58 was when would the date of Easter lie. 15:01 Now Wilfrid had spent four years 15:03 before this in Rome, where he was well studied. 15:06 And he wanted to come back here 15:08 to Northumbria, 15:09 determined to bring 15:10 the Celtic Church into subjugation. 15:13 He wanted an open debate. 15:16 And King Oswy agreed for an open forum. 15:19 So on one side you had Coleman, 15:21 the Scottish clerks, and Abbess Hilda 15:23 and on the other side you had the king, 15:25 the prince, the queen, and Wilfrid. 15:28 And so the debate began. 15:32 Coleman skilfully answered the questions 15:35 in regards to Easter, 15:36 but Wilfrid brought the debate around 15:39 to the issue of Peter's authority 15:41 and eventually succeeded 15:42 in convincing the king of his arguments. 15:45 The king and the people decided to conform 15:48 to the pretended superiority of the Papal Easter, 15:51 and thus align the church in England with the papacy, 15:55 a shift from its original roots. 16:00 Coleman soon left for the island of Iona 16:03 and following this four dark centuries 16:05 followed in England. 16:07 Soon after, the Danish Vikings swept through England, 16:10 bringing with them a flood of Paganism. 16:13 The Celtic Church would remain strong 16:15 in Scotland and Wales 16:16 and in Ireland, but even in England, 16:18 followers of truth 16:20 would persist over the centuries. 16:22 The seed sown by Aidan, Finan, and Colman would continue 16:27 so that when John Wycliffe began his marvelous revival 16:30 centuries later, 16:31 his followers are thought by some 16:34 to be those who maintained from generation to generation 16:37 the doctrines of Aidan. 16:39 One thing we learn here from the Council of Whitby 16:42 is that though the cause of God took an apparent defeat, 16:45 we have to remember 16:47 that we're living in a great controversy 16:49 where there's a battle between truth and evil. 16:52 And like in the words of the song 16:54 Once to Every Man and Nation, where the words go, 16:57 "Though the cause of evil prosper, 16:59 yet 'tis truth alone is strong." 17:03 Sometimes in our life or in our work, 17:06 it can look like the cause of God 17:08 is taking a beating. 17:09 It can look like the cause of God is suffering, 17:12 yet we need to remember 17:14 that we're living in a great controversy. 17:16 There's a battle between truth and error, 17:18 between right and wrong, between God and Satan. 17:22 If we abide in Christ, if we align ourselves with God, 17:27 we can know that we will always end up 17:29 on the winning side, 17:30 though on the way 17:31 there will sometimes be apparent defeats. 17:57 Dinooth was a heroic figure 17:59 who lived in the fifth and sixth centuries 18:02 and was director of Christianity 18:04 in England and Wales 18:05 around the time 18:07 of the beginning of the 1260 year prophecy 18:09 in 538 18:11 and led the church 18:12 during its critical encounter with Augustine, 18:15 the founder of the papal church in Britain. 18:18 He was a contemporary of Columba 18:20 and had received his training from him. 18:23 Here in Bangor-on-Dee in Wales, 18:26 a training institute was established 18:28 that would be key in establishing this country 18:31 as a mighty force for truth 18:33 and resisting the advances of Rome for centuries. 18:47 The school here in Bangor was not a small one 18:51 with just 20 or 30 students 18:53 but would have had hundreds 18:54 and at times thousands of students. 18:57 There was one particular story 18:58 soon after the leaders of the Celtic Church 19:01 had met with Augustine 19:02 and rejected his teachings and authority, 19:05 when 1,200 ministerial students 19:08 from this school were slaughtered. 19:10 The Welsh church was one of the sturdiest 19:13 and withstood much opposition to it, 19:15 maintaining its stance the longest 19:17 out of the churches in England, Scotland, and Wales. 19:21 They differed with Rome on many points, 19:23 but the supremacy of the bishops, celibacy, 19:26 and the Sabbath were three of the main ones. 19:29 "There is much evidence 19:31 that the Sabbath prevailed in Wales universally 19:33 until AD 115 19:36 when the first Roman bishop was seated at St David's. 19:39 The old Welsh Sabbath-keeping churches 19:42 did not even then altogether bow the knee to Rome, 19:45 but fled to their hiding places 19:47 where the ordinances of the gospel to this day 19:50 have been administered in their primitive mode 19:52 without being adulterated by the corrupt Church of Rome." 19:56 So in the sixth and seventh centuries 19:58 we see a strong Celtic Church. 20:00 Patrick had been the evangelist in Ireland, 20:03 Columba in Scotland, Aidan in England, 20:06 and Dinooth had established 20:08 a training Center here in Wales. 20:11 But the gospel would flow from these shores 20:13 over to Europe 20:14 through the ministry of a man called Columbanus. 20:17 He was trained here in Bangor 20:19 and he would carry the light to France, 20:21 Switzerland, Germany, and Italy, 20:24 establishing training centers on the continent. 20:38 The first place he established a school 20:41 was in France. 20:42 Here, along with 13 others who would come with him, 20:44 these Celtic missionaries lived their lives, 20:47 reading the scriptures and teaching other people. 20:49 No longer did the youth of the land 20:51 have to travel to Ireland, Scotland, or Wales 20:54 to receive training, 20:55 but right in Europe they could receive an education 20:58 of the highest standard. 21:00 Soon this school became too small 21:02 and he planted another one nearby, 21:04 and then another one nearby, 21:06 all within 20 miles of each other. 21:08 Later on in his life, 21:10 he would plant schools in Switzerland and in Germany. 21:14 Even as he was nearing the end of his life 21:16 at 70 years old, he did not slow down. 21:20 Now settling in Italy, he was joyfully received 21:23 and the commonality between the faith 21:25 of the Celtic Church 21:26 and that of the Waldensians was seen 21:28 as he found a strong bond with the believers there. 21:32 Refusing to enjoy a comfortable retirement, 21:35 he asked the king for a place to plant a new center 21:39 and the locality of Bobbio 21:41 with its ruined church was given him 21:43 and he established a school and library there. 21:53 He died one year 21:54 after founding the school in Bobbio, Italy 21:57 in the year 615 at the age of 72. 22:00 He lived a faithful life, 22:02 learning the gospel here in Wales 22:04 and then dedicating his life 22:06 to the spreading of the gospel in foreign lands, 22:08 setting up mission institutes all over Europe. 22:12 One thing that stands out to us from the life of Columbanus 22:15 is that he worked for God all the way until the end. 22:19 He didn't enjoy an easy retirement, 22:21 but he kept pressing on. 22:23 No matter who we are, 22:24 whether we work for the church 22:25 or whether we don't work for the church, 22:27 whether we are employed, whether we're unemployed, 22:29 whether we are old or whether we are young, 22:31 let us be faithful to God wherever we are, 22:34 using the talents 22:36 God has given to us all the way until the end. 22:55 Whilst the Celtic Church 22:56 was maintaining the pure apostolic faith 22:59 in the British Isles and evangelizing there as well, 23:02 the Waldensians were doing the same here 23:05 in northern Italy. 23:06 The word Waldensian means people of the valleys. 23:10 Originally, though, in Italian, it was Vallenses with a V. 23:15 It was translated into the French as Vaudois. 23:18 But in the 12th century, 23:19 the V changed to a W and one of the Ls became a D, 23:23 from where we get the name Waldensian today. 23:27 The Waldensians did not see themselves 23:30 as reformers. 23:31 They did not see themselves 23:32 as needing to separate from Rome, 23:34 for they said we have never belonged to it. 23:36 They said they were part of the apostolic faith 23:39 and could trace their origins 23:40 all the way back to the early centuries. 23:43 In fact, 23:44 when we look at the history of the Waldensians 23:46 over several hundred years, if not millennia, 23:50 we can see that they were around 23:52 in the very early centuries. 23:53 In the fourth century with Vigilantius, 23:56 we can see them in the seventh, the eighth, the ninth century. 24:09 Some people say that the first Waldensian 24:11 was Peter Waldo in the 12th century, 24:14 but this is not really accurate. 24:16 Whilst it is true 24:18 that Peter Waldo was a merchantman from Lyon. 24:21 He did sell all of his goods and commit his life 24:24 to the preaching of the gospel. 24:26 He was not the first Waldensian 24:28 and their roots trace back much before him. 24:31 In fact, one of the early names for the Waldensians 24:34 was actually the word Insabbati, 24:37 showing clearly that the Waldensians 24:39 were Sabbath keepers 24:40 as they were named after the very day 24:42 upon which they worshipped. 24:44 As the Waldensians were coming up 24:46 in the early centuries 24:48 and the Roman Catholic Church was forming as well, 24:51 both of them saw the heathens around them as a mission field. 24:55 But whilst the Roman Catholic Church 24:57 used the power of the law 24:59 and the sword and political alliances 25:02 to win people over, 25:03 the Waldensians put their faith in the strength of God's Word. 25:16 When you gaze on the magnificent mountains 25:18 that surround us, 25:20 you cannot but admit 25:22 that God provided a safe retreat for his people. 25:26 To the Waldensians was given the task 25:28 of passing the light on 25:30 to the Protestants of modern time 25:32 and penetrating the darkness with true Bible doctrine. 25:38 Indeed they maintained longer than any group 25:42 in the struggle to preserve the Bible 25:45 and primitive Christianity. 25:48 In upcoming episodes, 25:50 we're gonna see the caves in which they hid 25:52 and where they met for worship. 25:54 We're gonna see the places 25:56 where they trained their young people 25:58 and how to study the Bible 26:00 and then how to be missionaries. 26:02 We're also gonna climb mountains 26:05 and see the cliffs 26:06 over which the Waldensians were hurled to their death 26:09 in times of persecution. 26:12 Truly, the Waldensians stand to us today 26:16 as a group of people who believed in the Bible, 26:18 as a group of people 26:20 who believed in mission service. 26:22 They are a key part of our spiritual lineage today. |
Revised 2020-04-29