Christian Living Module 22week 22

NOTRE DAME OF TALISAY CITY
GRADE LEVEL: 9 LESSON: 3RD QUARTER

SUBJECT: CHRISTIAN LIVING WEEK: 6
TOPIC: The Growth and Spread of the Church
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OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, the learners should able to:
1. Discuss the birth and growth of the Church in the Philippines.
2. List concrete ways to contribute of spreading the faith among the people.
3. Advocate the steady growth and spread of the Church to the Nation.
LESSON PROPER:
The Growth and Spread of the Church
“The spread of the Church to the then known world was fueled by the zeal of the apostles in preaching the
Gospel and the witness of countless Christians who died for the Faith. But this zeal and witness would not have
been possible without the ever abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.”
After the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, they wasted no time in preaching the Word of God to all
nations. They were accompanied in their missionary preaching by the members of the Christian communities. The
account from the Acts of the Apostles that follows documents the end of the missionary journeys of Paul and Barnabas.
End of the First Mission
After Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the good news to that city and made a considerable number of
disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and
exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom
of God.” They appointed presbyters for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith. Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. After proclaiming the word
at Perga they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of
God for the work they had now accomplished. And when they arrived, they called the church together and reported
what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. Then they spent no little time
with the disciples. Acts 14:21-28
“Go and Make Disciples of All Nations”
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He left a very important mission for the apostles to do---to make disciples of all
nations. To accomplish this task, they must “baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit” and to “teach them everything I have commanded you.” The apostles were eager to carry out this mission but
they were paralyzed by fear. It was only when they were filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost that they summoned
the courage to boldly proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah who suffered to redeem humankind. After Peter’s fiery
proclamation, there were according to the account in the Acts of the Apostles, 3000 added to the number of the
apostles (Acts 2) From that time on, there were no stopping the apostles and their followers from spreading the faith.
From Acts of the Apostles, the growth and spread of the Church can be traced through the missionary journeys
of the apostles.
 After the martyrdom of Stephen, the Christians were dispersed to different places. One of the apostles, Philip
went to Samaria where he preached and performed sign and wonders. The presence of Philip and his wonderful
message of love brought across to the people both in words and deeds caused so much joy among them. Thus,
many came to follow him (Acts 8:1b-8).
 The news of the conversion of the people of Samaria reached the apostles in Jerusalem so they sent Peter and John
to them so that they may receive the Holy Spirit. Upon arriving in the place, they saw the people praying then they
laid their hands upon them and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17)
 After his conversion, Paul, went to Jerusalem to join the apostles in their mission. When they finally accepted him
as part of their community, he began his preaching. With the apostles and Paul doing their mission together, “the
whole Church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria now enjoyed a period of peace. It became established and as
it went forward in reverence for the Lord and in the strengthening presence of the Holy spirit continued to grow in
numbers” (9:26-31).
 Through a vision, God commanded Peter to go to the house of a gentile named Cornelius. There he baptized him
and his entire household (Acts 10:34-48.) When the apostles in Jerusalem came to know what Peter did, they were
frustrated because Cornelius, his family and friends were uncircumcised. After Peter explained to them the action
of the Holy Spirit, they concluded, “Then obviously God has given to the Gentiles as well the gift of repentance
which leads to life” (Acts 11:18)
 Paul with Barnabas went to several places and wherever they went, many more are added to their number.
Thought their efforts and prodded by the Holy Spirit, the door of faith was opened to the gentiles (Acts 14:28).
The Birth and Growth of the Church in the Philippines
Built in 1595, San Agustin Manila, officially
known as Church of the Immaculate
Conception of san Agustin, is the oldest
church in the Philippines.
It is said that there were two things that the

Spaniards used in their conquest of the
Philippines, the sword and the cross. This is
because when the Spanish conquerors came
to the Philippines, they also brought with
them friars who brought Christianity to our
land. The Spanish friars came in succession.
The first ones were the Augustinians who
came with Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1565.
They were followed by the Franciscans who
came in 1578. In 1581 the Jesuits came followed by the Dominicans in 1587 and the Augustinian Recollects in 1606.
The friars lost no time in converting the people of the islands to the faith. The friars built churches all over the
archipelago, a number of them are still standing today. They baptized natives but not before giving them pre-baptismal
catechesis. They also introduced religious practices such as the celebration of the Mass, the praying of the Angelus and
the Rosary and the veneration of the Virgin Mary and the saints. The celebration of the Mass became very much a part
of the life of the Filipinos, thus their religiosity then was described as bajas de las campanas. Moreover, they were so
enamored with the Blessed Virgin Mary that they came to be known as Pueblo Amante de Maria or “people in love with
Mary.”
To hasten the spread of the Catholic Faith, the Spanish friars established Catholic schools. These schools, besides
responding to the educational needs of the Filipinos also contributed a lot in the task of evangelization. They also
printed religious books, the most famous of which is the Doctrina Christiana, said to be first book printed in the century.
In 2021, we shall celebrate 500 years of Christianity in our country. To lead the Filipino Catholics towards this
great jubilee for the Church in the Philippines, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines issued a Pastoral Letter
inviting all of us to “remember with thanksgiving the first Mass celebrated in Limasawa Island on Easter Sunday March
31 that same blessed years; ”to” remember the baptism of Rajah Humabon who was given his Christian name Carlos and
his wife Hara Amihan who was baptized Juana in 1521;” and to fix our “gaze on the Santo Niño de Cebu, the oldest
religious icon in the Philippines, the gift of Ferdinand Magellan to the first Filipino Catholics that same year.”
The celebration of 500 years of the Catholic Faith in our country challenges us to renew our commitment as
members of the Church and to share our faith with our brothers and sisters with new ardor new expressions. We may
still be the predominantly Christian country in Asia yet the celebration we look forward to in 2021 challenges us to
examine our lives and to see if we are faithful to our calling as Filipino Catholics.
ACTIVITY: Answer the following question 10pts
What brought about the steady growth and spread of the Church to the then known world?
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ASSESSMENT: Answer the following questions
1. What did the Spanish friars do to evangelize the Filipino?
2. Why are Filipinos said to be Pueblo Amante de Maria?
3. Why do you think we have to remember important events in our history as we are about to celebrate 500 years
of Christianity in our country?
ASSIGNMENT:
1. How did Christianity start in the Philippines?
2. What is the oldest church in the Philippines?

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NOTRE DAME OF TALISAY CITY

GRADE LEVEL: 9 LESSON: 3RD QUARTER

It is said that there were two things that the

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