Christian Practices Mock Revision

Question 1

1. Forms of worship

Answer 1

Liturgical/Non-Liturgical/Private

Question 2

2. How Christian churches help believers to respond to persecution (hostility and ill-treatment):

Answer 2

Some taught to react with forgiveness and love so, they might love their enemies.
• Some helped to trust God & believe there is a reason for persecution. Things will turn out to be for the best in the end.
• Some will be encouraged to respond to large-scale persecution. E.g. James & Stephen Smith set up the ‘Aegis Trust’ to prevent genocides and atrocities such as that in Rwanda. ‘Open Doors’, supports persecuted Christians worldwide and the ‘Barnabas’ • • • • Fund helps Christians cope with discrimination and persecution.
Some helped to be pacifist because Jesus commanded it – turn the other cheek.
• Some encouraged to pray or to read the Bible or contribute financially to help persecuted people or to support charities and pressure groups resisting persecution, etc.

Question 3

3. Examples of the work of the Church in the local community:

Answer 3

• Christians will help people with spiritual needs in the community, e.g. those who feel abandoned by society. Some will pray for the local community as a whole and the Church provides a family for those who are alone.
• Others help with their physical needs, e.g. those who have insufficient food/money to maintain themselves and their families:
• Some work with food banks by collecting and distributing food / others will give money to help buy what is needed. (Trussell Trust).
• The Salvation Army provides hostels for the homeless / others will provide soup and food parcels to those who sleep on the streets.
• Street pastors target both the spiritual and physical needs of those who are at risk on the streets.
• School pastors work pastorally with children in their school communities.

Question 4

4. Why celebrating Holy Communion is important to Christians:

Answer 4

• Holy Communion/Eucharist is important for Christians because of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, where Christians believe what Jesus said and did were important for all Christians.
• Jesus identified the bread as his body and the wine as his blood (e.g. Mark 14:22–25) / these symbolise Jesus’ sacrifice/atonement for human sin.
• In Luke’s account (Luke 22) the Last Supper is a meal to celebrate Passover / Jesus transformed the celebration into something connected with his suffering, death and resurrection.
• In Paul’s account of the Last Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17–34), Jesus’ actions with the bread and wine are accompanied by Jesus saying, ‘Do this in remembrance of me’ so, some see this as an important command to repeat Jesus’ actions.
• For some Christian denominations (Catholic/Orthodox/Anglican), Holy Communion is a sacrament – a ceremony which gives spiritual grace.
• For Roman Catholics, the importance of Mass is seen in the belief in transubstantiation, that the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Jesus.
• For some Protestants, the bread and wine are symbols of Jesus’ death, which brought salvation to humanity.
• For others, the service unites the worshipper with Christ.
• The celebration brings Christians together and unites members of a church.

Question 5

5. The importance of the Lord’s Prayer: some say it is the only prayer needed because

Answer 5

• In the Gospels, Jesus commanded his disciples to use the prayer.
• In Luke 11, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray as John taught his disciples. Jesus answered: ‘When you pray, say …’ – so Jesus gave a direct command to pray in this way.
• The Lord’s Prayer is also said to be the ‘perfect prayer’. For Catholics, it is a summary of the whole gospel, implying that nothing else is needed.
• It is held to be the perfect prayer also because it contains all the necessary ingredients: praise, thanks, confession, and asking God for what both the individual needs and what other people need ‘give us this day our daily bread’.
• Since it comes directly from Jesus, it links all Christians from all times back to Jesus.
• Most forms of Christian worship include the Lord’s Prayer.
• It can be used both in public and in private worship; in spoken form or in private prayer.

Question 6

5. The importance of the Lord’s Prayer: why it is not the only prayer needed

Answer 6

• The prayer does not appear in Mark’s Gospel, which is generally agreed to be the first written gospel. If it is so important, why does Mark not record it?
• All the Gospels record occasions when Jesus prays using words other than the Lord’s Prayer so, if it is the only prayer needed by Christians, why did Jesus use other prayers?
• For example, Jesus prays at his baptism (Luke 3:21); before he walks on water (Mark 6:46); at his transfiguration (Luke 9:29) and he even prays before he tells his disciples how to pray, in Luke 11:1. In the Garden of Gethsemane he prays three times to be released from the coming suffering. So, prayer on many different occasions and for many different needs is indicated by Jesus.
• Perhaps Jesus saw the Lord’s Prayer as the best general prayer, but accepted prayer of any kind as appropriate?
• Some Christians need to use more than just the Lord’s Prayer; for example Holy Communion/Eucharist uses many different prayers such as the Gloria.
• Saying a grace/prayer of thanks before meals is important to some Christians, so the Lord’s Prayer is not the only prayer they need.