In Prophecy, In Promise, In Fact!
The Establishment of the Church of Christ
Jesus made a definite promise in Matthew 16:18, when he said, “Upon this rock I will build my church.”
Jesus clearly affirmed that the church would be His. It would belong to Christ. This statement, by itself, is sufficient to eliminate man-made churches which wear names of human origin. Since the church which Jesus promised to build was going to belong to him, it should wear his name. Please see Acts 4:12.
Did Jesus ever build His church? If so, when and where did it begin? Is it still in existence today?
Several expressions are used in the scriptures to refer to the church. Each term or expression describes a characteristic of the church and therefore helps us understand the nature of this wonderful institution.
First:the word “church” means the called out. In reference to the church it means the called out of the world.
In Bible times town criers would stand in the streets at some conspicuous place and report news events. The crier would call out to the townspeople to come and hear some late breaking news event. Those who gathered to hear him speak were said to be the “called out.”
The church is composed of those who have answered the call of the gospel. 2 Thessalonians 2:14, “to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (all verses NKJV)
The gospel is “the power of God to salvation,” Romans 1:16, “the gospel of your salvation,” Ephesians 1:13 and the thing “by which also you are saved,” 1 Corinthians 15:2.
In order to be saved by the gospel it is essential to hear the gospel, Romans 10:17, to believe the gospel, Hebrews 11:6, to repent of past sins, 2 Peter 3:9, to confess with the mouth the name of the Lord Jesus, Romans 10:9-10, and to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16 and 1 Peter 3:21.
Jesus said in Mark 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved;”. Acts 2:47, declares, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
It is, therefore, in this manner that sinners are called out of the world by the gospel and added to the church. This is the way “the called out” or the church came to exist and the way it continues to exist in the world today. The church is truly “the called out of this world.”
Second:the church is sometimes called the kingdom. The church locally, in a congregational sense, does not constitute the kingdom of Christ in the universal sense. The church in the universal sense, however, is the same thing as the kingdom of Christ. It is in this sense that the church is made up of all that have been saved from the day of Pentecost to the present and all who may be saved from now until Jesus comes again.
The church is called the kingdom to show it is a monarchy ruled by Jesus alone as the head or king over His kingdom.
In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus promised to build His church, then in the very next verse He promised the apostles the keys to the kingdom. It is incompatible that Jesus promised to build the church and then in the very next breath said, “Here is the keys to an altogether different institution.”
Jesus is truly the head over His church. Ephesians 5:23-25, “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.”
Is Christ the head of the religious institution of which you are a member? Most professed Christians would automatically answer, "yes!" But have you, would you, go to the historical records of your church and see where and by whom the religion was founded and who is currently the general overseer or head?
Does your church have a ruling board, a general superintendent, an elected president or a convention head? If so, can you truthfully say, Jesus is the head?
Please do not become upset with me or with the word of God. Please answer for yourself in an honest and unbiased manner. If your church is tapped into a universal headquarters, can you really say Jesus is the head of the organization? The Bible no where mentions the idea that the church would be divided into districts, synods or conventions.
Third:the church is also called the family of God. Ephesians 3:15, “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” This denotes fellowship in a family relationship between members of the church as brothers and sisters in Christ as children of God.
Fourth:the church is called the body of Christ. Colossians 1:18, “And He is the head of the body, the church:” Ephesians 1:22-23, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
Fifth:the church is called the house of God. 1 Timothy 3:15, “but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
The Church In Prophecy
Prophets of God foretold of the establishment of the church centuries before Jesus said, “I will build my church.”
Isaiah 2:2-3, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
The word church does not occur in this passage. The term “house of the God of Jacob” however, is used. We have learned already the house of God is the church, 1 Timothy 3:15. So, this is definitely a prophecy about the church.
Three points stand out in this prophecy:
- 1. All nations shall flow into the house of God.
2. It shall come to pass in the last days.
3. The law and the word of the Lord would go forth from Jerusalem.
WHEN was it to be established? In the last days.
WHERE was all this to take place? The word was scheduled to go forth from Jerusalem.
WHO? was to be involved? All nations would flow unto the Lord’s house.
Daniel 2:44, says, “In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.” Since the kingdom and the church is the same institution, this too is a prophecy concerning the establishment of the church.
The Church In Promise
Two promises were made by Jesus in Matthew 16:16-19.
1. “I will build My church.”
2. “Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The promise of “binding and loosing” was unique to the apostles. This promise does not apply to any “Tom, Dick or Harry,” who might go out claiming a latter day revelation. Numerous are the preachers in our day who claim God is giving them new revelation, often the message they bring is contrary to what is already revealed in the scriptures! These preachers claim the right to bind these new ideas on the world.
Such claims have resulted in new religions, old religions with a new twist---neither of which can be found in the Bible. We must put our confidence only in what can be found in the scriptures. If you wish to “try” a preacher to determine if what he preaches is the truth or not, then ask him to show his teaching to you from the Bible.
Fulfillment of the Prophecies and Promises
Two accounts, Luke 24:44-52 and Acts 1:2-12, are given of a conversation between Jesus and the apostles. During this visit, the coming kingdom was discussed. The time frame in which this conversation took place is important. Jesus had been crucified, buried and resurrected. After His resurrection yet before His ascension He was seen of the apostles and spoke with them of things pertaining to the kingdom of God, Acts 1:3.
Please open your Bible to Luke 24:44-50. Note the similarity between what Jesus told the apostles and the prophecy of Isaiah.
Isaiah: word of the Lord to go forth from Jerusalem. Jesus: repentance and remission of sins to be preached beginning in Jerusalem.
Isaiah: all nations would flow to the house of God. Jesus: preaching was to be done to all nations.
To save space the passage will not here be quoted, so please open your Bible to Acts 1:2-10 and note the following points:
- 1. Jesus was with the apostles.
2. Jesus talked with the apostles of the coming kingdom.
3. Jesus told the 12 apostles not to depart from Jerusalem. Why Jerusalem? Because this was where the prophet had said the law and the word of the Lord was to have its beginning.
4. Jesus told the apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism of the Holy Ghost which would bring them power.
5. Jesus told the 12 that they would be witnesses unto Him in all nations.
6. Jesus ascended and the apostles went to Jerusalem to wait for the promise to be fulfilled.
Please continue on in your open Bible to Acts chapter 2. Please remember the points of prophecy and promise listed below. Beside each point is a scripture reference from Acts 2, which shows the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the coming of the church.
- 1. All nations shall flow unto it: Acts 2:5 and 7-12.
2. Shall come to pass in the last days: Acts 2:16-17.
3. Would begin and go forth from Jerusalem. Acts 2:5.
4. Power would come with the spirit. Acts 2:1-4.
The questions: who, when and where, are satisfied or answered by what happened in Jerusalem on Pentecost day.
Who? All nations. When? In the last days.Where? At Jerusalem.What? The church had its beginning, Acts 2:47.
Many of those who heard Him were pricked in their hearts at the preaching of the apostle Peter and cried out saying, “what shall we do?” How did Peter reply? Did he say, “Hold up your hands and repeat the name of Jesus over and over.”? Did he tell them, “All you need to do is to believe.”? Did he command them to “pray through”? He told them none of these things. He told them what Jesus told him to tell them! Jesus had said that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name beginning at Jerusalem.
Therefore, Peter told them to “repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”, Acts 2:38.
“They that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls,” Acts 2:41. Reading on to Acts 2:47, the Bible says, “The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” Some translations say, “such as were being saved.”
The word church with reference to the church of Christ is used in the existing sense for the first time in Acts 2:47. All other references to the New Testament church up until this time in the Bible is stated in the future tense, such as, “I will build,” or “the Lord’s house shall be established,” etc.
Therefore one must conclude that the church which Jesus promised to build became an actual, factual, existing institution on the first Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus. The Church of Christ began in Jerusalem in about the thirty-third year of the first century.
- T F 1. Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my churches.”
T F 2. Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church.”
T F 3. Names in religion are totally unimportant for example, it really makes no difference what name Christ’s church is called. Acts 4:12.
T F 4. The church is called “the body of Christ”. Colossians 1:18.
T F 5. There is “one Lord, one faith and many bodies.” Ephesians 4:4-5.
T F 6. The church is not the body of Christ. Ephesians 1:22-23.
T F 7. There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, and one Lord. Ephesians 4:4-6
T F 8. When Jesus said, “and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:" He was promising the power of special revelation by the spirit to the apostles only.
T F 9. When Jesus said, "and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:” he was promising the power of special revelation by the spirit to Joseph Smith, Ellen White, Charles Taze Russell, Mary Baker Eddy, the Pope of Rome, Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart.
T F 10. The Church of Christ had its beginning in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection and was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus as its chief cornerstone.
T F 11. Jesus Christ is the head of the church and since He is seated at the right hand of God in heaven it is accurate to say the church has no earthly headquarters.
T F 12. The headquarters of the church is in Springfield, Missouri.
T F 13. Since Jesus is the head of the church and since the church is guided by the scriptures only, there is no need of a general superintendent or convention president.
T F 14. The Bible says nothing about the church being divided into denominations, synods, districts or diocese.
A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your questions and we want to be of encouragement.
If you have any comments or questions --- or would like the location and contact names of a congregation of the church belonging to Jesus Christ near you, please contact me at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com or 253-396-0290 (cell). Thanks Dennis Crawford, editor
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