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History of the Church |
Dear Brethren,
Have you ever
compared the history of the True Church with that of mainstream
religion? Catholicism and Protestantism claim to go back to Jesus
Christ – but do they really? When was the origin of the True
Church? The origin of the New Testament Church of God was on
Pentecost when God’s Spirit was poured out on 120 people called out
of the evil world (Acts 1:15).
Did Jesus establish the Catholic Church some three hundred years after He founded the
first-century Church of God on that first Pentecost after His resurrection? Absolutely
not! Jesus promised that His Church would always exist: Jesus said, “
I will build my church and the gates of [the grave] shall not prevail against it."
(Matthew 16:18)
Where is the Church
that Jesus built? The world has no idea what or where that one
church of Jesus Christ’s is. For “church,” Jesus used the Greek
word ekklesia, which means a called-out
congregation of brethren. Ekklesia does not refer to a
building, synagogue, or religious organization of men. The
Church, then, refers to the people who have received God's Spirit.
"You are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His...
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God." (Romans 8:9, 14) "For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body." (1Corinthians 12:13)
Make no mistake
about it - Jesus has only one Church. Jesus purchased His Church,
this one body of believers, with His own life’s blood (Acts 20:28).
Jesus said, “My Church,” meaning a spiritual entity
consisting only of those brethren who have received a
special calling from God the Father. The Church of Jesus
Christ is the called out congregation of brethren
through the ages who have been given God’s Holy Spirit – making
them children of God, and who are led by God’s Holy Spirit, and who
have totally surrendered themselves to the rule of God.
How does a person
enter into this true Church of God today? Peter gave us the answer,
about how to be in the true Church of God, on that first Pentecost
Day. "Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one
of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is unto
you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as
many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts
2:38-39)
To become a
Christian in God's Church, a person needs to realize that they have
been living wrong, sinful lives, and that baptism is the only way to
obtain forgiveness for their sins. Baptism is the most important
decision a person will ever make in their entire lifetime. We are
sinners, and we need to be washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and
obey God as He did. "Walk worthy of God, who has called you
unto His kingdom and glory." (1Thessalonians 2:12)
We have seen over
and over that too many people who say that they want to be cleaned
of their sins in baptism, are not willing to walk worthy of God, who
has called them unto His kingdom and glory. They are like a man who
knows that he needs to be cleaned up with a shave and a haircut, who
then returns to his world in reckless abandon - without care or
regard for the consequences of his sins. With a shave and a
haircut, it is expected that we will have to come again and again to
get cleaned up - but that is not the way to look at entering God's
Church where we desire to walk worthy of God.
Baptism is where we
get cleaned up all over, and endeavor to remain clean throughout our
lives. "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:
that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
(Romans 6:4) In God's Church, a Christian does not live a
stationary, unchanging life. Understand this: Even after receiving
God’s Holy Spirit, it is necessary to continue repenting and growing
in grace, knowledge and Godly character.
Especially after
receiving God’s Holy Spirit, we need to grow and overcome. The
seven churches of Revelation are made up of imperfect human beings –
who continuously need to repent. Jesus does not say to the Church,
"The world is a mess – but you Church brethren are doing just
fine." No, He has a lot of correction for the Church brethren – and
he says, "Hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,"
seven times in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3. "It is
seven, that stamps with perfection and completeness that in
connection with which it is used," wrote E. W. Bullinger.
Jesus gave
correction to all the seven churches of Revelation – who have God’s
Holy Spirit. Jesus pointed out that there are sins that they have
to overcome. "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia
write: Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in
the temple of my God." (Revelation 3:7, 12) Jesus is speaking
of our sins that must be repented of and overcome.
The True Church of
Jesus Christ has never been a political force, but rather a
scattered and persecuted Church, called “heretics" by the world. To
find the Church that Jesus Christ built, do not look for a
group with great numbers. Jesus said, "Fear not, little
flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you
the kingdom." (Luke 12:32)
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Sermon:
"History of the Church"
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