God's Church
WHERE WAS THE CHURCH?
God's Church
WHERE WAS THE CHURCH?
The book of Daniel is very interesting, because of the significant events which it describes in the life of Daniel and his three young Hebrew companions. It is also an interesting book because of the prophecies contained therein. In the second chapter there is the combination of an interesting experience and also a meaningful prophecy.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, dreamed of a great image. The head was of gold, the breast and arms were of silver, the belly and thighs were of brass, the legs were of iron, and the feet were of iron mixed with clay. By God’s direction Daniel was able to interpret the dream. The head of gold referred to Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian kingdom. The silver referred to another world-wide empire that would follow. This, we later recognize as the Persian Empire. The brass represents still another world-wide kingdom, which turned out to be the Grecian Empire. The iron in the image stood for still another world-wide empire, which history revealed to be the Roman Empire. The story comes to its climax in the words, “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44). In the dream this last kingdom was described not as a part of the image, but as a stone cut out of the mountain without hands. The stone then rolled down the mountain and struck the image and destroyed all of the other parts.
This final kingdom, the spiritual kingdom of God, was different from the other empires and was to outlive all of them. This spiritual kingdom is described in the New Testament. The book of Acts tells of the beginning of the Lord's kingdom, or church, on Pentecost in the year A.D. 30, and of its growth during the remaining decades of that first century of the Christian era. It was this kingdom which the prophet Daniel predicted would never be destroyed and would stand forever.
A Challenging Question: Considering Daniel’s prophecy concerning the church, and thinking about the centuries that followed (particularly the dark ages), it is quite common to ask, “Where was the church?” It is a good question, deserving a thoughtful answer. However, before we are in a position to suggest an answer, it is necessary to spend a few moments thinking about the church as originally established by the apostles and the Lord.
The Biblical church that was established on Pentecost was very different from many churches today. Through the centuries different doctrines and practices have been added. One of the most significant changes is found in the fact that the Biblical church has been divided and sub-divided until today there are hundreds of different churches within Christendom. This is disturbing in view of the prayer which our Lord prayed on the night of His betrayal, “I do not pray for these alone [the apostles], but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21).
This plea for unity is parallel to the message that Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). The divisions among believers in Christ have been costly indeed. Sadly, the price we have paid for a divided Christendom is a growing world of unbelievers.
Down through the centuries different church councils have introduced: Various doctrines and ideas about how the church should be governed; and Variations in the New Testament pattern of worship.
As a result, many churches in the 21st Century have little or no resemblance to the Biblical church – the church belonging to Christ. This is why StudyJesus.com is dedicated to beginning a movement whose primary aim, goal and design is to hopefully eliminate man-made creeds and doctrines that divide honest, sincere believers in Christ into the hundreds of present-day denominations. No doubt, all believers realize that it is not God’s will that we should be so divided. Therefore, let us together go back to the New Testament and simply be Christians.
A Blueprint: How can we achieve such spiritual unity? It seems reasonable to assume that to reproduce the Biblical church in the 21st century, believers need to use the Bible, God’s inspired, infallible book as the blueprint? Consider Exodus 25:40 – Moses was admonished to build a tabernacle according to the instructions, the pattern that was given him by God on Mt. Sinai.
The idea was important enough that it was referred to again in the New Testament: …Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain (Hebrews 8:5).
Most believers agree that God has always wanted us to follow His plan, His pattern. Should not we try to do that more by seeking to eliminate the doctrines and creeds foreign to the Word of God? Should believers accept such teachings of uninspired men as authoritative? If our desire is to be members of the Lord’s church, the Biblical church, then we will want to obey His Word: In the way we become a Christian; in the way we worship; in the way the church is organized, and in the way we live.
“Let us speak where the scriptures speak, and be silent where the scriptures are silent;” “Let us have a Thus saith the Lord for everything that we do in faith and practice,” are phrases used by some in the religious world today and they seem worthy of consideration as we go further into the 21st century. With so many obvious religious divisions, does it not seem plausible to begin a movement based on the premise of going back to the Bible – back to simply being Christian? Do you think it is worth praying and yearning for all honest believers in Christ to be in the one body – the Biblical church? Not our church – not your church – not the church of someone else – but the Lord's church.
Yes, there are many diverse opinions and beliefs regarding the Biblical church. But, perhaps we can find common ground and unity through one purpose – Jesus Christ; and one plea: God’s Holy Word, the Bible. Like the 20th century, the 21st has sadly begun with a divided religious world. But there is hope, because God’s Holy Word and Beloved Son are the common denominators upon which most, if not all, God-fearing people everywhere can unite. Jesus Christ Himself prayed for unity: “I ... pray ... that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me ... that they may be one just as We are One” (John 17:20-22). Our Lord and Savior wants us to be one, therefore this site is dedicated to the unity of all believers.
That is why the appeal of StudyJesus.com is a “Thus saith the Lord” in everything done religiously. That is why our objective is lifting up Jesus Christ; sharing with others the greatest love story ever told.
Our plea: only that which is as old as the New Testament should be bound on believers. The goal: a richer, fuller, deeper understanding of the Bible and God’s Beloved Son, Jesus Christ; always keeping in mind that each of us has the responsibility of personally seeking out God’s truth as revealed in Holy Scriptures. The Bible says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12, 13), remembering that “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34).
StudyJesus.com was developed because Jesus “commanded us ... to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and dead” (Acts 10:42 NKJV). Serious study of the Bible requires dedication, self-control, patience, and a spirit of humility. No wonder we are admonished by Holy Scripture to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
All material presented on this website originates from a firm belief in the infallibility and authoritativeness of the Bible; inspired and Divine; the eternal holy Word of God. Therefore, the data is built on two basic foundations: any pronouncement herein from the Bible is considered God’s final word, and Christ is accepted as the only begotten Son of God, uniting in His person perfect divinity and perfect manhood.
Our aim and prayerful hope is to assist all who diligently seek God’s approval; who want to know and better appreciate the love, mercy, grace and saving power of Christ – seeking to be in His church.
Yes, it is a small beginning. And yes, it is a little seed in an ocean of religious division. But we fervently pray this concept is a proper and solid basis upon which all believers in Christ can unite in His one body – His church. And, by seeking to walk with Jesus Christ, seeking to do only what God has lovingly commanded through the Bible, adding / deleting nothing, we can know that our salvation is certain, and that the spiritual body of which we are a part is in fact the body of Christ – the church that belongs to Him – the church He shed blood to establish. So let’s join together in a return to the Bible and Jesus Christ. Come, let us study and reason together.
The Word Is The Seed: Now let us return to our question, “Where was the Biblical church during the centuries since its establishment on Pentecost?” Two suggestions: First, consider Christ’s parable about the sower (Matthew 13). Christ tells of a farmer who sowed seed in his field – some fell on the wayside, some on stony ground, some on rocky ground, and some on good ground. As the parable unfolds it is obvious that the seed is the Word of God and the soil represents the hearts of men and women. God’s Word, when planted in human hearts brings forth a harvest. This is the whole import of this familiar parable of the sower. God’s Word is the seed, and that seed is planted when the Gospel is preached.
Hold God’s inspired Word in your hand. This is the seed. This seed has existed through all the centuries, during the Dark Ages and all other ages. Whenever men have read it, studied it, obeyed it, it has brought forth Christians – creating congregations of the Lord’s church. In that sense, God’s kingdom has existed from the day of Pentecost down to this present hour. As long as the seed exists, the church exists.
To illustrate: William Jennings Bryan visited Egypt and went into one of the Pyramids. When he came out he had a few grains of wheat in his hands. In one of his speeches he referred to these as being perhaps thousands of years old. Yet in the seed there was still life. An article in the National Geographic magazine discussed lotus seeds unearthed in Japan. When measured by the latest scientific devices to estimate age, they were found to be more than 3,000 years old. Yet, when planted, they brought forth lotus plants. Similarly, the seed of God’s Word continues to perpetuate the church. As long as the seed exists the church exists. There has never been a time when the church, in seed form, has ceased to exist.
If Records Were Complete: In the second place, it is faith that causes us to believe that the church has also existed through all these centuries in visible, outward form. Remember how the church began on Pentecost with visitors present in Jerusalem from many different nations? Three thousand people became Christians and then a few weeks later they went home. Some of them went to Africa, some went to Rome, and some went east toward the Orient. They scattered everywhere. We have in the Bible just a fragmentary story of the spread of the early church. We read in Acts of only a few of the apostles. We cannot trace the preaching activities of Andrew, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus and Simon the Canaanean. Yet, we know that they were devout Christians, and we expect that they went about preaching. Most of the story of the early church was never recorded.
There is another fact for our consideration. Recorded history tells only a fragmentary story of the events of the ancient past. Recorded history tells of only a few of the most prominent persons – kings, generals, tyrants and the like. It tells of only a few of the most spectacular events, wars, catastrophes, and the rise and fall of empires. The meetings of little bands of dedicated Christians for the purpose of worship would hardly appear noteworthy. What historian would have recorded the simple activities of the New Testament church? In our day, too, the activities of the church seldom appear in the news pages. Even church history was primarily concerned with the major doctrinal controversies, the meetings of special councils and the struggle for ecclesiastical power and position – none of which was part of the Lord’s church.
By faith we believe that through these sparsely reported centuries, bands of faithful Christians read God’s Word and passed it on from generation to generation. This faith is supported by the fact that today we regularly discover new groups of Christians in various parts of the world. For example, after the Second World War in France and in Germany, bands of New Testament Christians were discovered of which little had been known before.
Identity of The Church: In the 21st century, as together we seek to establish the identity of the New Testament church we suggest the taking of the New Testament as the blueprint or pattern, and then coming across the centuries to our own day. Let us either find or establish a church that is most like the Biblical pattern. In a nutshell, this is our plea. Let us go back and be the New Testament church. Let us respect the authority of the Bible, adding nothing to the pattern and taking nothing from it.
Next, we examine the early church in its organization. It was made up of independent congregations, each ruled by a plurality of elders. There was no hierarchy or elaborate organizational system in the Biblical pattern. When we look at the Lord’s church, we find it in independent congregations under elders, who in turn are under the Lord as the only head of the church. If we are trying to identify the Biblical church or seeking to establish it, we need only to take God’s Word, the Bible, and read it to see what His church was like. Then we need to find that body of people who are living and worshipping in the way which He prescribed. At this point we have found the Lord’s church.
Conclusion: As mentioned above, nothing later than the New Testament will do – nothing outside the inspired Word is good enough. In every matter of faith and practice let us turn to the Bible – God’s final Word for mankind. As we end this lesson let us be known as just Christians. As we seek the body of Christ, the Biblical church, let us not add to or take away from the Scriptures of God’s Word, the Bible; and let us seek only the practices and examples found in the New Testament.
(Bible text is the New King James Version. Renderings from other translations are noted.)
