Words of Truth Ministries
2 Timothy 2:15
Church Beginnings
Church Beginnings.
The day of Pentecost [Acts 2:1-4] And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The teachings of Jesus and the disciples. [Acts 2:40-47] And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, save yourselves from this crooked generation. They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need. And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved.
I want to belong to a fellowship that is as taught by Jesus where we are all of one accord, one mind, one belief, and where we can be like a family in a community. So we can pray and worship together, in Spirit and in truth, where we can cry together, laugh together, help each other spiritually and physically on a one to one basis also as a collective, help fellow brothers and sisters in need, study the Bible and discuss the things that God reveals to us. Just as they did back then in those days of the apostles, that to me is church. Something that the world out there can see and show them that we have the love of Jesus inside us, and that they have something missing in their lives and we have the answer, Jesus! A person that they need. Unfortunately, we have nothing in the “church” today due to the lack of good leadership. We have people coming to speak, who come with all sorts of doctrines, we have people who come and speak nothing but salvation all the time. We don’t need that, we are saved, our names are already in the Lambs book of life, we don’t need to be taught that over and over again! We don’t need milk anymore, what we want or more to the point, what we need is meat! I know that some of these speakers have to learn to speak somewhere but please not here. This church has work to do and we can not do it on milk. Without the “meat” of the Bible and good leadership how are the people supposed to keep the “wolves in sheep’s clothing at bay. They are open to all sorts of doctrines and false teachers. Now we come to where it all started to go wrong and is still going on today. The institutionalised church has been in error for the last 1700 years! Lets read the 3rd. epistle of John verses 9-11 v. 9. Diotrephes loved the pre-eminence what does pre-eminence mean? it means to exceed all others – to be in the front, to be prominent – to be sticking out – to be distinguished. He wanted to be better than everyone else, he wanted to be noticed, he, wanted to be seen as important. He did not welcome Johns letter. In verse 10 he demeaned John’s reputation with malicious information. He was not hospitable to other believers, which was part of the apostles teaching, “be hospitable to travelling brothers”, don’t forget back in those days being a Christian was dangerous, once they were found out, they had to move on, their very lives depended on it. He hindered others in the congregation in their desire to be hospitable. He expelled believers who resisted his activities. He wanted to be a one-man leader, like the one-man leaders of today. The one man leaders today, if they read their bibles they would know the biblical laws for leadership and the qualifications to be in leadership, what does Paul say to Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:16-17? “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”. Inspiration of God; God directed the men who wrote it, what to write, and how to write it, that as a rule of faith and practice for men it might be perfect. For doctrine, the communication of instruction. For reproof, to show men their sins. For correction, to reclaim them. For instruction; in what is right, and the presentation of the highest and best motives to induce men to do it. As all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and, like its author is perfect, and as it tends to make perfect all who believe and obey it. A few years ago, I gave myself a project to do, and that was to study church history. I started with mapping out the denominations that I knew of, starting with the NT church on the Day of Pentecost the “Apostolic Church”. So I drew a line across the paper indicating the “eternity line of God”, eternity past and eternity future. I then connected that line with the fall of the Holy Spirit starting the first church to another line with various dates and denominations with their splits to other denominations. I got so far as the second century CE. Which was the start of the Apostasy or the falling away from the apostolic church, which is, the doctrines of the apostles. As the apostles slowly, one by one went home to the Lord, the churches gradually fell back into their old ways of paganism, for the gentiles, and Judaism for the Jews. The idea and institution of a special priesthood, separate from the body of the people, with the accompanying notion of sacrifice and altar, passed unnoticeably from Jewish and heathen memories and analogies into the Christian church. The majority of Jewish converts adhered stubbornly to the Mosaic institutions and rites, and a considerable part never fully attained to the height of spiritual freedom proclaimed by Paul, or soon fell away from it. He opposed legalistic and ceremonial tendencies in Galatia and Corinth; and although idolatry does not appear among the errors of his Judaizing opponents, the Levitical priesthood, with its three ranks of high-priest, priest, and Levite, naturally furnished a similarity of the threefold ministry of bishop, priest, and deacon, and came to be regarded as typical of it. Still less could the Gentile Christians, as a body, at once liberate themselves from their traditional notions of priesthood, altar, and sacrifice, on which their former religion was based. Whether we regard the change as an apostasy from a higher position attained, or as a reaction of old ideas never fully abandoned, the change is undeniable, and can be traced to the second century. The church could not longer occupy the ideal height of the apostolic age, and as the Pentecostal illumination passed away with the death of the apostles, the old memories began to reassert themselves. In the apostolic church preaching and teaching were not confined to a particular class, but every convert could proclaim the gospel to unbelievers, and every Christian who had the gift could pray and teach and exhort in the congregation. The New Testament knows no spiritual aristocracy or nobility, but calls all believers “saints” though many fell far short of their vocation. Nor does it recognize a special priesthood in distinction from the people, as mediating between God and the laity. It knows only one high-priest, Jesus Christ, and clearly teaches the universal priesthood, as well as universal kingship, of believers. It does this in a far deeper and larger sense than the Old; in a sense, too, which even to this day is not yet fully realised. The entire body of Christians are called a peculiar people, the heritage of God. Kenneth Scott Latourette, a renowned church historian and professor of Christian Mission, states that, “the Roman concept of power and rule corrupted the organisation and life of the early church. He observes that the church was being interpenetrated by ideals which were quite contrary to the gospel, especially the conception and use of power which were in stark contrast to the kind exhibited in the life and teaching of Jesus and in the cross and the resurrection”. “This, he goes on to say, proved to be the menace which was most nearly disastrous to Christianity, he goes further to say I believe it is more accurate to say that the conceptual and structural change that occurred within the church during the early centuries of Christianity was disastrous”. Christianity, the humblest of all faiths, fell into the most power hungry and hierarchical religion on earth.
The day of Pentecost [Acts 2:1-4] And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The teachings of Jesus and the disciples. [Acts 2:40-47] And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, save yourselves from this crooked generation. They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need. And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved.
I want to belong to a fellowship that is as taught by Jesus where we are all of one accord, one mind, one belief, and where we can be like a family in a community. So we can pray and worship together, in Spirit and in truth, where we can cry together, laugh together, help each other spiritually and physically on a one to one basis also as a collective, help fellow brothers and sisters in need, study the Bible and discuss the things that God reveals to us. Just as they did back then in those days of the apostles, that to me is church. Something that the world out there can see and show them that we have the love of Jesus inside us, and that they have something missing in their lives and we have the answer, Jesus! A person that they need. Unfortunately, we have nothing in the “church” today due to the lack of good leadership. We have people coming to speak, who come with all sorts of doctrines, we have people who come and speak nothing but salvation all the time. We don’t need that, we are saved, our names are already in the Lambs book of life, we don’t need to be taught that over and over again! We don’t need milk anymore, what we want or more to the point, what we need is meat! I know that some of these speakers have to learn to speak somewhere but please not here. This church has work to do and we can not do it on milk. Without the “meat” of the Bible and good leadership how are the people supposed to keep the “wolves in sheep’s clothing at bay. They are open to all sorts of doctrines and false teachers. Now we come to where it all started to go wrong and is still going on today. The institutionalised church has been in error for the last 1700 years! Lets read the 3rd. epistle of John verses 9-11 v. 9. Diotrephes loved the pre-eminence what does pre-eminence mean? it means to exceed all others – to be in the front, to be prominent – to be sticking out – to be distinguished. He wanted to be better than everyone else, he wanted to be noticed, he, wanted to be seen as important. He did not welcome Johns letter. In verse 10 he demeaned John’s reputation with malicious information. He was not hospitable to other believers, which was part of the apostles teaching, “be hospitable to travelling brothers”, don’t forget back in those days being a Christian was dangerous, once they were found out, they had to move on, their very lives depended on it. He hindered others in the congregation in their desire to be hospitable. He expelled believers who resisted his activities. He wanted to be a one-man leader, like the one-man leaders of today. The one man leaders today, if they read their bibles they would know the biblical laws for leadership and the qualifications to be in leadership, what does Paul say to Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:16-17? “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”. Inspiration of God; God directed the men who wrote it, what to write, and how to write it, that as a rule of faith and practice for men it might be perfect. For doctrine, the communication of instruction. For reproof, to show men their sins. For correction, to reclaim them. For instruction; in what is right, and the presentation of the highest and best motives to induce men to do it. As all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and, like its author is perfect, and as it tends to make perfect all who believe and obey it. A few years ago, I gave myself a project to do, and that was to study church history. I started with mapping out the denominations that I knew of, starting with the NT church on the Day of Pentecost the “Apostolic Church”. So I drew a line across the paper indicating the “eternity line of God”, eternity past and eternity future. I then connected that line with the fall of the Holy Spirit starting the first church to another line with various dates and denominations with their splits to other denominations. I got so far as the second century CE. Which was the start of the Apostasy or the falling away from the apostolic church, which is, the doctrines of the apostles. As the apostles slowly, one by one went home to the Lord, the churches gradually fell back into their old ways of paganism, for the gentiles, and Judaism for the Jews. The idea and institution of a special priesthood, separate from the body of the people, with the accompanying notion of sacrifice and altar, passed unnoticeably from Jewish and heathen memories and analogies into the Christian church. The majority of Jewish converts adhered stubbornly to the Mosaic institutions and rites, and a considerable part never fully attained to the height of spiritual freedom proclaimed by Paul, or soon fell away from it. He opposed legalistic and ceremonial tendencies in Galatia and Corinth; and although idolatry does not appear among the errors of his Judaizing opponents, the Levitical priesthood, with its three ranks of high-priest, priest, and Levite, naturally furnished a similarity of the threefold ministry of bishop, priest, and deacon, and came to be regarded as typical of it. Still less could the Gentile Christians, as a body, at once liberate themselves from their traditional notions of priesthood, altar, and sacrifice, on which their former religion was based. Whether we regard the change as an apostasy from a higher position attained, or as a reaction of old ideas never fully abandoned, the change is undeniable, and can be traced to the second century. The church could not longer occupy the ideal height of the apostolic age, and as the Pentecostal illumination passed away with the death of the apostles, the old memories began to reassert themselves. In the apostolic church preaching and teaching were not confined to a particular class, but every convert could proclaim the gospel to unbelievers, and every Christian who had the gift could pray and teach and exhort in the congregation. The New Testament knows no spiritual aristocracy or nobility, but calls all believers “saints” though many fell far short of their vocation. Nor does it recognize a special priesthood in distinction from the people, as mediating between God and the laity. It knows only one high-priest, Jesus Christ, and clearly teaches the universal priesthood, as well as universal kingship, of believers. It does this in a far deeper and larger sense than the Old; in a sense, too, which even to this day is not yet fully realised. The entire body of Christians are called a peculiar people, the heritage of God. Kenneth Scott Latourette, a renowned church historian and professor of Christian Mission, states that, “the Roman concept of power and rule corrupted the organisation and life of the early church. He observes that the church was being interpenetrated by ideals which were quite contrary to the gospel, especially the conception and use of power which were in stark contrast to the kind exhibited in the life and teaching of Jesus and in the cross and the resurrection”. “This, he goes on to say, proved to be the menace which was most nearly disastrous to Christianity, he goes further to say I believe it is more accurate to say that the conceptual and structural change that occurred within the church during the early centuries of Christianity was disastrous”. Christianity, the humblest of all faiths, fell into the most power hungry and hierarchical religion on earth.