The Origin of the Church (Continued)
There are many today that believe the church of Christ was not part of God’s plan at first. They believe that Jesus came to this earth to set up an earthly kingdom, but when His own people rejected him, He decided to set up the church instead. Those who believe such a lie make the church and the kingdom two separate institutions. This way of thinking makes the church an afterthought. But, the Bible teaches that the church of Christ was in the mind of God from all eternity (Ephesians 3:8-12). The word “intent” in verse 10 shows a definite purpose in establishing the church of Christ. That purpose was to show the world, through the church of Christ, “the manifold wisdom of God.” His wisdom is demonstrated in the plan devised for the church of Christ. Her foundation and head is the Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 5:23). Her work is spreading the soul-saving message of the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20; Rom. 1:16). Her organization is divine (Ephesians. 4:11), and her worship brings glory and honor to God (John 4:23-24). The establishment of the church of Christ was not accidental. She was in the eternal purpose of God.
The church of Christ was established on the first Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus in A.D. 33. Before He ascended back to Heaven, Jesus told His disciples, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). They are told they would receive this power when the Holy Ghost would come upon them, and with this power, the Gospel would be preached starting in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and into the uttermost part of the world (Acts 1:8). In Acts 2:1-4 the disciples received the Holy Ghost while at Jerusalem. They began to speak so that all the nations could understand them in their own language (Acts 2:5-15). The message the apostles preached that day was the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:16-36). When one reads the end of the chapter he sees that the saved are being added to the “church” (v. 47).
The question is which church were the saved being added too? They were being added to the church that Jesus promised to build. They were being added to the church that was in the eternal mind of God. They were being added to the church that was established in Jerusalem, on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus. If one studies the history and establishment of each of the denominational churches in existence today, he will see that none of them are the church Jesus promised to build. None of them were in the eternal mind of God. None of them had their beginnings in Jerusalem, and all of them were established hundreds of years after A.D. 33. The saved were being added to the only church in existence, the church of Christ.