I know it has been a while since I have posted anything here. I have to admit that my book is taking a lot of my time. I hope to get back to this blog on a more regular basis in 2013, but I won't promise anything. Thank you to those who have faithfully kept up with my sparatic postings. You are a blessing to me. So, I wanted to do a few more posts about the church....who knew this was such a huge topic? When did the church begin?
Yikes, this is a huge question and if my answer doesn’t clear the issue up for you, I encourage you to go back and read several of my earlier posts. I am not a girl who is known for shying away from the difficult topics (or anything really) so here I go!
Many think the church has always existed at least since Moses built the tabernacle, after all what was the temple any way, but a big church? Well, I disagree with this supposition. While this worship was a calling out of people, it served a totally different purpose and function than our church today serves. The purpose of tabernacle worship was to constantly foreshadow their coming Messiah and remind them of the holiness of God. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life…I am the light…I am the way…I am the truth…I am the door.” These ‘I am statements’ were all pictures painted for Israel that directly correlated with their past and were reflected in their worship at the tabernacle. They pointed ahead to the promise of a Messiah who would make a way to a holy God. The church, the body of Christ, did not start at this point because Christ had not come and set himself up as the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23).
So maybe the church started at the resurrection of Christ. Now, that He had come and revealed who He was surely those who were left, believing in Christ were part of the church. However, at this point there is no teaching about the church. However, there was teaching about the kingdom. All over the gospels Jesus teaches about the kingdom, look at the Sermon on the Mount as one example.
So what was Jesus referring to when He taught about the kingdom? I like to take Scripture literally, so when Jesus is referring to a kingdom, I assume He is referring to an actual king on a throne, with land and people to rule. Israel was looking for this same kingdom, not something that is ruled in some Spiritual dimension with Christ sitting on a throne in our hearts or any other Christiany thing you have been told at church or Sunday School. Look at what Jesus was teaching about kingdom, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” Matthew 19:28. Was Jesus tricking these poor disciples, speaking of a literal kingdom and now we are operating in a Spiritual one? No. It is just the church did not start after the resurrection of Christ.
After the resurrection, the disciples were still trying to usher in the kingdom program which was such a focus of Jesus’ ministry. “So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel,” Acts 1:6? Did Jesus say, boy you guys are so confused, why are you talking about kingdom, we are starting a church? Jesus knew exactly what they were talking about, in fact, He had been talking about this kingdom for a long time as well.
So maybe the church started in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit came on the scene. After all, in John 14, Jesus promises to send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, so the World will see Christ through us. But wait, He promises to send the Comforter to those who are obedient, John 14: 15-16, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-” In the gospel of Paul which most churches agree with today they recognize that the Holy Spirit comes at the day of salvation for those who believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. Ephesians 1:13-14, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession to the praise of His glory.” Obedience is a work, but according to this verse the Holy Spirit was promised to those who simply have faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
During Acts 2 and events that follow the disciples are still trying to usher in the promised kingdom. Since they were filled with the Holy Spirit, this appears to be God’s plan as well. It was not until Acts 7 that Israel and its leadership completely reject the message of the Messiah by stoning Stephen that God begins to lay aside His kingdom plans for a time to begin the age of The Mystery. Beginning in Acts 9 and continuing until Acts 13 God begins to transition from a kingdom program to the age of grace/church age/message of the mystery. The apostle who is chosen to begin this revolution is Paul. So I believe this is when the church as we know it began. Paul is the one who defines what the church is and how it is to behave. These teachings are the teachings that we use even today.
