Who started the first church? When did it begin? Why is church important? What is the history of biblical churches? What makes a church biblical? These are important questions to answer if our church is going to be like that first church.

Transition

This evening I want us to answer these questions from the Bible so we can get a clear picture of what a biblical church is to be like.

Jesus Laid the Foundation of the First Church

  1. Jesus laid the foundation during His ministry.
    1. He chose apostles who later became church leaders (Lu 6:13).
    2. He taught His apostles His doctrine (Mr 9:31).
    3. He gave them the baptism ordinance (Mt 28:19).
    4. He gave them the Lord’s Supper ordinance (Mt 26:26-30).
    5. He taught them about church discipline (Mt 18:15-17)
    6. He promised to give them the Holy Spirit to help them (Jn 14:16-17).
    7. Because Jesus was only laying the foundation, He never called His disciples and followers a church.
  2.  Jesus became the foundation by atoning for sin.
    1. On the cross, Jesus paid the debt of sin for all mankind. By His resurrection, Jesus justified believers and gave them eternal life. By providing salvation, He IS the foundation of the local church.
      1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
    2. Christ is the chief corner stone of the foundation.
      Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
    3. Christ’s resurrection ended the Old Testament and opened the New Testament.
      1 Corinthians 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (Compare: Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20, 2 Corinthians 3:6, Hebrews 9:15)

II. The First Church Began on the Day of Pentecost

Bible evidence supports this view

  1. While some good Baptist brethren teach that Christ started the church during Him ministry, this view has several problems.
    1. Jesus’ “I will build my church” is future tense. He did not say, “I am building my church.”
    2. The local church did not begin in the Old Testament, yet Christ lived and died in the Old Testament and rose again to begin the New Testament. The church could not start before the cross. Christ, by His death and resurrection, was the mediator between the Old and New Testaments.
      Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
    3. Bible dispensations sho what the ekklesia could not begin before Christ’s resurrection. There are seven dispensations described in the Bible. Each contains a command, then a judgment, and finally God’s provision. The provision at the end of the Law was Christ’s atonement on the cross.
    4. The Holy Spirit is vital to the church and God did not send Him until Pentecost.
  2. For these reasons, I believe the first local church began on the day of Pentecost, but I can still fellowship with brothers who disagree.

Local churches are the focus from Pentecost on.

  1. The first mention of an established local church is just after Pentecost.
    Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
  2. From this point onward, local churches are the central focus of the New Testament.
  3. The local church is God’s program for this dispensation. In the New Testament, every form of ministry operated through a local church. Churches sent out missionaries, ordained preachers, cared for widows, collected aid for poor saints, etc. Sadly, today this has changed and many religious groups operate outside the local church. This is not the plan God ordained in the Bible.

III. Since Pentecost, Biblical Churches Suffered and Grew

Congregations often met in homes

  1. They met in homes because they could not meet in the synagogues, they could not afford buildings, or to hide from persecutors.
    Colossians 4:15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house. (Also see, Romans 16:5, 1Corinthians 16:19, Philemon 1:2)
  2. In recent years, there has been an increase in home Bible study groups. Generally, this is not because there is no biblical local church to attend.

Growth and persecution

  1. Churches quickly sprang up throughout Israel.
    Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
  2. Those fleeing persecution started churches.
    Acts 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. (Compare Acts 11:26)
  3. Missionaries preached the gospel in distant countries and started churches. (Acts 14:23)
  4. In the 2nd century, persecution increased, but churches continued to increase throughout the Roman Empire. Baptismal regeneration started.
  5. In the 3rd century, more false doctrine developed. Infant baptism began about 250 A.D. Faithful Christians suffered much persecution and death.
  6. In 313 A.D., Constantine conquered Rome and united the erring churches and state. This was the beginning of the Catholic Church. Faithful Christians like the Donatists were severely persecuted.
  7. In the 5th century, baptismal regeneration became widely accepted among the Catholic and other erring churches. They added the false teachings of purgatory and Mariolatry to their doctrines.
  8. In the 6th century, Mohammed founded the Muslim religion. Biblical local churches often met in secret.
  9. For 1200 years, the Dark Ages of terrible persecution dominated the world. Through these years faithful local churches were given names like Paulicians, Bogomiles, Peterines, Albigenses, Petrobrusians, Waldensians, and Anabaptists. Historians estimate that 50 million Christians died as martyrs during the Dark Ages. Common charges laid against these “Baptist” forefathers were baptism by immersion after salvation, possessing a Bible, and preaching the gospel.
  10. With the beginning of the Reformation in the 1500s, persecution eased a bit. Luther, Zwingle, Knox and others tried to reform the Catholic Church, but soon these reformers also began persecuting and killing members of biblical churches. Persecution of biblical church members continues today in many places.
  11. Since Pentecost, even during severe persecution, there have always been biblical churches though it is impossible and unnecessary to follow an unbroken chain back to Pentecost. A church is biblical because of its doctrine and practice, not because of a link.

Conclusion

A biblical church’s roots are in Christ, in the clear teachings of the New Testament, and in the practice of New Testament Christians. Church is not a place to sing and hear preaching. It is a family of Christians, united in sound Bible doctrine and practice. Being a church member often cost our forefathers their possessions and their lives. Local churches are very important, and we must not take church membership lightly.

Song: How Firm a Foundation 268

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A Biblical Church’s Roots

27 October 2013 PM – Matthew 16:18 – Biblical Church – Scott Childs