BIBLE MESSAGES

The Church

Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven, and I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” [Matthew 16:17-19].

Among the Jews there were sects; we find the Pharisees, the Sadducees, etc. As separate groups, each of these could have been referred to as an ekklesia, that is a people who had been called out into a distinctive group. In Matthew 17-19, we find the word, church, used the first time. The word church comes from the word, kuriakos, which means of or belonging to God; and the Greek word, ekklesia, or Latin, ecclesia; these words meaning to call out. It is most likely that Jesus said, “upon this rock I will build My ekklesia.” There are a number of words used to signify the church: The Kingdom of God, The Household of God, the Body of Christ, the Temple of God, the Vineyard of the Lord; each of these names designating a particular characteristic of the church.

Because Christ said He would build His church we need to trace the events leading up to its beginning. Nothing more is said about the church before Christ ascends back to the Father. Just before Christ was betrayed and crucified Christ told his apostles He was leaving them, but He promised them a helper. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” [John 16:12,13]. He gave the great commission. I am going to look at Luke’s recording of it. “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” [Luke 24:46-49]. The record then says they returned to Jerusalem and were constantly in the temple praising and blessing God.

The first chapter of Acts tells what they did while they were waiting for the power from on high. The second chapter of Acts begins by telling us that when the day of Pentecost was come they wee all in one place and suddenly, “There came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” [Acts 2:2-4]. When this happened to the apostles the word spread and the people all came to see what was taking place. The people were more amazed for each of them heard them speaking in their own native language. It is not for us to try to determine how this happened, it is for us to accept because we believe in God, the Father. Then Peter says to them that this is not useless jabbering, but it is what their own prophet, Joel foretold would occur.

He then says, "Men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man atested to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which god did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know, Him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it" [Acts 2:22-24]. He then reminds them that David had foretold it would happen. Then he says, "Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" [Acts 2:36]. At that they cried out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" [Acts 2:37]. To that Peter said, "Repent and be baptized every one of you for the remission of sins and you shall receive the promise of the Holy Spirit" [Acts 2:38]. They that gladly received the word were baptized... and the Lord added to the church those that were being saved. What did those added to the church do? They heard the gospel preached, when told that God had made the one whom they had crucified both Lord and Christ, they believed Him to be the Son of God, else why did they cry out, "Men and brethren what shall we do?" They repented, for there was a time when they crucified Christ and now accept Him as the Son of God and then they were baptized. Peter was told he had the key to the kingdom; and Peter now says hear, believe, repent, and be baptized. This is what Peter said one must do; not part, but all, and then God adds you to the church. You are now a part of the church which Christ is the Savior of. Christ told Peter that what he told men to do would be the recognized standard by which heaven would judge men.

Written by: Clifford Sims