The church originated not in the mind or imagination
of man but, rather, in the mind of the infinitely wise God. In
fact, man, left to his creations, could not have created such
an institution. Jeremiah, the great prophet of old, proclaimed,
"O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not
in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23).
After sitting at the Lord's feet for perhaps three
and one half years, His chosen apostles still did not understand
the idea of the establishment of the church. In ignorance, they
asked, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to
Israel?" (Acts 1:6). He answered, "It is not for you
to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8).
When the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 2:1-4), they, with one
accord, preaching the Gospel, baptized the multitudes, and the
"Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved"
(Acts 2:47).
The establishment of the church was not dependent
upon the wisdom of men. The apostles preached only what was given
to them by the Holy Spirit. The church was established on the
first Pentecost after the death of Christ (A. D. 33). Therefore,
as to the date of its establishment, the church in which we claim
membership must have had its beginning in A. D. 33. Churches such
as the Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc. have much later
dates of establishment: hundreds of years even more than a thousand
years after Pentecost. What conclusion must be reached in light
of this information? These churches and all others with like dates
of establishment cannot be the true church of Christ.
Furthermore, the church was designed and built
by that great Architect, Jesus the Christ. He stated, "And
I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock (Peter's
rock-bed confession of faith: "You are the Christ, the Son
of the living God." (Mt. 16:16) I will build My church, and
the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" Mt. 16:18).
The wise man wrote, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they
labor in vain who build it" (Psalm 127:1). The Lord adds
the saved to His church (Acts 2:47). Just as it is the case with
the establishment date, so it is with its builder. If a respective
church was built or established by man, it cannot be the true
church of Christ!
Additionally, the church must have been established
in Jerusalem. Isaiah the prophet revealed this truth nearly seven
hundred years before its establishment. He wrote, "... For
out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of the Lord from
Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:3b). Acts chapter two that great hub of
the Bible records the place of establishment to be, indeed, Jerusalem
(Acts 2:1-5ff). Present-day denominational churches have been
established in a multitude of places, including the United States.
What, then, are we to conclude about these churches? They cannot
be the true church of Christ!
The original church, established by authority
from God (Mt. 28:18), on the first Pentecost after the Lord's
death, built by the Son of God (Mt. 16:18), beginning in Jerusalem,
was given everything necessary for its existence and perpetuation.
Peter wrote, "... as His divine power has given us all things
that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge (Bible)
of Him who called us by glory and virtue" (2 Pet. 1:3). The
church is "complete in Him" (Col. 2:10). The Bible,
our only creed Book, completely furnishes man unto every good
work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The church is, indeed, divine in origin!
69 East Thistle Dr., New Martinsville, WV 26155.