Week Two - Where Do Churches Come From?

The first church was established when Jesus called his apostles and was empowered on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem.

Persecution came to the church at Jerusalem causing Christians to flee Jerusalem and find refuge elsewhere.

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles.Acts 8:1

The persecution and scattering of the church now created a church with a greater reach.

Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.Acts 8:4

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.Acts 8:26

The persecution and scattering of the church now created a church with a decentralized structure.

God’s institution for changing the world is the local church.

The stewardship of the Gospel is the result of the church.

The Great Commission is about the advancement of the Gospel and the maturity of disciples. This requires the oversight of a local, New Testament church.

Where should new churches come from?

Model for church planting Acts 13

The local church identifies and commissions leaders. Areas of need are identified. Churches are planted. Churches are sent out from other churches.

Local churches should be autonomous

Local churches should be governed by the local church.

If Jesus started one church, why are there so many denominations?

Short version of church history

In every age since Jesus and the apostles, there have been companies of believers, churches, who have substantially held to the principles of the New Testament.

During the Dark Ages 50,000,000 Christians would be murdered by the Roman Catholic Church.

When we read about “the church” in history books, we must determine “which church” they are speaking of.

“History has hitherto been written by our enemies, who never would have kept a single fact about us upon the record if they could have helped it. At times ill-written history would have us think that they died out, so well had the wolf done his work on the sheep.”

Charles Spurgeon

Catholicism continued to be the Church of Rome, Lutheran became the state church of Germany, Presbyterian became the state church of Scotland, and the state church of England.

So, are we a Protestant church?

Protestant by definition:

1. any Western Christian who is not an adherent of a Catholic, Anglican, or Eastern Church.

2. an adherent of any of those Christian bodies that separated from the Church of Rome during the Reformation, or of any group descended from them.

Bible-believing churches have always protested unbiblical doctrine and contaminated “churches”.

While we stand and identify with the church that Jesus started throughout the ages, we don’t find it necessary to trace our lineage in unbroken continuity back to the apostles.

We reject landmarkism and baptist briders, who lay claim to be the only authentic churches.

Bible-believing Christians were never part of the Roman Catholic Church, therefore never “came out of” the Catholic Church.

So, what denomination are we?

Denominator: that term of a fraction, usually written under the line, that indicates the number of equal parts into which the unit is divided; divisor.

We are not a fraction of Jesus’ church, we ARE the church that Jesus started!

So, we are non-denominational?

All churches must adhere to some sort of doctrine. Doctrine is the glue that holds us together. He who stands for nothing will fall for anything.

Sometimes “non-denominational” churches are smorgasbords of doctrine.

The best term is probably, non-denominational Baptists. We are not part of any denominational hierarchy or association. We are not Northern, Southern, Regular or anything else. We have the Bible and one another.

Historically, Baptists have held to the purity of Jesus’ church and a strict adherence to Scripture even in the face of great persecution and/or death.

We are not the only true church and not the only church with the truth.

You are part of the church that Jesus Himself started.

You are part of the church that was purchased by the blood of Jesus.

You are part of the church that has been preserved by the blood of others.