December 18 - The Church Before Pentecost
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Matthew 16:18

MP3 Audio

It is difficult to know where to start in a study of the nature of a church. There are so many false ideas in this world, false ideas that are promulgated by good men who are earnest in their endeavors to be faithful to God. I do not want to start out on the negative, explaining what a church is not, but sometimes that is necessary in order to get false ideas of the church out of the minds of the hearers.

When I say Independence Baptist Church is a true church of the Lord Jesus Christ, which kind of church was started by Christ during his earthly ministry, I am being exclusive, not inclusive. There is only one kind of church in this entire world.

Things the church had before the day of Pentecost, which is exactly what local churches that belong to Jesus Christ, has today.

Jesus Christ organized his kind of church during his personal ministry, before the Day of Pentecost.

a. Matthew 4:18-22 – Jesus called out some saved, already baptized believers to follow him. This is where Christ started to dome up or start his church.

b. John 4:1-2 – Shortly after being called to follow Christ, the disciples baptized believers. Baptism is what churches do – In I Corinthians 1:17 Paul declared that he was not sent to baptize, but to preach the gospel.

c. Luke 6:12-17 – Shortly after John 4, Christ called his disciples to himself, and chose 12 of them, whom he named apostles.

d. I Corinthians 12:28 states that Christ set some (not all) in the church, first apostles. This verse points directly back to Luke 6:12-17.

Mark 1:1 – They had the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16:16-17, John 4:1,2 – There were baptized believers before Pentecost.

John 13:29 – The early church had a treasurer.

Ephesians 5:25 – The head of the first church was Jesus Christ, just as he is the head of each local body today.

Matthew 18:15-18 – Christ gave instructions for dealing with unruly members.

Matthew 26:216-29, I Corinthians 11:18-33 – Christ instituted the Lord’s Church before the Day of Pentecost.

Matthew 28:18-20 – Christ gave the early church the great commission before the Day of Pentecost.

Acts 1:4 – Christ assembled with his church.

John 20:19-23 – The early church received the Holy Spirit (before Pentecost). If Christ was speaking to saved people only, we have saved people not having the Holy Spirit after they are saved, a contradiction of Romans 8:9.

Matthew 16:19 – The early church was an authoritative body, to loose and bind in the name (power) of Jesus.

Acts 1:5 – Christ promised the church Holy Spirit baptism.

Acts 1:8 – Christ told the early church (before Pentecost) they would receive power to be witnesses for Christ.

Acts 1:15-26 – The early church conducted business (elected an apostle to replace Judas) before Pentecost.

Matthew 26:30, Hebrews 2:12 – Christ sang praises to God in the midst of his church, all before Pentecost.