The Church of Christ; Not A Denomination At All,

‘Never Was, Never Will Be’

 

1.     Scripture Reading: Matt. 16:13-19, Acts 2:14-37.

 

2.     The “church” and the “kingdom” are somewhat synonymous terms. While the term “kingdom” comes from a Greek word meaning 

     “rule, reign, authority, or power”, and includes both the Heavenly and earthly aspect thereof, Christ’s church that originated (or 

     was established/founded) in Acts 2 and is seen throughout the remainder of the N.T., is indeed, the earthly Kingdom of Christ 

     which was promised and prophesied by the O.T. prophets of God. Consider:

 

  • A.    Christ Himself used the terms “church” and “kingdom” interchangeably (Matt. 16:18-19), as did the writer of Hebrews 

  •       (Hebrews 12:22-29).

  • B.    Christ was born, to establish and govern, an unending kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7).

  • C.    This kingdom would be established during the reign of the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:40-44).

  • D.    When Christ was about to be born, the angel Gabriel announced that His kingdom would not end (Luke 1:26-33). 

  • E.     Christ preached during His earthly ministry  (as did John the Baptist during the same time) that the Kingdom was very close to being established, 

  •         then! (See Matt. 3:2, 4:17, 10:7, Mark 1:15.)

  • F.     This kingdom would be where God’s will would be obeyed on earth just as it is in Heaven (Matt. 6:10).

  • G.    By Jesus’ own Words, this kingdom (the place where Christ was to have all rule, reign, authority, and power) would 

  •       come during some of His first-century audiences’ lifetime (Mark 9:1, Luke 9:27).

  • H.    This Kingdom would need to be “cleaned out”, or purged of the evil it would contain “at the close of the age”, before

  •        the righteous within it would come into the eternal, heavenly aspect of it (Matthew 13:40-43).  

  • I.       This church that would never end (Matt. 16:18), was indeed the kingdom that came during some of His then-disciples’ lifetime,

  •       and during the reign of the Roman Empire, when Peter preached the first gospel sermon on the day of Pentecost in 33 AD, as recorded in Acts 2, and thereby opened up Christ’s church/kingdom  (Acts 2:37-47), as Jesus had prophesied (Matt. 16:19).

  • J.      Paul and the Christians at Colossae, were later in Christ’s kingdom in the first century (Colossians 1:13-14), as were John 

  •       and his fellow Christians as well (Rev. 1:6-9).

  • K.    They were in the kingdom because they had been born again of the water and the Spirit, to enter that kingdom (John 3:3-5), 

  •      which is precisely, exactly, what Peter bound as “terms of admittance” by the leading of the Holy Spirit (2nd Peter 1:20-21), 

  •      when He opened up Christ’s one and only New Testament church (“called out”/saved) in Acts 2:14-47.

 

3.     Matt. 16:16-19: This “rock” is the recognition/acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son of the Living God, and is absolutely 

      essential to becoming a member of His church/kingdom.

 

4.     Peter bound repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins  (to be saved) and that made people who responded in obedience to that instruction, forgiven/saved members of His forgiven/saved church/kingdom (Acts 2:38-47), as we see in every case of conversion that follows in Acts.

5.     Because Christ has all authority, we must submit to, trust, and obey Him, or be forever lost (Luke 6:46-49, Matthew 15:7-9, 7:21-23). 

6.     Life service, not lip service (Acts 2:42-47).

7.   Christ’s church in the Bible:

 

  • A.    Was composed of repentant, baptized (FOR forgiveness-Acts 22:16) individuals known simply as “Christians” (Acts 11:26),  

  •       but known collectively as the “church of God” (1st Cor. 1:2, etc.), “church of the Living God” (1st Timothy 3:15), “church of 

  •      the Firstborn” (Heb. 12:23), and/or “church of Christ” (Romans 16:16).

  • B.    Took communion on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).

  • C.    Gave of their income on the first day of the week (1st Cor. 16:1-2), not tithing, or under compulsion, but cheerfully and with whatever amount

  •        they had personally decided, between themselves and God (2nd Corinthians 8-9).

  • D.    Was loving, caring, and deeply committed to one another (Acts 4:32-35, Gal. 6:1-2, Phil. 2).

  • E.     Was joyful in suffering (Heb. 10:32-39, James 1:2-3, Phil. 4:4-13).

  • F.     Had elders (Acts 20:17, Phil. 1:1, 1st Timothy 3, Titus 1:5).

  • G.    Was evangelistic in nature (Matt. 28:18-20, Acts 8, Col. 1:23).

  • H.    All taught the same doctrine (1st Cor. 4:17, 7:17, 11:16, and 16:1-2). And that was the Spirit-directed doctrine of Christ  

  •      (John 16:12-14) as delivered ONLY through His hand-picked apostles; JUST LOOK AT THIS LIST: (Acts 1:1-13, 2:1-47, 13:4-12, 18:9-11, Romans 16:17-18, 1st Corinthians 11:1-2, 2nd Corinthians 4:1-3, Galatians 1:6-10, Ephesians 4:11-16, 1st Thessalonians 4:1-8, 2nd Thessalonians 2:9-15, 3:6-15, 1st Timothy 1:3-11, 4:1-11, 6:3-5, 2nd Timothy 1:13, 2:15-19, 3:1-4:4, 

  •      Titus 1:9-2:15, Hebrews 2:1-4, 2nd Peter 3:15-18, 1st John 2:24-27, 2nd John 1:8-11). In all of these references, we see the importance of teaching only what Jesus Himself taught, whether in Person, or in the Spirit through His apostles, in all things; 

  •      not only because it’s all we need (2nd Peter 1:3-12, Jude 3), but also because we do not want to face the consequences of 

  •     denying what Jesus, in the form of the Holy Spirit, directed in the New Testament age, through His apostles (Matthew 12:31-32).

 

8.     The church of Christ is over 1900 years old, it’s name appearing in “Romans” (16:16), which was written by Paul in approx. 

      57-60 AD, and it’s practices originating and appearing in “Acts”, which was written by Luke in approx. 62-65 AD, as well as 

      throughout the NT.

9.     Barton Stone, Alexander Campbell, and the rest of their contemporaries in the 1800’s, were to their time, what Josiah

       was to his (2nd Kings 22:1-2, 11-13, 23:21-25). They no more founded or established the church of Christ, than Josiah 

      founded or established Judaism! They simply went back to the Word, and planted God’s pure seed (Luke 8:11), which 

      always yields God’s desired results, wherever and whenever it is spread (Isa. 55:6-11).

 

     Our statement, as born-again (buried with Him in baptism for the forgiveness of our sins and having therein received the Holy Spirit

     – Acts 2:38) New Testament Christians, and Christians only (Acts 4:12, 11:26; Romans 8:9-17; 1 John 5:11-13): “My name is 

     not important except for the fact that it is now in the Lamb’s book of life. I am a grace-saved and forgiven member of Christ’s 

     church, that He established and founded through the apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2, hundreds of

      years before any denomination ever came into existence. I am not a member of any denomination that was founded upon, 

      established by, or worships according to, the teachings and commandments of anyone other than Christ’s own apostles, or that 

      was founded or established after 33 AD by anyone else, because that is not what the One I believe to be the Son of the Living God, 

      Who has all authority, commanded or authorized. I became a member of that saved group of sinners known individually only as     “christians”, and collectively as the church of Christ, when I recognized Christ to be the Son of the Living God, and submitted to His Lordship alone, by repenting and being baptized in His Name (by His authority), for the forgiveness of all my sins. Based on His 

     Truth, I know I am saved (1st Jn. 5:6-12). In gratitude, I am now devoted to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking 

     of bread, and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

WHAT ABOUT YOU?!?!?!?!?!?!?