The Church Jesus Christ Built  

Opinions Vs Biblical Evidences: In the days in which we live, our culture dwells on personal opinion. Many expert talking heads, talk shows hosts; polls, etc. all base their objectives on what the masses believe to be factual, but in reality it is only mass opinion.  However, when it comes to biblical truth, we can not assert our opinions as to be superior to the truth of what the scriptures actually has revealed to all whom will seek it. Opinions, whether your own or the majority of all other persons in reality are not and can not become evidence in any real manner. Therefore, what does the scripture really reveal concerning the Church That Jesus Built?  

A Wrongful Assumption: Matt 16:18 reveals Jesus telling the Apostle Peter the following: “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” There have been many persons that have wrongfully assumed that this is scriptural evidence that Jesus was authorizing Peter to be the first Pope that centuries later became the Roman Catholic Church. The fact is that it was the sixth century that the Roman church came into existence. However, the original language that the New Testament was written in was the Greek language which was a universal language of that time period. Therefore, we must look at two words in this language and determine their true meanings. The first word is ‘Peter’ which is “petros” which means “a piece of rock”, whereas the ‘Rock” used in Matt 16:18 above means “a mass of rock”.  Actually the rock being referred to was the Rock of Ages, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  Jesus Christ was the Rock spoken of in the Old Testament in Num 20:8, Deu 13:4 & 15, and numerous times in Psalms, Isaiah; and in the New Testament in Luke, Romans, I Cor and 1 Peter. The Rock refers to Jesus Christ Himself. the Living Word, and the Written Word. He built His church and it started during His earthly ministry, not after His ascension to heaven, as shall be proven in the following portion of this message. Any church founded upon any man such as the Apostle Peter or any other person could never stand for any long period of time. However, the Church that the Lord Jesus Christ built was founded upon Himself, the God-Man, John 10:30. Jesus Christ is the Head of His church, Eph 5:23, and it shall stand through all periods of time, Eph 3:21, even until He shall return from heaven to claim all His elect bride, Jhn 14:1-3 the body of believers from all nations.

Jesus Came With A Plan And A Purpose: Gal 4:4-5. But when the fullness of the time was come, God [the Father] sent forth His Son,[Jesus Christ] made of a woman, [the virgin birth] made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we [elect saints] might receive the adoption of sons.[into God’s family]. Jhn 1:11-13 states: “He [Jesus Christ] came unto His own, and His own [nation of Israel ] received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but [by the will] of God”.  So we see that the will of God the Father purposed to send His beloved Son Jesus Christ into this sin cursed world with a plan and purpose to redeem some of Adam’s fallen race.  Only the “Jesus” that was virgin born could accomplish this tremendous feat. Only Jesus Christ, whom was eternal God, became the God-Man. Jesus was God and Man. He was Deity, incarnate or born with a flesh and bone body. Isa 7:14, Mat 1:18-25, 1 Jhn 4:1-3.  

When Did Jesus Christ Begins His Church? Many believe that in Acts Chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost, that the church had its beginning or birthday. We take exception to that reasoning because the scriptures bare out a completely different story. The church was in an embryonic stage years prior to that occasion as shall be shown as follows. Jesus Christ began His earthly ministry at His baptism as recorded in Mark 1:9- ordinance by saying “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Luke 9:35 is another incident when God spoke from heaven in the same manner as above, God added: ‘Hear Him!”  

The Officers Of Our Lord’s Church: The church Jesus built has always had offices and officers. Eph 5:23 states, Jesus Christ is the Head of His Church. Jesus told His disciples long before Pentecost that He was Lord and Master. Therefore, when His disciples addressed Him as such, they said nothing that was blasphemous or outrageous, as He truly was both their Lord and Master. The institution of the Apostles of our Lord began very early in our Lord’s earthly ministry. Let’s remember that Jesus spends a whole night in prayer to God His Father, as recorded in Luke 6:12-16. Jesus comes down from the mountain, gathers all His disciples together, and He designates or chooses twelve of them by their names as Apostles. Let’s remember that this calling happen years before Pentecost. 

The Apostles Were Given A Gospel Mission : Before Pentecost Jesus gave His Apostles a mission and a message to declare, which was to all persons to “repent and believe the gospel”. Mark 1:15. Way back in Mat 18:15-20, our Lord instituted Church discipline and three different levels that church members with various degrees of problems were to obtain a resolution. The Apostles were also careful to follow these admonitions as they wrote their epistles or letters to the various churches being established throughout the known world in the days to come.  

The Church Ordinances Were Established: Before Pentecost had come, they had the two ordinances of the church, which are: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Jesus baptized none, but His disciples did baptize. John 4:2, Acts 2:38, etc. Also the day before our Lord was crucified He with the eleven Apostles instituted the Lord’s Supper, Luke 22:14-20. Both Baptism and the Lord’s Supper were both essential ordinances of the believer’s relationship to their Lord; therefore, they are both have been ordinances of His Church through the centuries, and are still observed and practiced today.  

Church Finances Were Established: Our Lord and His Apostles also had a church treasurer that held the money bag, whose name was Judas, John 12:4-6.  So being they had a church treasurer, they also had a method of collection and dispersement of funds that carried on throughout the apostolic age, which has scripturally continued unto this day. Ref: Mal 3:6-12, 1 Cor 16:1-2. 

The First Recorded Apostate: It can also be said of Judas that he was the first mentioned apostate that was not a true believer, nor was he a saved person. Jesus said the following concerning Judas " While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy Name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled." John 17:12. Therefore, Judas was ordained centuries before, that at the end of Christ's ministry that Judas would betray Him, as prophesied in Zec11:12-13; and that act of betrayal was completed as recorded in Mark 14:10-11.

The Church Assembled Before Pentecost: In Acts 1:4-11 Jesus was assembled with His Apostles, and He blessed them with His final commandments and commission, just minutes before ascending back to heaven. Mat 28:19-20. Acts 1:12-15 reveals that the eleven Apostles and 120 other church members were assembled for a prayer and a business meeting.  Note verse 14, this is the last mention of Mary the mother of Jesus Christ. She was praying with the others, not others praying to her, for her to intercede to Jesus on their behave. 1 Tim 2:5 records the following: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”  Mary was a saint saved by grace, like we are. She has no special ability to intercede for any person, none.  

The Apostle Peter Takes Charge Of Business: Acts 1:15 reveals that the Apostle Peter takes charge of the assembled church and presents to them the problems and situations that they now face. The Apostle Judas has betrayed their Lord and has killed himself; therefore, the Apostolic band of eleven must be replenished with another qualified man. The Apostle Peter is extremely careful to declare to the church in Acts 1:20 the scriptural requirements to fill this vacancy, and in Acts 1:21-22 they use these requirements to chose two men to fill that Apostleship. Acts 1:23 reveals that two men were nominated that met those qualifications, and in verses 24 and 25 indicates that they prayed and asked for God to direct their decision as to how they should cast their votes. The vote was taken and Matthias was elected to fill the twelfth position as an Apostle.

 The Church Was Established Before Pentecost: So what does all the above statements and scriptural references prove?  It proves that Jesus and the twelve were not just traveling around trying to establish bible clubs, good news clubs, or social and religious get-to-gathers. N0! Jesus said, “That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven”. Our Lord Jesus Christ rejected the organized religion of the Scribes and Pharisees as being disobedient to the will and laws of God. The above statements and passages prove that Jesus Christ came to earth with a plan and purpose.  He came to redeem mankind from their sins. He gave Himself a sacrifice for many, who would believe in Him by faith, and repent of their sins. Jesus requires those believers that will receive His gospel message, to also keep His commandments. John 14:15, 1 John 5:3, etc. Christ wants believers that will follow Him, and openly live each day to honor Him with their lives. Believer’s that will bare testimony to His saving grace, then He in-turn gives them the ability to do His will. >A Christian’s life is a life of obedience! <  

The Church Jesus Built After Pentecost: Jesus Christ is the Head of His church and He gave the Apostles to evangelize the known world at that time.  They were the human structure that He ordained to carry forth His gospel message to the ends of the earth. Mat 28:19-20. These Apostles were ordained to not only evangelize the world, but also to leave a written record of the final scriptural authority to continue the work of His church throughout all ages, even unto this present day. Jesus said in His High Priestly Prayer in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through Thy  word, Thy word is truth”  Therefore, we can accept God’s word as our final authority and the church’s orders to carry out His work until He returns to redeem His own.

 Jesus Christ Converts Paul And Ordains Him: A man named Saul of Tarsus was a persecutor of Christians, yet Jesus Christ converted this great sinner into a saint. Saul was later known as the Apostle Paul who became the greatest of all Apostles, and he and the others evangelized a great area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea . Paul’s fervent messages to various churches that he established, and the letters that he wrote to them are with us unto this day. Paul’s epistles and those of other Apostles are the ‘Pillar and Ground of the Truth.’ 1 Tim 3:15.  The gospels of Jesus Christ, the book of church history called Acts, and all the epistles are now consolidated into the New Testament of the Holy Bible. This scripture is the standard for all faith and practice for Christians today..

 The Authority Of The Apostles Continues: Our Lord Jesus Christ gave the Apostles His last commandment to them prior to ascending back to heaven. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” All Apostles without except complied with this command. The church that our Lord Jesus Christ established during His earthly ministry continues unto this day. Paul says: “And Christ gave some, apostles;, prophets; evangelists pastors and teachers; [Why] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ [the church]: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: Eph 4:7-32.

This is Scriptural Evidence Of The Church That Jesus Built - Not Opinion