To the Romans, the Christian church was so closely aligned with Jewish religion that it appeared to be just another sect of Judaism. But when uncircumcised Gentiles began converting to Christianity, the subject did become an issue, especially among believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees. Besides, what is happening at Pentecost very much looks like Church-building. It didn’t have an infallible board of prelates, impressive cathedrals, great political influence, or wealth. Cornelius was a “God-fearer.” Notice again that he is described as “one that feared God” (Acts 10:2,22). Therefore, He would have the same beliefs—doctrines—today as He did when He walked Earth, now alm… True, they authorized the ordination of elders and instructed them in the truth of the gospel. This is based on Matthew’s gospel (16:18) where Jesus says, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” He not only establishes his church but gives primacy to Peter among all the apostles. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. Was He speaking of an organized entity run by bishops, archbishops, and other prelates? What was the “yoke” that neither the ancient Israelites nor the Jews of Peter’s time were able to bear? In Romans 16:7, Andronicus and Junias are said to be “of note among the apostles.” This could mean that Andronicus and Junias were apostles, or it could mean that their good work was acknowledged by the apostles. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. As we have seen, however, the New Testament reveals that all Christians, regardless of race, were to observe many other laws. “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews…” (verse 22). What religious practices were they accustomed to? If you are looking for the true church, don’t look for an unbroken chain of bishops, or for men calling themselves “apostles.” Don’t look outward; look upward! Speaking to the Gentiles of the church of Ephesus, Paul said: “That at that time [before conversion] ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ….Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:12,13,19). Christ replied: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power. A devout and just man, who fears God and prays to Him daily, and who has a good reputation among the Jews: Does that sound like someone who knows little of the God of the Hebrews or of the so-called “Old Testament Law”? Even if we assume “apostolic succession” to be the key to finding the true church, we are still faced with a huge problem: The Roman Catholic Church is not the only church that claims apostolic succession! Second, there were the full-fledged proselytes of Judaism who had submitted to the rite of circumcision and had, for all practical purposes, become Jews. He ordained a disciple there named Evodius to the episcopacy and appointed him the bishop of Antioch. But the expansion of the church did not end with the conversion of the Samaritans. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. This is what the writer of the book of Hebrews had in view when he said: “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:22,23). Jesus intentionally founded the Church on his own authority. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (verses 7,8). This feast day, also called the “Feast of Firstfruits” and “Feast of Weeks,” was the spring harvest festival in ancient Israel. One of the things Peter did before he went to Rome was to found the church in Antioch, the third largest city in the Roman Empire at the time. In Thessalonica, Paul, “as his manner was, went in unto them [in the synagogue], and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures…. From the time of the Creation, the children of God looked forward to the coming of the Savior Jesus Christ. Interestingly, the book of Galatians is often cited as “proof’ that the “Old Testament Law” has been abolished for Christians, especially Gentile Christians. They continued to worship in the Temple at Jerusalem (Acts 2:46; 3:1; 21:20), continued to keep the weekly Sabbath and annual holy days. A person becomes a member of the church simply by … Make it plain upon tablets, Did He authorize “apostolic succession” to insure that His church would forever be able to trace its origins directly to the apostles? (2 Kings 17:24). “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (verse 9). Further, Paul’s preaching to them on consecutive Sabbaths, and his use of the Old Testament in preaching Christ, must have reinforced their convictions and encouraged them to continue keeping the Sabbath. And, as we have noted, Luke pointed out that the New Testament church began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). A native of Topsfield, Massachusetts, he graduated from Brown University in 2004 with a degree in classics and history. In Corinth, Paul “reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks” (Acts 18:4). When the disciples asked Jesus to reveal to them the time of His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3), His reply gave them every reason to believe that they would live to see the end of the age and dawning of the new, Messianic age. This is question 22: "Did Jesus really mean to found a Church?" 23 Questions & answers about Jesus Christ, prepared by a team of catholic theologians of the University of Navarre. When he was in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia (in southern Galatia), “Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience” (Acts 13:16). Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to those who were his own (the church) to preserve us in fidelity until he comes again. or. But when Peter told them what had happened, they “held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life” (verse 18). 3:6). They didn’t care about exalted positions or lofty titles; they cared about people, about the work Christ had given them to do. Download with Google Download with Facebook. For this reason, witness of the resurrection was one of the qualifications of the apostolic office. His areas of interest include Eastern Christianity, Marian and Eucharistic theology, medieval history, and the saints. Jerusalem, the capital of his nation, was the city he loved: Jesus wept over it. Paul, speaking of a visit to Jerusalem, said that he saw Peter, “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19). For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. The question—phrased like that—did not actually occur to me until somewhat recently. But given that the first churches did not come into existence until after Jesus' ascension, it's difficult to argue he was the direct founder. Again, this is a significant observation—because elsewhere in the Old Testament we have clear-cut examples of God actually commanding His words to be written down. As Cornelius’ messengers approached Joppa, Peter went up to the housetop to pray. Such an idea was foreign to the minds of those first-century disciples who zealously proclaimed the gospel to an unaccommodating world. (For example, one of the earliest Fathers, Irenaeus, writing in the late 100s, quotes from most of the New Testament books, but not Philemon, 2 Peter, 3 John, or Jude.). In fact, Christ said, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (verse 34). But wait! Nowhere in Scripture does it say that Jesus Christ wrote a book or commanded anyone else to write a Gospel. What does the word church mean? When grafted into the “Israel tree,” they became Israelites (in a spiritual sense). Under Roman law, certain religions were identified as licita (legal), while others were considered illicita (illegal). According to W.E. Surprise is the typical response when I reveal that Jesus mentions the church, the ekklēsia, only twice. The Day of Pentecost obviously took on new meaning to the thousands of Jews who were converted on that day. Any assembly of people, gathered for whatever purpose, was called an ekklesia. A crowd has been listening to Jesus teach on a remote hillside, and the nearest Chick-Fil-A is still 2,000 years away. But, as we shall see, this example gives no support to the belief that the apostolic office was to continue in an unbroken chain from the time of Jesus to the end of the age. But what is the biblical definition of “church”? This animosity predated the time of Christ and the apostles by several centuries. In fact the only place where it is recorded that He wrote anything at all, is in John 8:6-8. “Never, then, will the office of the bed-rock, Peter, cease to exist. These men were not secretive in their desire to learn more about the true Faith, and there is no evidence of charges of treason or of loss of official status for becoming Christians. Did Jesus Found the Church? When Jesus said, “I will build my church,” and promised that His church would not be destroyed (Matthew 16:18), was He thinking of an ecclesiastical institution, such as the Roman Catholic Church? The church had elders with James, Jesus’ brother, being the lead elder of the church (Acts 15:3-23). There is much additional evidence that a large number of those converted through Paul’s preaching were Sabbathkeepers. Apparently, rumor was circulating among the Galatians that Paul was not an authentic apostle; that he had received the truth of the gospel from Peter or from the twelve, and had failed to preach it accurately. Therefore, a clear and precise scriptural teaching on this subject is not necessary: It has been preserved by the “living teaching authority” of the Catholic Church. (For an example of a Protestant perspective, here is the statement on the matter from an anti-Catholic ministry. Traditionally, Roman Catholicism has understood the church to be instituted by Christ. Did their entry into the church introduce new customs to Christianity? Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/StephenBeale1. And if God is calling you, He’ll see to it that you find the true church—the one that Jesus built. Evidently, the Samaritans in the time of Jesus were aware of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah. In 1 Corinthians 15:7, “James” seems to be contrasted with “all the apostles,” indicating that he was not considered an apostle. Clearly, many—probably a great majority—of the Gentiles converted during the apostolic period were God-fearers, not idol-worshiping pagans who had no knowledge of God or of His law. Indeed, Christ’s resurrection appearances did take place on a Sunday, but that Sunday was the day of the “wave sheaf’ offering (Leviticus 23:10,11), which took place on the “morrow after the Sabbath” during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Many seem to think that Cornelius was a Gentile who disregarded the “Jewish” laws and commandments, such as the clean/unclean laws, the Sabbath, and the Ten Commandments. Then the LORD answered me and said: Jesus feeds the 5,000. Jesus, as pictured in the New Testament, appointed twelve apostles to help establish his Church. Jesus founded the Apostolic Church that is that church built on the Apostle Peter and those in communion with him. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, "And I say to you [Simon], you are Peter [Petros], and upon this rock [petra] I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." New churches would be planted, all sharing the common Faith, believing the message proclaimed first in Jerusalem. Further, a certain “abomination of desolation” did “stand in the holy place,” as Christ said. The unfailing Church of Jesus Christ, in other words, is built upon Simon the Rock - Peter. Yes, I long had the conviction that the Catholic Church of today has its roots deep in the Gospels and that Peter was the rock upon which the Church was founded as recorded in Matthew 16. The opening verses of the chapter tell of how a Gentile centurion named Cornelius received a vision wherein an angel told him that God had heard his prayers, and instructed him to send men to Joppa, where they would find Peter. There are yet other churches whose bishops claim legitimacy through apostolic succession: the Old Catholic and Anglican churches, for instance. 13:8) and does not change (Mal. This same Church must also have a leader of this apostolic body in the person of the successor of St. Peter, bed-rock on which Jesus has built His Church” (ibid., p. 52). There was no reason for the Gentile converts to abandon the form of worship—including Sabbath observance—they had previously embraced. By his Cross, Jesus gave birth to the Church: During one of Paul’s Jerusalem visits, James said to him, “Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law” (Acts 21:20). And, no doubt, as time went on they began associating the Feast of Trumpets with the Second Coming of Christ, the Day of Atonement with God’s reconciliation (“at-one-ment”) with the world, the Feast of Tabernacles with the future reign of Christ, and the Last Great Day (or “eighth day”) with the final judgment. The example Eck himself gives is of Moses writing down the Ten Commandments on stone tablets. Later, after James’ recommendations had been adopted and recorded, messengers were sent to the Gentile converts to report the conclusions of the conference: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you [Gentile converts] no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. In his historical humanity, Jesus was a devout Israelite, practicing the law to the full, from circumcision to Pesach, paying the half-shekel for the Temple. By simply reading the many New Testament references to the final tribulation period, the Day of the Lord, the Second Coming, the resurrection of the saints, and the establishment of God’s Kingdom on this earth, one can see clearly that James, Peter, John, Jude, and Paul lived and labored in expectation of the imminence of Christ’s coming. But just as much as he draws from written testimony he also relies on his own personal testimony of having encountered the risen Christ (Acts 2:32). Acts 9 tells of the conversion of Saul, who later became known as the apostle Paul. Similarly, Christ, through the apostle John, addressed “the seven churches which are in Asia” (Revelation 1:11), all of which were a part of the one universal church, or Body of Christ. The Samaritans of the New Testament were the descendants of the idolatrous peoples the king of Assyria had placed in the land (formerly occupied by the people of Israel) after the captivity of Israel in 721 B.C. This group of believers or "the body of Christ" began in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost through the work of the Holy Spirit and will continue to be formed until the day of the rapture of the church. The answer that a well-known ad campaign—Catholics Comes Home—gives is that Jesus founded the Church. And, as with all true communities, the community of early Christians had a point of authority that sustained, guided, and ensured its continuity—Peter and the apostles. On the contrary, Paul went to great lengths to defend his independent apostleship. Further, abstaining from sinful activities such as idolatry and fornication, and harmful practices such as eating blood or things strangled, could hardly be described as “burdens.” The above passage (Acts 15:28,29) simply means that it was entirely unnecessary to burden the Gentiles with lengthy instructions. 8:14; I Cor. That is why every person who becomes a member of the church must confess his faith in Christ as the Son of God (Acts 8:37). Most of the earliest Gentile converts to Christianity had been God-fearers before their conversions. The apostle Paul clearly recognized the continuity between Israel and the church. The apostles clearly did not envision a succession of apostles to follow them, for they knew that their office was foundational, and therefore unique. Among the pious Jews of the first century, uncircumcised Gentiles were generally considered “unclean.” It was considered “unlawful” (according to Jewish tradition, not the Law of Moses) for a Jew to enter the house of a Gentile and eat with him. Their esteem of the Law is reflected in the book of Hebrews. The first several chapters of the book of Acts tell of how the church began in Jerusalem, of the “birth pangs” the church experienced, of the  boldness of the apostles as they proclaimed the gospel, of Stephen’s powerful testimony, and of his becoming the first Christian martyr. The word apostle comes from the Greek apostolos, which means “one sent forth.” Anyone “sent forth” by another is an “apostle.” In this sense, the ministers of God’s church today are “apostles,” for they have been “sent forth” to minister.

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