History of the churches of Christ

The very existence of any company, organization, small business, etc. is proof that there was someone that founded it. This can also be said of all the religious bodies that exist in the world today. There are so many religious bodies in the world today that differ in origin, doctrine and practice. Each and every one of these religious bodies was either brought into existence in accordance with the holy scriptures contained in God’s word or by a human builder. If a religious body was brought into existence by a human builder and not by the divine builder (Jesus Christ) it cannot be the true church we read of in the holy scriptures.  As you will see in the following words, Christ founded the one true church and that is the church we read of in God’s Holy Word.

In Isaiah 2:2,3 we read prophecy that foretells that Jehovah’s house (the church) would be established in Jerusalem and that his word would go forth from there. I Timothy 3:15 speaks of  “the house of God, which is the church of the living God…” So we learn from this scripture, that Jehovah’s (God’s) house is the church.  We also read of prophecy in Micah 4:1,2 and Zechariah 1:16 that God’s house (church) was to be established in Jerusalem.

Moving forward into the new testament we read in Matthew 16:18 Christ stated “And upon this rock I will build my church .” That rock that Christ was speaking of was that great confession that Peter had made just prior to this. Christ had asked Peter in Matthew 16:15 “ whom say ye that I am” and in verse 16 Peter answered,  “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That great confession that Peter made was the foundation that the church was to be built upon. At that point Christ stated in Matt. 16:19 that he would give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven or as we know it today the church that Jesus was going to build. As we continue to read in Matt. 16:21, God’s word tells us that from that time forward Christ began to show his disciples how that he must go into Jerusalem and suffer many things and be killed and be raised again the third day. All of this had to be fulfilled, to establish the opportunity for salvation laid out in God’s word, to become a member of the body of Christ, his church that he was to establish.

In Luke 24:46-49 we read the words of Christ to his apostles, “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved  Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.  And ye (apostles) are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” As we can
see from scripture Christ had to suffer, die and rise from the dead before repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name and the proclamation of this message was to begin in Jerusalem. The apostles were to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. John 14:26; 15:26,27; 16:7,8 states that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would not come until Jesus had gone away and when the Holy Spirit came he would teach the apostles all things, bring to their remembrance what Jesus had said and convict the world of sin. This is the power that the apostles were commanded to wait in Jerusalem to receive.

In Acts 1:9 the apostles observed Christ’s ascension and then returned to Jerusalem as the Lord had commanded. In Acts 2:1-4 we read that the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles in Jerusalem as Christ foretold. The Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and they began to speak with tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  Peter, with the other eleven apostles began to preach the first gospel sermon to the multitude consisting of Jews, devout men out of every nation. Each man was able to understand Peter’s sermon in their own tongue and they were all amazed (Acts 2: 5-14). Peter preached that the one that they (the multitude) had crucified and that had ascended, was that same Jesus that God had made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:14-36). In Acts 2:37 the multitude was pricked in their heart, they had been touched by God’s word thru Peter. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “Men and brethren what shall we do?” Peter’s answer to them in Acts 2:38 was, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” We then read in vs. 41 that those that received God’s word were baptized (about 3000 souls that day). We read in vs. 42 that these same baptized believers continued steadfast in the apostles doctrine (Christ teachings) and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayer.

And finally we read in Acts 2:47 that the Lord added to the CHURCH daily such as were being saved. This is the one true church we read of in the scriptures that Christ died for and he is the founder of.