The Establishment Of The Church

Launch

How long have you (youth) attended church?

What is the purpose of the Church? Why do you think God created the Church?

What benefits have you derived from being part of the church?

For me, I’ve attended church my whole life since being born, all i’ve known is church.

I believe the purpose of church is to take that time (Sunday) and glorify, worship, praise God for our week, our day, our ups and downs, for everything he’s done. To be refreshed, restored and filled with his spirit again through worship during service and heeding to the message of the preacher. Fellowshipping with people like us.

I believe that God created the church is explained in Acts 20:28… us being the flock must be feed (his word or message he has for us) gathering together to hear Gods word for us.

I’ve obtained many benefits of being apart of church, growth in my spiritual walk, growth in the physical. Countless breakthroughs and Holy ghost filled experiences.

Unlock

This: The Church introduced for the first time in Acts 2:42-47

Our entry way into the church and becoming true believers is what we know as Acts 2:38 once that has been fulfilled in our lives then we become apart of the body of christ and his spirit now lives inside of us.

This new church is describes in what we just read and it reveals many characteristics of the New Testament Church.

They were devoted to the doctrine (teaching). Specifically, the church continued in the teachings of the apostles, in which the apostles learned these teachings directly from Jesus Christ himself.

“Fellowship”, they came together to break bread which probably refers to their celebrations of the Lord’s Supper (communion), and in prayer. Their primary form of fellowship was through worship and prayer.

This atmosphere of prayer, praise, and celebration of the risen Savior resulted in the manifestation of signs and wonders in their midst (Acts 2:43). This fulfilled the prophecy of Joel 2:30, which Peter highlighted during his sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:19). What Peter preached at Pentecost was soon fulfilled in the daily activities of the church. The Book of Acts is filled with various accounts of miracles, signs, and wonders being performed at the hands of the apostles and their fellow believers.

The early church demonstrated extreme generosity. Members were cared for and everyone’s needs were met because believers were willing to give.

Have you had an experience of being cared for by a member or an experience of caring for that member?

4. A spirit of unity prevailed they were demonstrating “singleness of heart” as the KJV describes it. The result of this environment was the favor of the people and, most important, the continual and steady growth of the church (Acts 2:47). New believers were being added to their ranks every day.

That: The Establishment of the Church—Fulfilment of Old Testament Prophecy

Multiple Old Testament prophets had declared the work God would do in the last days. Isaiah first saw the establishment of the “Lord’s house” (Isaiah 2:1–3)

Isaiah predicted the time when the church would be established: “the last days” (Isaiah 2:2).

When Peter referenced Joel 2:28–32 during his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he quoted the prophet as saying, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh” (Acts 2:17). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 marked the inception of the New Testament church.

The writer of Hebrews noted that, in the past, God spoke “by the prophets,” but “in these last days (He has) spoken unto us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1–2).

Clearly, the establishment of the Lord’s house that Isaiah proclaimed was initiated by the ministry of Jesus Christ and fulfilled through His apostles.

The church would be “established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills” (Isaiah 2:2). It would be God’s supreme entity on earth, and all nations would flow into it.

Jesus told His disciples they would be witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The church wasn’t going to be defined by ethnicity or national origin. Rather, it would be comprised of people from all nations and ethnicities.

The church would be God’s vehicle for teaching people His ways and directing them in His paths (Isaiah 2:3). To fulfill that mission, God’s gifts to the church include apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11–12)—offices primarily concerned with declaring God’s Word in various forms and fashions. The gifts of the Spirit also include several speaking gifts: tongues and interpretation, prophecy, the word of knowledge, and the word of wisdom (I Corinthians 12:8–10). God uses these individuals and gifts to instruct and direct His people.

Isaiah prophesied that the church would originate in Jerusalem. He said, “out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3). The church was born in Jerusalem, where the apostle Peter proclaimed the first Apostolic message (Acts 2).

The “law” Isaiah referred to is not the law of Moses, because that was given on Mount Sinai, not Mount Zion. Through the ministry of the church, God would introduce a new system.

All of this ultimately foreshadows a day when Jesus Christ Himself will rule the nations from Jerusalem. There will be an end to war, and the inhabitants of earth will “walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:4–5).

Jeremiah prophesied that God would make a new covenant with Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 31:31–34).

God recognized Israel’s inability to keep the first covenant (Jeremiah 31:32).

This was in spite of the fact that God had delivered them from Egypt.

Israel’s inability to be faithful to the covenant wasn’t God’s fault, because He had been faithful to His people and the covenant.

People would be able to keep this new covenant because God would put His laws in their hearts and minds (Jeremiah 31:33).

From least to greatest, everyone would have an opportunity to know God in a way that was not possible under the old covenant (Jeremiah 31:34). Similarly, Joel had prophesied that even servants and handmaids would receive the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:29).

This new covenant would be characterized by the forgiveness of sins (Jeremiah 31:34). Peter’s invitation to join this new movement began with “repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). When we repent and are baptized, we are paving the way for God’s Spirit to take up residence in our hearts, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy.

Hebrews 8:7–12 confirms that Jeremiah 31:31–34 was fulfilled with the establishment of the New Testament church.

Ezekiel 36:26–27 likewise proclaimed a new work that God would do in transforming the hearts of His people.

Ezekiel said that after the people received a new heart and a new spirit, then they would have the ability to “walk in my statutes” and “keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27).

Legalism, self-discipline, willpower, human determination—these methods and motivations can only take us so far, and, ultimately, they fail.

The only way to truly be part of the people of God (the church) is to let God put a new spirit in you—His Spirit.