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CHRIST’S CHURCH BEFORE PENTECOST
Poteau, Oklahoma
We are well aware that the popular notion today is
that the church was born on the Day of Pentecost following the Lord’s
ascension back to Heaven. Whether one believes in a universal visible church
or a universal invisible church or only in local churches, this is the
common theory prevalent today. Since the Lord Jesus promised “…I
will build my church…” we think it better to believe Him rather than
some theory of man that says the Holy Spirit built the church. (See Matthew
16:18). The Greek word for “build” transliterates as “oikodomeo” and means
to “dome up” or complete a house or building. Further to the point, John the
Baptist used the word “bride” of Christ’s congregation while He was on
earth, saying “He that hath the
bride is the bridegroom” (John 3:29). The term “bride” is used
consistently throughout the New Testament as a metaphor speaking of Christ’s
Church, so it seems clear that John said that Christ had a Church prior to
Pentecost! Baptist elder S.E. Anderson in one of his books
lists 21 things that Christ’s (local) Church had before Pentecost. Here is
Bro. Anderson’s list. 1. Believers before Pentecost had the Gospel. (Matt.
4:23; Acts 19:4) 2. Believers before Pentecost were genuinely
converted. (Luke 1:15-17; 19:1-10) 3. Believers before Pentecost were baptized after
conversion. (Matt. 3:6-8) 4. Believers before Pentecost had Christ as their
Head. (Matt. 23:8) 5. Believers before Pentecost were instructed in
Church polity. (Matt. 18:15-20) 6. Believers before Pentecost were ordained. (John
15:16) 7. Believers before Pentecost were commissioned
(Matt. 28:16-20) 8. Believers before Pentecost were organized enough
for their needs. (John 13:29) 9. Believers before Pentecost had a missions
program. (Matt. 10:1- 11:1) 10. Believers before Pentecost had the essentials of
church-life. (Evangelism, service and worship, and the presence of Christ
among them) (Matt. 4:9; 18:20) 11. Believers before Pentecost had qualified
pastors. (John 21:15-17) 12. Believers before Pentecost had the Lord’s
Supper. (Matt. 26:26-30) 13. Believers before Pentecost had the Holy Spirit.
(John 20:22) 14. Believers before Pentecost had Divine power to
do Christ’s work. (Luke 9:1) 15. Believers before Pentecost sang “in the midst of
the church.” (compare Heb. 2:12; with Matt. 26:30) 16. Believers before Pentecost had prayer meetings.
(Acts 1:14) 17. Believers before Pentecost had business
meetings. (Acts 1:15-26) 18. Believers before Pentecost had a membership
roll. (Matt. 10:2-4; Acts 1:13-15) 19. Believers before Pentecost were united into a
church in such a way that they could be “added unto.” (Acts 2:1 & 41) 20. Believers before Pentecost had Christ as their
Foundation and Corner Stone (Matt: 16:18; 1 Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:20) 21. Believers before Pentecost had Christ for a time
as their pastor (“poimen”). Eph. 4:11 & John 10:14. Now we raise this question: What did the church have
after Pentecost that she did not have before Pentecost? She lacked one thing
prior to Pentecost: The public testimony of God’s power. This was shown to
all observers when Christ, the Divine Administrator, immersed His waiting
Church into the Holy Spirit with demonstrable power as seen on that day of
Pentecost. Prior to Pentecost she existed and lacked nothing that she gained
on Pentecost other than that public testimony of Divine favor. So it was
with the temple built by Solomon. It was complete and existed prior to the
time the visible glory of the Lord filled the house. It was a real temple
fitted for the worship and service of God, lacking only the visible Presence
of God. (See 1 Kings chapter 8). And the Lord’s Church, prior to Pentecost,
was a real, functioning Church, lacking only the manifestation of the glory
and power of God which came on that Day of Pentecost. IF a church of any kind was born or built or formed on Pentecost, why is the Bible silent on this matter? There is not a verse in the Bible that says that any kind of church came into being on Pentecost. And IF a church was established on Pentecost, she had to reach back into an old dispensation to get baptism, the Lord’s Supper and to get authority to make converts, baptize them, and teach them to observe what Christ commanded. Why do I say this? Because baptism, the supper, and the great commission were all entrusted to a body that existed prior to the church IF the church began on Pentecost. What body was this? So then, any church established after the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ has no ordinances and no commission or authority to act. And this is true for all churches which came into existence after Christ built His Church. What holes men dig for themselves when they leave off believing and following the Bible! |
