The History of the Church

Although this may not be the all inclusive history of the Church, this will give you some information about how the Church started. We must first note that Matthew is the only Gospel writer to use the word “Church” (Matt 16:18; 18:17). The Greek word translated church means “a called-out assembly.” For the most part in the New Testament, this word refers to a local assembly of believers. In the Old Testament, Israel was God’s called-out people, beginning with the call of Abraham (Gen 12:1; Deut 7:6-8). As a matter of fact, Stephen called the nation of Israel “the church [assembly] in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38), for they were God’s called-out people.

But this is entirely different in the New Testament; the Church is composed of both Jews and Gentiles. In this Church there were no racial distinctions between the Jews and the Gentiles. There were only believing Jews and believing Jewish proselytes in the church at the beginning (Acts 2-7). The Gospel then went to Samaria (Acts 8) where people who were part Jewish and part Gentile also came into the church. When Peter went to the household of Cornelius (Acts 10), the Gentiles became fully accepted in the church. The Conference at Jerusalem (Acts 15) also settled the decision that a Gentile did not have to become a Jew before he could become a Christian.

Remember that tax collectors were among the most hated people in Jewish society. To begin with, they were traitors to their own nation because they “sold themselves” to the Romans to work for the government. They were considered thieves as well as traitors; and their constant contacts with Gentiles made them religiously suspect if not unclean. Jesus’ call to Matthew goes a long way to show that the mandate of the Church was not to call the righteous but to bring sinners to repentance. Matthew opened his heart to Jesus Christ and became a new person the same way anyone who accepts Christ becomes a new person today and becomes part of the church.

Of course, the Pharisees criticized Jesus for daring to eat with such a defiled group of people as seen today where religious folks also criticize the true churches for organizing events that could win souls. Little did they know that Matthew’s conversion was going to be of great reward to the entire Church. Matthew not only opened his heart and home, but he also opened his hands and worked for Christ. Alexander Whyte of Edinburgh once said that, when Matthew left his job to follow Christ, he brought his pen with him! Little did this ex-publican know that the Holy Spirit would one day use him to write the first of the four Gospels in the New Testament.

Little do people know that the Church is going to become the beacon and pacesetters of the entire world. The whole world is actually waiting for the Church to blossom to be what it was called to be. And guess what, God will continue to use what we have to do so. God is Spirit and He needs a body which is the Church to manifest His kingdom on this earth.

To be continued……