Lesson Eight: Go Into All the World - The History of the Church
By Paul R. Blake
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned’” (Mark 16:15-16). “Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus Christ commissioned His apostles to do the work of evangelizing the world by preaching the gospel to every person. The Lord’s Church would be built this way, grown by this means, and spread to every part of the world. The apostles began this work in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost in 33 AD; it continues to this day.
While the Lord is faithful to His people, and His word is true and unchangeable, the fact is that men often depart from His way. God instructed Cain and Abel regarding sacrifices, and Cain substituted an offering of his own choosing, and God rejected him and his sacrifice. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron the high priest, changed the worship God specified and used unauthorized fire, and they died for it. Men often depart from God’s way, even devout men (1Corinthians 9:27). Each generation needs to be reminded of God’s way, or they will begin to depart it (Deuteronomy 6:12). There is no such thing as standing still; we either move forward or risk drifting back (Hebrews 2:1). The history of the Church is an account of departures from the faith, the revealed body of truth in the word of God.
While God has made His will clear in the scriptures, humankind often mistakenly believe that they can improve on what God has said, or perhaps they may foolishly reason that the will of God needs to change with whatever is currently in fashion philosophically or religiously.
For example, in the New Testament local churches are to be organized autonomously under the leadership of their own elders. However, by the middle of the second century, one elder would often be elevated to a position over the other elders and be called a bishop. Over time, powerful bishops would exercise control over neighboring churches and become regional bishops, patterning themselves after the government structure of the Roman Empire. By the third century AD, the organization of the early Catholic church was evident, with local and regional bishops, cardinals, and eventually a universal bishop called the pope. In 325 AD, the first of several councils was held at Nicea in which gatherings of powerful bishops would meet and institute changes to God’s way. Over time, these changes produced the Catholic church.
In 1530, a priest named Martin Luther in Wittenberg, Germany grew weary of the increasing number of unauthorized changes to the will of God for the Church that were being instituted and practiced in Catholicism. He attempted unsuccessfully to reform the church, but did manage to gather a number of followers to his movement. However, instead of restoring the Lord’s Church, he only succeeded in beginning an association that became yet another denomination after his passing.
Men like John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli, and others, in 1540 attempted to reform the Catholic church. Equally unsuccessful, their movement came to be known as the Presbyterian church.
Over the centuries, many well intentioned men tried to reform the erring Catholic church by protesting its excesses, but only succeeded in generating yet another denomination. John Smythe, John Menno Simmons, and others around 1611 AD created what would become the Baptist church. The Methodist church was begun by John and Charles Wesley in colonial America in 1735, in an effort to create structure in Protestantism. The Episcopalian church is an American attempt to reform the Anglican Church of England in 1750. The Christian Church is a departure from the restoration movement begun in Bethany, WV during the early 1800s, led by Isaac Errett and others, over using instruments in worship and church sponsored missionary societies. Jehovah’s Witnesses grew out of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society started by Charles Tayes Russell in 1880. Pentecostal and Charismatic churches are a product of the Second Great Advent Movement around 1890.
There were 217 denominations listed in the 2006 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. In addition, there are multiple variations of many of the denominations listed there, and there are other denominations that are built around cultural variations outside of North America.
Jesus said, “I will build My Church.” Church is a singular noun. Our Savior does not approve of division and denominationalism. He prayed for unity. “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21). He ordered His apostles to teach all believers that there is only one way. “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1Corinthians 1:10).
Well-meaning people often say: “Attend the church of your choice.” It is good to encourage people to practice a structured morality. Most of us would rather live next door to the fruit of denominationalism than the product of atheism. But that does not justify all of the confusion generated by denominationalism.
“Attend the church of your choice,” instead of the Church of God’s choice, implies that one denomination is as good as another. Is one church is as good as another? If one is determined not to practice Christianity according to the scriptures, then yes, one church is as good as another. They all fall short of the standard the Lord set when He established His Church. It would take a lifetime to understand all facets of each denomination, and we would come to the same conclusion. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1). “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted” (Matthew 15:13).
Are members of denomination churches incorrigibly wicked? Certainly not! I know of many sincere, devout persons who are members of denominations. Many members of the body of Christ came out of these religious organizations. That is why a study of this nature is critical in rescuing sincere, but misguided, souls.
In the early 1800s, the Restoration Movement (also known as the Stone-Campbell Movement) began as a response to failure of Protestantism to restore the Church to its New Testament purity. Instead of trying to reform the Catholic church and Protestant denominations, restoration advocates sought the unification of all Christians in a single body patterned after the church of the New Testament. Members do not identify themselves as Protestants or use any denominational name, but simply call themselves Christians. The Restoration Movement developed from several independent efforts to return to apostolic Christianity, but two groups developed similar approaches to the faith that were noteworthy. The first, led by Barton W. Stone, began at Cane Ridge, Kentucky and called themselves simply Christians. The second began in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and was led by Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander; they used the name Disciples of Christ. Both groups sought to restore the Church on the pattern in the New Testament, and both believed that creeds kept Christianity divided.
The Restoration Movement is characterized by a few key principles: 1) Christianity should not be divided; Christ built one church. 2) Creeds divide, but Christians should find agreement by standing on the Bible alone. 3) Traditions divide, but Christians should find common ground by following the practices of the Church in the New Testament. 4) Denominational names divide, but Christians should use Biblical names for Biblical things.
The Restoration Movement developed several maxims that helped Christians keep their focus on returning to the purity of God’s way. 1) “Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.” 2) “The church of Jesus Christ on earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one.” 3) “In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things love.” 4) “No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, no law but love, no name but the Divine.” 5) “Call Bible things by Bible names.”
While the Lord’s Church never went out of existence over the centuries, history either did not take note of it or else did not treat the Church kindly; faithful believers and followers of the Lord were often called heretics. Nevertheless, we are grateful for those humble, sincere men who labored diligently to return to the Bible pattern. Today, it is possible to find congregations of faithful, sound believers and follows of Christ who are part of His Church, the Church that bears His identifying marks:
1) It was founded by Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:13-20).
2) It was begun 33 A.D. (Acts 2:1-47).
3) It was built in Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2-3; Acts 2:1-4, 47).
4) Jesus Christ is the only head (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18).
5) It was purchased with the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28).
6) Its only law is the word of God (2Timothy 3:14-17; Galatians 1:6-10).
7) The Lord alone admits the saved (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:47, 4:12).
8) Its promised reward for members is heaven (1Peter 1:3-5).
9) It is named in the Scriptures (Romans 16:16).
10) It is not a denomination, but is The ONE Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:4-6).
To stimulate honest, humble thought by comparison, consider the following questions:
1) Is it a question of is one church as good as another, or is the true question is a denomination as good as the body of Christ?
2) Is a church not mentioned in the Bible as good as one called by name in scripture?
3) Is a church started by men as good as one built by the Son of God?
4) Is a church built at the wrong time as good as one built at the time prophesied?
5) Is a church built in the wrong place as good as one built in the place prophesied?
6) Is a church with a man as its head as good as one with Jesus Christ leading?
7) Is a church built on dismissal of the authority of scripture as good as one purchased with the blood of Christ?
8) Is a church governed by constantly changing religious fashion as good as one directed by scripture?
9) Is a church with no promise of salvation as good as one that contains all of the saved?
10) Is a church that claims to be a part as good as one that is the whole?
Lesson Nine will continue this study by asking the question: “If Jesus Christ were here today, where would He worship?
Scriptures Used In Text
For your convenience, we have provided the scriptures used in the text, that do not have the verses written out in the text. In order to access these texts, just click on the text and it will direct you to those verses, which will be on www.biblegateway.com. It will pop up in a new tab for your convenience. Also, please note that these are from the King James Version.