An understanding of the term “CHURCH”
is needed as we begin to understand ‘how’ the church began in Acts 2.
It comes from the Greek word ‘EKKLESIA’ and means a “called out body of people”. We can see how this agrees with 1 Pt.
2:9, which describes the church as being ‘CALLED OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS
MARVELOUS LIGHT’. “But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the
excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”.
Please read these related passages
and study how this calling relates to the opening of one’s understanding (figuratively,
opening of the eyes; or being able to see: Isa. 9:2; 42:16; Acts 26:18; 2 Cor.
4:6).
On a side note: One cannot be
saved if they don’t understand the plan of salvation. Faith is not blind, rather it is based upon credible evidence (read Rom. 1:19-20 and Heb. 11:1. The people in
Acts 2 heard and UNDERSTOOD – read Acts 2:11 – “we hear them speaking in our
tongues the mighty works of God.”).
These ‘mighty works’ of God are
not referring to the physical works of creation, but rather they relate to God’s
works of deliverance or salvation (read Psa. 74:12).
Another key thing to
understand as it relates to how the church began, is to understand what the
Bible calls God’s ‘ETERNAL PURPOSE’. The following passages need to be studied
in relation to this: Eph. 1:4; 2:10; 3:11; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; Mt. 25:34; 1 Pt.
1:20
We also see from several
passages that Jesus was ‘foreknown from the foundation of the world’. This
needs to be understood, for it points to things that were purposed by God
BEFORE HE created “the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).
Acts 2:23 – “him,
being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God”. Read
also: Lk. 22:22; Acts 3:18; 4:28; 1 Pt. 1:20
We also read of another
important word as it relates to “HOW” the church began.
This is the word “CALLED” –
it relates to the message of the gospel. Remember Peter said in 1 Pt. 2:9 that we
were “called … out of darkness into His
marvelous light”. Peter also wrote that we are “born of incorruptible seed”
1 Peter 1:22-23 – Seeing
ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love
of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: having
been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the
word of God, which liveth and abideth
Paul wrote:
1 Cor. 4:15 – we are begotten
by the gospel
1 Cor. 15:1 – I make known
unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also
ye received, wherein also ye stand,
So, as we answer “HOW” the
church began, we see that God planned and purposed it prior to the ‘foundation
of the world’. God predestinated salvation to be in Christ and no one else. The
gospel, if true, must declare all this plainly. This was what those in Acts 2:11
called “the wonderful works of God”; this was the “works of salvation”
mentioned by David in Psa. 74:12.
The gospel is the seed, the
incorruptible seed; the word of God, which calls us out of the world.
The Jews in Acts 2 from every
nation heard this message (seed; gospel), and about 3,000 responded as Peter
commanded (Acts 2:38).
This response is mentioned in the Great Commission texts: Mt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16; Lk. 24:44-47.
Paul stated that this was the
‘form of doctrine’ that must be delivered and obeyed from the heart (Rom.
6:17-18), in order for one to be translated out of the power of darkness into
the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Col. 1:13-14), which was prepared from the
foundation of the world (Mt. 25:34).
When the “about 3,000” “gladly
received” Peter’s words, their eyes (understanding) were opened. They were
baptized, and added to the apostles (Acts 2:41). This continued daily (Acts
2:47). The “adding” was done by the Lord based upon their response as
prophesied (read again: Isa. 9:2; 42:16; Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 4:6).
With this response in Acts 2:41,
the church was “built” as Jesus promised (Mt. 16:18).
These were Jews, not
Gentiles. What about them? Did God have predetermined thoughts for non-Jews?
Our answer lies in the words back in Gen. 12:3, when God promised to Abraham that
“ALL” families of the earth would receive a blessing by Jesus.
The Gentiles were certainly
included by “ALL FAMILIES OF THE EARTH”. The household of Cornelius was born of
the same word/gospel/message. As Peter said, “God is no respecter of persons,
but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is
acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34-35).
Accordingly, we read the
apostle Paul stating that the “mystery” which was made known by his preaching
was “that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and
fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel”
(Eph. 3:6).
