What! No Church?

No.

Yes.

They were added by the Lord, following scriptural example. Each congregation is charged with guarding the integrity of the ordinances, thus must determine who shall participate in them, and whom it receives into its fellowship. One practical way is to vote, just as FBC Jerusalem did to select an apostle to replace Judas.

 

No, Ann. What prompted the questions?

If you think I believe this, I was really unclear.

I believe that what I believe is scriptural. If that makes God polygamous, then the problem is not scripture, it's your interpretation.

 

Thank you, in that I agree. :thumbsup: One BODY but not many bodies.... If the church is made up of "members" that constitutes as the BODY than it is the members that constitute as the Body of Christ and not specifically the "Church" they attend.

Darren

 

What you are saying is very common, I know many other baptist that think the same way, they believe the universal church idea came from Roman Catholicism, so naturally they are very much against it.

Darren

 

The only church existing in the second chapter of Acts (Acts 2:47) was the church in Jerusalem. To that one local church, the Lord added daily. History tells us that the church in Jerusalem eventually grew very large, perhaps 300-500,000 in number. The Lord was adding to them daily.

 

On account of Paul's persecution there was a scattering of the believers:

Acts 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

It was the church that was in Jerusalem that was being persecuted.

 

They were scattered because of persecution. Perhaps some met secretly in homes. Have you ever been in an Islamic nation and known a Muslim who has converted to Christianity. His family turns against him. The society turns against him. Even the government turns against him (such as the police). No place is a safe refuge. It was like this for the Jews that turned to Christ in the first century. They faced persecution from their families (other Jews), and from the government (a great persecution from Nero's government). They were scattered everywhere.

 

Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
--Which church?

Acts 12:12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
--It was the small church that met in the house John Mark's mother.

If I hold a Bible Study in my house it does not constitute a church just because believers gather together. Mat. 18:20 is not the definition of a church. A church is highly organized as the pastoral epistles describe. We cannot read into the Scriptures that which is not there.

 

Every time someone agrees to the constitution of our church, is baptized and desires to become a member, and thus is accepted as a member--the Lord has added that person to our church.
That is not a difficult concept to understand. It is the Lord that adds to our church. It is the Lord that blesses our church. All blessings come from Him. All glory and praise comes from Him. I thought you were a Calvinist? Praise and honor belong to God.

 

Check your history, and your Bible.
They at first met in the Temple. But that lasted only for a temporary period of time, for the Jewish leaders could only tolerate it for so long. On his missionary journeys Paul met regularly in the synagogues.

 

I could be wrong, but I believe that is what Sir William Ramsey gives in his book.