February 26, 2017
Morning Service

So far in our study on His Glorious Church;

1.      We have seen the promise of a Glorious Church, that even the gates of hell would not prevail against.

2.     We have seen how Jesus gave the keys of authority to Peter at the beginning.

3.     We have seen this Glorious Church added too, by some outstanding sermons.  AD33.

4.     We have seen the practice of this early Church, meeting together, sharing the Word, breaking bread, and helping one another.  Acts 2.

5.     We have seen how this early church grew from the martyrdom of Steven.   Acts 8.

6.     We have seen the worship service of this early church.  How that everyone that wanted, participated in this worship service.  I Cor. 14.

7.     We have seen the gifts of teaching that God gave to the church for her edification.  Gal.4. We saw that God gave gifts unto men, severally as He willed, and that they would be needed until the church came into the oneness of this Glorious Gospel.  And we have concluded, we are not there yet.  So the gifts are still needed.

8.     We have seen the authority of this Glorious Church, in how that Jesus Christ is the Head, and Chief Cornerstone, and His Apostles, and Prophets make up a solid foundation.  We have at our fingertips, what God wants us to have, of their wonderful teachings, our God breathed Bible..  We need no new revelations, no new teachings, our Bible is complete, and we are complete in Jesus Christ. 

Today we want to look at this Glorious Church down through the ages.  It has been almost 2000 years, and She is still going strong.  Still has the message of hope, and salvation for all who will accept Her glorious plan of salvation.  The message has not changed, nor the way we enter into this Glorious Church. 

1.      You hear the message of Calvary.  D.B.R.

2.     You believe this message.

3.     You repent of your past way of life, and sins.

4.     You confess your belief that Jesus is the Christ the very Son of God.

5.     You are baptized for the remission of those sins, and added to this Glorious Church.

6.     Then you arise from the waters of baptism a new creature, and new creation of God.  Denouncing the things of the world that would destroy you, start doing the things of God that produce joy, peace, love, all the things that accompany salvation.

Then you are saved from the wrath of God that will be coming on all the world and those that know not God, and have lived according to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.  These all shall be destroyed by the second coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 2Thess. 1:7-10.

            The Apostle Paul has made three missionary journeys.  He has different men with him on these trips.  Starts out with Barnabas, and John Mark, and pretty much ends up with Silas, Timothy, Luke, and others.  He begins with establishing churches in Asia Minor, which we know as Turkey, and then into Macedonia, which is just above Athens Greece.  Some great stories of their accomplishments are in the Book of Acts.  Please read often.

The last we hear of the Apostles, in our Bible, is from John, on the Isle of Patmos, exiled for his faith in Christ.  God gave him the Revelation of Jesus Christ, to give to His church.  96AD.

This some 60 years after the exciting beginning of the Lord’s Church.  Thousands, if not millions have now been added to this Glorious Church.  Many have suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Kings, Peter, Paul, James.  There is a book called “Fox’s book of Martyrs”.  A very interesting read.  So now what will the church do since these powerful men of God have been removed?  The church is to continue on it’s path to glory.  We have already seen where the Apostle admonished the believers to continue on in what he had taught them.  Whether by word, or epistle.  We have his words, and instructions, and we have looked at them in this study.  Entrance, worship, leadership, continuance, all these have, and will never change, just the people involved.

            The next writings after the Bible, are the Apostolic Fathers writings.  Very accessible to all who want to read them.  These writings will show you how that there were different beliefs that arose.  How that the leaders of the churches became corrupt, and sought after filthy lucre.  How they tried to keep the Bible out the hands of the common man.  They created a separation of priests, and layman.  This is where the Roman Catholic Church stood out from them all.  Because of their lust for power, became very corrupt.

·         The Apostle Paul warned of these days when he said, 1Ti 4:1-3  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  (2)  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;  (3)  Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

·         Who is it that doesn’t allow their priests to marry, and forbids to eat meat on certain days?

History moves from Jerusalem, and from the time Rome set up the office of the Pope, in whom was called the Bishop of Rome, with   all the following authoritative offices, such as, Cardinals, Bishops, and so forth, they began killing and persecuting anyone who didn’t believe as they did.  They left the automancy of the church, and set up their own hierarchy, of church government.  All these terrible actions from the church leaders lasted until the time of the reformation, in which Luther, (Martin Luther (1483-1546) a Catholic Friar, wrote his 95 thesis (1517) of where the Catholic church was wrong, and placed them on the doors of the church at Wittenberg Germany.  Lutheranism advocates a doctrine of justification "by grace alone through faith alone on the basis of Scripture alone", the doctrine that scripture is the final authority on all matters of faith.

So history tells us that this is where Protestantism began, and has progressed to where it is today.  Through the years there have been many men step out with a particular truth from the Scriptures, and start a denomination.  You can look at history, and it will show you who they were, and the particular doctrine they derived from.  It is fascinating.  In Phillip Schaff’s writings concerning early Protestantism, he gives us this:

The Reformation of the sixteenth century is, next to the introduction of Christianity, the greatest event in history. It was no sudden revolution;  It was not a superficial amendment, not a mere restoration, but a regeneration; It went, through the intervening ages of ecclesiasticism, back to the fountain-head of Christianity itself, as it came from the lips of the Son of God and his inspired Apostles.

And this is where we are today.  We take our teachings directly from Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, and the teachings of His Holy Apostles.

 

ALMIGHTY GOD, THANK YOU FOR A HUNGER FOR THE TRUTH, AND FOR REVEALING SO MUCH TO YOUR CHURCH.