Page 7 - The Church and Education PDF Pro

As you read about the birth of the church in Jerusalem, you will note that there was only one church
there. In Acts 1:15, there were 120 members of the church. In Acts 2:41, the church added 3,000, and
again added 5,000 more (4:4). Daily, people were responding to the Gospel of Grace, and daily people
were added to the church (2:47). Notice that the Lord was adding to the Church daily such as were
being saved. Also notice that a building did not increase in size. In fact, they did not have a building in
which to gather. They gathered in smaller groups within the various houses or at the temple or
synagogues. No buildings were constructed. The church increased by adding people who believed. The
church, therefore, is not a building, as some commonly think. It is the people who have believed and
who gather together to worship their Savior. The church is PEOPLE!

It was not long until persecution came to the church. It was because the people representing Christ
exposed the sin of those in rebellion against God. Jesus’s words in John 15:20 came true:

John 15:20 Remember what I told you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me,
they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

Persecution brought dispersements of the church to other parts of the nation and to other nations. The
church spread throughout Judea and Samaria as recorded in Acts 8. In Acts 13, the church spread to
Syria at Antioch, which became the head of the Gentile Church. The assembly in Antioch and the
assembly in Jerusalem both were called “the church” specified only by their location.

Because of the missionary activities of the apostles, and especially Paul,
churches of believers sprang up in many different cities, especially in Asia
Minor (Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi). All these churches were
considered one church as they were all believers in Christ called out to be
witnesses for Him. The term, Church universal is understood as the
complete body of Christ as existing in every place (I Cor. 15:9; Gal 1:2, 13,
Matthew 16:18) and the churches in a location were called local churches
(Col 4:16, Phil. 4:15, I Cor. 1:2) even if these local gatherings consisted of two or three gathering
together in Christ’s name (Matt 18:19. Col 4:15, Phil 1:2, Rom. 16:5). So today, there are many local
churches of believers spread out all over the world, but every believer in the world is also a member of
one giant church, the Church universal.

It is evident, then, from what has here been said, that by the term “church” is included all that is meant
from the Church Universal to the meeting of the church in a house. Wherever believers meet in the
name of Christ to worship, there you have the Church.

The Church had stated places of meeting; the upper room (Acts 1:13), the temple (5:12), the homes of
members (2:46, 12:12) and the synagogue. The Church had states times of meeting: daily (2:46), each
Lord’s Day (20:7). The Church had regular hours of prayer (3:1, 10:9) and a real church roll (numbers
added daily).

That there were definitely, regularly organized churches is clear from the fact that Paul addressed many
of his epistles to churches in different localities. The letters to the Corinthians show that the church
there had already recognized certain forms of services; those to Timothy and Titus presume a regularly
organized congregation of believers.

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