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Church History
Lesson 1
We started a series
that I enjoy. I've done it before in different congregations on
church history. Last week, we looked at the prophecy that the church
would be established in the first century, examining prophecies like
those from Joel and Isaiah. We discussed several prophecies in the
Old Testament, discussed Daniel chapter 2 and Nebuchadnezzar's
vision, and how all of these referenced the coming of the church,
the kingdom. Then we discussed John the Baptist and Jesus, affirming
that the kingdom was coming very soon. We also discussed Jesus
addressing Peter and others, indicating that he would establish his
church. Following that, we examined the Apostles' sermons on
Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 and how that fulfilled many of those
prophecies regarding the beginning of the church. So today, we want
to take the next step and discuss the church's growth and some areas
where people tried to deviate from the Apostolic pattern. Of course,
we'll continue from there over the next several weeks. Last week, we
noted that because it is Jesus's Church, we refer to it as the
Church of Christ. It is His church, and since it's His church, He
holds all the authority. He has all the authority.
When we look at
Matthew chapter 28, we find him stating the very thing at the end of
Matthew's gospel account. In verse 18, he speaks to his disciples;
of course, there are only 11 of them now since Judas had already
hanged himself. Verse 18 says, "And Jesus came and spoke to them,
saying, 'All authority has been given to me in heaven and on
earth.'" We understand that Jesus is the head of the church. The
head is the one with authority; just as my head is in charge of my
body, Jesus is the head of the church. Would someone please read
Ephesians 1:22 for us? "And He gave Him to be head over all things."
Since Jesus is the head, no authority has been granted to any
individual or group in any church body to alter its features. The
changes that have occurred over hundreds of years, which we will
analyze, have led to various religious groups. However, this started
taking place, and I believe this is perhaps the most significant
point in the first century. As we examine several letters that Paul,
John, and Peter wrote, we will see instances where they were written
because people had already begun to depart from the apostolic path,
even in the first century when many Apostles were still alive. Yet,
even then, some Christians were straying from that path. A few
things about how Christ's church is named in the Bible are that it
is referred to in various ways.
1 Timothy 3:15
describes the Church of the Living God. There’s a lot about what the
church is—the Church of the Living God. We’re not part of a dead
church; we are the family of God, the pillar and ground of the
truth. In other words, one of our responsibilities as the Lord's
church is to serve as that pillar and ground of the truth.
Therefore, we should know what the truth is and practice it. Again,
that's where a lot of the departures started.
Let’s consider
Ephesians 5:23-25. He is the Savior of the body; therefore, Christ’s
families are subject to Him, just as His church is subject to
Christ. Wives should be under their own husbands. Love your wives
just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Here, the
church is referred to as the church. The Greek word "ekklesia"
conveys the idea of an assembly of people called out of the
world—that's who we are. We are meant to be distinct from one
another.
1 Corinthians 3:9
states that we are God's building, and later in the same chapter,
the church is described as the temple. This shows that we are both
the temple of God and His building. Many other scriptures identify
the church and emphasize various aspects of who we are and what we
are called to do. One of the initial areas where people began to
stray from the Lord's church was in its governance and organization;
this marked the first significant departure. Paul warned about this,
and we will review those verses shortly. He issued these warnings in
Acts 20, indicating that Paul was cautioning believers that a
departure was beginning even as early as AD 60, just 30 or 40 years
after the church's inception. We know from scripture that Jesus is
the supreme ruler of the church; He possesses all authority.
The apostles held
authority both during their lives and through their writings, as
Christ conferred that authority upon them. In Matthew 16:16-18,
Jesus tells Peter and the others that He would give them the keys to
the kingdom, declaring that whatever they bind on earth will be
bound in heaven, and whatever they loose on earth will be loosed in
heaven. Thus, the authority of the apostles is clear. Regarding the
local congregation, qualified individuals should be appointed as
elders and deacons, which necessitates adherence to specific strict
qualifications. Unfortunately, issues arose with this group of
individuals—elders, pastors, shepherds, bishops, and overseers, all
referring to the same role. This is where the first departures began
to take place.
As we reflect on
the church's rapid growth, which we discussed last week, it is clear
that many people were added—thousands at times. On the day of
Pentecost, for example, 3,000 were added, and individuals were being
added daily to the church. In the first century, there was a large
number of Christians in that part of the world, continually
multiplying as countless men and women joined the church. They
responded and expanded.
Probably the most
common term describing the church's growth is that the numbers
multiplied—that's what happened. When you read the book of Acts and
others, you see that. Now let's go to Acts chapter 20, and we'll
read some of the places where the Apostles and others mentioned that
there would be departures. So, would someone please read Acts
chapter 20, verses 28 through 30? "Therefore take heed to yourselves
and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the Church of God, which He purchased with
His own blood. For I know this: that after my departure, savage
wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, from
among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things to draw
away the disciples after themselves."
Now, he's talking.
Remember he called the elders from Ephesus to meet him because he
had spent much time with them. He says you need to take heed because
things will start happening. You must pay attention to yourselves
and the entire congregation there at Ephesus. You have been made
overseers; you are shepherds. He says, "For I know this"—it's not
something that may happen; he states this is going to occur. Again,
we're talking about just a few decades after the church began; it
didn't take long.
He says, after my
departure, savage wolves—that's how he describes them. You know,
Jesus described them as wolves in sheep's clothing back in Matthew.
They will come in among you, not sparing the flock. So, he states,
after I leave, it's not going to be long, and then he adds in verse
30, also from among yourselves—remember, he's speaking to the
elders—he says men will rise up, speaking perverse things to draw
away the disciples after themselves. He emphasizes that this is
going to happen shortly, and it will occur among you. This was a
group of people he had lived with; he was with them for nearly two
years in Ephesus, maybe even longer, worshipping, teaching, and
preaching with them. Yet, despite that, there was going to be a
departure, and it would begin in the eldership. That is exactly
where the first problem in the church arose regarding how the church
was governed, and changes began very, very soon.
But that's not the
only place. Let's turn to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. I'll read the
first few verses. Now, brethren, regarding the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you not to be
easily shaken in mind or troubled, neither by spirit, word, nor
letter as if from us, as though the day of Christ had already come.
He tells them not to lose their faith, even if they receive a letter
claiming to be from us, but he warns that it won’t be from us. In
other words, someone will try to deceive them into believing that
the day of Christ has already arrived. Remember, when he wrote First
Thessalonians, he did so because they were worried about those who
had already passed away—would they still be part of the
resurrection? Now he says, don't be deceived, even if a letter comes
claiming to be from the Apostle Paul that states Christ has already
come. He instructs them to reject it. In verse 3, he writes, "Let no
one deceive you by any means, for that day will not come unless the
falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of
perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called
God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of
God, showing himself that he is God." He emphasizes that they should
not believe any letter or rumor claiming that Christ has already
come because He hasn’t, and we know He hasn’t because there must be
a falling away first. So, Paul is informing this different group in
another place about another departure that will happen. He mentions
that certain events will occur, and one of the last things he wrote,
anyway, is in Second Timothy chapter 4. Again, we could read many
other passages, but can someone read the first three verses of
Second Timothy 4?
The Lord Jesus
Christ will judge the living and the dead at His appearance and
kingdom. Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season.
Convict, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. The
time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine; instead,
they will gather teachers who cater to their own desires because
they have itchy ears. They will turn their ears away from the truth
and revert to secular beliefs, a trend that started even in the
first century and has persisted to this day. Individuals turn away
from sound doctrine and seek what they want to hear, a trend that
has continued for thousands of years. Paul advises Timothy,
"Timothy, you need to preach the word." That is your duty. The only
way to prevent any type of departure or false teaching is to preach
the truth. Always teach the truth, as He says it will occur. I
notice Paul again emphasizes, not that it might happen, but that it
will certainly happen—there's no doubt about it. Furthermore, 2nd
Timothy was written in the 60s, so we are referring to maybe 30 or
35 years after the founding of the church. Paul is already warning
Timothy, the church in Ephesus, and the church in Thessalonica that
people—most of whom are from within the church—will attempt to
deceive others and lead them away from the truth. He specifically
mentions that one way they will accomplish this is by manipulating
the eldership in the governance of the church, which was one of the
first areas where corrupt teaching arose. It did not take long; some
of the Apostles were still alive when this began. Paul, in another
letter, reminds us in Galatians chapter 1 that even if an angel from
heaven teaches any other doctrine, let him be anathema, let him be
accursed, let him receive a curse from God.
Paul recognized
early that men from various places—both within and outside the
church—have taught doctrines that lead people astray for nearly
2,000 years. However, we were warned: Paul warned us, Peter warned
us, and John cautioned us in 1 John that this would happen too. John
refers to these individuals as Antichrists. Now, a brief history: we
observe these developments during the first and second centuries.
They taught that there should be a group of two or more elders in a
congregation. One of the earliest occurrences was when one elder
took more authority than the others; they did not share equal
authority, and one became the chief elder. This elder was often
called the bishop, while the others were simply known as elders or
overseers. The bishop adopted that title and increased its
significance; he held greater authority in that congregation. This
marked the first departure in governance. Later, several
developments appeared in larger churches, such as in Rome and
elsewhere. In Jerusalem, it did not happen as early, but the lead
elder in that congregation began to assert control over other
churches. In other words, if Joplin was the largest church, the lead
elder there would have authority over Neosho, Seneca, and others.
That’s where it began, just as Paul predicted in Acts chapter 20. He
stated that from among yourselves, men will depart, and that is
exactly what occurred—with individuals taking eldership authority
that God did not ordain. Thus emerged the so-called chief elder or
bishop, and eventually, in larger churches, the chief elder became
one who oversaw several churches. This structure then spread,
resulting in individuals overseeing vast regions of churches,
continuously expanding from a small beginning.
At some point,
likely in the fourth century transitioning into the third century,
there were effectively five leading elders or bishops overseeing the
churches that had departed from traditional practices. While some
churches remained faithful, many did not. The significant churches
that did depart were based in Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem,
and Constantinople. The lead elder or bishop in these five cities
essentially became the leader of the movement. Then, during the 300s
and 400s, images began to emerge that would eventually characterize
what became known as the Roman Catholic Church. Over time, the
structure condensed down to just two bishops, with the one in Rome
ultimately becoming the Pope. This evolution took centuries,
beginning with a single congregation where one elder gradually
assumed more authority than the others. It started small and grew to
encompass a pope presiding over that entire denomination. This
gradual departure from traditional authority led to incremental
changes, and various councils took place during this period that
contributed to the formation of the Roman Catholic Church. While
some churches chose not to depart, a significant number did, which
contributed to the establishment of what we recognize today as the
Roman Catholic Church.
This eventually led
the Bishop to become the Pope, but that occurred probably five or
six hundred years later. It started right there, just as Paul
mentioned in Acts 20:30: "From among your own selves, men will arise
teaching perverse things, trying to draw men after them." And that's
precisely what happened. Of course, if we examine the end result
today, most religious groups have an order. In other words, there is
someone or a group of people overseeing a certain number of
churches, and then there's someone or a group overseeing an even
broader group, which continues to ascend. This is also true in the
Mormon Church; they have, I believe, their own seventy or something
like that, but they're divided into various groups. They have a
president, of course, along with other roles such as bishops. Most
religious groups maintain this hierarchy. However, Jesus and the
Apostles made it clear—there is no order; there’s nothing beyond the
local congregation, nor can there ever be. Each congregation governs
itself, and there shouldn't be anything beyond that. But when you
start with one small thing, just consider the enormous impact that
one small thing can have. That's where it started: one small thing.
Signs of these changes were already evident in the mid-part of the
first century, and various variations were emerging, although
nothing as severe as that; other departures were beginning to
appear.
There were
individuals teaching instrumental music, and miracles didn't cease
in the first century. Other groups were teaching what would evolve
into the thousand-year reign of Christ, so this idea isn’t new. We
often think about the thousand-year reign of Christ beginning in the
1800s with figures like Scofield and others, but this belief is
quite old. Naturally, there were so-called Jewish Christians. Paul
faced numerous challenges from those insisting that part of the old
law needed to be observed alongside the new. He had to constantly
address this issue. In fact, there were groups, even in the first
century, asserting that the physical body was evil. Many of them
adopted an ascetic lifestyle, attempting—at least some of them—to
inflict harm on the flesh, so to speak. While there were other
happenings, these were some of the main issues that originated in
the first century. By the second century, especially after John, the
last apostle, passed away toward the end of the first century,
various changes began to occur. The departures truly commenced, and
they would continue for many years. Well, that's probably a good
stopping point for today. We'll continue our history lesson, Lord
willing, next Sunday morning. I’d like to explore a bit more about
the early stages of the Roman Catholic Church and discuss how it
came into being.
February 2, 2025
Sermon prepared by
Bobby Stafford
Prepared by Bobby
Stafford
The church of
Christ at Granby, MO
Located at
516 East Pine St.
P.O. Box 664
Granby, Mo. 64844
(417) 472-7109
For more lessons
and Sermons, please visit
https://granbychurchofchrist.org/
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