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The Church of Christ
An Introduction to the Church of Christ
ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
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Matt 16:18 And I say also unto
thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (KJV)
Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys
of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven. (KJV)
Luke 24:46-47 And said unto them, Thus it is
written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the
third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his
name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (KJV)
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In promising to build his
church, Jesus said in Matt 16:18, "Upon this rock I will build my
church..." Jesus further authorized Peter to state the terms of admission
into this same institution. "And I will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven." (Matt 16:19) Jesus further taught that Jerusalem was to be the
starting place. "Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of
sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem." (Luke 24:46-47)
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Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (KJV)
Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with
all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
(KJV)
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In Acts chapter 2, we find the
above passages fulfilled in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when Peter used
the keys and preached this message for the first time: "Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38) Having
established the church on that day, the Lord continued to add to it those who
were being saved. (Acts 2:47)
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Luke 8:11 Now the parable is
this: The seed is the word of God. (KJV)
1 Cor 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but
God gave the increase. (KJV)
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We are told in the parable of
the sower that the word of God is the seed of the kingdom. (Luke 8:11) If we
sow the same seed that the Jesus' apostles sowed, the same church will spring
forth. A few years after the Church of Christ had its origin in Jerusalem, Paul
went to Corinth and planted it there. He said, "I have planted, Apollos
watered; but God gave the increase." (1 Cor 3:6)
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1 Tim 3:15 But if I tarry
long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of
God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
(KJV)
Eph 3:10-11 To the intent that now unto the
principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in
Christ Jesus our Lord: (KJV)
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The same word that was planted
in Corinth has been planted today and it has produced the same fruit. We have
the assurance that this church is identical to the institution which existed in
the beginning, because we have carefully planted the same "seed" and
"watered" it as Apollos did. God has given the increase.
The church has a primary mission of holding
forth the gospel (the good news) of Jesus Christ. Paul referred to the church
as "the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the
pillar and support of the truth." (1 Tim 3:15) Thus, the church is a part
of God's grand plan for the salvation of mankind. "To the intent that now
unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the
church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:" (Eph 3:10-11)
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Continue to GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION
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