By Robert Lewis
The Church That Jesus is Building
Constantine Started the Roman Catholic Church: The Priesthood Tradition + Latin Vulgate
Martin Luther Started the Lutheran Church
Mohammed Started the Muslim Church: The Koran
John Knox + John Calvin Started the Presbyterian Churc
John and Charles Wesley started the Methodist Church
Charles Russell started the Jehovah’s Witnesses: New World Translation of the Bible
Ellen White started the Seventh Day Adventist Church: Key to Science and the Scriptures
Herbert W. Armstrong started the Worldwide Church of Christ
Amy McPherson started the Charismatic movement in the early 1900’s
I. Jesus Started His (own) Church
“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 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.” – Matthew 16:16-18
PETER = Petros, a little stone
ROCK = Petra, A great foundational stone!
II. His Church was Organized While He Was Alive
He taught them discipline
“But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” – Matthew 18:16-18
He taught them to pray
He taught them to give
He taught them to love one another
He taught them about divorce and remarriage
III. His Church Was to Bind Things in Prayer on Earth
“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.” – Matthew 16:19
“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” – Matthew 18:18
“Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” – John 20:23
REMIT = To lay aside, to let alone: to forgive
RETAIN = hold fast, seize, to keep
IV. He Commissioned His Church After His Resurrection
“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
– John 20:21-22
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” – Matthew 28:18-20
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” – Acts 1:8-9
V. Jesus Placed the Holy Spirit In His Church (every member of it)
They would do greater works in His absence than He did in their presence!
“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:“
– John 20:22
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” – John 14:12
Jesus was everything to these early disciples. He met every need they had. They were hungry and he fed them. They were afraid and he calmed the storms. They had a funeral and He raised their dead. The blind came to Him and He gave them sight. The lepers came and He cleansed them. But now the Holy Spirit would dwell in every believer and multiply the possibilities of the work of the Lord Jesus. Every believer was to have the comfort and the power and the provision of the Lord Jesus because he would be in them from that moment on.
VI. Jesus Empowered His Church (Placed the Church in the Holy Spirit)
“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. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” – Luke 24:46-49
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?” – Acts 2:1-7
VII. He Added Members to His Church By Baptism
“And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
– Acts 1:4-5
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 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.” – Acts 2:36-38
“And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” – Acts 2:40-41
“But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” – Acts 8:12
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” – Acts 8:35-38
“And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, thatthou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.”
– Acts 9:17-18
“And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.”
– Acts 10:45-48
“And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.”
– Acts 16:14-15
“And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.” – Acts 16:30-33
“And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.” – Acts 18:7-8
“And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” – Acts 19:3-5
VIII. His Church Continued in the Doctrine the Apostles Taught
“And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.“
– Acts 1:13-14
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” – Acts 2:41-42
“Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.” – Acts 15:35
“Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”
– Acts 18:9-11
“And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.” – Acts 19:10
The church that Jesus is building is made up of Saved people.
Are you saved?
The church that Jesus is Building is made up of saved people who are scripturally baptized.
Are you baptized?
The church that Jesus is building is made up of believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit?
The church that Jesus is building is obedient to Him.
Are you obedient to Jesus?
The church that Jesus is building is witnessing for Him.
Are you a witness for Him?
Are you in the church that Jesus is building?