Lesson 3The Value of the Prize

I. DOES IT MATTER?•“Was the church established during Christ’s earthly ministry prior to His death, or later on the day of Pentecost?

•Was the church established by the building process of calling out disciples, assembling them as a unit, and training them or •Was it established by a sudden, abrupt act of creation upon a gathering of about 120 persons? •Did Christ personally establish the church or the Holy Spirit? •Did God make many churches throughout the centuries or just the one with the capability of propagation?” [1]

[1] Wm. F. Bekgaard The Inauguration of the Church , http://nonprotestantbaptists.com/Church.Founded.html, Accessed 5-23-13

I. DOES IT MATTER?This (that the church began on the day of Pentecost) is a distinctively Protestant position.

The Baptist position is that the church began during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. That He built His church and not the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

II. PRE-PENTECOSTAL ROOTS OF THE CHURCH

A. The proof of Christ’s testimonyMatthew 16:18 KJV

Jesus said, “I will build my church.”•He did not say that the Holy Spirit would build it•He did not say the Apostles would build it•He said He would build it

II. PRE-PENTECOSTAL ROOTS OF THE CHURCH

B. The proof of a functioning churchMatthew 18:15-17 KJV

C. The proof of an added membershipActs 2:41-47 KJV

III. THE IMPLICATIONS OF A PRE-PENTECOSTAL CHURCH BEGINNING

A. That church is unmistakably a local church

That first church consisting of:• Christ, the pastor• Apostles, the scripturally baptized

and assembled and• Judas Iscariot, having the bag,

served as the “treasurer”

III. THE IMPLICATIONS OF A PRE-PENTECOSTAL CHURCH BEGINNING

B. That church continues today under the headship of Christ

Ephesians 1:22 KJV

Protestants emphasize the so called baptism of the Spirit as uniting a person to the body.

Baptist churches emphasize that Christ is still the head of the church.

III. THE IMPLICATIONS OF A PRE-PENTECOSTAL CHURCH BEGINNING

C. The local church is the body and through it other churches are propagated

If we believe that the church started on the day of Pentecost, then the Great Commission appears to belong to all believers.

• Any believer can possess the power of Christ outside of church

• Any believer can go as a missionary without a church• Any believer may baptize those he has led to the Lord• Any believer is a teacher of the Bible, even without a

church

III. THE IMPLICATIONS OF A PRE-PENTECOSTAL CHURCH BEGINNING

C. The local church is the body and through it other churches are propagated

If we believe that the church already existed when Jesus gave this Great Commission, then it is not difficult to see the Commission as belonging to local churches.

• Local churches possess the power of Christ• Local churches go into the world• Local churches baptize the converts• Local churches teach those converts to observe all things