Sermons
How Well Do We Know The History of The New Testament Church-Lesson nine
HOW WELL DO WE KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE N.T. CHURCH
- Lesson Nine -
INTRO:
Good evening. Tonight we continue with the ninth lesson in this series about the history of the New Testament church. We saw that the Kingdom which was prophesied in the Old Testament and in the New Testament was the fulfilling of these prophesies. Jesus promised to build His church, the Kingdom. We looked at the church growth and strengthening, the warnings and problems, and the beginnings of departure from the Biblical Form.
We saw that this departure was recognized and there were efforts to correct the error that had developed. There were many people in what became known as “The Reformation Movement” or “Protestant Movement” who tried to reform the Catholic Church back to what scripture said it should be. They protested not only against the practices but against the very form that the Catholic Church took on.
Next I want to shift our focus to the years of the “Restoration Movement” but before we start there next week I would like us to review some of the issues and scripture.
I. Different churches - Different doctrines. Many different churches were developing, with different doctrines. Some similar or taken from the Catholic Church some quite different. Let’s look at some of these doctrines.
A. Nature of God and man – What about Calvinism? Remember the five points of Calvinism, TULIP – Total Depravity of man, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. What does scripture say?
1. Ezekiel 18:20-28 (NKJV) – “20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. 21 “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. 23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live? 24 “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die. 25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? 26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. 27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. 28 Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.”
2. Matthew 18:3 (NKJV) – “3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
3. 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) - 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
B. What of Salvation by works alone, by faith alone? Scripture says:
1. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) – “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
2. James 2:14-24 (NKJV) – “14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.”
C. How about Baptism – sprinkling, pouring, infants? Scripture says:
1. Romans 6:3-6 (NKJV) – “3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”
2. Mark 16:16 (NKJV) – “16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
3. Acts 8:37-38 (NKJV) – “37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.”
4. Consider the Lord’s Supper – Transubstantiation; consubstantiation, what should it mean?
i. 1 Corinthians 11:25 (NKJV) – “25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying,“This cup is the new covenant in Myblood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
5. Consider the use of Musical instruments
i. Ephesians 5:19 (NKJV) – “19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”
D. Here is a big one -Eschatology – Purgatory; Premillennialism ; Realized Eschatology?
1. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV) – “27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment”
2. John 5:28 (NKJV) – “28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice”
E. We found different churches - different organization structures
1. Clergy – Laity System
2. Synods & Councils governing local churches
3. Creeds & Disciplines
4. Pyramid forms of government
5. Contrary to the simplicity found in the NT church - ex. Philippians 1:1(NKJV) – “1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:”
i. Jesus as Head - sending the Holy Spirit
ii. Who Inspired the Apostles
iii. Who in turn wrote the N.T. scriptures (O.T. writers also inspired - cf 2 Timothy 3:16)
iv. Letters given to local congregation where organization is very simple:
(a) Elders
(b) Deacons
(c) and Saints
F. The church that belongs to Christ throughout history is bible/scripture focused:
1. Salvation - People believed & were baptized and by that very fact saved from their sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, 47)
i. Mark 16:16 (NKJV) - 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
ii. Acts 2:38 (NKJV) - 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
iii. Acts 2:47 (NKJV) - 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
2. Assembled - in local churches (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24,25)
i. Acts 2:42 (NKJV) - 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
ii. Hebrews 10:24 (NKJV) - 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
iii. Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV) - 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
3. Worship - Sang, prayed, gave as prospered, taught the gospel, and partook of the Lord’s Supper on the 1st day of each week (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
i. Acts 2:42 (NKJV) - 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
ii. 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 (NKJV) - 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
iii. Acts 20:7 (NKJV) – 7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.
iv. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 (NKJV) - 1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
4. Work - Taught the lost, cared for needy saints, and edified one another (Eph. 4:12; Acts 6:1-7; 1 Cor. 14:26)
i. Ephesians 4:12 (NKJV) - 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
ii. Acts 6:1-7 (NKJV) - 1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. 7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
iii. 1 Corinthians 14:26 (NKJV) - 26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.
5. Organization - Elders, deacons &saints – (Philippians 1:1; Acts 14:23; 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
i. Philippians 1:1 (NKJV) - 1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
ii. Acts 14:23 (NKJV) - 23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
iii. Acts 20:28 (NKJV) - 28 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.
iv. 1 Timothy 3:1-13 (NKJV) - 1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
v. Titus 1:5-9 (NKJV) - 5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
vi. 1 Peter 5:1-4 (NKJV) - 1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
6. Association – belonged to Christ - (Romans 16:16) - Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.
II. Next in our study, we want to focus on the years of the RESTORATION movement. The Protestant Movement had done much to try and reform the church but in the process had fractured things into many different denominations each with differences in doctrine. People looked at the Protestant Movement, at what was happening there, and looked in light of the word of God which they now had access to due to the printing press, they found what was happening was not fully in keeping with God’s word. Therefore, they said what we’re involved in is no different than what we came out of and we need a change if we’re going to be God’s people. They turned about and faced forward to the scripture and away from what man was establishing.
A. Unlike the Reformation Movement that sought a reforming of the corruption of the Catholic Church, the Restoration Movement is that of turning back to the original. What was being done was not working as evidenced by all the denominations. God calls us to unify not cause disunity. Trying to reform a corrupt church and its doctrines was not working so there was a need to go back to the original and restore what is in the Scriptures.
B. This group was mainly of men who were exiting from the major denominations, also this exodus led to a whole new area of spiritual enlightenment that created even more denominations.
1. What happened is that there are those who said we need to restore and go back to the original and got as close to the original as could be and then decided that they would stop there and renovate or bring in some new theology which created these additional denominations.
2. We will be focusing primarily on those who went back to the original. They were not perfect. That is important for us to recognize. When they looked at the church of the New Testament and saw things in the original they said we must do this. Then they realized that they had not only left the different denominations, but some of what they thought was right was actually corruption too. They needed to get rid of those things as well. It was a period of step by step; I’ll call them baby steps, until they finally were there.
3. Folks, we’re going to be talking about the Restoration Movement from the 1800s through today. You might say, wait a minute. Wasn’t the Restoration Movement the 1800s and 1900s? Why do you include today? Restoration is still taking place in the world today by people coming to a knowledge of the truth by seeing the error that they’re practicing and changing to correct those things. You know, they are baby steps.
4. I recall hearing of a couple evangelists who returned to Ghana in 2017 where they had been before in 2015. They found some things that were not right and the minute they said something: it was changed. Everything was right back on track. The evangelists knew that it was going to take time for the people to understand what was being taught and practiced. Some of those things take time and study. Some of the things that they dealt with in 2017, an eldership, are going to take some time for them to understand. How to appoint scriptural elders and how those elders are to work scripturally according to the New Testament.
5. They didn’t expect to go in there and say we’re going to start new. That’s what we find during this time period. It is out of this movement that came many differing churches as well - some that proceeded back to the original N.T. church but then fell short of actually restoring what was found there.
i. We will be looking at a number of things, but there is one thing that I want to tell you. This time period is where accusations against the church today are made by the various denominations. That is, that Alexander Campbell founded the “church of Christ” which is no different than the Lutherans or the Presbyterians or any of these other denominations.
ii. I want to tell you that Alexander Campbell did not found the church that belongs to Jesus Christ. Christ said I will build My church. There’s the founder and that’s something we will see in our study. I believe that after these lessons we will note that the Restoration years began long before Alexander was ever born.
C. Three very powerful readings from the Scriptures will help set the tone of the rest of our study. In our O.T. survey we noted many different forms of reformation (especially in the Northern 10 tribes) and periods of restoration (the good Kings of the Southern Kingdom.) Remember that there were no good Kings in the North.
1. King Josiah – Let’s have a look at 2 Chronicles 34:29-33. Here we have the account of Josiah. Josiah is an eight year-old king in the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom has been destroyed and they’ve been carried away. King Manasseh and Amon have driven the southern kingdom into its darkest history in their relationship with God. Out of this period of time an eight year-old is appointed king. His name is Josiah.
2. Young people let me tell you something right now. You think you’re young and you’ve heard it said you’re the church of tomorrow. And in a sense you are, but you’re also the church of today. You have as much importance in the body of Christ today as you’ll have in the future. We see here a young man, and we’ve looked at young men through the scriptures before, such as Joseph and Daniel, young men who had made a stand for God in powerful ways.
3. We noticed in the Northern Kingdom that there were those who tried reforming the ways of Jeroboam but never ever got rid of everything.
4. Now this is what we find in restoration. 2 Chronicles 34:29-33 (NKJV) - 29 Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 The king went up to the house of the Lord, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem--the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord. (You see, we’re talking about a very deep, dark history ending the reign of Manasseh and Amon when God’s covenant and His law were kept hidden. Josiah finds this and he reads it in the presence of the people. Can you think of anything this foreshadowed that happened after the first century?)
i. 31 Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. It is important to note about restoration that it is a covenant with the Lord not to do anything else but to perform all that is written in the book.
ii. 33 Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers. They did not depart. Notice what he’s doing is restoring what God had commanded them.
(a) If you read chapter 35:4,6,18,19 you will see that what Josiah has done is restore the Feast of Booths that they had not done for a long time, and re-observed the Passover.
(i) 2 Chronicles 35:4 (NKJV) - 4 Prepare yourselves according to your fathers’ houses, according to your divisions, following the written instruction of David king of Israel and the written instruction of Solomon his son.
(ii) 2 Chronicles 35:6 (NKJV) - 6 So slaughter the Passover offerings, consecrate yourselves, and prepare them for your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.”
(iii) 2 Chronicles 35:18 (NKJV) - 18 There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. You would think that as children of God under the old covenant that they would make this observation of the Passover meal something that was most important to them, but listen to the 19th verse of chapter 35.
(iv) 2 Chronicles 35:19 (NKJV) - 19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.
iii. In the 18th verse it says there had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet. Can you believe that? They had not observed the Passover correctly since the days of Samuel. You see here an eight year-old. We see that this young man looks at God’s word and sees where God’s word makes a commitment and he restores exactly what God requires of him.
5. Our next reading comes from Nehemiah chapter 8. When we talk about verse 1-20 it is about the people’s attitude toward scripture. I want you to notice what we find here in Nehemiah.
6. Nehemiah after the years of Babylonian Exile – Let’s first note the attitudes of the people towards the Word of God - Nehemiah 8:1-12 (NKJV) – “1 Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. 3 Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.”
7. “So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” “7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. 8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.
8. 9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
9. 11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.”
10. Next let’s look at Nehemiah 8:13-18 (NKJV) - 13 Now on the second day the heads of the fathers' houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. This is what we find in the restoration. They wanted to understand what God’s word was saying.
i. So they could do exactly what we find in verse 14 And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written." Did you notice that saying? AS IT IS WRITTEN.
ii. We’re not talking about traditions; we’re talking about how God has instructed it to be.
iii. 16 Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. What did the people do? They saw what was written and they did exactly what God had commanded them. That’s restoration.
iv. Continuing on in verse 17 So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day, the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. I emphasize this because we’re going to look at Jeremiah next. 18 Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner. You see, God has given a pattern and they were following God’s pattern.
11. Did people always respond this way after seeing the pattern? In our next reading we will see a fundamental principle of restoration as well as a people’s response in rebellion against it.
i. Jeremiah 6:16 (NKJV) - 16 Thus says the Lord: "Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'
ii. This same attitude is as prevalent today as it was back then, and is certainly true of the restoration period we are about to study.
III. During the period of restoration there were those that saw very clearly what God’s word required of them, but they said we’re not going to do that. They were going to branch off instead. That’s the reason for the creation of many more denominations even in the period of the restoration movement.
A. There is a time period during the Restoration Movement where there were those that asked for the old paths, who recognized the good way and said we are going to walk in it.
1. Names we’re going to talk about here are not all well-known. When people think about the Restoration Movement, they think about Alexander Campbell and Thomas Campbell and the like.
B. There are three different things I’d like us to note as being important for us to understand in our study.
1. The first thing that we’re going to notice is that the New Testament church never was destroyed by man. It has always existed since Pentacost 33AD and there are historical traces of it. We’re going to take a look some of those traces. Remember Christ said the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18-19) The Lord said it and I believe it.
2. The second thing we’re going to note are the four basic Principles of the Restoration. The basic principles come from these readings we’ve been looking at and I’ll describe them later.
3. The third thing we’re going to note will be some of the men involved in the movement and some of their unions—their time together. Often what happened during this time period is that these men were leading different groups and they didn’t know that other people were doing the same thing not only in this country, but around the world.
IV. Let’s have a look at the “church of Christ” before the restoration. –If you go to this Website: http://churches-of-christ.ws/featley.htm you’ll find information on Dr Daniel Featly and a picture of an excerpt from his book.
A. It’s an Anglican clergyman, Dr Daniel Featly, (who was one of the translators of the King James version of the Bible under a pseudonym), who wrote in his book in 1645 of the churches of Christ meeting in London and elsewhere. His work the 'Dippers Dipt', Dippers being baptizers is what he had reference to.
1. The quote is this; “The third broached theirs in the year 1525. which was this; that baptism ought to be administered to none, but such as can give a good account of their faith; and in case any have been baptized in their infancy, that they ought to be re-baptised after they come to years of discretion, before they are to be admitted to the church of Christ.”
2. This is what this means. Featly looks back to 1525 where there were churches of Christ. For those who claim that Alexander Campbell formed and created the church of Christ, he wasn’t born until 1788. Featly was an adversary of the Lord’s Church during the early to mid 1600s, writing against it.
3. What was happening was that infant baptism was being practiced not only by the Catholic Church but by some of the denominations that had been formed from the Reformation Movement. Having come to a knowledge of the scriptures there are these “Dippers” who recognized and understood that an infant is not a subject for baptism. If you are to be admitted to the church that belongs to Jesus Christ you are to do that on the basis of a knowledge of the faith. Sound familiar? Faith comes through hearing and hearing by the word of God.
4. These churches in the 1600s were in communication with other churches of Christ in America that were in existence even here, nearly two hundred years before Alexander Campbell was born! You may say, how do you know that?
B. This information comes from the book “Traces of the Kingdom” by Keith Sisman. He traces the church all the way through the Dark Ages. He traces the church of Christ all the way back to 38AD in Brittan. Some are traced back to 58AD in Scotland and Ireland.
1. In his writings, it shows that in 1699 in the Furness District of Lancashire in N.W. England, there were a group of 8 churches of Christ.
2. In Glasgow, Scotland in 1772 was the establishment of a church of Christ. By 1818 they had over 180 members, three elders and four deacons.
3. In Tubermore, Scotland – (1798 they had over 250 members in the church)
4. In Manchester, England – (a congregation was established in 1810, by 1817 they had elders and deacons) What does that sound like? Sounds like Christians organizing themselves according to the New Testament pattern.
5. Dublin, Ireland – (1810, by 1818 they had a 100 members).
6. In 1529, Simon Fish a barrister by profession and one of the preachers at the Bow Lane church of Christ (London) wrote his work, titled 'The Summe of the Holye Scripture.'
i. The book was printed in Latin and English over several editions. The title page reads 'The Summe of the Holye Scripture and ordinary of the Christian teaching the true Christian faith by which we be all justified. And of the virtue of baptism after the teaching of the Gospel and of the apostles with information how all estates should live according the Gospel.'
ii. Fish's book teaches baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. Fish was a close friend of William Tyndale, the famous Bible translator.
7. I find this interesting. Even in this country in Massachusetts–there is a plaque (1630 to 1930) on a building that says meeting House of the church of Christ 1710. Thomas Cleaver, the first settled minister died December 27, 1749, age 91 years. In 1710 Alexander Campbell wasn’t even thought of let alone in the United States. We see that the church that belongs to Jesus Christ was established by Christ and there are traces throughout history of the church. These are just a couple of examples.
CONCLUSION:
Here is something that is very interesting—the tombstone of William Rogers. It is in Cane Ridge, Kentucky. What is says is this: Born in Campbell County VA. July 7th 1784. Removed with his father to Cane Ridge upon April 1798. United with the church of Christ at Cane Ridge in 1807. Died February 15, 1862, in the 78 year of his age.
Not only is there evidence churches were calling themselves congregations of the church of Christ in 1710. Here we find someone who was a member in 1807. Why is that important? Because of the fact that Alexander hadn’t yet set foot on American soil.
Next time I want us to look at the basic principles of restoration and then to look at the activities of the restoration movement. Keep in mind that this is the restoration of the New Testament church, the church that Jesus built, the kingdom.
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We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins... If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.
Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.
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Reference Sermon - John Cripps
Where and when we meet
Chardon, Ohio 44024