Featured When Did the Church Begin?

Tom, check out the wording on these Baptist state convention and local associations' websites:

Spurgeon Baptist Association
"One significant point relevant to Southern Baptists is that all 293 messengers at the formation of the Southern Baptist Church at the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia, came from associations that embraced this Confession."

Tri County Baptist Association
"Baptist Collegiate Ministry is a ministry by the Southern Baptist Church for Collegians of all faiths and denominations. . . .Baptist Collegiate Ministry is a national organization"

Illinois Baptist State Association
"We are also here for anyone who is looking to find a ministry position in the Southern Baptist Church."

Daniell Baptist Association
"We will look at the inspirational contributions of people like Lottie Moon, Ann Judson, A. H. Strong, and E.Y. Mullins in the growth of the Southern Baptist Church. We will also discuss the Cooperative Program which separates Southern Baptists from all other Baptists. This course will answer the question “What has it meant, historically, to be a Southern Baptist?
The Georgia Baptist Convention will issue 2 credit units upon completion of this course"

 

This is an important point also; one that U-church believers often fail to see.
The ekklesia is often used in a generic sense, as are many other singular nouns when referring to a group collectively.

For example:
"Man has sinned."
Well, which man? Tom, Dick, Harry, Bob, me? Which one is the statement speaking of? You may reply "all of mankind," but that is not what the statement says.

"A cup of coffee (12 oz.) contains about 150 mg of caffeine."
Which cup? yours or mine. Actually Starbucks is 160.
--One cup is used generically of all cups, though cups of coffee may vary one from other (as do churches).

In Acts 20, Paul called the elders or pastors from the assembly at Ephesus together:
Acts 20:17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
--After giving his testimony, he gave them this instruction:

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Notice he was speaking to the leaders of the Ephesus church and no others.
He tells them that their church (the Ephesian church) God purchased with his own blood. The word "church" is used in a generic sense. As he purchased the Ephesian church, so he purchased every Bible believing church with his own blood.
This is not an argument for a universal church. The context is Paul speaking to the Ephesian elders and not to all believers. The question to be asked is "How would these Ephesian elders have taken Paul's words?" The concept of a U-church would not have even entered their minds. They would have taken it personally as the entire context is very personal. They were to feed that very flock (not the "U-flock").

 

Paul said the Church of God, not the Church at Ephesus. Furthermore Christ did not die for the church at Ephesus alone but for the Church of God. That means all of the redeemed throughout time!

I agree Paul himself was speaking to the elders of the Church at Ephesus but God was speaking through Paul to the Church!

 

I understand all that but I also understand that Paul said: feed the church of God, singular, not plural!

 

We are a long way from the OP and that is the way conversations go. I understand where you are coming from in your interpretation of Acts 20:28; and you are not alone in that interpretation.. I just think my interpretation is better.

 

Yours is better:laugh:

 

How would you do that if the Bible is on the living room coffee table?

 

The "church" (the Bride of Christ) began in Acts chapter 9 with the conversion of Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles.

 

Thanks Tom I appreciate that and have enjoyed the discussion. I would also appreciate you looking after our dear brother out there.

 

Jesus revealed himself to Paul in 34 A.D. following the stoning of Stephen.
"The Twelve" remained in Jerusalem and Judea to convert the NATION of Israel.
The NATION had to repent and be baptized for the remission of their SIN of killing their Messiah,
which they failed to do even though God gave them and additional 36 years (34AD-70AD).
Only John's Gospel "gets it right", as it was written in 90 A.D. when it was clear that the NATION of Israel had failed.
He came unto his own, and his own received Him not.
But as many as received Him, to them gave he the power
to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
No repentance, no baptism, only faith.

The "Kingdom of Heaven" on earth has been "postponed" for almost 2,000 years now.
Jesus will reveal Himself again to a group of faithful Jews (144,000) as he did to Paul during the Tribulation.
These believing Jews will fulfill the Great Commission as they will have the H.S. gift of speaking other languages.
The Bride of Christ will have been removed from the earth prior to this. The 70th Week (of years) of Daniel
is yet future for the NATION of Israel. Estimates are 2 Billion saved during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation.
Very easy to figure out when you "connect all the dots" left by the Holy Spirit in the N.T. See Romans 11:23-36
And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.

 

Ok.. Here is a couple questions I have. Tom knows my answer (Acts 2) and we have a whole thread between us LONG AGO that hashed this out.. but I was curious about the questions below.

Can a group of people be considered a/the NT church if it does not believe in the resurrected Lord? Would we or scripture, consider them true believers if they held that the Messiah was dead and buried?

Yet that is exactly what the followers of Christ Jesus believed.. they did not believe. However this point is one of the unalterable prerequisits for eternal salvation declared by the NT that you believe Christ died, was buried, and rose again 3 days later.

However scripture notes that none of the disciples believed that He would rise or even that He was risen from dead after the women came back from the tomb.

Same with Luke 24 (they believed not)

The Gospel of Salvation that Paul (and all the others preached):

I'm curious at the answers.. I find them honestly a bit difficult in trying to reconcile them with being believers of the NT or New Covenant which requires faith in the Christ Jesus life, death, burial, AND resurrection.