The Church – Its Life Begins

I don’t know about you, but every since I started going to church I have been told time and time again that the birthday of the church is on Pentecost. Now just about every one I know accepts this statement without question, but I have a couple of problems with this concept. So I want to take some time and lay out the reasons that I believe that we have this day wrong and a possible solution to the issue.

First we need to look at the book of Acts. It is the logical place to start since that is where people go when they want to know about the church. Our first stop is in chapter two.

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. Acts 2:1-4

Here is the passage that we get pointed to concerning the birth of the church and they then continue on through the rest of the chapter. So the first question I have to ask is in relation to Acts 2:41, which states:

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

When I read this I have to ask myself two things:

1. How can you add to something that is not in existence until the day of Pentecost?
2. To whom or what were they added to?

So we need to get some background information if we are to get the answers to these questions. Naturally, I went back to Acts chapter one to see if there was any help to be found there. In verses 7 and 8 we read the following:

And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 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.

These are the last words that Jesus spoke before ascending into heaven. What makes this interesting is that we call this one of the commissions of the church. Well, how can Jesus give this commission to the church if it does not exist? That question haunted me until I remembered that the church is a called out assembly. In this case, we have that very thing present at His ascension. When we finish reading the chapter we come to an interesting verse.

And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Acts 1:15

Now I see that there are 120 people gathered in this room. They were all disciples, therefore they must have been called out by Christ during His earthly ministry. This would constitute a church then. Right? So when I read in Acts 2:41 that 3,000 are added, it would be this group that they were added to. Thus the church is present in Acts chapter one. So now I have to look somewhere else for this birthday then.

I have to look back further into the ministry of Christ to see where it all started. That takes me back to Matthew 16 then and the first statement about the church:

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 16:18

Here we read that the church is future, because Jesus clearly states the He “will build” the church. So somewhere between Matthew 16 and Acts 1 the church came into existence. But when? I searched and searched. I scratched my head, I prayed, I cross-referenced for years but never found an adequate answer to this dilemma. At one point I gave up and came to the conclusion that I was wrong and even admitted such to people. But then….

We are planting a church in a nearby town and the core-group has been having Bible study together. I thought it would be a good idea to study through Acts and see what God was doing then and apply that to what He has called us to do here. As Easter was approaching I went back to the book of John and did some studying in case I was asked to preach somewhere on Easter Sunday. During that study I found my answer.

John chapter 20 was going to be the focus of the message, when I saw verse 22 for the first time. (Yes, I have read that verse some many times without seeing what it says, that it makes one ill just thinking about it.)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: John 20:22

Jesus breathed on them. This reminded me of the first breath of God in Genesis 2:7. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. What is more, is the fact the He told them to receive the Holy Ghost.

Because of this I conclude that Easter is the birthday of the church. Jesus breathed life into these people and they received that life through receiving the Holy Ghost on that day. Easter is the day that the new creature, that Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 5:17, was born. What greater day could one ask for then the day of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.