The Church That Jesus Built

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03/28/13 - The church

With over 1000 denominations and the confusion they cause many who observe them, some conclude God must not be in the church business. Careful study of God's word shows that God did not author the 1000+ churches of today. However, He does have a church. 

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

• Peter had just confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. That confession is the rock referred to by Jesus.We know that Jesus came to do the will of His Father.
• Part of the Father's will was to establish the church. Notice that Jesus did not say He would build a system of churches. He said "I will build my church."

•  Of Jesus, Ephesians 1:22,23 says, "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." God made Jesus the head of the church. This verse also tells us that the church is the body. This is an important point to remember.
• Ephesians 4:4-6 says "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
• According to these verses, how many Lords are there? One. How many Gods? One. How many bodies? Only one. Doesn't it stand to reason that if there is only one Lord, God, faith, etc. that since there is only one body, and the body is the church, that there is only one church built by Jesus Christ?

• When you search for anything you can't find, such as a web site, you begin by searching with information you already have. As choices are presented, you may examine certain sites, eliminating those that do not closely match your search criteria.
• Nearly everyone has a Bible. In God's word you can read about the church that Jesus built. The book of Acts is a history book of the church. The book of Ephesians reveals the true nature of Jesus' church and certain identifying characteristics of it. Don't be afraid to examine churches today. Eliminate those you find that differ from the description of the church Jesus built and keep searching.Another way to locate a website is to be told its address. You can then go directly to it and examine it to determine if it holds anything of interest to you.
• We believe that  you can find the New Testament church by searching the scriptures. Do not take the word of anything you read here.   You need to examine the things said, and in any correspondence we might have, and determine for yourself if the things taught are from the word of God.

• Jesus Christ is its head. Ephesians 1:22 "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church." The headquarters of the church is where the head is - in heaven. Any church with an earthly headquarters is not the one Jesus built.
• Its members are called Christians. Acts 11:26 "And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." Today you hear, "I'm a Baptist" or "I'm a Mormon." In New Testament days Jesus' followers were called Christians. Paul condemned the Corinthians because they divided themselves, saying "I am of Paul, I am of Cephas,..." Read 1 Corinthians 1:10. Any church that teaches the division you see today is okay is not the church that Jesus built.

We at North Terrace (ntchurch) are striving to be a true New Testament church according to the pattern we've talked about from the scriptures.  If you'd like to know more or if you have concerns that we may not be on the right path please send us an Email with your questions or concerns.  We welcome your input.  And we appreciate anyone interested in searching the scriptures for truth.

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