Brakelite
Well-Known Member
True. And what did those first disciples do with their new found faith?The rest, except for John, deserted Him in His hour of need! THAT is the Church Christ founded.
KJV Acts 2:5-11
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
These foreigners were visiting Jerusalem, and obviously them went home, taking their new beliefs with them. There, in their homes, in countries far away from Jerusalem, they shared their faith in obedience to Jesus's Commandment,
KJV Acts 1:7-8
7 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.
8 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.
In those uttermost parts of the earth, they began churches. In Arabia, Britain, Africa, India, the far East, China and Japan and Mongolia. And no-one of these has anything to do with Rome except to offer the hand of fellowship whether they meet. Rome would have none of this. The Popes wanted all other churches to submit to Papal authority. If they didn't, they were often persecuted and destroyed. God worked mighty miracles in those nations, honouring the faith and commitment of those early disciples and evangelists. Yet along comes Rome claiming they were 'heretics' because the refused to honour the false claims of a falling church. Christ was the Head of those churches, and they grew the more because they cleaved to Him and Him only.
Nonsense.And it was the ONLY Church until the Orthodox splintered off in the Great Schism in 1054 A.D.