History is the true revealing source of what has come down through the ages, whatever it is. With the thousands of Christians oriented churches can history reveal the authentic church? It can, but history is overlooked by which has actually happened. A church that has its roots in so many countries, especially in the United States, the Catholic Church, history tells us it may of become a reality by 350 AD.
The New Testament, contains 27 books, and reveals the only one true church. The book of Acts one of the books was written by Luke around 50 60 AD. In chapter 1 verse 9 Christ ascends to heaven after concluding his roll on earth.
Then in Acts 2:38, the door of the New Testament is first opened, AD 32. Special gifts were given by God to get this only one church started.
In Ephesians 4:11-12 (KJV) we see gifts are given.
- 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
- 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
In 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NASB) gifts are elaborated on more.
- 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
- 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
- 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
- 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
- 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
These special gifts probably lasted until the 27 books of the New Testament were assembled and put together towards the end of the first century or the beginning of the second. By the end of the 2nd century it started to Apostatized. Several reasons are given for this, leadership, persecutions, another proglem in those early days and before was what a manuscript was written on.
The writing in the first century was put on animal skins or a form of paper made from a reed found growing by the side of a river. Animal skins and the crude paper at that time wasn’t a long lasting material in terms of centuries , so in those early years the writing material made from what was available was one cause of why the true church lost its identity, it Apostatized into the Catholic Church, lets say again around 350 AD.
The Catholic Church stood by itself for 1250 years, through the dark ages many strange events happened to it. Some time around 1250 years later on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed to the door of All-Saints church in Wittenberg Saxony, now Germany, his famous ninety-five theses. Martin Luther is credited with starting the Reformation.
History tells us the Lutheran and Presbyterian Church started in the Reformation, the 1500s, and the Baptist church got its start in the early 1600s, around 1602. New churches sprang up and multiplied, and they are in the high thousands now.
A person seeking the true church, the church of the New Testament is well explained on my website WhyChurchofChrist.com. Start with the category, The New Testament Church, there’s a link to it on the top navigation bar, it has a number of articles that will explain it.
The many other categories on the navigation bars and right sidebar if explored will result in the start of a well rounded experience in finding the true and only one church. My hope and prayer is that with persistence and understanding you will find the true church where salvation is found.