The New Testament describes
the church in many ways.
One portrayal is the "Churches of Christ" (Rom. 16:16).
Jesus said He would build His church (Mt. 16:18), and this
did happen on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
Jesus compared His church to many things, including a grain
of mustard seed (a seed that is very small but eventually creates a
large tree, Mt. 13:31-32).
His church started with a small group of people but later
expanded to the entire world (Col. 1:23).
Apostles like Paul
predicted that men would arise and try to lead people astray (1 Tim.
4:1-3). Satan has
attacked Jesus’ church through false doctrine and even religious
persecution, but Jesus’ church has not failed.
The Bible is likened to a seed (Lk. 8:1-15).
When the Bible is sown in the hearts of men without the
doctrines and traditions of men (Mt. 15:8-9), it will produce New
Testament Christians (people who follow the Bible and nothing else).
Men who have preached nothing but the gospel of Christ have
spanned the globe since the days of the first century and sometimes
the number of New Testament Christians has been small.
At other times there have been waves of people who sought to
embrace New Testament Christianity.
Daniel prophesied that the church (also referred to as
“kingdom” in many places) would never fail (Dan. 2:44) and history
has proven this prophecy to be true.
One congregation in the United States that strives to be an example of the New Testament church is the Goshen church of Christ. Since the early 1960's a band of faithful disciples have been meeting at 61073 State Road 15 North and practicing Christianity as it is taught in the New Testament. If you are in the area of Elkhart County, come visit us. See how the simplicity of New Testament worship and the Christian life described in the New Testament is carried out by God-fearing saints in northern Indiana.