Church of Christ History

Our Lord and Savior told Peter in Mat 16:18 "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. The church our Savior refers to is the church in a universal sense. We see through other passages of the local congregations or "churches" such as Colosse, Philipi and so forth.

Acts chapter 2 gives us the first account of Peter and the other apostles putting the words of Jesus to work after the death burial and resurrection of our Saviour.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2.And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 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.

In verse 14 of this book the record shows "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:" Peter preached Christ and him crucified to all that would hear the words that day.

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

In verse 47 we see that "the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved".

It is our belief that since the time of Christ, humans have continued to preach this same message of obedience through Faith and Grace to mankind.

Important events

The Stoning of Stephen:
Stephen is the first martyr for Jesus after his death burial and resurection. We can see the importance of this event because in verse 56 of Acts 7 Stephen said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.". This is the only time in the Bible that Christ is standing at the right hand of God. All other verses describe Christ seated at the right hand of God. This also shows us how the Savior cares for his children.

Sauls Conversion:
Saul, later known to us as the apostle Paul, was instrumental in proclaiming the gospel of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Saul, for many years persecuted the Church and during that time actually had Christians killed. He was converted in Acts 9:3-18. Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: v. 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? v. 5 And he said, Who art thou Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. v. 6 And he trembling and astonished said Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

In verse 18 Saul was baptized in the likeness of Christ. Thus began the Apostle Paul's proclamation unto the world of the wondrous story of Christ.

Salvation extended to the Gentiles (Non-Jews):
Cornelius, a Gentile, was "A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house...which prayed to God always. He saw in a vision evidently...an angel of God coming in to him..."(Acts 10 : 2 - 3) This angel spoke to Cornelius telling him that his prayers had "come up for a memorial before God."(Acts 10 : 4) Then the Angel instructed Cornelius to "send men to Joppa and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:"(Acts 10 : 5)

In verse 21 of Acts 10 "Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, "Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?"" In verse 22 these men answered Peter, "Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God,...was warned from God by an Holy Angel to send for thee...and to hear words of thee."

Beginning in verse 34 of Acts 10 Peter began speaking to Cornelius and those of his household. Peter began by saying, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: v. 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Peter is explaining to them that without regards to nationality God accepts anyone who fears, or respects, him and works righteousness.

Peter continues speaking to these Gentiles through verse 43 of Acts 10. In Acts 10 : 44 "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word." In verse 48 Peter commands Cornelius and those with him to be baptized in the name of the Lord.

Later, Peter relays this event to the other apostles and brethren. He explains to them in verse 17 of Acts 11 that as he spoke, the Holy Ghost fell on these Gentiles. "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God saying, "Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.""

This event shows us that God loves EVERYONE and gives us ALL the free gift of grace without respect to race, gender, or nationality. If we choose to accept this wonderful gift of grace, by obeying his commands, we may obtain salvation.

Disciples called Christians:
After the stoning of Stephen the disciples scattered abroad and continued to preach the word. "And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord."(Acts 11 : 21) In verse 26 Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch. "And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the DISCIPLES WERE CALLED CHRISTIANS FIRST IN ANTIOCH."

Clarksdale Church of Christ in Clarksdale, (Dekalb County) Missouri is just minutes from Saint Joseph, Osborn, Cameron, Maysville and Stewartsville.

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