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Christianity Through the
Ages
From The Apostolic Faith Historical Account,
Copyright 1965
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In this brief sketch concerning the survival of true Christianity,
the doctrinal heritage of the Apostolic Faith is traced from
the days of the Apostles, when the Early Church was founded,
through the centuries to the time of the founding of this
Apostolic Faith work in the twentieth century.
All Christian denominations, generally speaking, place for
their beginning that early period when the Apostles "went
forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them,
and confirming the word with signs following" (Mark 16:20).
The Apostles themselves were not the authors of Christian
doctrines, but they were God's chosen vessels anointed with
the power of the Holy Ghost to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.
The Apostles preached the
doctrines laid down by Christ; and as builders of faith, they
labored together in establishing the foundation of the Early
Church, and that foundation is Christ, "For other foundation
can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ"
(1 Corinthians 3:11).
The doctrines of Christ, as spoken by Him, were given in
simple and unmistakable terms.
To the sinner, Jesus said, "Ye must be born again"
(John 3:7) - Justification
and Salvation.
In praying for His disciples (those already saved), He said
to the Father: "They are not of the world, even as I
am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy
word is truth. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given
them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them,
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; . .
." (John 17:16, 17, 22, 23) - Sanctification.
Before His ascension, Jesus gave commandment to His disciples:
"Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but
tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem , until ye be endued with
power from on high" (Luke 24:49) -
the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Christ,
in His command, indicated their need for receiving this power
before going out to preach the Gospel.
To the blind men who desired their sight, Jesus said, "According
to your faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29). He touched
their eyes, and their eyes were opened. On another occasion,
"when the even was come, they brought unto him many that
were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with
his word, and healed all that were sick: that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses"
(Matthew 8:16, 17) - Divine
Healing.
And to His disciples, Jesus said, "I will come again,
and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may
be also" (John 14:3) - His
Second Coming.
In obedience to Christ's command,
about 120 disciples gathered in the Upper Room and tarried
in prayer for the enduement of power. They were all of one
accord, a sanctified, holy people, among whom was Mary, the
mother of Jesus. The Bible states, "He that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one" (Hebrews
2: 11).
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there
came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and
it filled all the house where they were sitting. And they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts
2:1, 2, 4).
Multitudes came together to witness this scene. Men of every
nation heard the disciples speaking forth the wonderful works
of God in their native tongue. Many were amazed and confounded;
but some doubted and mockingly said that the disciples were
"full of new wine." Peter answered those doubting
critics by saying: "These are not drunken, as ye suppose,
seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that
which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to
pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit
upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy"
(Acts 2:15-17).
It was approximately 800 years previous to this glorious
event that the prophet had foretold this outpouring (Joel
2:23-28).
The disciples, now filled with the Spirit and endued with
power from on High, were equipped to preach the Gospel; and
as a result of Peter's first Spirit-filled sermon, given on
the Day of Pentecost, about 3,000 souls were swept into Christ's
Kingdom. So glorious was the work of the Holy Spirit sent
down from Heaven that even the angels desired to look into
it (1 Peter 1:12).
This great outpouring of the Holy Spirit which took place
on the Day of Pentecost marked the founding and establishment
of the Early Church and ushered in a new era - the dispensation
of the Holy Ghost. The enduement of power, as received that
day, was not merely for the establishment of the Early Church
. The giving of the baptism of the Holy Ghost did not cease
at that time. The Bible relates several incidents after Pentecost
when the Spirit was poured out on sanctified believers (Acts
10:44-46; Acts 19:6). In later centuries, too, at various
times the gift of the Holy Ghost was bestowed upon devout,
holy people.
Peter said: "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" (Acts 2:39). That promise included Christians
of all ages - even those of this modern twentieth century.
The "fire" of the Holy Spirit which burned within
the souls of the Apostles was the driving force that sent
them out in all directions to preach the Gospel. Their influence
was so great that it was said of them: "These that have
turned the world upside down are come hither also" (Acts
17:6). For about 100 years following the establishment of
the Early Church, the gifts of the Holy Ghost were significantly
manifested, and signs and wonders were wrought among the people.
Severe persecution accompanied the preaching of the Gospel
in those days and hastened the scattering of the Christians
from their own country into other known parts of the world.
Thereby the Gospel was spread more rapidly and new churches
were established throughout the land.
The aim of the Early Church was that of presenting
Christ—and Him alone—to the people. The Apostles well knew
that only Christ had power to make one a new creature and
cause one to walk uprightly in this world. But, in time, the
church lost sight of the fact that man must be born again.
Formalism, ceremonialism and works were substituted for faith
in Christ. Instead of seeking to be made holy and to be one
in spirit, they began uniting to form one visible church,
thinking they 'thus could more successfully thwart some of
the persecution. All this paved the way for spiritual deterioration
and eventually brought corruption into the church.
Following the Apostolic age, the churches were independent
one of another, each having its governing board of elders
or presbyters, one of whom was given priority and called "bishop."
Later one bishop in a city had the oversight of a number of
churches; then the jurisdiction of the bishop gradually expanded
to include neighboring areas. About 500 A. D., according to
some historians, the title of "pope" which had been
given to western bishops was given exclusively to the bishop
of Rome and it took on the meaning of Universal Father, for
the pope began to claim priority and authority over the entire
church realm.
The claim that Peter was the first pope is strictly unfounded.
History does not record any evidence of Peter's ever having
been bishop of Rome . He did fear that his successors would
become "lords" over the flock of God, taking oversight
of them for the sake of "filthy lucre" rather than
being examples to them. (1 Peter 5:2, 3). And the Apostle
Peter's fears became facts. The time came when the ambition
of those church fathers was that of obtaining luxurious, enviable
positions; and their remuneration of monetary values was largely
obtained through the sale of indulgences.
For a time, the church at Rome dominated not only the spiritual
issues but, to a great extent, the political issues of the
then-known world.
Christians who held true to
the principles as taught by Christ and the Apostles, suffered
great opposition at the hands of both pagan and religious
persecutors.
Persecutions continued for centuries—from the days of Nero
on through the Dark Ages. Especially severe was their suffering
under the power of the Papacy and the Inquisition. Great bloodshed
occurred at intervals; and thousands upon thousands chose
to become martyrs rather than renounce their faith.
Precious souls prayed, waited, and longed for the time when
the light of God's truth would once again shine forth in the
land—and eventually their desire was granted.
In the 15th century, when the world was still smothered in darkness
and confusion, the friar Girolamo Savonarola, in Italy , became
concerned about his soul's welfare and diligently searched
the Scriptures. His experience was somewhat similar to that
of Luther's a generation later. In 1490, about the time Columbus
was contemplating his voyage toAmerica, Savonarola began his
fierce denunciation of sin, and taught pardon of sin through
faith in Christ. He also preached restitution: making right,
as nearly as possible, the wrongs one has committed.
In years before and after this period there were other renowned,
truth-loving men in different countries who searched the Scriptures
and helped to kindle the flickering flame which eventually
burst into the great Reformation.
Part
2
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