I always consider it a very great privilege and honor for a man to read the scripture and bring the Lord's message. We come to you once again with a message and you might say just the opposite view or a view from an opposite direction of the Lord's true church. In the last message we undertook by the scripture and by different thoughts we could provoke to you to prove you there was a church started prior to the day of Pentecost. Now some seem to think this should not be an argument, and really it's not one. Men just argue against the truth. But it is important and needs establishing in the minds of every person. And I trust in this lesson that we can show you by the scripture and by Bible reasoning with you that there was not a church started on Pentecost. As I preached in a previous message, The church was started by Jesus during his personal ministry and not started on the day of Pentecost. Now, no way would I want to enter this subject without bowing for just a moment and asking God's blessings and God's help as I endeavor to deliver to you his message. Our Heavenly Father, I bow my head to you humbly, begging for your help. I thank you for your word, for your great Holy Spirit. And Heavenly Father, though men argue against your word, I'm thankful that your word will stand when the world's on fire. I'm thankful, Heavenly Father, for the words of the psalmist, that it's settled forever in heaven, that whenever the world's passed away, that your word will still be true. I pray now as we enter this subject, you'd help me to look solely to you and be led if you set a guard at my mouth, that I'd not say any word that would dishonor you or mislead any person. May this message be strengthening to everyone that hears. I pray, Heavenly Father, your people could be helped. Those that might be confused could be settled. Even the lost could hear of Jesus and be saved. That we could all love you and love your church more. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now if you have your Bibles, turn with me for our first scripture to Acts chapter 2. And I'm going to read you several verses from this chapter. We're going to read the first few verses. And for the sake of time, skip on down around the latter part of the chapter and read some more. Some of this I'll be referring to all along through the message. Now, may I beg you, as I did in the other message, that you will open mind, listen, and let God's words speak to you. And if you should be of the school of thought that I mentioned before that some are of, that maybe it don't make any difference, why worry, why argue, why preach about when the church was started? Well, it does make a difference. And may I just briefly call your attention to a few things that might help you to see. Now, you know commonly in religion today, the church or religion is rated three ways, three divisions. Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant. Now, I'm a true Bible-believing Baptist, and I belong to neither group. Now, I have Catholic friends, but I'm by no means a Catholic. I don't believe their doctrine. It's false and foreign from the Scripture. I am not a Protestant because I'm not a part of a church that protested the Church of Rome. The church I'm a part of started before there was a known Church of Rome at least about 200 to 225 years before the Church at Rome. I'm not Jewish, and I think we could all understand that. You'd feel the same way that you're not of the Jewish people. Now then, it does make a difference about the Lord's Church. I stressed to you in a previous message that only in the church by Christ can we glorify God. Not in a church, some church, or any man's church, but in the church. And that's the church that was started by our Lord Jesus Christ. Now if you notice with the history of men, that dates are given for the beginning of most religions. Catholic was started somewhere around 250 AD. About 250 years later, they officially had their Pope system set up or established, and of course other things went along with it. They later divided about the 9th century and became the Greek Orthodox Catholic and the Roman Catholic. But now, most of your other religions started in the 1600s, from that on up to the 1800s, the time of Reformation, We find there was many began to start. You can find your Lutheran, your Presbyterian, your Church of England, your Methodist, and so on, that started in the 1600s and 1700s, and then on up even in the 1800s, several churches that preach long and loud and try to lay claim to being a church started by Jesus only dates back about 200 years, and that by far missed the days of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the church that Jesus started was set up in about the 30th year of Jesus, or about 30 A.D. 30, he started his church. Now in the third chapter of Luke, we have the record given about Jesus' baptism, and he was baptized at about the age of 30. And shortly after his baptism, he began to call out men and start his church. So then a man can biblically say that the true Baptist church was started by its founder, and head Jesus about A.D. 30. Now if you notice in history they give the names of men that started various religions. We could name Calvin, Wesley, King Henry and just many others that we could mention that started their religions. We come on down into later years and think of Alexander Campbell We could think of different ones, Master Russell, that started your Russellites, or known today as Jehovah's Witness. You've got just many of those. They give the name of the man that mainly started these religions. Well, I'm glad, I'm thankful, and I praise God in my heart that I can be a member of a church that history has never undertaken to name some man that was founder of the old-time Bible-believing Baptist church. I'm glad they've never tried it. They're unable to. The founder of the Lord's Church is not dead in the grave. He was dead. He's alive again and alive forevermore. And the headquarters for the Lord's Church is yonder where their head is. And that's in glory where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. Now, I want you to notice in the second chapter of Acts, and there are some little statements I want to call your attention to all along as we read these verses, but I want you to notice there's no mention of a church started on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2, verse 1. When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they, now I want to pause just a moment. Who was the they that's mentioned here? They were all with one accord in one place. And so there came a sound from heaven as a mighty, as a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Now the Lord didn't say where my disciples or my church was in one accord or where my disciples or my church were sitting, but that's exactly who was here. This is the group that went out the mountain. And he told them to go to Jerusalem and tarry. unto they be endued with power at Mount High." And according to what the scripture gives us in Acts chapter 1, there was about 120 by name that was gathered in a room in Jerusalem waiting for the promise of the Father. They were not praying down the Holy Ghost as some claim they have done and do today. They were waiting for the promise of the Father. Jesus said, I will pray the Father and he will send you another comforter. And that was the Holy Ghost. Well now this mighty rushing wind that filled the place, the house, where they were sitting, this wouldn't sound like a return of Jesus back to start a church. Now I realize the idea of some that fight the Godhead so hard And yet they can fuss long and loud. They don't have a Bible leg to stand upon. The Godhead, one God, but God has a Son and the Great Holy Spirit. And this is taught plainly, clearly, throughout the Old and New Testament, that there are three distinct beings in the Godhead. You can take it from creation to the new world and find these three stands out as three persons in the Godhead. Now, Jesus had died, had been buried, raised again, commissioned His church, promised the Holy Spirit, and gone back to glory. And He had taken His seat at the right hand of His Father, And here is the promise of the empowering of the Holy Spirit to enable them to witness for him that had been promised coming back on this day. And it filled the place where they were sitting just like a rushing mighty wind. And there appeared unto them, here's your them again, that young church that was in Jerusalem. Cloven, that means divided. Cloven tongues like as a fire. And it sat upon each of them. He don't call them by name, still referring to his church. And they, his little church together, were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noise abroad, the multitude came together and were confounded. Because every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are all these which speak Galileans, and how here we, every man, in our own tongue, wherein we were born. Now I'm not going to take time to preach on tongue speaking in this message. But he gave this early gift to the church. He spread the gospel. There were Jews of every language, every nation under heaven gathered there. And he used this signed gift in not only showing them that it was the power of God, but getting the message to every known language that was there that day. Now we start with about verse 14. and read on down through the chapter and find the great, powerful, Holy Ghost inspired message that Peter preached on that day. We get down to verse 37, and we find men convicted, pricked in hearts, and they cried out and said, men and brethren, what shall we do? And this verse, Acts 38, 238, is misrepresented and twisted every way in the world and I'm not going to preach from it this morning but he said then Peter said unto them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins you receive the guilt of the Holy Ghost now the baptizing in Jesus name is to more than be baptized, like he said, like he taught. In fact, when you do anything in Jesus' name, you do it like he said, in his authority and his power. They were told two things to do. One was repent, and the other be baptized. Two things they would receive, and one was salvation, and the other was the guilt of the Holy Ghost. Or he said remission of sins, which when God forgives, God saves. Now, people have misrepresented this, but it was promised to them, and it came that day. All right, in verse 41, Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Now, this was not a starting of a church, but he added to this vim and they, his early church he'd been talking about, about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common. and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, having favor with God, and having faith with all the people, and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be seen." Now I want you to notice he's not making a church, but he's adding to his church. Now the first thing I want you to notice, that on the day of Pentecost, I read to you concerning that day, that there was no head, and that was Jesus to be the head of the church, shepherd or bishop, present on Pentecost. Now God the Father was not there. Jesus Christ was not there. God certainly hadn't sent Jesus back in the form of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was then and is now seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. It was the promised Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost of God, that came back on Pentecost, and you read Acts 2 carefully, and you'll find the Holy Spirit came, and there's not any prophecy in your Bible that said the Holy Spirit would constitute a church. The church was started by Jesus and the Holy Spirit come to lead, to guide, to teach, to empower that New Testament church. Alright, number two, there was no kind of organization divinely arranged on the day of Pentecost. Now I want you to go back, read every Pentecost scripture that you can find. You hear these people talking about the church being started on Pentecost? Go read their scriptures. If you happen to ever hear one of them, give one. About the only scripture I've ever heard is what I just read to you. The Holy Spirit coming back. If you can find any called out group, by the shepherd, by the bishop, by the head of the church, by the chief cornerstone. If you can find a group called out on Pentecost, you find something that nobody else can find. There was not one that day. There was no kind of an organization or a calling out or a grouping together. of a group of persons, it was raised on the day of Pentecost. Number three, there was no body of persons called out. Now I read to you in a previous message how that John came and he was making ready a people prepared for the coming of our Lord. Luke 1 17. Then I read to you earlier in John chapter 1 how the disciples of John began to leave John and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. and that Christ was called the Bridegroom and the Church the Bride, and John rejoiced to see it before he was put in prison and beheaded himself. But go check your day of Pentecost, you find no body of persons called out on that day. You find some that was saved, they were called out of sin. He didn't say people started church. The material the church was started out of was not material that was saved on Pentecost. Now dear friend, if you listen to your Bible and get all your biased views out of the way, Jesus was the start of a church out of material prepared by a special prepared man that God sent, and this man was John the Baptist. John was to make ready a people prepared for our Lord. Now John did not make those people ready that got saved on Pentecost. But Jesus had been here prior to that and took the material that John made ready and had started his church. So the only group you find, as you might say, called out on the day of Pentecost was those called out of sin. They were saved by the grace of God, about 3,000 souls, not started the church, but added to the church on the day of Pentecost. Now you couldn't add 3,000 souls to something that did not exist. And if you compare this study with the previous lesson, you'll find the church did exist, had its officers, and all the commands and teaching of Jesus prior to the day of Pentecost. Number four, there was no commission to preach, to teach, or baptize given on Pentecost. Now you go back and search your Bible carefully. I want you to find one scripture where there was a church commission to preach the gospel on the day of Pentecost. I want you to find one scripture where the church was instructed in how to baptize. And they were to go out and baptize the believers. Find where they were instructed that day. Go back and read and see. if there was any instructions given to church of how to teach and who teach on the day of Pentecost, but when you fail to find it in Acts chapter 2, you turn back to Matthew 28, you turn back to Mark 16, you turn back to Luke 24, and read the closing of these chapters, and you will find the commission given to the church to preach, to baptize, and to teach. Number five, There was no laws given to be executed on that day. In an earlier message, I preached to you that Jesus went up into a mountain, Matthew 5, verses 1 and 2. And when he was set, his disciples came unto him, and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, read Matthew chapter 5, chapter 6, and chapter 7, and you find our Lord biblically, doctrinally establishing his church. He was getting those men in shape, they might carry on. He warned them of what they could expect. He let them know the kind of false prophets they'd face. He let them know exactly what it would take to be obedient to Him. He taught them while He was here and not on the day of Pentecost. And may I repeat, number five, there was no laws given to be executed on that day. Not the first kingdom law are you going to find given the church on that day. No church ordinances, number six, No church ordinances was given on Pentecost. Now it amazes me. I guess every religion I know anything about, they practice the Lord's Supper in one manner or another. And their preaching and teaching is that the Lord gave this example, this memorial service, this communion service, that he gave that to his church. Well, if he did, I'd like you to find when he gave it to him. It'd be hard to give my child something that never had been born. It'd be hard to present them with a house or an automobile if they didn't live. It wouldn't be worth much to a young father and mother to sit down with their first married and go through the process of teaching their children and later bring children in the world. That'd be the next thing the foolish went out for the Lord to try to teach a church that did not exist. He never did and never will try that. He taught them while he was here. He gave them the ordinances that they were to follow. The Lord's Supper was given to the church and practiced by the church. prior to the day of Pentecost. Then I find besides that, the Lord practiced feet washing with this church I mentioned earlier before Pentecost. Now I want you to notice even further, there's some of you talk about the days of Jesus and they'll go on as I said and observe the ordinances and the teachings and they'll tell what Jesus told when really in their teaching He didn't tell the church anything. He was not even here. So you go back and notice now carefully that there was no laws And I stress that no laws, kingdom laws, any kind of laws, given to be executed on the day of Pentecost. These were given to the church prior to that day of Pentecost. I find besides that, I said, no ordinances. You notice none of this was done on Pentecost. It was given prior to the day of Pentecost. Now I find that number seven, no field of work was laid out or pointed out on that day. He didn't outline them a scope to work in on the day of Pentecost. This was done before the day of Pentecost. I go back and hear him tell them in Acts chapter 1 that they were to wait at Jerusalem. And whenever God sent the power back, then they would be witnessing Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and the utmost parts of the earth. That's a scope of a field that we're to work in as a church. Jerusalem was home. I find in the next Judea, the suburbs round about, that we might say out in the state where we live. And then Samaria, reaching on out further, we might think in the nation where we live, or interstate. And then the uttermost, out as far as God leads us to go, that we go preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This field of work was laid out prior. to the day of Pentecost. And may I say again, there was no field of work, no outline of where they were to work laid out on the day of Pentecost. It was done before that time. Number eight, there was no form of church government given that day. You go back and notice the teachings that governed the church, how they were to carry on. They were taught how to give. They were taught how to practice fast. They were taught how to discipline. They were taught how to baptize. They had all these teachings given. prior to the day of Pentecost, and not one of them was given on that day. You don't even find where Peter stood up and tried to teach them how to carry on church service. He stood up and let them know, these men are not drunk as you suppose, it's a prophecy of Joel that's being fulfilled. And he held up the worthy name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and let them know they by wicked hands had slain the Son of God, but that God had predetermined that this thing be so. that he has delivered their hands by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God. You go and read the statements carefully and you will find that Peter didn't preach church doctrine. He didn't preach them how to run the church. That the Lord didn't use him to lay down kingdom laws. our church government that day, but he preached Jesus and men got saved. And once they were saved and then submitted to baptism, then that they were added to the church. And since I mentioned the baptism, I'd like to ask you, if there was no church, who did the baptizing of the group that came on Pentecost? Did the scribes? Did the Pharisees? You say the apostles did. Dear friend, you never will find For the Lord took men outside of church authority, and went out and preached the gospel, and men baptized. Either Christ was here to give them the authority, or else they were given church authority by the church to go out. I have no right to go and baptize one without them coming on profession of faith. They're saying they're saved. And then by church authority, the church has the authority to invest in them. And with that, I can go and baptize one. and it be legal and biblically right and scriptural in the sight of God. There had been no one to baptize them, but the early church took over when the Holy Spirit came back, and not only preach, but the early church had the right to baptize these 3,000 that got saved that day, and when they were baptized, they were added to the Lord's church. Now going on a little bit further, the only thing new that really happened was the coming of the special power of the Holy Ghost. You go and look carefully at Pentecost, and I don't have time to go back and take the types and figures back in Leviticus 23. that types the Passover, and of course they're entering into the Promised Land, their first fruits, and the offering of first fruits, and then count from that, which will be the resurrection of Jesus, count from that until the 50th day, which is Pentecost. I don't have time to go back and go at length with those scriptures, but the only new thing that happened on Pentecost was the coming of the great Holy Spirit of God. And dear friend, Jesus had well taught this church. Go read John chapter 14, chapter 15, and chapter 16, and I hear him tell them concerning the going away. But I'm not going to leave you compromised. I'm going to pray my Father, and He will send you another comforter. He's going to come and teach you, and instruct you, and take the things of mine, and bring it to your remembrance. And in John 16, verse 8, He declared it with brand conviction upon the world, that He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Now, if you'll notice these statements, you'll find that the Holy Spirit was coming to act for a great word. And it was taken of its abode in the church. He gave this spirit to the church. It had not yet been given until the day of Pentecost. It was not needed while Christ was here. But since he was leaving, that special power was needed. And it was given to the church on that day. It baptized the church, if you please. It filled the church, if you please. It completely covered them. It empowered them. It gave them what they need to go out and to witness to men, that men could hear the wonderful works of God and be saved. And now this had been promised by God the Father. I don't know if I'll have time to read the Scriptures or not, but if you'll read carefully Luke 24, the closing verses, you'll find they were so weighty. And this was a promise of the Father. Again, read Acts 1 and verse 8, and you'll find it was a promise of the Father that was going to come back. It would empower them to witness for Him. Then number 10, there was no ministers called on that day. You go back and look carefully. You find no man being called to preach the Word of God. You find no man. being ordained that day to go out and preach the Word of God. This was not done on the day of Pentecost. This was done prior to the day of Pentecost. Peter didn't have to get up in Acts chapter 2 and say, men, I believe the Lord's called me to preach. I'm going to preach to a city full of Jews and tell them the wonderful works of God. He had been saved under the preaching of John the Baptist. and baptized by John. The Lord had called him out and set him in his church. He later called him to preach and ordained him as a preacher and as an apostle, as well as the other men, the apostles. And these men had the power and right now to go to preaching. And may I say again to you, there was possibly no ministers that was called out to the field of labor or to be fishers of men. This was done before Pentecost and not on Pentecost. Now, God used the ones He already had. Let me stress that. He already had them. They were already there. They were waiting for the promise. They were saved. They were church members. They were called of God. And they were ready to go preach the Word of God. Number 11, no apostles were called out. and ordained on Pentecost. We agree Apostles were sent in the Church as the first officers are. You might say the first great gifts that was given to the Church. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12, 28, sending them first, sending the Church first Apostles. Now these Apostles were not called out and sent in the Church on the day of Pentecost. I'd like you to tell me how the Lord could have sent Apostles in the Church during His personal ministry if there was no Church. Dear friends, those teachings will not stand. The apostles were made apostles, called, ordained by Jesus, and sent in the church before the day of Pentecost was come. And they were possibly not put in the church on that day. Now then, number 12, no Bible prophecy points to Pentecost as a place for the church to begin. There's nothing said in the scripture that that day would be the birthplace of the Lord's Church. There's nothing said in the scripture that on Pentecost in Jerusalem that light would spring up. There's nothing said in the scripture that he would start his city, his church, his life, his power to go and preach. He would not start it that day. And no prophecy points to it. You have no prophecy that points to the Holy Spirit calling out men and starting a church. Dear friends, the scripture points that Jesus, the Lamb of God, the one that was going to have the church as his own bride, the one that would shed his blood, Acts 20, 28, and purchase the church with his blood. The church was started during his personal ministry and not on the day of Pentecost.