How to Stay Above Deception Part 12

THE CHURCH REFORMATION

By Apostle Felix

I give you the name Peter, a stone. And this truth of who I am will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my church—my legislative assembly, and the power of death will not be able to overpower it! Matthew 16: 18

The church is understood as a building, where people go to worship God and then retire from after an hour or two of fellowship. Church is not a physical building. The word ‘church’ is a translation of the Greek word Ekklesia, which is defined as “an assembly” or “called out ones.” The root meaning of the church is not that of a building, but of people.

Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. Romans 16: 5

It’s the church that meets in a building. The church is people and deserve a discussion that will help its stability and growth. Jesus Christ died for the formation of the church, and He expressed His mission in the gospels. Therefore, we have to pay serious attention to matters that affect the church either positively or negatively. And this is the reason why we have taken this route of discussing the history of the church.

We are looking at the church tree. The church started with the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The ascension of Jesus necessitated the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the church. The Holy Spirit’s work and manifestation was very active and visible in the early church, as described in the book of Acts by Luke. However, with time, the Holy Spirit’s visibility was overshadowed by works and doctrines of men and devils.

The church went into apostasy, a period of gross darkness. The church had introduced paganism into the church. This was what led to the formation of the Protestant Reformation in 315, by Martin Luther. After the reformation, the church experienced another wave of schism that led to the formation of four denominations, namely: Lutheran, Anglican, the Reformed and the Anabaptist. These denominations did not recognize the baptism of the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues.

Before we talk about Pentecostalism, let us talk Methodism, a movement that was founded by John Wesley in 1784. The Methodist movement originated as a revival within the Anglican church. The Methodist doctrine was based on the Wesleyan Theology, which focused on sanctification and the transforming effect of faith on the character of a christian. Other doctrines included the new birth, assurance of salvation, imparted righteousness and obedience to God manifested in performing good works. Methodism emphasizes doctrines that indicate the power of the Holy Spirit, but not the baptism of the Holy Spirit with an evidence of speaking in tongues.