The Church in the New Testament
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build His church. That promise was fulfilled in Acts chapter 2, on the day of Pentecost, when three thousand Jews became Christians by being baptized for the forgiveness of their sins, and were the first ones to be added to the Lord’s church.
Shortly after its establishment, the church underwent a period of heavy persecution by both the Jews and the Romans. Many Christians were forced to leave their homes and literally flee for their lives (Acts chapters 8 and 9). The intent of those who persecuted Jesus’ followers was certainly to bring about the demise of this new religious movement. Ironically, however, their actions brought about just the opposite result, because “those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4), and the Lord’s church began to grow in numbers and in strength.
During the early days of the church, one name – Paul – stood out among all those who were working so diligently to spread the good news of Jesus. Paul (whose name was originally Saul) was a devout Jew, and had actually started out as one of the most belligerent opponents of Christianity. He was involved in the stoning to death of Stephen (Acts 7:54 – 8:2). According to Acts 8:3, “he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.” The very next chapter of Acts tells us that he was even guilty of murdering Christians.
But the Lord had great plans for Saul. In Acts chapter 9, we find Saul traveling to the town of Damascus, with letters from the high priest giving him permission to terrorize Christians in that town. But Saul’s life changed forever when Jesus appeared to him in a bright light on the road to Damascus. Saul was baptized a short time later, and became a Christian – just like those whom he had been persecuting. Saul (who later became known as Paul) spent the rest of his life traveling all over the world, preaching to people about Jesus, and establishing congregations of the Lord’s church in the cities he visited. The Lord also used Paul to write much of what we have available to us today as the New Testament.
The other apostles were also busy traveling and preaching, spreading the good news about Jesus everywhere they went, and writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit the remainder of what would become God’s Holy Word – the Bible.
This was an exciting time in the history of the Lord’s church. People were “on fire” for the Lord, and were making radical changes in their lives in order to live for God and follow the teachings of Jesus. It didn’t take long, however, for people to begin substituting their own ideas, their own teachings, their own doctrines for the commands God had given them through the apostles and inspired writers. The Pharisees had been doing that with the Law of Moses for a long time (Matthew 15:1-9; Matthew 25), and God knew that the same thing would happen with His new law as well. In fact, He used the inspired writers to warn the early church leaders and Christians of apostasies which would arise from within the church (Acts 20:28-30; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4). And history has shown us that these warnings were completely accurate.
In the nearly two thousand years that have passed since Jesus walked the earth, the Lord’s church has been apostatized to the point that there are now hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of religious groups all claiming allegiance to Jesus, yet preaching and teaching vastly contradictory doctrines. That does not mean, however, that it is no longer possible to identify the Lord’s church and associate oneself with it. God is still alive and well and working through His people, in spite of all the religious confusion that man has produced in the world today.
The Church in America
Shortly after the birth of our nation, influential leaders of various denominational churches began to see the need to leave their denominational creeds and practices behind, and return to the New Testament as their ONLY source of authority in matters of doctrine. They sought to return to simple New Testament Christianity as it had been established by our Lord some 1800 years prior. What follows is a brief summary of this “Restoration Movement”, as it came to be known. This summary has been compiled from excerpts from a gospel tract entitled “What is the Church of Christ?”, written by brother Batsell Barrett Baxter.
James O’Kelly: One of the earliest advocates of the return to New Testament Christianity, as a means of achieving unity of all believers in Christ, was James O’Kelly of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1793 he withdrew from the Baltimore conference of his church and called upon others to join him in taking the Bible as the only creed. His influence was largely felt in Virginia and North Carolina where history records that some 7,000 communicants followed his leadership toward a return to primitive New Testament Christianity.
A small church building named O’Kelly’s Chapel, and O’Kelly’s grave are located in southeastern Durham County, NC, within close proximity of Cary.
More information about O’Kelly, with photos and directions to the chapel and grave, are here.
Abner Jones and Elias Smith: In 1802 a similar movement among the Baptists in New England was led by Abner Jones and Elias Smith. They were concerned about “denominational names and creeds” and decided to wear only the name Christian, taking the Bible as their only guide.
Barton W. Stone: In 1804, in the western frontier state of Kentucky, Barton Stone and several other Presbyterian preachers took similar action declaring that they would take the Bible as the “only sure guide to heaven.”
Thomas and Alexander Campbell: Thomas Campbell, and his more illustrious son, Alexander Campbell, took similar steps in the year 1809 in what is now the state of West Virginia. They contended that nothing should be bound upon Christians as a matter of doctrine which is not as old as the New Testament.
The Growth of a Movement: Although these four movements were completely independent in their beginnings, eventually they became one strong restoration movement because of their common purpose and plea. These men did not advocate the starting of a new church, but rather a return to Christ’s church as described in the Bible.
The Restoration Appeal: Members of the church of Christ do not conceive of themselves as a new church started near the beginning of the nineteenth century. Rather, the whole movement is designed to reproduce in contemporary times the church originally established on Pentecost, A.D. 30. The strength of the appeal lies in the restoration of Christ’s original church.
The Church of Christ at Florida Avenue in Palm Bay, FL
In the year 1941, Bro. and Sis. Clayton returned to this city. Having obeyed the Gospel in Winter Garden, Sis. Clayton in 1939, being taught by the Late Bro. John R. Vahner, and Bro. Clayton in 1940, being taught by Bro. F. L. Thompson carried on the Lord’s work meeting in their home and visited nearby congregations, Cocoa, Titusville, Stuart, West Palm Beach, to name a few. In its early years, preaching was done by some of the following: Bro. J. N. Lewis of Daytona Beach, Bro. Henrich of Winter Garden, the Late Bro. Harris of Stuart.
The Church of Christ of South Melbourne was begun as a mission effort of the Melbourne Church of Christ in June 1963. The work started with Thursday night Bible classes at the home of Bro. and Sis. Clayton. In September, the Civic Center at Brother’s Park was obtained as a temporary meeting place for Sunday services.
In November 1963, Bro. Luke Baldwin and his family moved from Deland to Melbourne to become the minister of the South Melbourne Congregation. Bro. Baldwin continues to faithfully serve this congregation.
In October of 1965, a lot was purchased for building, but after a number of zoning problems, it was necessary to find an alternate location. In March of 1967, a substitute lot was found at the corner of Florida and Monroe Street, and has since been fully paid for.
During the first part of 1967, plans for a building were prepared and now have been approved for construction. The new building provides an auditorium which will seat 200, two classrooms and a nursery. A Sunday school annex is planned for the future. In keeping with the new location, the congregation will be named the Florida Avenue Church of Christ. The congregation has experienced a healthy growth since it began in 1963. The present membership is now over 60 and the future prospects are excellent.