In this episode, we're kicking off a new series walking through the story of the Church — from the apostles to the modern day — to uncover where things went right, where things went wrong, and what it means to stay faithful to Jesus’ design.
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Drive through any city and you’ll see it — church signs everywhere.
Catholic. Baptist. Methodist. Presbyterian. Pentecostal. Non-Denominational.
How did we get here? And more importantly… have we lost something along the way?
In this series, we’re walking through the story of the Church — from the apostles to the modern day — to uncover where things went right, where things went wrong, and what it means to stay faithful to Jesus’ design.
Here’s where we’re going:
When Jesus said, “I will build my church,” He wasn’t talking about buildings, politics, or denominations. He was launching a movement — a family of believers united by truth, transformed by the Spirit, and commissioned to make disciples of all nations.
Over the next two thousand years, that movement grew, spread, divided, and institutionalized. Some of it was faithful. Some of it wasn’t.
Our goal isn’t just to study history. It’s to recover the essence of a biblical church — one rooted in the gospel, led by the Spirit, and faithful to God’s Word.
What does it mean to be the kind of church Jesus actually envisioned?
Jesus made an unshakable promise:
“I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” — Matthew 16:18 (NLT)
At Pentecost (Acts 2), that promise became reality. The Holy Spirit filled believers, Peter preached, and thousands came to faith.
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” — Acts 2:42 (NLT)
The Church began as a grassroots movement of ordinary people empowered by an extraordinary Spirit. There were no buildings, no denominations, and no political power — just a message of forgiveness and hope in Jesus Christ.
As the gospel spread, the apostles appointed elders (presbyteroi), also called pastors (poimēn) or overseers/bishops (episkopoi), to shepherd local congregations. These terms describe different aspects of one office — mature, Spirit-led shepherds guiding God’s people.
Paul told the Ephesian elders:
“Guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.” — Acts 20:28 (NLT)
Church leadership was plural and local, not centralized. Deacons served practical needs (Acts 6:1–6), and every believer was equipped for ministry (1 Corinthians 12).
Christ Himself was the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18). Authority rested not in hierarchy, but in the apostles’ teaching — the inspired Word of God.
Paul described the Church as:
“Built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.” — Ephesians 2:20 (NLT)
This “foundation” refers to the original eyewitness apostles, personally chosen and commissioned by Jesus (Luke 6:13). Their authority was unique and unrepeatable.
When James the Apostle was martyred in Acts 12, no one replaced him. Unlike Judas — whose betrayal required another to complete the Twelve — James’s death marked the close of that foundational era.
There are no “capital-A Apostles” today. Their teaching, recorded in the New Testament, remains the lasting foundation.
The Church stands on the apostolic Word, not an apostolic office.
Scripture, not succession, is our authority.
When Gentile believers began following Christ, some argued they must also follow the Mosaic Law. The issue threatened to divide the Church.
The apostles and elders met in Jerusalem to seek God’s will.
“So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue.” — Acts 15:6 (NLT)
After prayer and testimony, James concluded:
“We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” — Acts 15:19 (NLT)
“We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” — Acts 15:11 (NLT)
The result was a letter affirming salvation by grace through faith and urging unity among believers.
The process was biblical, Spirit-led, and communal — a model for decision-making in every age of the Church.
For nearly three centuries, Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire.
Yet persecution purified the Church. Martyrs like Polycarp, who prayed for his captors, and Perpetua and Felicity, who sang hymns before death, inspired courage. The blood of the martyrs became the seed of the Church.
In 312 A.D., Emperor Constantine claimed to see a cross in the sky with the words “In this sign, conquer.” After victory, he legalized Christianity through the Edict of Milan.
For the first time, Christians could worship openly. Property was restored, persecution ceased, and bishops gained influence. Constantine later convened the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.), where church leaders affirmed that Jesus is “of one substance with the Father.” The Nicene Creed became a foundational statement of faith.
The shift from persecution to privilege changed everything. The once-oppressed Church became favored by the state — and power began to shape its structure.
Under Theodosius I (380 A.D.), Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Churches grew wealthy, clergy gained social status, and faith became cultural rather than personal.
The empire’s five key cities — Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem — became centers of church authority. The bishop of Rome, claiming Peter’s legacy, gradually asserted supremacy over others.
When the Western Empire fell in 476 A.D., the bishop of Rome filled the leadership vacuum. Over time, that role evolved into the papacy, and the Roman Catholic Church emerged as both a spiritual and political power.
By the Middle Ages:
The Church gained stability — but drifted far from the simplicity of Acts 2.
Even as the Church developed structure and faced persecution, God raised up theological thinkers whose writings would shape doctrine for centuries.
Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35–108 A.D.) – A disciple of the Apostle John, Ignatius wrote letters urging believers to stay united in truth and avoid false teachers. On his way to martyrdom in Rome, he declared, “It is better to die for Christ Jesus than to reign over all the ends of the earth.” His letters show how early Christians viewed Christ’s divinity and the Church’s unity.
Justin Martyr (c. 100–165 A.D.) – A philosopher-turned-Christian, Justin defended the faith before Roman officials, arguing that Christianity fulfilled the deepest longings of philosophy. His Apologies and Dialogue with Trypho helped bridge faith and reason, introducing the idea that all truth ultimately points to Christ.
Augustine of Hippo (354–430 A.D.) – Living after Constantine, Augustine’s writings defined Western theology. In Confessions, he showed how grace transforms the human heart; in The City of God, he contrasted the kingdom of God with the kingdom of man. Augustine taught that salvation is by grace through faith — ideas that would deeply influence the Reformers a thousand years later.
Each of these men reminds us that ideas matter — and that truth must be defended in every generation.
By the 400s, the Western Roman Empire was collapsing under internal corruption, economic decline, and repeated invasions by Germanic tribes (Visigoths, Vandals, Ostrogoths).
In 476 A.D., a Germanic general named Odoacer deposed the last Western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, and declared himself ruler of Italy.
That moment marked the symbolic end of the Western Roman Empire.
The Eastern Roman Empire (later called the Byzantine Empire) survived for nearly a thousand more years, with its capital in Constantinople.
After 476, the Roman Church — especially the bishop (pope) of Rome — became the only unifying institution left in the West. The popes, monks, and bishops preserved learning, provided leadership, and filled the political vacuum left by Rome’s collapse.
In the centuries after the fall, Europe was a patchwork of tribal kingdoms — Franks, Goths, Lombards, and others. Most people looked to the Church for order and moral authority.
The popes began to see themselves as successors not only to the apostles, but also as heirs to the moral leadership once held by the emperors. The ideal of a Christian empire — where church and state worked together under God’s authority — began to take shape.
This idea would culminate in a new empire — one that claimed to be “holy” (under God), “Roman” (the successor to ancient Rome), and an “empire” (uniting Europe under a single Christian ruler).
In 800 A.D., nearly 300 years after the fall of Rome, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne, king of the Franks, as “Emperor of the Romans.” This act symbolized the rebirth of a Christian Rome in Western Europe — what we now call the Holy Roman Empire.
It was an alliance:
The empire united much of Western Europe under a Christian identity, but it also blurred the line between spiritual authority and political control.
As historian Voltaire famously quipped centuries later, “The Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.”
But in its time, it became the central stage for the medieval Church’s growing power — setting up centuries of conflict between popes and emperors over who truly ruled in Christ’s name.
Next week, we’ll see how East and West finally broke apart — how theology, culture, and authority collided in the event known as the Great Schism — and what it reveals about the Church’s ongoing struggle between truth and control.
The early church began as a Spirit-led movement built on Christ and the apostles’ teaching. Over time, it became an institution shaped by empire and hierarchy.
But Jesus never stopped building His Church. Through persecution, philosophy, and politics, He continued to preserve the truth of the gospel.
The lesson for us is clear:
A biblical church is not defined by power or popularity, but by truth, humility, and dependence on Christ.
When we drift from those essentials, history repeats itself.