Bible
Beginnings
David Eldridge
I have been looking forward to the beginning of our work together
here in the Westfield community. In order
to get anything going we must first begin.
The Bible speaks of many beginnings, so let us consider some.
The Beginning of the World. At
the grand entrance to divine revelation Moses states, In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). This is how the world began! There was no explosion of a star, no big bang or natural occurrence that began all we see
around us. Our all-powerful God spoke
the world and all we see into existence.
The Bible records that God was the cause for the beginning of the world. We can be sure of how the world began!
The Beginning of the Home. The home is a divine institution of God,
not some idea that originated with man.
God began the home in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:18-25).
Jesus references this as being the beginning of the home that we should
look to for an example - even today. In Matthew 19:4-9 Jesus, in speaking of
erroneous actions in the past said, from the beginning it was not so. There Jesus uses this beginning of the home
to teach that the home as God demands it is a home that consists of one
man and one woman for life. Let us always seek to have homes that follow
the pattern laid down by God when first he instituted it.
The Beginning of the Church. In speaking of the Holy Spirit coming upon
the household of Cornelius, Peter said this happened to the gentiles, as upon
us at the beginning (Acts 11:15).
When did the Holy Spirit come upon the apostles? In Acts 2:4 we read that the apostles Were
all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance. What
beginning took place in Acts 2? The
church began on that day! Everything
before Acts 2 refers to the church as being in the future, everything after
Acts 2 refers to the church having already been established. Thats why were told in Acts 2:47 that,
the Lord added to the church
daily those who were being saved.
The church of Christ came into existence on the day of Pentecost recorded in
Acts 2. What about your church?