When did the Church Begin?
When I read in Acts 7 I noticed in verse 38 that Stephen actually uses the word "church" in reference to the time of Moses. The main question is that most people I talk to say the Church began in the New Testament times, (usually at the time of Pentecost). Are not the Hebrews themselves the 'called out people' of the Old Testament?
The word, church, as with many words in the Bible, is used in various contexts and must be given distinct definitions. You mention the "church in the wilderness" as per Acts 7:38This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
See All.... I can also show you that the Old Testament saints were baptized as per 1 Corinthians 10:2And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
See All... - "And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Therefore, we can see that baptism is not a New Testament creation either. However, neither the church nor baptism are found in the Old Testament by name. Therefore, the NT references to the OT events which use these words must have a special instructive quality. It is not necessary that they are equating the doctrine of the NT church and baptism with the OT nation of Israel or the crossing of the Red Sea. The church in the wilderness was a type of the NT church as the crossing of the Red Sea was a type of baptism.
When did the church begin? The Bible does not say. However, the word is exclusively a NT word. Also, it depends on what you mean by the church. The institution of the local church obviously existed during the ministry of Christ, else how could He give the advice to "tell it unto the church" (Matthew 18:17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
See All...)? However, if you refer to the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23 [22] And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
[23] Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
See All...) that includes all believers in heaven and in earth, this probably began after Christ left this world and sent the Comforter--the Holy Ghost--for it is the Spirit that places us into the body of Christ as per 1 Corinthians 12:13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
See All....