Did Jesus Build One Church… And Only One?

Only one was prophesied. Both Isaiah and Micah spoke of The Mountain of the Lord’s House being established in the last days in Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-3 & Micah 4:1-2). That’s one mountain, and one house unto which all nations would come.

Daniel also spoke of God establishing His kingdom. Both Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter two and Daniel himself as recorded in chapter seven had dreams whose interpretations were identical regarding the establishment of one eternal kingdom by God in the days of the Romans.

Several New Testament passages such as these I list here, speak of the fulfillment of these prophecies; Mark 1:14-15, 9:1, 14:25, Acts 28:23, Colossians 1:13 and Hebrews 12:25-29. Just within these few, we see Jesus teaching that the kingdom is “at hand” and that many of those to whom He was speaking would see it “come with power”. From a few years thereafter, we read the words of the apostles which then speak in terms of the kingdom being present with them, rather than coming at some future point.

This of course would be in perfect keeping with Jesus’ promise to build His church on the bedrock fact of His Messiahship as we read it from Matthew 16:13-18. He did not promise many churches, but one, into which all the faithful from every nation would be incorporated, Just as Isaiah and Micah had said. Jesus made this clear again as He spoke of His one fold over which He would shepherd, John 1011-16.

This is exactly the same message Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus to explain what God had done through Jesus to bring the Jews and Gentiles together into one body:

For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the Enmity. Ephesians 2:14-16 (emphasis mine)

This one church, which is Jesus’ body (Ephesians 2:22-23, Colossians 1:18) is made up of those who have heard the gospel, and believing it, have been baptized into that body (one new birth, John 3:3-5) by the one Spirit of God:

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. Mark 16:15-16

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 1st Corinthians 12:13

Kind of sounds like…

One body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6

One, one, one, one, one, one, one……. That’s God’s plan. Do we get it?