THE CHURCH FOUNDED

Christ breathed on His disciples and said to them, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost," St. John 20:22. He told them He was going away and He would send the Holy Ghost to them. When He said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost," He meant, "When I send Him, welcome Him." It is as if we were going away and we say, "When I get to the place I am going, I will send someone to take my place. When He comes, please receive Him."

He commanded them to "Go back and wait for the Holy Spirit at Jerusalem." This was the enduement of Power making man the vehicle of the third person of the Trinity to carry the Gospel.

After Jesus' ascension the disciples eagerly returned to Jerusalem, joyfully awaiting the arrival of the Holy Ghost. The disciples were all with one accord. The Holy Ghost did come and they did receive Him into their bodies (temples). Acts 2:4.

They were now God's representatives on earth. They were Christ's vicars; as such they had all authority, the same as He had. This was the church, and it came into being on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2)

Christ will quicken your mortal bodies by His spirit dwelling in you. Romans 8:11. The early church now knew for certain that Christ was living and His words were absolute truth, for they had received this quickening power that He had promised. They knew Him as the resurrected Christ and also as the ascended Christ. They knew that He was living and seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven and that the Holy Ghost (Divine Afflatus), even the Logos Himself had now come from Him and had entered into their mortal bodies. There was a shout in the camp."

They went everywhere carrying out Christ s commands proclaiming His eve lasting Gospel. They found that when hen they did what Jesus told them to do He confirmed the Gospel they preached with signs following. (Mark 16:17) The Divine Afflatus always followed the preaching of the Word.

We hear St. Matthew saying over and over, "Ye have heard that it hath been said by them in old time . . . BUT I SAY UNTO YOU. But I say unto you ---."

The ceremony of the Jews in creating leaders in the schools for Rabbinical learning is used to illustrate what Christ is doing and saving. When the Jews installed a man in office as was the custom in making Rabbis, they all shouted the name of the one elected and repeated it. The Christians in Rome carried this into their reception of new members, for when someone from the Pagans of Jews joined the Christian Church he first made his public confession and then the whole multitude shouted his name. It was not until he actually appeared and was recognized and his name shouted aloud by the crowd of witnesses that Rome could believe in so signal a conversion. (Page 605 - Merrivale. Victorinus the Grammarian.)

Jesus used this phrase, "And I also say unto you." He was referring to what the Jews had said (in calling the names of the newly elected Rabbis). So Jesus says, "And I also say unto you -- (I also am using my right to call your name in making you one of my Rabbis). And I also say unto thee that thou art Peter."

Saint Matthew was careful not to leave out a word of Jesus in order to show that the new ceremony was like the old ceremony in the ritual of creating rabbis to fill the vacant places in the Sanhedrin.