Did the church begin at Sinai?
No, the church did not begin at Sinai. Acts 7:38 calls Israel a 'church in the wilderness,' but that was a called-out assembly (ecclesia), not the New Testament church. It had no deacons, bishops, or pastors and was under the law and Moses, a completely different setting.
Les explains that the idea that the church began at Sinai comes from a misunderstanding of Acts 7:38, where Stephen refers to Israel as 'the church in the wilderness.' Les clarifies that the Greek word ecclesia means a 'called out assembly,' and Israel was indeed a called-out assembly—God called them out of Egypt and camped them at Sinai. But it was not a church as we understand the church. They had no deacons, bishops, or pastors; they were under the law and under Moses, a wholly different setting. Therefore the church did not begin at Sinai.