No — the early chapters of Acts contain no church language because Peter and the eleven were still operating under the Old Testament program to Israel.
Peter and John went to the temple at the hour of prayer, not to a church building, and Peter continued the same message of repentance based on Jesus being the Christ. There is no instruction about pastors, bishops, deacons, or elders in these early chapters. Les Feldick says the Church as the Body of Christ was a secret not yet revealed until Paul.
Acts 3:1 — Shows that the earliest believers were still going to the temple at Jewish prayer times, not to a church assembly.
Acts 7:38 — The only use of the word 'church' in the early part of Acts applies to Israel in the wilderness, not to the Body of Christ.
Acts 11:19 — Confirms that even after the scattering in Stephen's persecution, the message was preached to Jews only, not to a Gentile church.
Acts 3:1 says, 'Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.' The earliest believers in Acts are still seen in the temple at Jewish hours of prayer, not in a separately organized congregation. Acts 7:38 uses the word 'church' for Israel in the wilderness: 'This 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.' The only 'church' word in these early chapters appears in the Old Testament prophetic context, not as the Body of Christ. Acts 11:19 says that those scattered by the persecution around Stephen 'travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.' The early chapters do not yet show a Gentile body of believers; the message still goes to the Jew first.
Les Feldick points out that in Acts 3, Peter and John went up into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour, rather than to the 'church on the corner.' No one had told them to stop temple worship; they were still rabidly involved in it. Peter and the other eleven were operating only on what God had revealed up to that time—the Old Testament program. Peter had no concept of God turning to the Gentiles for a long period, and he was not talking to a church or to Gentiles. In Acts 3, there is not a word of church structure—no instructions for pastors, bishops, deacons, or elders—and the message still rests on who Jesus was, not on the later gospel of death, burial, and resurrection. Les also teaches that the Church, which is the Body of Christ, was revealed through Paul. Just as God gave the law through Moses, He gave church doctrine through Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. And he cautions that not every occurrence of the word 'church' means the Body of Christ, as in Acts 7 where Stephen uses it of Israel in the wilderness.
Acts 3:1 records that Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. Les Feldick says this shows the men had not been told to stop temple worship; even after Pentecost they were still actively involved in it. There was no separate church building or congregation on the corner.
Les says Peter and the other eleven operated only on what God had already revealed—the Old Testament program. Peter had no concept of God turning to the Gentiles, and he was still speaking to Israel, not to a church or to Gentiles. They did not know that God would call out a people for His name and call it the Body of Christ.
No. Les shows that in these early chapters there is not a word about church structure—no pastors, bishops, deacons, or elders. The instructions concerning those offices come with Paul's later ministry, not with Peter's early messages.
No. Les says not every time you see the word church is it the New Testament body of Christ. In Acts 7, Stephen is speaking to the nation of Israel, and the word is used of the congregation of Israel in the wilderness. The Bible says, 'This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness' (Acts 7:38).
Paul's Revealed Ministry for the Body of Christ
Les uses Paul's words to show that the Body of Christ is revealed through Paul's ministry, just as the law came through Moses—a contrast with Peter's early Acts ministry.
Peter and John at the Temple, Not a Church
Les points out that Peter and John went to the temple at the ninth-hour prayer, not to a church, showing that early Acts believers were still in temple worship.
What the Bible Really Says About Speaking in Tongues
There was no need for interpreters, there was no emotional upheaval, this was just simply the working of the Holy Spirit to the third category of people that God would be dealing with in the Book of Acts. Remember what they were. Chapter 2 with the nation of Israel. Chapter 10 with Gentiles in the house of Cornelius. Chapter 19 with those who were in the transition.
Peter Still Bound to the Prophetic Jewish Program
Les explains that Peter and the other apostles stayed with the covenant prophetic program for Israel, agreeing that Paul would go to the Gentiles.
Peter Operated Only on Old Testament Revelation
Les says Peter and the eleven operated only on what God had revealed, with no concept of a future Gentile body of believers called the Church.
No Church Structure in Early Acts
Les shows there is no instruction for pastors, bishops, deacons, or elders in early Acts, and the message is still based on who Jesus is.
What Peter Really Said at Pentecost — Acts 2 Explained
Come over to chapter 11, and drop down to verse 19, right here in the Book of Acts. Chapter 11, and verse 19. And the setting, of course, is much later, but Luke refers back to Acts chapter 7, when Stephen was stoned, and that event was seven years after Pentecost. See? All right, but now look what it says. Acts 11, verse 19.
Not Every 'Church' Is the Body of Christ
Les uses the church in the wilderness in Acts 7 to teach that the word 'church' can refer to Israel in the Old Testament setting, not always the Body of Christ.
Acts 3:1: Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
This verse shows the earliest believers continuing Jewish temple worship rather than assembling as a distinct church.
Acts 3:6: Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Peter's healing in the name of Jesus as the Christ mirrors the works Jesus did during His earthly ministry.
Acts 7:38: This 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.
The word 'church' here refers to Israel in the wilderness, not to the New Testament Body of Christ.
Acts 11:19: Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
Even in the early expansion, the message was preached to Jews only, reflecting the lack of church language.
Acts 3:1 says they went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. Les Feldick says no one had told them to stop temple worship, so they were still actively involved in Jewish worship.
Les says there is not a word of church structure in the early chapters—no instructions for pastors, bishops, deacons, or elders. Those instructions appear with Paul's later ministry, not in Peter's early messages.
No. Les says not every time you see the word church is it the New Testament body of Christ. Acts 7:38 uses 'church' for Israel in the wilderness, showing a different meaning.
Watch the Teaching: Why Peter Didn't Preach the Gospel in Acts 3