Some say that Jesus laid the foundations for a church. What did Jesus say and do to lay such foundations?

Question

Some say that Jesus laid the foundations for a church. What did Jesus say and do to lay such foundations?

Answer 1

When Jesus was asked how He might prove His divine authority, He answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” It is then written, “…the temple he had spoken of was his body.” After they crucified Him, Jesus did just as He said He would do. For He was resurrected three days later, making known then the revelation that the Temple of Jerusalem, which God had sanctified and anointed prior to Christ’s resurrection, was merely a shadow of the true Temple of God – the body of Christ, of which we as believers are all members.

And as it is written in 1 Cor3:11...For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

And again, in Eph 2...

14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,
16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household,
20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Answer 2

Jesus(pbuh)said:
"Listen to me carefully. I am not here to abolish the Law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. On the contrary, I've come to bring them to full flower. Let there be no misunderstanding, until the end of time, not an 'i' or the dot over an 'i' is going to be deleted until the Law's purpose has been accomplished. If someone softens even the smallest injunction and so instructs others, that person will rank low in the kingdom. But those who not only teach the Law but practice it will be ranked among the great. And let's get this straight, unless your goodness goes beyond the common practice of the scribes and the Pharisees you won't even get into the kingdom.

Jesus did not do any thing new but emphasize for Laws of the God through Prophets. So we should respect Jesus(pbuh), and follow his original teachings instead of some who infect opposed him in his life before risen to heavens.

Answer 3

In reality God/Jesus spoke and used followers to lay the foundation of the Church. For example Jesus spoke to St. Paul and St. Paul traveled all over spreading the Gospel and is credited with starting Christianity.

Answer 4

Meg Michaels beat me to it.
Let me just add that Jesus also promised to guide and be with his Church till the end of the age. Events in the past have proven that to be true.
Peace and every blessing!

Answer 5

Whitehors456 said it very well. I will add to that the fact that Jesus met all of the prophesies of the Old Testament. HE hand-picked and trained HIS Apostles who (in Acts2) assisted by the HOLY SPIRIT baptized over 3000 to begin HIS New Testament Church on Earth. The Church grew throughout and the Apostles went everywhere teaching and preaching the WORD as Christ told them to do in Matthew 28:18-21 in the Great Commission. Do you not believe that Christ is our answer for eternal life everlasting?

Study these scriptures and see what you think. To become a Christian:
1. HEAR - Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
2. BELIEVE - In Mark 16:16, Jesus said “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
3. REPENT - Luke 13:3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
4. CONFESS CHRIST - 1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
5. BE BAPTIZED - Romans 6:3-4 do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
6. CONTINUE TO BE FAITHFUL - Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
Send me a note if you have questions. I am anxious to hear from you. Have a Great day.
Eds

EDIT:

Robert,
Paul was never credited with "starting Christianity". He credited Christ as being the Church Head and NEVER took any credit whatsoever for anything that he did to assist in the process.

Meg,
Nowhere in the Bible is anyone named as POPE. It is a man-made name created by the Catholic Church to make a man in charge instead of Christ. This designation is never given in the BIBLE and should never be given to any person on earth. The Church has teachers, preachers, elders, and deacons who are to meet Biblical Qualifications.

Answer 6

How bout this one?
13 And Jesus came into the region of Cesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples: who do people say that the Son of man is?
14 But they said: Some John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 Jesus said to them: But who do you say I am?
16 Simon Peter answered and said: You are Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed are you, Simon son of Jona, because flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18 And I say to you: That you are Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Answer 7

Not necessarily in order: chose the Apostles, ordained them bishops, found out which one the Father wanted to be Pope, told them to pass on His teachings, gave them the authority to act in His name, established the sacraments, etc.

Answer 8

Question. -- In the Gospel of St. Matthew it is said: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church." What is the meaning of this verse?

Answer. -- This utterance of Christ is a confirmation of the statement of Peter, when Christ asked: Whom do you believe Me to be? and Peter answered: I believe that "Thou art the Son of the living God." Then Christ said to him: "Thou art Peter" -- for Cephas in Aramaic means rock -- "and upon this rock I will build My church." For the others in answer to Christ said that He was Elias, and some said John the Baptist, and some others Jeremias or one of the Prophets.

[1 It is well known that Peter's real name was Simon, but Christ called him Cephas, which corresponds to the Greek word petras, which means rock.

Christ wished by suggestion, or an allusion, to confirm the words of Peter; so on account of the suitability of his name, Peter, He said: "and upon this rock I will build My church," meaning, thy belief that Christ is the Son of the living God will be the foundation of the Religion of God, and upon this belief the foundation of the church of God -- which is the Law of God -- shall be established.

The existence of the tomb of Peter in Rome is doubtful; it is not authenticated. Some say it is in Antioch.

Moreover, let us compare the lives of some of the Popes with the religion of Christ. Christ, hungry and without shelter, ate herbs in the wilderness, and was unwilling to hurt the feelings of anyone. The Pope sits in a carriage covered with gold and passes his time in the utmost splendor, amidst such pleasures and luxuries, such riches and adoration, as kings have never had.

Christ hurt no one, but some of the Popes killed innocent people: refer to history. How much blood the Popes have shed merely to retain temporal power! For mere differences of opinion they arrested, imprisoned and slew thousands of the servants of the world of humanity and learned men who had discovered the secrets of nature. To what a degree they opposed the truth!

Reflect upon the instructions of Christ, and investigate the habits and customs of the Popes. Consider: is there any resemblance between the instructions of Christ and the manner of government of the Popes? We do not like to criticize, but the history of the Vatican is very extraordinary. The purport of our argument is this, that the instructions of Christ are one thing, and the manner of the Papal government is quite another; they do not agree. See how many Protestants have been killed by the order of the Popes, how many tyrannies and oppressions have been countenanced, and how many punishments and tortures have been inflicted! Can any of the sweet fragrances of Christ be detected in these actions? No! in the name of God! These people did not obey Christ, while Saint Barbara, whose picture is before us, did obey Christ, and followed in His footsteps, and put His commands into practice. Among the Popes there are also some blessed souls who followed in the footsteps of Christ, particularly in the first centuries of the Christian era when temporal things were lacking and the tests of God were severe. But when they came into possession of governmental power, and worldly honor and prosperity were gained, the Papal government entirely forgot Christ and was occupied with temporal power, grandeur, comfort and luxuries. It killed people, opposed the diffusion of learning, tormented the men of science, obstructed the light of knowledge, and gave the order to slay and to pillage. Thousands of souls, men of science and learning, and sinless ones, perished in the prisons of Rome. With all these proceedings and actions, how can the Vicarship of Christ be believed in?

(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 135)