First Church

To me, I don't care which "organization" claim the "rights" to be connected as part of "first Church". We are to focus on spiritual matters in the invisible church rather than temporal matters of the visible Church. We who love Jesus Christ constitute the true church. We belong to the collective Body of Christ whether we're alive or in glory. The Greek word for church is ekklesia, which means "an assembly of called-out ones. " The church is made up of people called by God to be His children. We have become united with all other believers by faith in Christ, who said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). Jesus meant He would gather together a body of believers. He wasn't talking about organizations; He was talking about people. We who know and love Him are the living church that has been born into the family of God by the Holy Spirit. As members of "the general assembly and church of the first-born, who are written in heaven" (Heb. 12:23), we have been declared righteous because our sin has been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:5). Only Pride will say "We are the true Church". While Humility will say "I am a member of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church" by looking at unity, holiness, universality, and apostolicity.