Just before Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, He told His disciples (learners) to stay in Jerusalem until "the Holy Spirit comes on them from on High". Previously, they had been filled with the Holy Spirit.
That moment in the Upper Room lit Jerusalem on fire spiritually. The Apostles (those sent forth) knew exactly what to do. They preached the Gospel (Good News) in and around Jerusalem, Judea, Galilee, Rome, Corith, Samaria, Colosse; The Regions of Galatia, Syria, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Nicopolis, Dalmatia, Phrygia, Pontus, Bithynia, Macedonia, Asia; the towns of Ephesus, Berea, Thessolonika, Laodicea, Philadelphia, Thyatira, Sardis, Damascus, Antioch, Cyprus, Lystra, Iconium, Perga, Attila, Pisidia, Pamphylia, Derbe, Phillipi, Miletus, Cenchrea, Casearea, Tarsus and Smyrna.
Thus, the Church Ekklesia in Greek (Called out ones) and Eklektos (picked out; chosen) was born.
It didn't take long for opposition from Rome, Jews and Christian Jews to come to the forefront. The Jews killed Stephen. Christian Jews felt that the Greek, Roman and other Christians needed to be circumcised like they were. They came in behind the Apostles (those sent forth) and muddlied up the Gospel (Good News). The Romans killed them, and used their bodies at torches or squared them off with wild animals. That sent them out into areas not under Roman control. The Church continued to be persecuted by Rome until the Roman Empire decayed and was sacked. Then the Catholic Church went after those who bucked the system. After that, the Muslims sacked, raped, pillaged, taxed and enslaved them.
In the 1500s God got ahold of Martin Luder (Luther) to show him His Grace. Martin Luder (Luther) had the protection of some of Germany's princes. Those princes "Protested" Rome's grip on them. Thus came the Protestant Reformation. Not all of today's churches broke away from Rome at this time. There were a few earlier. Thus began the exodus from the rotten, greedy and sick Catholic Church. Unfortunately, the Protestant Churches kept way too worldliness when they left.
Enland and part of Europe fought long against the darkness of the Catholic Church. The Spanish Inquisition and France's killing of the Huguenots were part of Rome trying to get those that had left back into satan's fold, or kill them. That control only fired those up who wanted to leave the corrupt Catholic Church.
In the late 1500s England was Anglican under Elizabeth I. Some of the people listening to the Scriptures being read to them knew that they weren't hearing what God wanted them to hear. It was about the leader of the country being the head of the Church. They didn't want that. They wanted to follow Jesus from His Word, and do it His Way. They started meeting secretly and then adding more to their group. The Scriptures were being taught so that they understood they needed to leave the Anglican Church of England and separate themselves. They called themselves Separatists. Elizabeth I called the PURitans, as a slur. When Elizabeth died without issue, her cousin James the 6th of Scotland ascended the throne and coined the term "Divine Right of Kings". He liked the Separatists even less than Elizabeth had and they left England to go to Holland for safety. He followed them there and destroyed the printing press they were printing God's Word in English on. He told his subjects "You will either join the Church of England, or I will hound you out of the realm." These were the Pilgrims that sailed to America on the Mayflower.
The Pilgrims came to America. Many other groups came here, to escape the persecution in Europe from the Catholic Church. Mennonites, Anabaptists, Quakers and others found some freedom in America, but many were persecuted, killed or run out of the colony because they didn't believe the way the Separatists did.
Those who were strong in their walk with Jesus tried to keep the country going forward and some were able to start revivals. Others went into the pastorate because their parents wanted them to, or they felt they would make money being a pastor. This allowed the liberals into the Seminary as students. Then they became the Professors. One denomination after another started watering down the Gospel and opened the door to others coming in with heretical teachings that weren't labeled heresy. Sin no longer crept in, it ran in.
Televangelists gave Christianity a black eye when all their dirty laundry was spread out over the TV for all to see. Pastors felt they needed to make the Bible relevant for today. Translations that changed God from Him to her were published. False doctine wasn't uttered in the dark alleys, it was trumpeted from the pulpit. Pastors or their flock were found to be engaged in sinful activities and were either proud about it, or felt they had done nothing wrong. They became addicted to pornongraphy, sex or alcohol. Their wives were committing adultery and they lost their position. Gays and lesbians were allowed to pastor churches. We no longer allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. Some pastors think we need to have material possessions to prosper. Then there is the Emerging Church and the Church taking the place of Israel (Replacement Theology). The doctrine of Cessation. You name it, satan has repackaged it for today and Christians are falling for it like good bait: hook, line and sinker.
The disillusioned Christians started pulling away and starting churches based on the Bible. Churches were no longer splitting over the color of the carpet or the hymnals, they were splitting to get the leaven out.
As one who has finally found a church that teaches what Scripture says and not what man's doctrine says, I am finding out after 20 years of being in church that I wasn't taught a whole bunch of usable facts. The last two years I have sat and been taught by pastors who pull no punches. Bible studies that link all the information together where I can make sense of it. No more sermons by topic, but a line by line and precept by precept teaching of which Testament (Covenant) is being taught. Scripture from both the Old Testament (Covenant) and the New Testament (Covenant) brought together so I get the whole picture, not what some book tells says I need to hear for a certain Sunday. It has created a hunger in me that I can't shake. Every day I am doing word searches in my concordance or I come to the library and find the Scriptures I know, but can't find in the biblical concordance because I'm remembering it from King James, and I'm in Revised Standard, or New International, or New English, or New American. The only way to copywrite a new issuance of the Bible is to make a certain number of changes. Thus we have New in front of so many.
Some churches are calling for 40 days of prayer before the November 6th election. A few are calling for 40 days after, also.
Some Christians have given up on voting, church, evangilism, the Holy Spirit or other things that Jesus called for us to do.
The Christian Church is at a crossroads. We need to wake up and get satan (leaven) out, before he takes over.