This has been the cry of my heart for decades. It has been developing and being refined in more recent times. The articles I have written on my website, ReturnReturn.Net have been working to put into words to "paint" the picture that has been developing in my spirit for years.
I think this is the time to summarize the whole picture in a few words.
The church that Jesus started on the day of Pentecost almost 2000 years ago was the most beautiful thing that the universe had ever seen. Think about it:
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:36-47 NKJV)
Has anything you have ever heard of been more beautiful than that?
But it did not last very long. The adversary, Satan, worked in every way he could to destroy it. Satan caused great persecution, and men killed very many of those early believers. Many of them scattered to other countries, and God used that to spread the gospel to all the surrounding nations.
And as Paul said, on his last voyage to Jerusalem and then on to Rome:
29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
(Acts 20:29-31 NKJV)
And so from then until now, this multiplying and spreading has continued to cover every nation on every continent of the earth. But now instead of one church that Jesus was building, we have tens of thousands of denominations all in disagreement from each other, and not one church on the planet looks anything at all like the church did at the very beginning.
No man on earth has ever had a better idea than Jesus had nearly 2000 years ago.
The call for those who have ears to hear, is to return all the way back to the church as described in Acts chapter 2, as well as the many other details described in the New Testament.
The other articles on this website, ReturnReturn.Net, go into more detail as to what that early church looked like, and the great wisdom of God in doing it exactly that way.