The Perfect Church

Matthew Parker is fed up with church - the adults argue, the kids gossip, and everyone fights about the music - so Whit sends him into the Imagination Station to see the very first church for himself. Matthew lands in Jerusalem right after Jesus has risen into heaven... straight into a chicken coop, where a girl named Rhoda and her family take him in. He watches the Holy Spirit arrive at Pentecost, hears Peter preach to the crowds, and sees a man who has never walked stand up and leap - a miracle that gets Peter and John arrested. But even here, the church isn't perfect: believers squabble over who gets fed, Rhoda's father Seth sells his family's dream field to help the poor while the scheming Ananias plots to fake his own generosity, and Matthew is left out of a meeting just for being a Gentile. Then a dangerous stranger named Saul starts asking questions, and when Matthew shouts a warning, Saul shoves him down a well. To be continued...

Found on The Grand Design Album 56 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

2 of 4 0709 Sergeant York A backwoods Tennessee sharpshooter who believes killing is a sin is drafted into the Army, forcing him to choose between his conscience and his country.

3 of 4 0710 Sergeant York A young man of deep faith must climb a mountain alone to decide whether his conscience will let him carry a rifle into the Great War.

4 of 4 0711 Sergeant York A reluctant soldier who hates killing must find a way to save his trapped comrades from deadly machine-gun fire.

0712 Child's Play When a childless couple agrees to babysit two energetic kids for the weekend, they discover that connecting with children takes more than careful planning.

1 of 2 0713 Something Old, Something New A bogus wedding invitation and a suspicious art deal throw Odyssey into delightful chaos as Connie battles a rumor she can't stop and two young detectives finally land a real mystery.

2 of 2 0714 Something Old, Something New An old flame's return to Odyssey - with a fiancée who looks suspiciously familiar - turns a welcome-home party into a tangle of secrets, suspicion, and second thoughts.

1 of 2 0715 The Perfect Church A boy disillusioned with his squabbling modern church travels back to the early days of Christianity, expecting to find a perfectly united congregation.

2 of 2 0716 The Perfect Church When the Imagination Station drops Matthew into the persecuted early church, he discovers that the "perfect" first Christians were anything but - and that their struggles might hold the answer to his own doubts about church.

0717 Great Expectations When a grueling school project makes Emily question her lifelong dream of becoming a judge, Whit takes her on an Imagination Station journey through the dreams - kept, changed, and abandoned - of his own life.

0718 For Three Dollars More When Barrett grumbles about putting three dollars in the offering plate, the Room of Consequence gets three very different chances to show him what his choice could really cost.

0719 The Bible Network On Kids' Radio, Connie tunes in to the Bible Network, where game shows, detective cases, and a boot camp put Scripture to the test as the ultimate source of truth.

0720 Happy Hunting Determined to engineer her own happiness, Penny throws herself into every self-help trick she can find - with painfully mixed results.

0721 The Holy Hoopster When a young basketball player's quiet courtside prayer turns him into a media sensation, he must navigate fame, team friction, and hard questions about what prayer is really for.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 11 more roles

11 supporting roles

Peter (Biblical) Fred Tatasciore Saul Jon Curry John (c) Actor Unknown Ananias (a) Matt Hurwitz Sapphira Carolyn Hennesy Seth Keith Ferguson Stephen Jim Cummings Elias J.B. Blanc Rhoda Georgia Dolenz Deborah (b) Saige Spinney Lame Beggar Jim Cummings

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Paul McCusker Writer · Director Marshal Younger Writer GAP Digital Sound Designer Bob Hoose Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Matthew Parker tells Whit that he no longer wants to attend church. The adults argue, the young people gossip, and leaders quarrel about worship music. After studying the first Christians, Matthew has begun to imagine that their church was perfectly united. Whit sends him into the redesigned Imagination Station so that he can see the beginning of the church for himself.

Matthew arrives in Jerusalem shortly after Jesus has ascended into heaven - and lands in Ananias’s chicken coop. Ananias accuses him of being a thief, but a girl named Rhoda and her mother, Deborah, protect him. Rhoda’s father, Seth, is buying a field from Ananias so that his family can build a large home where followers of Jesus may gather. Rhoda is astonished to meet a Gentile who believes in Jesus, while Matthew is surprised that this distinction matters to her.

As Seth’s family leads Matthew toward the apostles’ secret meeting place, they find the streets overflowing with excitement. The Holy Spirit has come upon the believers at Pentecost, enabling them to speak in languages they have never learned. Peter preaches to the crowd, and Seth is overwhelmed as he realizes that God’s work is spreading far beyond Israel and challenging customs he has always known.

The Imagination Station carries Matthew forward. At Solomon’s Porch, he and Rhoda try to help a man who has been unable to walk since birth. Peter tells the man to walk in the name of Jesus Christ, and the man rises to his feet. The miracle draws a crowd, but it also brings Elias and the temple authorities. They arrest Peter and John for preaching about Jesus.

Persecution has left many believers homeless and hungry, so Seth decides to sell the field and give the money to those in need. His family reluctantly gives up its dream of a new home. Ananias hears the plan and decides to present money to the apostles too, but he speaks more eagerly about influence and appearances than sacrifice. He also considers keeping part of the money while allowing others to believe that he has donated all of it.

When Peter and John are released, the believers continue to face disagreements of their own. Hellenistic Jews complain that they are being overlooked, and Seth hesitates to bring Matthew into a meeting because he is a Gentile. Matthew cannot understand why followers of Jesus still divide themselves and argue. Seth admits that faith does not instantly remove human flaws; even Jesus’ disciples argued while He was with them.

While Matthew draws water outside the meeting place, a stranger begins asking questions about the gathering. The man identifies himself as Saul and orders Matthew to remain silent. Realizing that Saul is dangerous, Matthew calls out a warning. Saul shoves him into the well, and Matthew’s cries for help echo in the darkness.