23. They had prayer meetings (Acts 1:14).
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. (Acts 1:14)
Which is very little, if any different from Israel:
Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us. (Ezra 8:21-23)
Unfortunately for S.E. Anderson’s argument, so do numerous other groups that are not even remotely New Testament churches. While the verse cited is indeed after the church was built and purchased by Christ’s shed blood on the cross (and thus the eleven apostles are the New Testament church), it is not yet empowered. Simply having a prayer meeting is not proof that:
A.) a church
B.) the church (New Testament or otherwise)
C.) any church exists.
It is imperative to remember that what S.E. Anderson put forth here is (by his own words) supposed to be PROOF. Hence, the above claim is supposed to PROVE something. Sadly, the claim falls far short of proof of anything other than they prayed together.