Speaking the Truth in Love
Should We Join the Church of Our Choice?
It is our understanding that the choice has already been made by God. We should not join the church of OUR choice but the church of God's choice. The one church we read about in the New Testament is composed of obedient, baptized, believers who are added to the church by the Lord (Acts 2:47). Christ is it's only head (Col. 1:18)
Let us ask this question first, "Are all the divisions in the religious world today pleasing to God?"
PLEASE NOTICE THAT CHRIST PRAYED FOR UNITY OF ALL BELIEVERS:
PAUL AN APOSTLE OF CHRIST COMMANDED THAT THERE BE NO DIVISIONS:
DENOMINATIONS ARE THE WORKS OF MEN.
Time Place Founder Denomination
606 A.D. Rome Boniface III Roman Catholic
1520 A.D. Germany Martin Luther Lutheran
1534 A.D. England Henry VIII Episcopalian
1536 A.D. Switzerland John Calvin Presbyterian
1607 A.D. Holland John Smythe Baptist
1739 A.D. England John Wesley Methodist
SATAN IS THE MASTER OF DECEPTION - 2 Cor. 11:13-15
HE HAS THREE BASIC DESIRES - Mark 4:14-19
TO STOP you from becoming a Child of GOD - vs. 15
TO PULL you back into the WORLD OF SIN - vs. 16-17
TO MAKE you FRUITLESS - vs. 18-19
What better way to achieve this than to tell people that they can make a CHOICE from the CHURCHES OF MEN?
THE TERM "CHURCH" IN THE N.T. REFERS TO:
THE UNIVERSAL BODY:
Comprised of All Obedient, Baptized, Believers - Acts 2:36-38, 41,47; 1 Cor. 12-14
The LORD adds to the body through teaching of the SPIRIT - 1 Cor. 12:13
It has no organization other than CHRIST AS THE HEAD - Eph. 1:20-22
The LORD Himself is the SAVIOR of the body - Eph. 5:23
It has no doctrine other than the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST - 2 John 9
THE LOCAL BODY:
Comprised of obedient baptized believers in any given locality - Acts 8:1 (Acts 2:41; 5:14; 6:7)
ONE JOINS HIMSELF TO THIS BODY - Acts 9:26-28
IT HAS ELDERS, DEACONS and SAINTS - Philippians 1:1
IT UPHOLDS, DEFENDS AND PROCLAIMS THE TRUTH - 1 Tim. 3:14-15
TO BE A MEMBER OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH, ONE MUST:
Hear and Learn - Rom. 10:17; John 6:45; 17:3
Believe - Heb. 11:6; John 6:29; 8:24
Repent - Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19; 17:30
Confess the Lord - Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:9-10
Be Baptized - Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; Gal. 3:26-27; 1 Pet. 3:21
Continue in the Apostles' Teaching - Acts 2:42; 2 Tim. 3:14-17
DENOMINATIONS CANNOT BE THE CHURCH OF THE N.T.
The word denomination means: "The name of a class or division of things;" such as, the different denominations of the United States monetary system; "a class, or society of individuals, called by the same name; a sect; a part of the whole."
Thus, a denominational church, according to common usage and understanding, is one class, group, or society of individuals called by the same name as opposed to other classes, groups, or societies of individuals called by different names.
No one denomination claims to have all Christians in it, or to be the whole body of the saved. By their own admission, a denomination is Larger than any local congregation and yet Smaller than the whole church, the One New Testament church.
Concl.
How about you? Are you a member of the New Testament church? Have you been baptized into Christ? Why not become an obedient believer tonight? If we can help you in any way, please let us know. Lord willing, we will see you next time on SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE.
