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Which church is the right church for me? I have in my library a book entitled
"Handbook of Denominations in the How would any "unchurched" person ever decide which church to become a part of? In our local phone book there are about 50 churches listed in the Coos Bay/North Bend area. Jesus said, "... upon this rock I will build my church..." (Matthew 16:18). But amid the religious division and resultant confusion, does the church which Christ said He would build even exist anymore? Many people do not believe it does, but that it has been succeeded by the denominations of today. Others believe that the church Christ said He would build is now called the "invisible church", with parts of it represented in all of the denominations. One phrase that many parrot is that "there is good in all churches". No one would deny that, but it is not the good that is in them that makes them unacceptable; it is the false teachings they promote which makes them unacceptable. Not only did Jesus say, "... I will build My church", but He followed that statement with "...and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Matthew 16:18b). The New Testament also says "we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken"! (Hebrews 12:28). The "kingdom" is the Lord's church. Paul severely rebuked the Corinthians for creating divisions in the church in Corinth. He asked, "Has Christ been divided?" (I Corinthians 1:13a). Earlier, he warned, "Now I exhort you brethren, by the name of Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and the same judgment." (I Corinthians 1:10). In his letter to the Ephesians, he said, " Christ is "head over all things to the church, which is His body..." (Ephesians 1:22,23). He later added, "There is ONE body, and ONE Spirit, just as also you were called in ONE hope of your calling; ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:4-6). The church is "ONE body" of Christ. There is but "ONE church". There is only ONE faith" and but "ONE baptism". But among the many churches of today, there are many faiths, and several different baptisms. In the terrible religious confusion within its hodgepodge of churches, how can anyone ever determine with any certainty what church today is that "One Body", and the "one faith" that the Bible portrays? Since the church (kingdom) cannot be shaken and even the gates of Hades shall not overpower it, it must still be in existence yet today! But how, amid the religious confusion in our world today, would anyone ever, within any degree of certainty, be able to find it? This is NOT an impossible task! In fact, it can be found by simply adhering to a very simple principle, which is so obvious that most of the religious world today has missed it. The only way I know that one can find the church Jesus said He would build, is to go back before any of the denominational creeds, manuals, and disciplines were written; before any synods and conferences were held; back before the time of reformers such as Calvin, Wesley, and Luther; back before the early church "fathers"; all the way back to the time when the New Testament Scriptures were written! We need to read and study that original document, which we call the Bible, in particular the New Testament, and learn from it what the church Jesus said He would build was to be. We can read the four biographies of Jesus written from four different perspectives by men who knew Jesus, or had first hand evidence that corroborated the inspiration they received from God, to learn what Jesus Himself taught, practiced and promised. We can then read a book that tells the earliest history of the church and the spread of Christianity throughout the then-known world (the book of Acts) to see what was done and preached by the men who were inspired of God to accurately present God's will to lost souls. We can read the actual accounts and circumstances of the establishment of the earliest congregations of the church Jesus said He would build. We can read what was required of those people in order to become a part of the church. The rest of the New Testament scriptures are letters written by these inspired men to some of the churches giving special instructions concerning the will of God and correcting errors and rebuking sins (the books of Romans through II Thessalonians, Hebrews through I John, and Jude). There were also letters written to preachers of the Gospel (I and II Timothy and Titus). We can read personal letters which were written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to Philemon, a Christian lady and her children (II John), and one written to Gaius (III John). The New Testament closes with the book of Revelation which depicts in figurative language predictions of the major tragedies and the ultimate triumph future to John's time that would be experienced by the church Jesus said He would build. John was the last living inspired apostle and with his death, came the end of any new revelation. The revealed Word of God was now complete! The "perfect" had come (I Corinthians 13:10). The foundation had forever been laid (I Corinthians 3:11). To find the church Jesus said He would build, we must go all the way back to the record and teaching given us in the New Testament; back to the blueprints that were drawn in the first century of the Christian era, and build all things upon that foundation, according to the pattern set forth in the New Testament scriptures. Then, and only then, can we KNOW that we have the church that Jesus said He would build. We have the original blueprints, as it were, before any alterations were made and before any of the instructions were changed or deleted. Yes, the principle is quite simple! Study the New Testament teachings about the church, and find a church that fits the pattern given by our Lord! This the churches of Christ diligently and prayfully attempt to do as we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18)
"Building the church you read about in your Bible." |
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