[Biblemat] S) UNDENOMINATIONAL CHRISTIANITY

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my rec-
ent files.  Use to the glory of God.

UNDENOMINATIONAL CHRISTIANITY

       In today's religious world, most people just cannot conceive
of "Undenominational Christianity."  Their view is formed by the
religious culture which surrounds them.  All around them they
see denominations, all of which are "selling" that particular denomination, 
with its practices and its promises.  It is very much like Was-Mart and other 
big department stores.  They are
in competition with the others in their class, and they just strive
to be the best in their class.  But has anyone asked, "Is this real-
ly God's plan?"

       The truth is that Jesus promised, "I will build My church" 
(Matt. 16:18).  But over time, people became unsatisfied with what God had 
decreed, they became restless and wanted change.  This attitude is not new, it 
is repeated in every generat-
ion, in one form or another.  Look at Isreal.  God's system of jud-
ges to rule Israel worked well, while the people submitted to God.  But when 
the prophet Samuel put his two sons in as jud-
ges over Israel, the people protested.  And well they might: "And
his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took 
bribes, and perverted justice.  Then all the elders of 
Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto
Ramah; and they said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy
sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like
all the nations.  But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said
Give us a king to judge us" (1 Sam. 8:3-6).  Instead of asking the
prophet to set the system of judges right, by removing his two
wayward sons, they asked for a complete change in the whole
system.  Specifically, they wanted to be like the nations about
them.  It is this attitude that drives the whole system of denomin-
ationalism.

       But God's eternal purpose never included any denominat-
ions!  Remember that  Jesus said, "I will build My church."  Let's
look at that church which Jesus built:

Our Authority Must Be God's Word: -- In times past, God spoke
through various prophets, but today "He speaks to us through
His Son" (Heb. 1:1,2).  On the Mount of Transfiguration, God
spoke of Jesus, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well plea-
sed.  Hear ye Him" (Matt. 17:5).  God speaks to us today through
Jesus.  (Through His Word, which is the New Testament, JWS).

       Jesus chose twelve men to be apostles (Matt. 10), men who 
were to be His spokesmen after He had returned to heaven.  He
told them, "The Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in 
My name, He shall teach you all things, and
bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you...Howbeit when He, the 
Spirit of Truth, is come, He shall guide you into all
the truth" (Jno. 14:26; 16:13).  That is the reason Jesus could
say to the apostles, "He that  heareth your heareth Me; and he 
that rejecteth you rejecteth Me; and he that rejecteth Me reject-
eth Him that sent Me" (Lk. 10:16).

       Our authority, then, in all religious matters must be what the 
apostles have revealed to us in the Scriptures:  "All Scripture
is inspired of God" (2 Tim. 3:16).  The apostle Paul wrote, "When
ye received from us the Word of the message, even the Word of
God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth,
the Word of God" (1 Thes. 2:13).  In fact, there can be no other
authority in religion:  "But even if we or an angel from heaven
should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you,
let him be eternally condemned!" (Gal. 1:8 NIV).  And notice anot-
her:  "Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto 
the saints" (Jude 3).  For the church which Jesus
built, the only authority is the Word of the apostles, guided by 
the Holy Spirit, and written in the New Testament.

The Church Was Purposed Of God: -- Old Testament prophecies
foretold the church which Jesus would build: "And it shall come
to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of Jehovah's house
shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.  And
many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He
will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out
of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of Jehovah from Jer-
usalem" (Isa. 2:2,3; see also: Dan. 2:44).  Identity of this "house
of God" is revealed to us: "The house of God, which is the church of the 
Living God" (1 Tim. 3:15).

       This church was built "according to the eternal purpose of
God, which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:10,
11).  This is the church of which Jesus spoke when He promised
"I will build My church" (Matt. 16:18).  Its description is found in
the Scriptures, also.  Christ is the head of that church: "He is the
head of the body, the church" (Col. 1:18).  As Jesus said, "All
authority hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth" (Matt
28:18).  There can be no other head of the church -- in heave or
on earth!

What That Church Is Called: -- This church is called "the king-
dom" (Matt. 16:18.19).  The apostle Paul wrote to the church in 
Colosse, "The Father...delivered us out of the power of darkness
and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love...And
He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, 
the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the
preeminence" (Col. 1:13,18).  And that "church of the firstborn"
(Heb. 12:23) is said to be "a kingdom that cannot be shaken"
(Heb. 12:28).

       That church is also called "the house of God" (1 Tim. 3:15).
Let the Scriptures describe it:  "So then ye are no more strang-
ers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints,
and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of
the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the Chief
Corner Stone" (Eph. 2:19,20).  The "house of God" is His family,
or His household, and thus it contains His children.

       That church is the body of Christ: "He is the Head of the body, the 
church" (Col. 1:18).  Again, "And He (God, the Father)
put all things in subjection under His (Christ, the Son's) feet, and
gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His
body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22,23).  Then read 
carefully: There is one body, and one Spirit, even as
ye were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, one God."  Now, read those verses again, and see
how many churches there are!  It never ceases to amaze me that 
people will cry, "Join the church of your choice."  The Scripture
says that there is "one body" and that body is the church.  Why
not cry, "Worship the God of your choice."  But there is only ONE of each?!  
And if we accept the authority of the Scriptures, 
we will not try to change that.

Denominationalism Is Sin: -- Jesus Christ never intended that
believers should be divided into different groups...which is ex-
actly what denominationalism attempt so do.  Read His prayer
to His Father as He prays for the apostles:  "Sanctify them in the
truth: Thy Word is truth...Neither for these only do I pray, but for
them also that believe on Me through their word; that they may
all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also 
may be in us: that the world may believe that Thou did-
st send Me" (Jno. 17:17-21).  Please notice that the Lord Jesus
intends that all believers be "ONE" in the same way that He and
the Father are one.  That means "one body (church), one Spirit,
one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God" (Eph. 4:4-
6).

       When believers in Corinth were divided into different groups
the Lord addressed the problem through the inspired apostle
Paul very clearly.  "Now I beseech you, brethren, through the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing
and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfect-
ed together in the same mind and in the same judgment.  For it
hath been signified unto me concerning you, my brethren, by
them of the household of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.  Now 
this I mean, that each one of you saith, I am of
Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.  Is Christ
divided?" (1 Cor. 1:10-13).  First, notice the command: "All speak the same 
thing and that there be no divisions among you."  That certainly does not 
describe the denominations in the
world today!

       Then, look at verse 12.  These people were divided into differ-
ent "denominations."  If you could go back in time and ask them
why they were not following Christ, I am sure that everyone of
them would answer, "We are all Christians.  We are just different
kinds of Christians.  He is a Pauline Christian, and she is an Apol-
losite Christian, and he is a Cephasite Christian."  But -- even
if such were possible -- what about those who simply followed
Christ?  "Is Christ divided?"  And where in the Scriptures do you find 
authority for dividing into different groups (denominat-
ions)?  That was wrong in Corinth then, it wrong in America today.

How People Enter The Lord's Church: -- The Lord has not left it
unclear how one becomes a member of His church.  It begins
with faith in Him as "both Lord and Christ."  There is a great exa-
mple in Scripture.  When the first gospel sermon was preached
after the death of Christ, the Holy Spirit came to guide the apost-
les "into all the truth" (Jno. 16:13; Acts 2:1-4).  As guided by the
Spirit, the apostle Peter preached to the Jews on that  day of
Pentecost, concluding with: "Let all the house of Israel therefore
know assuredly, that God hath made Him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom ye crucified" (Acts 2:36).  This was designed
to produce the "faith that  cometh by hearing, hearing by the Word of God" 
(Rom. 10:17).  And it did: "Now when they heard
(this), they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and 
the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).

       God's answer to their question was simple:  "Repent ye, and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto 
the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38).  And notice what the 
result was:  "They then that received his word were baptized: and there were 
added unto them in that day about three thous-
and souls" (Acts 2:41).  And notice the result of this:  "And the
Lord added to the church daily such as were being saved" (Acts
2:47).  How many of them were baptized?  "As many as received
his word."  That pattern is still true.  In case after case of conver-
sion in the book of Acts, the gospel is preached, people believe
it and they are baptized in ordr to be saved.  But isn't this precis-
ely the Lord's promise?  "He that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved" (Mk. 16:16).  And when the Lord saves them, He adds
them to His church.

       Philip went down to Samaria to preach Christ, "But when
they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the king-
dom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized,
both men and women" (Acts 8:12).  Paul and Silas, in prison at
Philippi, were released by a miraculous earthquake.  The jailer
then said to them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  And they
said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou
and thy house...And he took them the same hour of the night,
and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, imm-
ediately" (Acts 16:30-33).  The pattern continues: people hear
the Word, believe it, repent of their sins, and are baptized.

       Friend, you don't need to be in a denomination in order to be
a Christian.  Those 3,000 on Pentecost (Acts 2) never joined a
denomination, they were never in a denomination.  But they were Christians, 
members of the church which Jesus built.  If
you will follow the same pattern they did, you will be the same
thing they were -- simply a Christian.   ----- Clem Thurman in 
Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 32, Aug. 8, 2008.   </HTML>
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