Books
Bible Basics
By Bill Dillon
Questions Regarding the Church
Introduction
When Groucho Marx was asked why he didn’t belong to any clubs, he replied that he would never join any club which would have him as a member!
In the church, it is just the opposite. The church is a gathering of men and women who have accepted the precious invitation of Jesus Christ to come to Him by obeying the gospel.
To this very day, the church of the Bible exists for those who are sinners (but who want to be saved from their sins). They want the forgiveness of God, and they want to become the children of God.
Good morning friends. This is the “Words of Life” live gospel broadcast brought to you by the Mountain Home Church of Christ. We trust all to be well with you today.
I want to invite you and your family to attend the worship services of the Mountain Home Church of Christ. Our church building is located at the corner of College and North Streets. We meet this morning at 9:30, 10:20 AM and at 6:00 PM this evening and each Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM. The welcome mat is always out for you.
Come with:
A Bible in your hand
A friend by your side
A smile on your face
A song in your heart.
Friends, when the New Testament talks of the church, it never means a large ornate building with stained glass windows and a steeple pointing upward through the sky. To the contrary, it is always referring to a gathering of believers — obedient believers who have been called out of the moral darkness of the world into the radiant light of the Kingdom of God’s dear Son.
Let us ask (and hopefully answer) some pertinent questions about this institution in the Bible known simply as the church:
1. When Did it Begin?
The Lord’s church burst forth on the world scene in about the year 30 A.D. The place was Jerusalem, and the occasion was the Jewish festival known as Pentecost. In Acts 2 we read of the events of that historic day. Prior to the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), in Luke 24:49 Jesus told the apostles to “tarry” or wait in the city of Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit should come upon them.
Luke describes the coming of the Holy Spirit as of a rushing mighty wind and the Spirit was manifested by cloven tongues as of fire. On this great and notable occasion the apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The apostles then began to speak in “other tongues” (which means they were speaking in foreign languages). Travelers from all over the then known world (“devout men of every nation”) were astonished to hear in their own languages these poor men of Galilee praising the God of heaven. The gospel of Christ was getting off to a marvelous start as Peter stood up with the eleven other apostles and, for the first time in history, proclaimed the gospel as an accomplished fact!
Peter made the astonishing claim that Jesus of Nazareth has risen from the grave. Allow me to read his words from Acts 2:36-41:
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
On this day, at this time and on this occasion the nucleus of believers was increased by 3000 souls. Three thousand had the courage to obey the apostolic command to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).
The story continues to get better — better and better still. The early church grew by leaps and bounds. And it began with the preaching of the apostles back there in the city of Jerusalem. When arrested and threatened with imprisonment and death, they argued and pressed their case with even greater dedication and enthusiasm. Their message was that Jesus was the Promised Deliverer and that all men should turn to Him for forgiveness and new life with God.
The good news was further accentuated by the remarkable warmth and genuine friendship among the believers everywhere. They shared their belongings and possessions; they helped those who were in need and they met every day in the temple in Jerusalem to worship God. They even met in one another’s homes to dine together. There was a contagious gladness about this religious group and it is no wonder that their numbers increased very rapidly. They were a most appealing group of people.
At first their ranks were composed of mainly Hebrews or Jewish converts, but before long, Gentiles were added in ever increasing numbers. This was truly a people’s church. Rich and poor could come; men and women could come; high and low could come; Jew and Gentile and black and white could come. Jesus had said “He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). The Lord’s Invitation had been “Come unto me . . .” (Matthew 11:28-30). Friends, from the beginning, Christianity has been “the whosoever religion” — whosoever will, may come and take the water of life freely. Barrier after barrier was broken down as multitudes came to the Lord. Samaritans obeyed the gospel in Acts 8:5-12; an African politician confessed faith in Christ and was baptized in Acts 8:27-39. Even Saul of Tarsus, the cruel and merciless persecutor of disciples, was converted. His life-changing, earth-shaking and history-making turnabout is recorded in Acts 9:22-26.
In Acts 10 and 11 Simon Peter went into the home of Cornelius, a Roman Army officer. This was a precedent-making conversion as Cornelius and his household became the first Gentile converts to the gospel, without previously being subjected to the Jewish rite of circumcision.
Eventually, the church in Jerusalem was persecuted; but this only had the unexpected benefit of scattering the believers over a wider area, for wherever they went, the gospel went with them. Acts 8:4 says:
“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.”
The gospel continued to spread by leaps and bounds, eventually, encompassing the entire Roman world. This was the beginning, the glorious beginning, what a beginning!!
In Acts 4:32,33 is stated regarding the early church:
“and the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul . . . and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”
Acts 2:47 also says:
“Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
2. What is The Church Like?
There are many ways in the New Testament that the church is pictured. Each way is used to teach a particular truth about the church (relative to its nature and work).
The church is likened to the Temple of God. In the Old Testament the Temple was the place where people worshiped God. The temple was the place God had specified to worship. The Lord told His people to destroy the places of heathen worship (Deuteronomy 12:13). God then told them that He would appoint a place to record His name and there — not some other place — but there they were to bring their sacrifices and offerings (Deuteronomy 12:4,5). The people were warned not to offer sacrifices to God at just any place but in the place God himself would select (Deuteronomy 12:13,14).
Friends, the church today is the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). The church of the Lord is even referred to as “the household of God” (1 Timothy 3:15). There was just one Temple under the Old Testament. There is only one church today.
To be in the church is to be “in Christ”. Only “in Christ” is our worship acceptable to God. Only those “in Christ” can serve God in an acceptable manner.
The church is also likened to the flock of God. Shepherding was a common occupation in the ancient Bible world. The church is called “the flock of God” (Acts 20:28). Christ is the Chief Shepherd of the sheep. Man himself is like a sheep in many ways. Sheep need protection against wolves and false shepherds. A sheep gets in danger and it is the shepherd who comes to the rescue.
Jesus, our Great Shepherd, leads us beside still water, leads us into green pastures and He restores the soul.
The church is the body of Christ. If the church is the body, then He is the head. The Head leads, makes decisions and controls the rest of the body. Every believer is like a part of the body — every part different but every part necessary! Paul pointed out that the eye is different from the foot, but neither could get along very well without the other. By working in harmony, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is able to demonstrate the greatest unity in the world.
3. How Do We Enter the Church?
If the church of the scriptures is as important as the Bible teaches, then it is vital that we understand how to get into it.
Acts 2:47 says the Lord adds the saved to the church. Friends, if the Lord adds them, that eliminates man’s voting you into the church. What right does one human being have to vote another human being into the church that belongs to the Lord? If it belongs to the Lord, then, let Him tell us how to enter into it.
In 1 Corinthians 12:13 we read “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body . . .” We are baptized into the body, which is the church. Galatians 3:27 says “for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.”
Have you been baptized into Christ? into the body? into the church? By faith accept the Lord and by faith live for Him and by faith die in Him! This is a matter of great importance. Will you not give this matter your immediate attention?
We must accept the church we read about in the Bible — exactly like God has made it. The Lord doesn’t need any interior decorators — Jesus is the head, founder, its sole authority, ruling His people through the document known as His Last Will and Testament. Man is a lowly mortal on this earth, but man is blessed with the privilege of being in the church for which Jesus died.
We count you who listen as our friends. We wish the very best for you and yours. May God bless you richly is our prayer — and good day.
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