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Lesson 23
The Lord's Church
(Part B)
The one church that Christ purchased with His own blood belongs to Him
and the name it wears must honor Him. We read in Romans 16:16, "The churches
of Christ greet you." This name glorifies and honors Christ, the
one who built it. Other names honor and glorify John the Baptist, Martin
Luther, the day of Penticost, the apostles, Rome, Antioch, Nazareth, the
Greeks, the Russians, the methodical way of doing things, Christians, the
free will, being primitive, southern, missionary, general, the seventh
day, science, catholic, the advent, and the list goes on and on. Even by
their names they do not claim to be Christ's one church. Why can't we
give the glory and honor to God and Christ where the honor belongs?
Today we hear the sincere but mistaken plea to "attend the church
of your choice." Why not attend the church of God's choice, the
church of Christ, the only one that Jesus "purchased with His own
blood" (Acts 20:28). Christ did not shed His blood to purchase any
denomination nor did He purchase a group of denominations. The word
denomination means a fraction or part of a whole. The Lord's church
is not a fraction or a part of anything. It is complete within
itself.
Any church claiming to be the only church Jesus bought with His own
blood should be able to prove from the Bible they are that church of the
Bible. Can the church which you are a member prove that it is the one and
only church the Lord built, which is the church of Christ? If it can't
then you will be laboring in vain if you stay in it. This may sound harsh.
I say this with sincerity and sadness, but it will really be harsh if you
are lost in eternity. We must wake up because this concerns the welfare of
our souls and where we will spend eternity. People too long have ignored
what the Lord has said in the Bible and have blindly followed men.
In order to be in the one church the Lord established, those added to
it by the Lord must be saved according to His requirements. In Acts 2:47
we read, "And the Lord added to the church daily
those who were
being saved." The Lord only adds the saved to His church. There
are no unsaved people in His church. We are not saved just because we
think or feel in our hearts we are. We are saved only when we have done what God has said
we must do. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me
Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the
will of My Father which is in heaven." We must do God's will,
not man's will, to go to heaven.
According to the Bible, who are the saved? Jesus is quite clear as to
who the saved are. Jesus says in Mark l6:16, "He that believes and is
baptized shall be saved." A person has to have help to misunderstand
what the Lord says here. Here we see the Bible says we must believe and be
baptized in order to be saved. This is what Jesus says. But men have tried
to change what the Lord has said. Men say that one does not have to be
baptized, to be saved. Who are you going to follow men or Christ? Jesus
says in John 12:48, "The word that I have spoken will judge him in
the last day." We are not going to be judged by what our
preacher says.
And also Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:21, "The like figure baptism
does now save us." Only when we have obeyed the Lord's command to
be baptized will we be saved. The Bible will be the only standard of
judgment on Judgment Day, and not what we think or what men say. Are you
putting your trust and confidence in what men say or what God has said in
the Bible? You are making this choice everyday as to who you are
following.
Also in order to be the church which Jesus built, the church must
worship God and Christ according to the way They have specified. We are
told in Ephesians 5:17, "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand
what the will of the Lord is." It is very unwise not to find out and understand what the will of the Lord is from the
Bible. Many people are not finding out for themselves but are
relying on someone else to tell them. All you have to do is look around and see all of the
differing doctrines that are being taught in all the different churches.
Are they understanding and following the will of God? Absolutely not. If
they were there would only be the one church, which Christ established,
the church of Christ. What a pitiful condition the religious world is in,
one of which people should be ashamed, but they are not.
If you are not worshipping God and Christ the way They have specified
in the Bible then your worship is vain. Our Lord says in Mark 7:7,
"And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments
of men." Have you been following the commandments of men and only
some of what God says in the Bible? If you have then your worship is vain.
Jesus says in Matthew 28:20, "Teaching them to observe all things that
I have commanded you." We must observe all things and only the
things the Lord has commanded us. Is your worship vain? If it is
then it will do you no good and you will be lost eternally. Please
follow God and not men.
Questions Lesson 23
The Lord's Church
(Part B)
(click on the button of the answer of your
choice)
1) (Romans 16:16) Which church do you read about in the Bible?
Baptist Church.
Lutheran Church.
church of Christ.
2)
The Methodist Church is mentioned in the Bible.
3) (Acts 2:47) How do you get into the Lord's church?
You join His church.
The Lord adds the saved to the church.
You are voted into His church.
4)
Only
the saved are added to the Lord's church.
5) (Acts 20:28) Christ purchased His church with
Money.
Nothing since it didn't cost Him anything.
His own blood.
6)
Any
church claiming to be the one church the Lord purchased with His own blood
should be able to prove from the Bible they are that church.
7) (Mark 7:7) If we try to worship God according to the doctrines
of men
It will be alright if we are sincere.
It is vain.
God will overlook it.
8)
If our
worship is vain it will cause us to be lost.
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