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Choosing a Church
The
Christian Chronicle has recently reported that the number of Church of
Christ adherents (members and their unbaptized children) continues to
decline. Since 2003, the number is down 102,000 or 6.2%. During
the same time, the number of congregations fell by 708, or 5.4%.
That’s not a “decline.” It’s a free fall.
The number of members hasn’t fallen as fast,
meaning that we’re declining more rapidly among children and young couples.
That’s a really bad sign, indicating that the rate of decline is likely to
accelerate.
We’re having congregations close their doors at a
rate of about 1 every 4 days – over 7 per month. We’re losing on a
nationwide average about 35 adherents per day. That's 35 souls leaving
the church every time the sun goes down. Tomorrow morning when we open
our eyes ands get out of bed, there will be roughly 35 members of the Lord's
church who will never walk through the doors of a congregation of the Lord's
church again.
Where are our youth going? There are only two
possible answers to this question. They are either transferring to
denominational churches or leaving Christianity all together. The
trend is that the youth who leave Anti congregations are just dropping out
of Christianity altogether while the mainstream churches of Christ are
losing their youth to the denominations who offer more flash and excitement
and less accountability for sin.
We should be concerned for our youth in this
congregation. We have a substantial number of young adults in this
congregation who are just a few short years away from being on their
own. They are soon going to be making decisions that will be effecting
them, their future spouses and their children, grandchildren, great
grandchildren for generations to come.
When I grew up and left home to find my way in the
world, encountered some circumstances in my life that tempted me to look to
other churches in order to find my way. I was young and eager to live
my life as I saw fit I thought I wanted something more than what I thought
the church I grew up in had to offer. I wanted something more
exciting, I wanted something different, I wanted something a little more
accepted by the religious community in general. I hated it when people
made comments to me like, "you are one of those people who don't use musical
instruments" or worse yet, "you are one of those people who think you
are the only ones who are going to heaven". When I was young, comments
such as these bothered me. They bothered me because people who were
not religious at all thought I was ignorant because I was a Christian, and
people who were religious to a degree but members of other churches also
rejected me as somewhat of a religious fanatic and a kook. As a young
adult, rejected by both general groups of people, there was almost no
support group I could turn to in order to find any companionship with.
I attended some denominational churches and eventually just stopped
attending church altogether for many years.
I eventually found my back. Thankfully I was
given the time to find my way back. Not every one gets that chance.
We have all seen the little memorials set up alongside the roads the parents
and others have lost their loved ones to accidents on the roads. We
have all seen the news reports of the senseless killings of innocent people.
We hear of soldiers dying overseas in attacks. There is no guarantee
any of us will be alive this time tomorrow. It is unwise at best to
wager your soul on the time you think you may have to get things right.
This lesson this morning is primarily for the youth
but it has an application for everyone here. What we are going to do
in this lesson is to pick out a church. Let's forget for just a while
that we are setting in an assembly of the church of Christ and let's look at
what the Bible says about this and let's just pick out a church to attend.
Let's all pretend that we have never stepped a foot into any old church
anywhere in our whole life and we want to choose one from out of all the
choices there are out there. Since the Bible is the inspired written
record of God's will for man, then we will let God tell us what He wants in
His church by using it and only it to guide us in our selection. When
we boil it all down to the basics, it doesn't matter what we believe, or how
we feel, if it isn't in harmony with all the written will of God, then we
are wrong and we need to adjust our thinking and our actions to what the
Bible teaches.
The first thing we need to understand is
whether or not we are free to choose just any old church out there
that we like the looks of. Perhaps one is more exciting,
perhaps it has more young people to socialize with, perhaps it's
more popular, perhaps its more fun. Does the written record of
God's word say we are free to choose any old church we want?
No it does not. In fact, there are some things the word of God
does say which forbids choosing just any old church out there.
Matthew 15:8-9
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth
me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.
This is Jesus speaking to a group of
Pharisees and scribes when He made that remark. The Pharisees
and scribes were known to add a whole bunch of nonessential things
to the religious practices of the day. There is an application
for us today which is unmistakable. These Pharisees and
scribes were worshipping God, they were honoring them with their
praises and worship but Jesus says "their heart is far from me"
Why? Jesus tells us why. Because they were "teaching
for doctrines the commandments of men". Jesus said "in
vain they do worship me". The word vain means 'to no
purpose'. In other words, Jesus accused these people of
worshipping Him for nothing because they were teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men.
So we need to recognize the application
here for us today. If people in the 1st century could worship
God for nothing because of the commandments of men, then we can
today as well. It didn't matter how much they praised God, it
didn't matter how good they felt about it in their hearts.
Jesus said their hearts were far from Him and their worship was for
nothing because they added the commandments of men to it.
Does the Bible say anything about how we
are to avoid following the commandments of men? While praying
to God on one occasion, Jesus said in John 17:17, "Sanctify them
through thy truth: thy word is truth." So we understand
that the written record of God's word is the source of truth today.
In 1 Corinthians 4:6 we read, "Now these things, brethren, I have
in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes;
that in us ye might learn not (to go) beyond the things which are
written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the
other." (ASV). God's word is truth, and if we add to it,
then we have added the teachings of man to the word of God.
Let's keep in mind what Jesus said in Matthew 15:9, "in vain they
do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
What about taking things away from the word
of God? John wrote in Revelation 22:18-19, "for I testify
unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book,
If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the
plagues that are written in this book:" There's that
adding to the word of God which we have already looked at.
Now, what about the opposite? "And if any man shall take away
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away
his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and
from the things which are written in this book."
Notice carefully that John wrote "if ANY
man shall add" and "if ANY man shall take away" God
gave us His word. His word is truth. And any additions
to it, or subtractions from it is done by man. It is a
commandment of man and Jesus said in words impossible to
misunderstand that such things make our worship vain, empty, of no
effect, worthless, useless or basically just a waste of our time.
Some additional scriptures we need to
consider while on this topic are: Romans 10:1-3, "Brethren, my
heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may
be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but
not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God's
righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not
subject themselves to the righteousness of God". (ASV) The
people in Paul's view here were rejecting the faith of Christ and
trying to follow after the teachings of men instead. They had
zeal, they had all kinds of feeling and devotion but it was for
nothing because they substituted God's righteousness with their own.
And now let's look at 2 John 9-11, "Whosoever
goeth onward (goes too far, NASB) and abideth not in the
teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching,
the same hath both the Father and the Son." When we go
onward beyond the word of God, and go too far, we are adding the
teachings of men to our work and worship to God. John went on
to say in verse 10, "If any one cometh unto you, and bringeth not
this teaching, receive him not into (your) house, and give him no
greeting: for he that giveth him greeting partaketh in his evil
works" (ASV). Not only are we not to go beyond the word of
God, we are not to approve of or go on with those who do go beyond
it.
So let's say we have never been in a church
in our life and we woke up this morning and decided we wanted to
pick out a church, we know from this handful of scriptures we have
looked at this morning that we need to pick one that precisely
follows the word of God, adding nothing to, nor taking anything
away. No commandments or teachings of men included.
Anything that they do which cannot be found in the word of God is
too much. Anything they may leave out of the word of God is
not enough.
So now, on our quest to pick out a church
to go to, if we are going to use the word of God to direct us, then
we now know that we cannot choose one that adds to or takes away
from His word. So now what else do we need to look for?
When we look into the new testament we do
not read of the inspired writers teaching about more than one
church. Paul was not a member of a denominational church.
Peter was not a member of a different church than John was.
James, Timothy and the rest of the faithful Christians were members
of and taught about one church. Paul wrote a great deal
concerning the church in his letter to the Ephesians. He wrote
in Ephesians 1:20-23, "which He worked in Christ when He raised
Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly
places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but
also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His
feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."
(NKJV) Notice Paul said the church was the body of
Christ. Later in the same letter Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:4,
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one
hope of your calling" (NKJV). Paul taught the Ephesians
that the church is the body of Christ and that there is only one
body. Since the body of Christ and the church is the exact
same thing, there can be only one church.
There was only one church written about in
the new testament. Paul belonged to it, Peter belonged to it,
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John belonged to it. If we are going
to set out to choose a church, we need to choose the one they
belonged to.
The one church belongs to Jesus Christ.
It is His possession. Let us consider the words of Jesus as he
was speaking to his disciples one day. Matthew 16:18, "and upon this rock I
will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Notice two things Jesus said here. He said he would build "my"
church, meaning it belongs to Him. Notice also, He said "church"
singular. How many churches did Christ promise to
build? He said only one. How may churches did Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James Timothy belong to? They
belonged to the church that belonged to Jesus Christ. they
belonged to the Lord's church.
So what's going to happen to those who
choose the wrong one? Does the Bible have anything to say
about that? Let's consider Paul's words in Galatians 5:19-21,
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred,
contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and
the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in
time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the
kingdom of God" (NKJV).
Let's back up and look at the word
"heresies". Notice those who are guilty of heresies will not
inherit the kingdom of God. That's pretty plain. The
original Greek word for that is, 'hairesis (hah'-ee-res-is) which
carries the meaning of a sect. This is the exact same word
used in Acts 5:17 in reference to the sect of the Sadducees.
The Sadducees were a sect or a denomination of Jews who believed
there was no such thing as a resurrection of the dead. It is
also the exact same word used in Acts 15:5 in reference to the
Pharisees who were for the most part guilty of a whole bunch of
manmade doctrines added to the law of Moses. The Pharisees
were a sect, a denomination in modern English, of the Jewish faith.
Paul said in Galatians 5:20 that those who were guilty of
sectarianism, or denominationalism would not inherit the kingdom of
God. That is what Paul said in the original language.
People in the new testament times who added
to or took away from God's word were called "hah-ee-res-is" which is
where we get the English word 'heretic' which Paul said would not
inherit the kingdom of God. Those who do not inherit the
kingdom of God will not be saved and will not spend their eternity
in heaven.
If we are going to choose a church, not
only must we choose the same one Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul,
Peter and the rest were members of, we must avoid the ones which
they were not members of. We need to reject them, we don't
want to be any part of them. God said in His word that they won't get us to heaven, they
can't get us to heaven.
And lastly, let's look at what Paul wrote
in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, "and to give you who are troubled rest
with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty
angels,
8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God,
and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (NKJV).
And now let's look at Romans 2:5-10, "But in accordance with your
hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for
yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous
judgment of God, 6 who "will render to each one according to his
deeds": 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing
good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are
self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness —
indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of
man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good,
to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (NKJV).
The gospel must be obeyed. The truth
must be obeyed. God must be obeyed. In our search for
just the right church, we need to seek one that teaches us to be
obedient to the will of God in all things. Those who do not
teach this are not teaching the whole counsel of God.
Sometimes the truth is hard to hear. Sometimes obeying the
truth requires sacrifice on our part. Sometimes obeying the
truth is not going to be popular and will result in persecution and
rejection by others. Sometimes obeying the truth is not what
we want to do. Obeying the truth means we have to change who
we are and how we live. Obeying the truth means we have to set
our own personal wishes and desires aside and submit to the
authority of God. We must honor God by obeying Him and
submitting to His rules. We can't do it our way. Hell is
full of people who did it their way.
We must choose the Lord's church.
There is only one. And that's the one we need to be a part of.
We need to choose correctly and wisely. The choices we make in
life are going to effect us the rest of our lives on earth and in
the eternal hereafter. We must choose the right path. We
must choose the narrow way. And for the youth in here, you
need to choose the path that you know will help guide your loved
ones yet to come on a path which will get them to heaven so they can
live forever. It's not about just you and what you want.
It's about what is best not only for you, but for whoever you marry
and whoever your children are and whoever else is in your life that
you love enough that you don't want to see them suffer eternal
condemnation.
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