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ABOUT THE CHURCH 
1. What Is The One True Church? The one true church is the universal body of believers everywhere who have given their hearts to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. That is the only true church (see Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18).The Bible teaches us that we must maintain the unity of the Spirit (see Ephesians 4:3) until we come into unity of faith (see Ephesians 4:13). In other words, spiritual unity is something that all Christians can have. Complete unity of knowledge is something for the future. The fact that there are many different denominations reflects a lack of knowledge in the church. In many instances, it also reflects pride. People are unwilling to meet together with others and submit their concepts to the body of Christ. And many denominations have come about because of doctrinal error. What begins as a beautiful and fresh revelation of God often degenerates into lukewarmness and then into fighting what God is doing. Many times those who claim to know God persecute those who really do. It becomes necessary for the Lord Himself to come back with a fresh revelation to break through the solidification of the orthodox believers. This happened in Israel. Israel had lost sight of the Lawgiver in their exaltation of the Law. They killed Jesus, who was the manifestation of God, in the name of their law. In the Middle Ages, when the church had gained political as well as religious power, it began to grow corrupt. Then a reform movement came about through Martin Luther and others, who were persecuted severely by the church. Later on, Lutherans began to persecute Calvinists. Then Calvinists began to persecute Anabaptists, who brought out truth from God on baptism. Still later, Baptists persecuted Pentecostals, who brought out a different truth about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. There have been succeeding waves of truth that God wants to restore to the church. These revelations of truth have been the seed for some of the major denominations which many times began as despised and persecuted sects. The new Christian needs to find a fellowship of believers who love the Lord and who believe the Bible. There are Episcopal priests who love God with all their hearts, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, who serve Jesus, and whose churches are beautiful places of worship. In some Catholic churches born again Christians could feel at home. There are Baptist churches where members love God, Presbyterian churches where the members love God, as well as Methodist, Assemblies of God, Nazarene, and Holiness churches and many others where the members love God. When you are looking for a church home, the first thing to do is to ask the Lord to guide you. Ask Him where He wants you. Find a church that is true to the Bible, one where the people love Jesus Christ and serve Him as Lord. Are the doctrine, teaching, and practice of that church in accordance with the Word of God? Do the members try to live out the doctrine they profess? If you find those characteristics and a warm fellowship, the church may be for you.
2. According To The Bible, When the apostle Paul wrote to one of the other New Testament cities, he addressed his letter to the "saints" of God in that city. He was talking to every church member. Anyone who has been made holy in Jesus is a saint. Unless we belong to Jesus, our accomplishments do not mean anything in God's sight. Obviously, if God is fair, and He is, He will not ignore the labors of Christians in this life. There will be rewards in heaven. Having done everything we can do, we still must realize that we are only doing what we should and that our righteousness--our sainthood--comes from Jesus, not from our works.
3. Does Being A Church Member Ensure
4. Do I Have To Go To Church To Be Saved? No. However, Christianity is not a solitary religion. We are a communal people, and the Bible tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (see Hebrews 10:25).We need fellowship, we need encouragement from one another, and we need to have our views and concepts balanced and checked by other Christians. Jesus said that it takes two or more gathered together for Him to be in their midst (see Matthew 18:20). That means a family can have the Lord in their midst. But even there, one person acts as a counterbalance on another. You do not have some person who goes off and sits on a high mountain all by himself and comes up with a new religion. You do not have to be in the church to be saved, but to continue effectively in the things of God, you must be in some type of fellowship with other Christian people, and churches meet that need.
5. Should Babies Or Adults Be Baptized, The early church began baptizing infants because of the idea that children are born in sin and need immediate baptism to ensure their salvation. At the time of the Reformation, though, Martin Luther rediscovered the biblical truth that spiritual regeneration and justification are by faith. A baby cannot exercise faith. Nevertheless, because so many of those who became his followers had already been baptized as infants in the Roman Catholic Church, Luther did not require them to be baptized again. In fact, he continued to baptize children of believers. When John Calvin came on the scene in Geneva, he taught what is known as "covenant theology." According to covenant theology, if the parents have entered a covenant relationship with God, then their children are part of the covenant, too, and are proper candidates for baptism as infants. In churches that practice infant baptism there is usually some type of confirmation rite in which a child of ten, eleven, or twelve reaffirms the parental faith expressed at his or her baptism. Some Reformation theologians strongly disagreed with infant baptism. They maintained that people should be baptized only as believers, because baptism is a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (see Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12). Baptism to them was the end of the old life and the beginning of a new life in Christ. Since a baby does not have an old life to deal with, they maintained, if someone has been baptized as an infant, he need to be baptized again as an adult believer. These people were called "Anabaptists," which means "rebaptizers." Today there is still disagreement about the proper form of baptism. But, more and more, Methodist, Presbyterian, and some other churches that have historically practiced infant baptism are looking anew at both the qualification of a candidate for baptism and the mode of baptism. A number of people, even though they may have been baptized as infants, are being rebaptized by immersion as adult believers.
6. What Form Of Church Government Is The Best? The New Testament church had a central governing body of "apostles and elders" in Jerusalem, possibly modeled after the seventy-member Jewish Sanhedrin, whose primary task was the preservation of doctrine and practice. Churches were established by apostles chosen by God and recognized by the body of believers. The apostle Paul, and others of the apostles, ordained presbyters (elders) to preside over the church in each city or region.Many scholars feel that the presbyter or teaching elder was the same as the episkopos (overseer or bishop). In the Jerusalem church and in the other churches, men were chosen who were "full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom," called deacons, who were placed by the apostles over the financial and other temporal concerns of the church in order to free the apostles for the ministry of the Word and prayer. Spiritual authority flowed from God, through the apostles, to the local bishops or elders, then to the people. Spiritually, the early church was a theocracy, but in matters concerning money and property, the local assemblies appeared to be autonomous and more democratic, acting as they wished upon the advice and counsel of spiritual leaders. Among the better known denominations today, the church government I feel most closely paralleling that of the New Testament is the Presbyterian. On the local level is the "session" consisting of the pastor, or teaching elder, and the ruling elders (see I Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9, I Peter 5:2). These elders or presbyters are responsible for the spiritual life of the church. Along with them is the board of deacons. The deacons (see I Timothy 3:8-13) govern the temporal affairs of the church, including ministry to the poor, the needy, and the shut-ins (see Acts 6:1-4). The local congregation is self-governing; yet a regional group of elders from the local churches called "the presbytery" oversees the qualifications of ministers and serves as an appeals board for the local churches. On a national basis, the General Assembly deals with major issues and questions of creeds and doctrines, and it coordinates missionary, educational, and publishing programs. Often lacking in this system, in practice if not in theory, are the offices established by Christ: apostle, prophet, teacher, pastor, and evangelist (see Ephesians 4:11-12). Nevertheless, this governmental form usually has an excellent balance between the autonomy of the local congregation and the supervision of denominational officials. Other denominations, notably Baptists and most independent churches, have a congregational system of government. All authority is vested in the membership of the local congregation which, by democratic process, elects a governing body of deacons, calls a pastor, and usually has trustees to hold titles to property. Although this form of church government gives maximum freedom to the members of the local congregation, it is handicapped by the absence of an effective appeals procedure in case of doctrinal disputes, financial disputes, or problems arising in pastoral relations. As a result, congregations can dominate the pastor, who should be God's servant. On the other hand, the people can either be dominated by a strong pastor or stuck with an unsatisfactory one. Without a true spirit of prayer and humility, the only remedy left in such a situation is a power struggle, a suit in a secular court, or a messy church split. Another form of church government is the Episcopal, governed by an archbishop or presiding bishop and council of bishops. In the Roman church the papal system has developed in which great power is given to a pope who, in turn, appoints other church officials such as cardinals, archbishops, and bishops. These more autocratic forms of church government have the advantage of a great sense of historic continuity, plus the ability to mobilize coordinated resources and to control both purity of doctrine and the practice of the clergy. Because of concentration of power, the functioning of hierarchical forms of church government depends in large measure on the quality of their leaders. These churches can be led to great spiritual heights by the proper leaders, or they can be more easily corrupted by the wrong leaders. Another form of church government is the Episcopal, governed by an archbishop or presiding bishop and council of bishops. In the Roman church the papal system has developed in which great power is given to a pope who, in turn, appoints other church officials such as cardinals, archbishops, and bishops. These more autocratic forms of church government have the advantage of a great sense of historic continuity, plus the ability to mobilize coordinated resources and to control both purity of doctrine and the practice of the clergy. Because of concentration of power, the functioning of hierarchical forms of church government depends in large measure on the quality of their leaders. These churches can be led to great spiritual heights by the proper leaders, or they can be more easily corrupted by the wrong leaders.
7. Should I Pay My Tithe To The Local Church? In the Old Testament, the Jews were told to take their tithes to the storehouse (see Malachi 3:10). In Israel, the storehouse was the temple, the center of religion for the entire country. All the people paid their tithes by taking them to the storehouse.Prior to the time of the temple, however, Abraham met an unusual man named Melchizedek, who was the king of Salem (modern day Jerusalem) (see Genesis 14:18). The word Melchizedek means "king of righteousness." He was a king of righteousness and peace, and he was a type of Christ. When Melchizedek blessed Abraham, after Abraham had won a battle, the patriarch gave Melchizedek one-tenth of everything he had won. The lesson we learn is that the spiritual authority which brings blessing is entitled to a tithe. Today there is not one central storehouse. The body of Christ has various manifestations. It has colleges, local churches, television ministries, overseas missions, evangelists, hospitals, relief agencies, and orphanages. All of these make up the storehouse of God. People can give their tithes to any spiritual authority that is ordained of God. One final word, though. When you commit yourself to be a member of a local church, then that church should be honored with your financial support. You should do this not because it is an absolute obligation of scripture but because you have entered into a covenant of membership entailing both privileges and responsibilities. A final mark of a cult is the unwillingness of the leaders to let the people grow up. A true shepherd will do everything he can to bring Christian people to maturity as quickly as he can. He will not seek to avoid necessary teaching, nor will he try to keep people from maturity. Many cults perpetuate spiritual dependence so that their followers lose the ability to make independent, rational decisions. Often techniques of brainwashing are used to create robot-like behavior. Although there are other marks of cultic behavior, these seem to be the ones that stand out. 8. How Do I Recognize A Cult? Practically every cult has certain characteristics that can tell the careful observer that something is wrong.For instance, what does a group think about Jesus? Jesus Christ is God, Lord of all, the only source of salvation. Invariably, a cult will put something else on an equal footing with Christ. It will have a ritual that is equal to Christ, or it will have a doctrine equal to Christ, or it will have a leader who is equal to Christ. In other words, even if it acknowledges Christ as Savior, it will say that you need something else before you can get into heaven. Cults teach that salvation comes through Christ, plus their little unique way. Some cults do not acknowledge Christ at all. They may make Him coequal with their religious teachers or with certain great men of history. The quickest way to recognize a cult is by its treatment of Jesus. Second, cults frequently attempt to instill fear into their followers. The followers are taught constantly that salvation comes only through the cult. "If you leave us, you will lose your salvation," they say. The third area has to do with the exaltation of the leader of the cult. Cults often center around a man or woman who is trying to gain power, money, or influence from manipulating people. This appears to be the case in the Unification church with Sun Myung Moon. In the Children of God, Moses David Berg is an autocratic leader. In the People's Temple, Jim Jones drew attention to himself and asked his followers to die with him. A true leader who serves Jesus Christ has one goal, and that is to exalt and manifest Jesus. When someone says he has unique insight into God or is the special one that God has anointed to reach the world, you are dealing with cultic behavior.
9. What Is The Greatest Problem Facing I am not advocating unity at the expense of purity or at the expense of doctrinal truth. We cannot throw out the Bible in order to have unity. We cannot embrace any strange doctrine just to have superficial unity. But we must have unity where those who truly love Jesus Christ will love each other and try to work together. Even though they may differ over techniques and other superficial things, Christians must work together and emphasize areas of agreement. When this happens, the church will become a supernaturally powerful force. According to the book of Genesis, upon the occasion of the building of the tower of Babel, God saw that the people had one language and were of one accord. Because of this, He said that nothing they wanted to do would have been impossible for them (see Genesis 11:6). If the church could achieve unity, it could change the political and social structure of society with no trouble at all. The world would be a beautiful place to live in if the church would get together. Regrettably, we do not. We have a divisive party spirit...we have jealousy...we fight...we are suspicious of one another. I am not talking about those who do not really believe in God. I am talking about the ones who are believers, who have been born again. If people will truly follow after the Spirit of God, they can operate in unity, because the Spirit of God will give them unity. Unity begins to break down when man's selfishness enters the picture. For unity we have to have mutual respect and a mutual willingness to give and to surrender, not to the other person so much, but to Jesus. We can truly have unity when we all want God's will to be done.
10. Is Saturday Or Sunday The True Sabbath? I think the true Sabbath is a day of rest--one out of seven days. Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). By that He meant that God has set up a cyclical type of existence for us, where it is absolutely imperative that we take a break in our work to rest, to be refreshed, to think of things of the Spirit, and to worship Him. Moslems celebrate Friday, Jews Saturday, and Christians Sunday. It is hard to say that one day has any benefit over another. The apostle Paul says in Colossians that we are not to be bound by any days. He tells us that we are not saved through the observance of Sabbath days or various feast days, because such things are just a shadow of the truth and the truth is Jesus Christ (see Colossians 2:16-17). So in a sense we have a Sabbath rest in Jesus Christ all the time.From a practical standpoint, I believe that people should read Isaiah 58 and see what it says about keeping the Sabbath. We should dedicate a day to the Lord, a day when we do not think our own thoughts or spend time in business or worldly pleasure but when we rest and meditate on Him. God says, in Isaiah 58, that if we do that, we will receive the heritage of Jacob and we will ride on the high places of the earth. That is a wonderful promise. I have found that in my own life, taking a day off, which for me is Sunday, is a most welcome time. It is a time when I am not watching television or going to ball games or running around. Instead, I am seeking God. I am praying, I am studying, I am reading the Word, I am talking to the Lord, and I am being refreshed with rest. Setting aside one day a week for your Sabbath can make a tremendous difference in your life. The reason Christians worship on Sunday instead of Saturday is that Sunday is the day of the Resurrection. Jesus rose from the grave on Sunday, and the Christian church celebrates that day. The early Jewish believers probably also kept Saturday as a rest day. Remember, however, that those who would be legalistic in this affair of literal Sabbath-keeping should stop work at sundown on Saturday. Frankly, I do not believe that Christians have to keep Jewish customs in order to please God. Jesus has fulfilled all the demands of the law so that His followers might live under grace (see Romans 6:15, Galatians 4:4-7). |
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