Subject: Which Church is the right one? |
Bible Note: Greetings Hank, I do in fact attend church and, with my wife, do as much as we can within the church; it is a very large church and we thoroughly enjoy the fellowship as well as the teaching and worship aspect of it. The only problem is I don’t want to mislead someone into thinking that a building or a particular denomination is going to do them any good as far as their salvation is concerned. There are many in our church that are practicing churchanity and it bothers me to no end. When listening to their testimony, as it were, they talk about how nice the church is and how much they have enjoyed it since attending. The main thing that is missing in their testimony is the name Jesus. Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. If I spend five minutes lifting up the benefits of belonging to my church I look at it as wasting that time that I could have used lifting up my incredible Savior Jesus Christ. People need Christ first and if they are obedient to the study of the Word, II Tim. 2:15, the Lord will put them where he wants them. As someone so aptly put it, sitting in a church will no more make you a Christian the sitting in a garage will make you a car. There are a lot of people sitting in churches that are assuming that they are Christians and that just isn’t the case and the big problem is that they won’t find out until it’s too late. Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Too many people are trying to put the cart before the horse, only when they get the cart they forget all about the horse, thinking that they have it all with the beautiful cart that they are sitting in. All of the church ritual in the world won’t take the place of the reality of a personal relationship with the living Jesus Christ. It is like trying to explain an automatic washing machine to someone that has never seen one. They are perfectly content with beating their clothes on a rock; the will never miss something that they have never had and your not about to convince the any different. That is what it says in Matthew in spiritual terms. Matthew 16:15-17 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? [16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. [17] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. We can’t reveal to anyone who Jesus really is, that is the work of the Father and as a result those that have had this revealed to them by the Father are members of the true church or body of Christ. People are always trying to perform works for God and God makes it pretty clear what he wants man to do. John 6:28-29 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? [29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. So the way I see it I should be lifting up Christ not my denomination in order for people to have faith in him. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. I think that churches with their pastors and teachers are for the believers not unbelievers so that the believers can do the work of reaching the unregenerate. Ephes. 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Well it even sounds to me like I am beginning to soapbox so I guess it’s time for me to shut up! CDBJ |