Transcript Strange Things Heard About The Church of Christ

Strange Things Heard About The Church of
Christ
•Define Church of Christ- Mt. 16:18; Rom. 16:16 (
Universal and Local usage). Ekklesia- Gr. called out
ones. “of Christ-” belonging to the Anointed One. So
the Church of Christ is the body of believers who have
been called out of the kingdom of darkness into the
kingdom of light.
•The way this is done is they are called by the gospel
when one has heard, believed, repented, confessed and
been baptized into Christ for remission of sins. These
continued to be called to walk faithfully (Rev. 2:10).
Strange Things Heard About the Church
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“You believe in water salvation.”
Reply- The water by itself does not save anyone.
There is no intrinsic cleansing power in H2O.
The water is where the blood of Christ is applied (Rom.
6:1-4; 1 Peter 1:18,19- you were not redeemed with
corruptible things…but by the precious blood of Christ.
Heb. 9:14- “how much shall the blood of Christ purge
you from dead works” Eph. 2:13- “now in Christ you
who were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ v.
16- we are reconciled by the cross into one body). Rom.
6:3-10- READ.
• How do we get “in Christ?” Gal. 3:27- Baptized into Him
• How do we get into one body (Eph. 1:22,23; 4:4; Acts
2:47- the saved are in the church- the church is the body.
Strange Comments About the Church
• “You don’t believe in music”
• We believe in what the Bible authorizes in worship (vocal
music)- Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16.
• Instrumental music was authorized in the OT (Ps. 150).
God certainly knew how to tell us to use it if he wanted it.
He did not authorize instrumental music in NT worship
therefore we cannot practice what is not authorized.
• Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16- show the instrument today is the
heart and not mechanical instruments. Each of us is to
sing for ourselves ( no authority for choirs). The songs we
are to sing are scriptural songs. Our worship is to have a
dignity to it not to have the atmosphere of a campout.
God is the primary audience for our worship so we must
do what pleases Him.
Strange Things Heard
• “The church of Christ is a cult”
• Define cult- “a religion regarded as unorthodox”
“devotion to a person or thing”
• “a religious group centered around a charismatic person
that engages in mind-control and rejects the Bible as sole
authority.”
• Cult- “Religiously it describes a group that typically
follows a charismatic leader other than Christ and
believes in special revelation.”- Kingdom of the Cults• The Lord’s church does not fit this description but has
been called a “sect” by some (Acts 24:5; 28:22). Calling
a group this is a tactic to turn attention from the truth of
what is taught and practiced when compared to the
Bible. Cult brings to mind visions of Jim Jones, Charles
Manson etc. and no one wants that association.
Strange Things Heard About The Church
• “the church of Christ was founded by Alexander Campbell”- hence
the name ‘Campbellites’
• Campbell believed in returning to the original standard, for this is
the meaning of the term "restore." When one restores something
which has existed earlier, he does not create or originate; he
attempts to reproduce an earlier work
• "I have always repudiated all human heads and human names for
the people of the Lord, and shall feel very thankful if you will
correct the erroneous impression which your article may have made
in thus representing me as the founder of a religious denomination."
(Richardson, Memoirs of Campbell, II, 441)
• Campbell was one leader in a movement to get all churches to
abandon all creeds and man-made names and go “back to the Bible”
for authority in all practices. He was a Baptist for 17 years but was
baptized for remission of sins late in life.
• The Lord’s church was established in Jerusalem in about 33 AD and
was founded by Jesus Christ. He has only one church (Eph.
1:22,23). Campbell believed in “no creed but the Bible”
Strange Things Heard About the Church
• “People in the Church of Christ think they are the
only ones going to heaven.”
• Not all members of the Church of Christ will make it
to heaven. We must be “steadfast, immoveable and
always abounding” to go (1 Cor. 15:58) and we must
be faithful “unto death” (Rev. 2:10).
• No one will be saved without being in Christ (Gal.
3:27)The Lord adds all the saved to His church (Acts
2:47) Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord will enter
the kingdom of heaven but he that does the will of the
Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).
Strange Things Heard About the Church
• “people in the Church of Christ believe in works
salvation.”
• What did Jesus say? “if you love me you will keep my
commandments” (Jn. 14:15).
• We are saved by faith (Gal. 3:26) but not faith only
(James 2:24) this passage also says we are saved by
works. Rev. 20:12- “the dead were judged…according
to their works.”
• We must do the works of God to be saved but it does
not matter if anyone does some system of manmade
works. Whatever God says for us to do we should be
willing to do as soon as we can, salvation is urgent and
comes as a result of Jesus dying. We cannot save
ourselves.
Valid Charges
• There are some in the Lord’s church who have
digressed into cult like organizations (House
church, Boston church movement –prayer
partners to confess sins to, etc. Beware!
• Some have perverted the gospel and some men
want to lead away disciples after themselves
(institutional churches).
• Some Christians are poor examples and give
the Lord’s cause a bad name.
• Because some do not live and teach the gospel
does not mean the truth cannot be followed.
Strange Things Heard About The Church
• “people in the church of Christ are don’t believe
in grace or the Holy Spirit.”
• The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace
(Rom 3:24- Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:8- For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Titus 2:11- For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men,
The Holy Spirit
• 1 Thess 4:7-8- For God hath not called us unto
uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that
despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also
given unto us his holy Spirit.
John 16:13- Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not
speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that
shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
We have all truth today in His Word, the Bible. The
purpose for direct operation of the Holy Spirit has
ceased. The Spirit stills dwells in the Christian
through the Word. What would He do for us or to us
that the applied Word does not do in us?
The One True Church
• There is only one church that pleases God.
• It belongs to Christ.
• He died to purchase it (Acts 20:28- Take heed
therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over
the which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers, to feed the church of God, which he
hath purchased with his own blood.
• The Lord’s church is called after His name.
• No man made groups are the Lord’s church.
Speaking Where The Bible Speaks
• New Testament Christians that worship in local
churches believe that the Bible is the power of God
unto salvation(Rom. 1:16).
• We believe that God has given us all things that
pertain to life and godliness(2 Peter 1:3- According
as his divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and
virtue:
• 2 Tim. 3:16,17- “all scripture is given by
inspiration…”
What Did Jesus Say About Salvation?