(based on a message by Paul Snoddy)
SERIES: “IMPORTANT QUESTIONS”
TEXT: JOHN 17:20-23
TITLE: “WHAT ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH?”
OPEN: A. Jn 17:20-23 – “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me
through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the
glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be
brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you
have loved me.”
B. Have you ever wondered how many different types of churches exist?
--In the “Church Directory” section of the Friday edition of the Washington Times-Herald, I
counted 24 headings and 120 congregations
1. While names of congregations may not be all-telling, they can be significant.
2. Did you know that in Boring, Oregon is …? You guessed it?
--The Boring Christian Church.
a. How would you like to invite your friends?
--“I go to the Boring Christian Church and wish you would come with me.” “Oh, really? Is
it that boring?” “Yes, it really is Boring!”
b. Can you imagine all the church announcements?
“Please come to Boring Mother/Daughter Banquet this Friday night.”
“Hear the Boring choir sing next Sunday at all the services.”
c. Can you imagine how the Sr. Minister would introduce himself?
--“Hi, I am the Boring preacher!” (No comments from the audience, please!)
C. Over the last three weeks, I’ve shared some of the biblical, yet, distinctive doctrines of our church:
--the plan of salvation, baptism, and communion
1. This congregation is part of a fellowship of congregations called the Independent Christian
Churches and instrumental Churches of Christ.
a. While we exist within a fellowship of many congregations – just over 6,000 nationwide – we
are not part of any formal denomination.
b. In other words, we have no headquarters.
--Each congregation is governed locally.
c. There is no “outside” authority that tells us what to do doctrinally, organizationally, or
financially.
2. One of the results of being locally governed and independent of “outside” authority, this concept
has really taken fire again and the Independent Christian Churches are one of the fastest-growing
church groups in the United States.
3. Each year an annual convention is held – called the North American Christian Convention
--The 2006 convention was just a few weeks ago and was held in Louisville. The 2007
convention is slated for Kansas City.
a. Our convention is what is termed as a “free” convention
--What that means is that, as opposed to many denominational conventions, it’s not a
convening of formal delegates and there is no voting on issues or proclamations
b. The North American is just four days of praise, worship, preaching, teaching, and fellowship
--It’s open to anyone who wants to attend
D. A brief history lesson on the origin of the Christian Church
--the Christian church began in the early 1800’s
1. There were some spiritual men who saw that many different church groups were forming and
many of them were getting away from the basic teaching of Scripture.
2. They desired to see a restoration of the church as it was established in the New Testament
--that’s why the movement is called “The Restoration Movement”
3. Out of this movement there arose several slogans that described what the Christian church was all
about:
a. “We’re not the only Christians; just Christians only.”
b. “No creed but Christ; no book but the Bible; no name but the Divine.”
c. “Where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where the Bible is silent, we are silent.”
4. One of the slogans is the basis of my message today:
--“ In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, love.”
a. Please repeat that slogan with me
--It’s the outline on the bulletin insert
b. We’re going to repeat that slogan several times today
I. IN ESSENTIALS, UNITY
A. One of our main goals as a church is to have unity based on Scripture; based on truth. If there is no
consistent standard, there can be no unity.
1. If there were no standard for a speed limit on a highway there would be chaos.
--That’s why a police officer has the right to pull you over if you exceed the posted limit. There is a
standard which we are called to follow
2. Many people – including some Christians – believe unity should simply be based on acceptance of all
ideas - all beliefs - and that we should be completely tolerant.
--However, that is not the scriptural idea of unity
B. Jesus prayed for unity among His followers
--Jn. 17:21 – Jesus prayed, “...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
1. The purpose of unity is that people will believe the message we have to share
2. That message is a message of truth
--A few verses before our text this morning, Jesus prayed in Jn. 17:17 – “Sanctify them by the truth;
your word is truth.”
3. If five different police officers give you five different speeds you can drive on the same section of a
highway, there is a deviation from the standard.
--Which officer is correct? The one who follows the speed limit.
C. That’s why we have so many different churches today – there has been a deviation from the truth of
Scripture.
1. Maybe you’ve heard the story about t Jewish who man was run over by an automobile. They rushed
him to a Catholic hospital where an Episcopalian surgeon amputated his leg. A Presbyterian nurse who
worked there felt sorry for him, so she advertised in a Congregationalist paper for a wooden leg for the
Jewish man whose leg had been amputated by the Episcopalian in the Catholic hospital.
As Providence would have it, a Methodist woman read the Presbyterian ad in the Congregational
paper and remembered that her husband, who had died a Baptist, had left behind a wooden leg. So she
contacted the Salvation Army, which sent an emissary to the Methodist woman’s home to pick up the
Baptist leg.
They took the woman’s leg to the express office and gave it to a Lutheran express agent who sent it
to the Catholic hospital and gave it to an Evangelical nurse. She carried it upstairs, strapped it on the
Jewish man and made of him a United Brethren.
2. Now, I realize that those of you sitting here this morning come from many different backgrounds
a. We have those who grew up in a Restoration movement church
b. We have those who grew up in a variety of denominational backgrounds
c. We have those who never affiliated with any kind of church until they were older
d. We’re kind of a “melting pot” of various backgrounds
3. As a “Christian Church” it is our goal to point people to Jesus Christ.
--We should never apologize for the truth and for our faith in the living Son of God!
4. As a “Christian Church” we believe that our doctrine – what we believe and teach is to be centered
around the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bible.
**Let’s repeat that phrase: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and, in all things, love.”
II. IN NONESSENTIALS, LIBERTY
A. While we believe that our main goal is to point people to Jesus Christ and that we have a standard in the
Bible to do that, we also recognize there are going to be many opinions.
1. Concerning doctrinal items on which the Bible clearly teaches, there is no room for opinions
a. Such things include the infallibility of the Scriptures –that God’s Word is completely true; that
Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation; that the local church is overseen by a group of men called
“elders”; that baptism is essential for one who claims to wear the name of Christ; that the Lord’s
Supper or communion should be observed every week
b. Those things are never going to change
2. On the other hand, there is a lot of liberty in how we operate, what programs we choose, and how they
are to be run
3. On areas of opinion where there might be many differences within the congregation, we have Elders
who oversee this congregation and their word is then to be the final authority on matters of opinion.
--Sometimes, their role may not be popular but it is necessary to preserve unity, to implement
leadership, and to oversee this congregation.
B. Rom. 14:1 – “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.”
--Disputable matters are things that don’t matter to God one way or the other
1. One area of opinion within the church is the style of music.
a. Music is such a subjective medium.
--What one person loves another person hates, and it’s impossible to please everyone.
b. Music we like tends to lift us emotionally.
1). I think that’s why this issue is such a hotly debated topic
--there’s even a book that’s been out for some time entitled Putting an End to Worship Wars
2). Don’t you think the Devil just enjoys himself immensely when he gets us arguing about what
style of music make us more spiritual
--1 Cor. 11:19 – “No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have
God’s approval.”
3). If we spent as much time working to advance the kingdom of God as we did arguing over non-
essential things in the kingdom of God, we’d be a whole lot further along in expanding the
kingdom of God
c. Ps. 33:1 – “Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.”
--we are commanded to worship the Lord with music but never is one particular type of music given
as the God-ordained method in the Scriptures
d. Ps. 33:3 – “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
e. Let’s repeat that phrase: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and, in all things, love.”
2. Another area of opinion within the church is the style of dress.
a. I’m not going to spend much time on this area.
--I’m just glad you DO dress when you come to church
b. The Bible only gives one command about our dress – that it be modest.
c. Some of you will disagree with me on this issue but that’s okay
--Let’s repeat that phrase: “In doctrine, unity; in opinion, liberty; and, in all things, love.”
III. IN ALL THINGS, LOVE
A. While the church must be built on the truth of God’s Word – Scripture; and while the church must be
able to differentiate between truth and opinion, there must be one overriding characteristic – love!
1. Jn. 13:34-35 – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must
love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
2. A follower of Jesus Christ is not necessarily going to be known by what doctrine they believe or what
their opinion is; they will be known by their love.
3. Love can be such a difficult word to define and it can be expressed in so many different ways.
a. One woman wrote to her ex-fiancé: “Dearest Jimmy, No words could ever express the great
unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one
could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you!
Yours forever, Marie... P.S., And congratulations on winning the state lottery.”
b. A child wrote: “Dear God, I bet it’s very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole
world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it.”
B. Love in the Bible seems to be two dimensional – first, a love for God; and, second, a love for others.
1. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He said in Mt. 22:37-40 – “‘Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law
and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
2. While the church cannot make you love God and it cannot make you love other people, we should
provide a community for you – an atmosphere where your love for God and your love for others can
be nurtured.
C. One of the biggest mistakes we make about love is that it’s going to be perfect, all the time. That’s
rarely true in any relationship.
1. Love is not perfect in marriage.
--At some point one partner will offend the other one. If their love is only based on emotion and
romance, there is no commitment to that relationship.
2. Love is not perfect in children and parents.
a. At some point that cute little infant will need lots of attention and that parent will get busy and the
lovable can become almost unlovable.
b. Love between a parent and child is not based just on emotions but on commitment of authority,
leadership, and submission.
3. A lot of people want a perfect relationship.
--They want it at home with their spouse, at home with their children, and even with a church.
a. I have some really sad news for you … there are no perfect churches anywhere of which I am
aware.
b. One man had been attending a congregation for about six months. He told the preacher, “I love
this church. It’s absolutely what I’ve been looking for. This is the perfect place for me.” The
preacher said, "If you think this is a perfect church, don’t join it because you’ll ruin it."
c. We are not a perfect church … and, for good reason – we have people!
1). But, we are a church that wants to connect you to God through His Word and connect you with
other people who are attempting to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
2). We are a church of Christians, not perfect people – just ones who have been forgiven by the
Lord.
Do we always love God like we should? No.
Do we always love other people like we should? No.
d. . Let’s repeat that phrase: “Inessentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and, in all things, love.”
4. It was God’s wonderful love that sent Jesus to this world and allowed Him to become our ultimate
sacrifice.
a. Jesus died on the cross for my sins and yours.
b. We may not be a perfect church but we have a Perfect Savior.
CLOSE: A. The apostle Paul gives some important information concerning Christ and His church in Col.
1:15-23a – “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by
him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones
or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all
things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the
beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the
supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to
reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in
your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical
body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the
gospel.”
B. The church is comprised of those who have submitted themselves to Jesus Christ as Savior and
Lord
1. He is God
2. He is over all things
3. He is the one who brings peace in our relationship with God through His death on the cross
4. He is the one who strengthens us to continue in our faith, “established and firm”
--In Him is our hope for abundant life here and eternal life in heaven
