Following Jesus without Denominationalism
Part 2: ‘The Way Out of Religious Division’
Let me first start off by saying THANK YOU to all of you that made such wonderful replies to the first message of this series. I was well impressed with some of the knowledge you guys shared.
Well; it was in the last message, that I began sharing with you the definitions of the terms ‘denomination’ and ‘denominationalism’.
As a mode of review:
Denomination was defined as a group of congregations that are joined together under some governing body, which effectively serves to distinguish and divide them from other congregations.
Denominationalism was defined as the advocacy of separation into religious denominations.
I went on to list THREE key reasons why denominationalism is wrong . . .
1) It is un-scriptural as having NO scriptural support . . .
2) It is anti-scriptural as we saw in:
John 17: 20 – 23:
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”
1st Corinthians 1: 10 -13:
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”
3: 3 – 4:
“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?”
But is it possible for people today to simply be Christians, without being a member of any man – made denomination?
THE ANSWER WAS AND STILL IS A RESOUNDING YES!
Now indeed by following the example of JESUS, we can be members of HIS body, the LORD’S church, just as we read about in the scriptures!!
In this message, let’s take time to start noticing JESUS’ own example in the religious climate of HIS day.
(1) The example Jesus has set for us . . .
In the religious climate of HIS day, when JESUS came to this earth, the Israelites were living under the Law of God as given by Moses.
It was in that law, that GOD had not made any provision for the division of HIS people into religious sects or parties.
Yet; by the time of JESUS, the Jews had formed several distinct religious parties.
The Pharisees (somewhat conservative)
The Sadducees (very liberal, the ‘modernist’ of their day)
The Essenes (radical isolationists)
The Herodians, Zealots (political religionists)
Now it was assumed that all who were serious about religion would be associated with one of these groups.
So JESUS had to come and set the example for us . . . But which of these groups did HE belong?
HE BELONGED TO NONE OF THEM!!!
Instead; HE maintained a ‘non – sectarian’ relationship with GOD to the very end.
As an Israelite, living at a time when the Law of Moses was still in effect, HE was simply an ‘Israelite’.
In addition, HE encouraged all to live by the Law while it was still in effect . . .
Matthew 5: 17 – 20:
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
In other words, HE encouraged all too simply be what the Law of Moses intended them to be ‘Israelites’.
Reverend Sam; what would you think that Jesus would be like today? I mean if He were here on earth today; would He be a Baptist, or Catholic, or Presbyterian, or Methodist, or something else?
If He was simply an Israelite then, would He be known simply as a Christian today?
EXCELLENT QUESTION!!
Of course we know that HIS disciples came to be known as Christians later in time.
Acts 11: 26:
“And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”
Whichever way you look at it, the example JESUS set for us is crystal clear.
JUST BE WHAT GOD ORIGINALLY INTENDED UNDER THE LAW WHICH IS IN EFFECT!
Look at it this way . . . since in the New Testament, which is the Law of Christ (1st Corinthians 9: 21); the Disciples of Christ were called Christians. And with that in mind;
SO SHOULD WE BE!
NOT ONLY SHOULD WE BE CONTENT WITH BEING CALLED CHRISTIAN!
WE SHOULD ALSO BE CONCERNED WITH HONESTLY BEING ONE!
NOTHING MORE AND NOTHING LESS!
I understand this quite well, Reverend. And you make a lot of good sense here . . . but how can I be sure that I am simply a Christian?
As always, I will refer us back to the Bible where GOD’S inordinate Word which ALWAYS gives us truth.
(2) The Lord’s Church in the first century A.D. . . .
As promised by JESUS, HE would build HIS church.
Matthew 16: 18:
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Now I need you all to understand something here . . . the word ‘church’ comes from the Greek word ‘ekklesia’; which means, ‘a called – out group, an assembly, or congregation.’
It was in this manner that JESUS was promising to create HIS own group of people who have been ‘called’ .
What do you mean by ‘called’, Reverend Sam?
The LORD’S Church would also be established through the preaching of the gospel. So we would need to look at how this ‘calling’ takes place.
According to the Apostle Paul, we are ‘called’ by the gospel of CHRIST.
2nd Thessalonians 2: 14:
“Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
On the first Pentecost after the ascension of CHRIST, we see by preaching the gospel that Peter ‘called out’ those who were willing to express their faith in JESUS.
Acts 2: 38 – 41:
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
I want you take a particular notice that those who gladly responded in faith, repentance and baptism, as they were ‘added’ (verse 41)
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
So what and by whom were they ‘added’?
We can find our answer in verse 47:
“Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
The truth of the matter is that the day of Pentecost was the beginning of the LORD’S church.
This ‘called – out’ assembly or group was created when the gospel was proclaimed and people responded to it.
This wonderful and precious gospel gets expanded through the preaching of the gospel.
You see; at first the church existed only in Jerusalem. But as the gospel spread, and more people responded to it, groups of these saved people in various cities met together.
With that, each group became known as a church in the ‘local’ sense, in contrast to the church ‘universal’ which is made up of all those saved throughout the world.
A good example of this would be how during Paul’s first missionary journey, many such churches were established.
Acts 14: 21 – 23:
“And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”
By simply teaching the gospel of JESUS CHRIST, a local church was formed when those who obeyed the gospel joined together in their work and worship.
Making things even better, the gospel became edified through the Apostles’ doctrine.
Even though united in CHRIST, these local churches were independent of any human association or federation of churches.
CHRIST directed them through HIS inspired apostles, as they taught them how to worship and work together.
Acts 2: 42:
“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Sometimes this teaching by the apostles was done directly, while other times by appointed emissaries.
1st Corinthians 4: 17:
“For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.”
Just as often, the teaching was done through the epistles or letters written by the apostles.
1st Corinthians 14: 37:
“If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.”
1st Timothy 3: 14 – 15:
“These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
2nd Thessalonians 2: 14 – 15:
“Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.”
3: 14:
“And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.”
When we see that the Bible tells us about the LORD’S church, we learn that by responding to the gospel and then paying close heed to the ‘apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2: 42); people in the first century were able to be Christians only WITHOUT ALL THE CONFUSION PREVALENT TODAY!!!
But Reverend Sam . . . is it possible for us to do this today?
Absolutely! And here is how:
(3) The way out of religious division . . .
Nothing can be more annoying than trying to figure out which religion is right and which is wrong. Each presents its own set of views and it’s personal beliefs. So how does one find a way out of this?
Perhaps the first way is to accept the call of the gospel. Remember; it is CHRIST who calls us into HIS church through the gospel.
Therefore, we can begin obeying the same instructions that Peter gave on the Day of Pentecost.
Acts 2: 38:
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
What we all have to understand is that by repenting of our sins, and being baptized for the remission of our sins, we would then receive the same blessings as did the 3000 on that day and do you know what that blessing was?
S A L V A T I O N ! ! !
By being saved in this manner we KNOW that the LORD truly adds us to HIS church just as HE added them.
Acts 2: 47:
“Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
So, after you accept the call of the gospel; what’s next?
Easy; you need to follow the example of the early Christians. If you read and study your Bible (like you should); you would notice that the early Christians continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine as we see in Acts 2: 42:
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
THEY JOINED NO OTHER RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION!
AND NEITHER SHOULD ANY OF US!
By being in CHRIST, we are automatically united with all others who are in HIM.
You see; as members of the LORD’S church, we should study carefully the New Testament description of the church that continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.
And just where is this description? It is all found in the Book of Acts and in the Epistles which follow it.
It is here that we will find instruction from the LORD’S apostles on how to do three key things:
(1) Worship the LORD acceptably
(2) To be scripturally organized as local congregations
(3) To live and work together as Christians, spreading the gospel of CHRIST through word and example.
Since the apostles were guided by the HOLY SPIRIT, we may be sure their instructions were exactly what JESUS wanted them to be!!
If we would just duplicate the early churches by following the apostles instructions . . .
WE WOULD SIMPLY BE CHRISTIANS!
AND WE CAN BE CERTAINTHAT THE LORD WOULD BE PLEASED WITH US!
Keep in mind as JESUS said to HIS apostles about those who would receive or reject their instructions:
“He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.”
(Luke 10: 16)
I will close with these final thoughts . . .
Simply being a Christian and duplicating the New Testament congregation is not as difficult as one might think . . .
There are literally thousands of such congregations through – out the world.
AND THERE IS A VERY GOOD LIKELY CHANCE THERE IS ONE ON YOUR AREA!
So; by following the example and teachings of JESUS, as revealed by HIS apostles, we can be led out of the religious confusion that dominates the religious world today!
Do you want to simply be a Christian? A member of the LORD’S church we read about in the New Testament?
If so; then I personally plead with you to first render obedience to the gospel of CHRIST as proclaimed by Peter and all the apostles.
Acts 2: 36 – 38:
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
You have the assurance of GOD’S Word that you will then be added by the LORD HIMSELF to HIS church.
Acts 2: 47:
“Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
Then you have the responsibility to learn and follow the apostles’ doctrine as you serve the LORD JESUS in your life.
Acts 2: 42:
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Friends; if you have not yet responded to the commands of the gospel as put forth by Peter in Acts 2: 38. Why not let the reaction of those who did on the Day of Pentecost describe your actions today?
Acts 2: 41:
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
I love you all!
Reverend Sam
