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The Church |
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The Church |
Lesson 4
Recognizing Christ's Church
Marks that Identify
Almost all serious students of the New
Testament agree that there was a church established in the days of the apostles
which was known as the church of Christ. Almost all agree that the church was
known as the church of Christ. Almost all agree that the church which Christ
founded started on Pentecost after His resurrection from the dead.
There is much information about His church in the New Testament, and that makes
it possible for us today to know what the church was then. It is necessary that
these facts be understood in our generation; otherwise, it will not be possible
to recognize Christ's church today. One of the benefits of knowing what the
church should be is that we will be better able to answer a very practical and
perplexing question.
The perplexing question is "Which church is the right church?" It is often asked
today by people who are confused by the many religious organizations which wear
the name of "churches." All around us there are churches of various kinds,
wearing different names and teaching different doctrines. How can we know which
church is the right church? Does it really make any difference about the church
to which a person belongs?
An additional part of the confusion is that many people who hold different
religious views and belong to different churches all seem very honest and
sincere. What is a person to do? Is there any way to discover the truthful
answer to this thorny question which confronts our world? Is there any way to
determine which church is the right church? If there is such a way, just how can
a person discover that way? What method should I use to find out the answer?
A Workable Plan
Perhaps we should start with a very basic observation: Jesus established a
church - ONE church. When we open the New Testament, there is only one Body of
Christ (Ephesians 4:4). It is impossible to find there any basis for the modern
scene of rampant religious division and different bodies. Shortly before His
death, Jesus prayed the eloquent but simple prayer in John 17. In it he said:
"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." (John 17:20-21)
Jesus connected the oneness of His followers with whether men would believe that
God had sent Him. Is it possible that the major reason for unbelief in this
world can be traced to the divisions among those calling themselves Christians?
Surely we should see in Jesus' prayer His plan to have all his disciples forever
in oneness. This alone should urge us to discover again the one church built by
Jesus (Matthew 16:18).
The information about the church in the New Testament becomes a kind of dynamic
plan in the New Testament becomes a kind of dynamic plan or blueprint for
Christ's one church till the end of time. If we wish to recognize Christ's
church in our generation, the only workable plan is to return to the New
Testament - the "plan" and "pattern" for the church - and discover what it was.
Think for a moment about another example of someone who is searching for
something - in this case, a cow. A man owns a cow. It is a black cow, with white
spots. The cow has the brand - the mark of its owner - on its left shoulder, and
the cow has a certain kind of cut on its right ear. The cow is stolen, but the
owner sees the cow in the herd of another man.
Now, how shall the cow be identified? The way is simple and obvious: the marks
on the cow - its skin colors its spots, its brand, along with the cut on the ear
- must be checked, so that the owner can claim his cow. The pattern for the
church of Christ as established by the Lord is found in the New Testament. We
must locate the characteristics of the church in the New Testament. We must be
careful to look beyond our own day and go back to the original church as Jesus
intended it.
So much depends on our search: truth, the unity of believers in Christ, the
salvation of the souls of men depend on finding Christ's church! Don't you agree
that we must find and identify, restore and maintain the New Testament church?
Don't you agree that the only way to accomplish this noble purpose is to go back
to the Bible, beyond the origins of Catholicism and Protestantism, to the source
of the church which Jesus built? We are looking for the same church with the
same faith in Jesus, the same terms of membership, the same teaching, the same
organization and worship that existed in the day of the apostles. This is the
church pictured on the pages of the New Testament. This is the church that has
been kept alive through the centuries by the divine lifeline, the seed of the
kingdom, which is the Word of God (Luke 8:11).
How to Find the Church - Characteristics of
Christ's Church Its Establishment
One of the identifying marks of Christ's church is that He built it. Upon
Peter's confession of His Sonship, Jesus said "...upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). The
Lord bought the church with His blood (Acts 20:28) and it is therefore a divine
institution. Any church not built by Christ cannot be His. The church of Christ
was established in Jerusalem on the Pentecost following His resurrection, with
Christ as its foundation (Acts 2; Isaiah 2:2-3; Micah 4:1-2; 1 Corinthians
3:11). Any church that began at any other time than this specific Pentecost Day,
with Christ as its foundation, cannot be His church.
Its Names
Another way to identify the church of the New Testament is by name. As a
universal body it was called:
"the church" (Colossians 1:18)
"the body of Christ" (Colossians 1:18, 24; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:12; 1
Corinthians 12:27)
"the church of God" (1 Corinthians 15:9; 1 Timothy 3:5)
"the general assembly and church of the firstborn" (Hebrews 12:23)
Christ Himself called it:
"my church." (Matthew 16:18)
Local congregations of the Christians were simply called:
"churches" (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
"churches of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:14)
"churches of Christ" (Romans 16:16)
Individual members were known as "disciples" (Acts 11:26; 1 Peter 4:16).
The above list is not exhaustive; but these terms were selected by the Lord
through the Holy Spirit to describe His people. Each of these expressions has
its meaning. And because the Holy Spirit selected them with care, we will always
be safe to use Biblical terms for the church and Christians. The names in the
New Testament alone have divine authority.
Its Government
The church of the New Testament was governed solely by divine authority:
Jesus is it's Head and has all authority (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:22-23;
5:23-24). Christ is the only authority for His church and He exercises that
power through the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Human councils, synods, conventions and conferences are never mentioned in the
New Testament with divine approval. These are bodies of men, and are frequently
the basis for much of today's religious confusion. The church of Christ must
recognize the authority of Christ in all thins.
The church of Christ as described in the New Testament had a specific form of
government. Christ was supreme, and the apostles were His representatives in
speaking and writing the Lord's words for the church. Each local congregation
was spiritually overseen by two or more senior men (Acts 20:28) who were
variously called elders (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5), "bishops" (Philippians 1:1; 1
Timothy 3:1), and "pastors" or "shepherds" (Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 5:304).
Elders were assisted by other men called deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13; Philippians
1:1).
The various local congregations of the New Testament church were free and
independent; there was no earthly headquarters and no ecclesiastical authority
other than Christ and the apostles. The bishops or elders supervised one
congregation - the group of Christians where they themselves were members. The
government of the church was not vested in a council or convention or
conference, but Christ alone was the loving and final authority of the church.
Church history since Pentecost shows that there have been many changes in the
Lord's way. Such departures from this divine organization are always wrong.
Its Terms and Entrance
To become members of the church of Christ in the days of the apostles, men had
to meet certain conditions. These "conditions" were not merely arbitrary rules
and regulations. These were qualities and actions required for a person to make
a complete change of direction in life.
FAITH: Genuine faith in Christ as the
Son of God was essential (Hebrews 11:6; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10). Faith in
Christ as divine, and completed dependence upon Him, was the faith for
membership in Christ's church. Of course, this was for more than mental
acceptance; faith was an acceptance of Christ as Lord of one's total life.
REPENTANCE: Repentance was required: Jesus expects his followers to
change their minds and hearts and the direction of their lives. We cannot go on
living the way we did before we were introduced to Jesus. Before His death and
resurrection, Jesus had declared that "repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke
24:47). When this promise was fulfilled on Pentecost, Peter told the people that
they had to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38).
CONFESSION: Confession of Christ was commanded. Paul wrote to Rome that a
believing heart issues into a confession of Jesus "with the mouth" (Romans
10:9-10). This confession, says Paul, is for salvation. Obviously, confession is
more than mere words and repeating a certain formula of words. It is to announce
to everyone the believer's deepest conviction that Jesus is Christ the Son of
God, and that He is Lord (Matthew 16:13-17; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 8:37). If we
want Christ to acknowledge us before His Father in heaven, then we must confess
Him before men (Matthew 10:32-33).
BAPTISM: Baptism into Christ was commanded by Jesus Himself (Matthew
28:19; Mark 16:15-16). Every one who entered the church entered by baptism
(Galatians 3:26-27). In the New Testament, baptism was immersion in water for
the forgiveness of sins (Acts 8:38; Acts 2:38; 22:16). In this act, the believer
repeated in his baptism what Jesus had done to save mankind: Jesus died, was
buried and then He was raised from the dead. So, in each person's baptism, Paul
says that he dies to sin, is buried in baptism, and then is raised to walk in
newness of life (Romans 6:1-4).
All of the above are considered in the New Testament as important and essential.
From the first day of the church, all people have been urged to have faith in
Christ, and then to express such faith in repenting, confessing Christ and being
baptized. On Pentecost those listeners who believed gladly received the Word
from the apostles, and they were baptized (Acts 2:41). When they were baptized,
they were saved; they received the forgiveness of past sins; they were added to
the church; and they received the Holy Spirit as an abiding Gift. So far as we
can read in the New Testament, there is no way to enter the Church - to become a
Christian, to be saved, to receive God's presence in the Holy Spirit - except
through faith in Christ, repentance, confession and baptism. All of those who
responded to this plan of salvation became members of the Lord's church (Acts
2:47).
It is very dangerous to suppose that we can become a part of Christ's church by
any other means. Besides, Paul makes it very clear that the curse of God rests
on anyone who alters the divine message (Galatians 1:6-9). How wonderful is
God's grace that gives us the blessings of forgiveness and new life in Christ
and His church! How wonderful it is that today we can still enter the church by
the very same way as believers have since the first day of the church! The
passing of centuries has not changed our Lord's grace and His plan for our
salvation!
Its Worship
Another identifying mark of the church of Christ is found in its worship. The
church of the first century worshipped God, coming together on Sunday (the first
day of the week) to do so (Acts 20:7). Although Christians worshipped every day,
each Sunday was called "the Lord's day" (Revelation 1:10) and it was a special
occasion for congregational worship, fellowship and service.
At this assembly, the Christians sang praises to God and Jesus and heard the
Word of God preached, read, and taught (Ephesians 5:19; 1 Timothy 4:13; Acts
2:42; 20:7). In living memory of the Lord who died for them, they shared a meal
of bread and wine: it was called the "Lord's Supper," "Communion," "the Lord's
Table," the "breaking of bread" (1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:20; Acts 2:42;
20:7). In the worship prayers were offered to God like sweet incense rising to
heaven (1 Timothy 2:1-6). The Christians shared in many ways, including their
money: they were commanded to give liberally, according to their income, in
order to help others and to preach the gospel throughout the world (1
Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:7). Each person participated in worshipping
the Lord from his heart (Colossians 3:16). He used his voice, his ears and his
whole person to express his appreciation to and reverence of God, Jesus and the
Spirit. And in the process, the church was encouraged and built up.
Its Creed
Christ was the early church's only creed and the teaching of the apostles was
its only rule of faith and practice (1 Corinthians 2:2; Acts 2:42). The teaching
of the apostles was in fact the words of Christ called to their memory by the
Holy Spirit (John14:26; 16:13). The words of Christ and the apostles' teaching
are faithfully preserved in the New Testament scriptures, and, as with the Old
Testament, the New Testament is intended to provide everything necessary for the
church and Christians (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3).
Its Unity
Another characteristic of the church of Christ in the New Testament was its
unity. The church was called the "one body;" its whole life and platform was
oneness - one God, one Lord Jesus, one Holy Spirit, one hope, one faith, one
baptism (Ephesians 4:4-6). This unity was enjoyed previous to the introduction
of human theology which corrupted Christian doctrine and divided the professed
followers of Christ into warring sects. The church was one body when it began,
and it is possible for the church to be "one body" now!
Its Message
The message proclaimed by the early church was the gospel of Christ (Romans
1:16). This message contained facts to believe (1 Corinthians 15:1-8), commands
to obey that led the sinner into Christ, and promises to be enjoyed, with the
threat of damnation to the disobedient (Mark 16:16; John 3:16-18).
Nothing in life can be of any greater significance to us than that we become
members of Christ's Body, the church. But in the midst of all the religious
confusion that exists around us today, how can we know what church is right? The
answer is for us to "go back to the bible," find the identifying marks that
characterized the New Testament church, and then look about us today for that
same church. The church of Christ in the world today should possess the same
characteristics that marked the early church. The Bible contains the original
pattern for the Lord's church. That pattern must be followed in each generation
to reproduce the church of Christ and this is done by preaching and obeying that
same Word of the Lord.
Scriptures for Further Study
Ephesians 4 should be studied to see the divine platform for unity as expressed
by the apostle Paul. Acts 2 should always be consulted in these studies.