Church....
When you hear the word "church", what image comes to your mind? For some, church means a building, a structure, or a particular place where people gather for religious purposes. For example, the church on the corner.
For others, church represents a denomination, or a non-denominational sect that identifies what particular religious tenets an institution professes. For example, they attend the Protestant Church.
And still for others the word church invokes as assemblage for prayer, worship, or some form of organized rituals recognizing God, or some higher being. Example: They attended a Catholic mass.
Yet for others, church differentiates a Christian belief from a Jewish (Synagogue), or from a Mormon Temple, or from a Muslim mosque.
But what should the word "church" mean for believers and followers of Christ Jesus? Well, the best resource for any question regarding matters of faith is to rely solely upon the Word of God - the Holy Bible. The New Testament (Greek) word for church/assembly is "ekklēsia": (in Latin it's spelled - Ecclesia).
The original "church" had no specific building or location for believers to attend. Wherever they gathered to worship the Risen Christ was their church (ekklēsia) whether that was in someone's home, or in the street, or even in a Jewish Temple. Church simply meant worship with fellow believers. There was only one "denomination" - Jesus; There was only one to worship - Jesus; there was only one belief - Jesus.
Interesting to note that the first recorded use of the term "Christian" is found in the New Testament, in Acts 11:26: "[...] the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." The second mention of the term follows in Acts 26:28: "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." The third and final New Testament reference to the term is in 1 Peter 4:16: "Yet if [any man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."
So if Christians are to be united together today in worship then we should all be in one accordance that "church" means a gathering together to worship Jesus: "And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life." (1 John 5:20)
However, Satan, over the past two thousand plus years, has managed to separate, divide, confuse, diminish, minimize and trivialize the worship of our Savior through rules, conditions, laws, rituals, and traditions established by man; substituting God's Word with man's dominance through His Church.
Too many people today believe that they are true Christian believers, followers of God's Word, disciples of Jesus Christ, when in reality they are lost sheep following a wolf in sheep's clothing (Satan). A quick search on the internet will reveal that there are over 41,000 different Christian denominations in the world. Can they all be right - NO! Are they all wrong - NO! Which are right and which are wrong? That is the correct question and the correct answer has eternal consequences.
A few years ago I relocated to another state and decided that this move provided the perfect opportunity for me to find a true, Christian church. Prior to my move, I was already being led by the Holy Spirit away from a denominational church that I attended since childhood. Over the course of many years I grew very skeptical of this church and its tenets because its corporate teachings and traditional rites and ceremonies directly countered what the Holy Bible was teaching me. I could not reconcile the differences, hence my faith in the church's teachings were nulled by its open opposition to God's Word.
Because of what this "denominational" church taught me, I feared God and I was plagued by guilt. It seemed that I could never do enough, or the right things, to please God. I was driven to achieve perfection in everything. There were so many rules, conditions, and other unattainable criteria I was taught that God demanded before He would love me.
But, when I met the real Christ Jesus, I discovered the truth about God's loving forgiveness through the scriptures and through my new relationship with His Son. So now I live free of guilt and confident of who I am. But of greatest importance, I know who God is and I know that He loves me even though I am still a sinner.
I realized that it was the church that was keeping me as a hostage from God's undeniable love and that it created a barrier shielding everyone from Biblical truth.
The Holy Spirit eventually led me to a body of believers that possessed and professed the following attributes within their church body:
So during my journey to find a Christ-Centered church, I assembled a short set of criteria to which I used to determine if a potential church was a candidate for further consideration. Most of the time this information was immediately available on the individual church's website page under its Vision Statement or Creed or in its Mission Statement. Simply enough, once it failed any of the following questions I stopped right there, exited the website, and continued my search elsewhere.
If a church stated that one must do any of the following then I kept looking for another church:
- Must join the church
- Must tithe
- Must be baptized in this church
- Must speak in tongue
- Must be voted on (by anyone) to belong
- Must (fill in the blanks)
One must not have to do anything except have a desire to follow Christ Jesus, because Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to the dead and on the third day He rose again when He ascended into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father....
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
If God, through His only Begotten Son, did all this for us sinners, and He only asks that we believe in His Son, Christ Jesus, then what gives any "church" the authority to ask anymore from us than what God asks?
Because of what this "denominational" church taught me, I feared God and I was plagued by guilt. It seemed that I could never do enough, or the right things, to please God. I was driven to achieve perfection in everything. There were so many rules, conditions, and other unattainable criteria I was taught that God demanded before He would love me.
But, when I met the real Christ Jesus, I discovered the truth about God's loving forgiveness through the scriptures and through my new relationship with His Son. So now I live free of guilt and confident of who I am. But of greatest importance, I know who God is and I know that He loves me even though I am still a sinner.
I realized that it was the church that was keeping me as a hostage from God's undeniable love and that it created a barrier shielding everyone from Biblical truth.
The Holy Spirit eventually led me to a body of believers that possessed and professed the following attributes within their church body:
1. God Fearing
“Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent." Acts 13:26
2. Jesus Seeking
"Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!" 1 Chronicles 16:11
3. Spirit Driven
"By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." 1 John 4:13
4. Bible Believing
"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12
5. Fellowship Bonding
"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7
If a church stated that one must do any of the following then I kept looking for another church:
- Must join the church
- Must tithe
- Must be baptized in this church
- Must speak in tongue
- Must be voted on (by anyone) to belong
- Must (fill in the blanks)
One must not have to do anything except have a desire to follow Christ Jesus, because Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to the dead and on the third day He rose again when He ascended into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father....
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
If God, through His only Begotten Son, did all this for us sinners, and He only asks that we believe in His Son, Christ Jesus, then what gives any "church" the authority to ask anymore from us than what God asks?
What does your church ask of you?
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