Many of the things listed in this article are necessary to be a faithful Christian. After all, those who practice lawlessness will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21). Though we need to do most of the things listed, many people incorrectly believe that doing these things will be enough to ensure their salvation. Here is a list to consider:

1. Always going to church.  Attending a church does not mean one is going to heaven. Even in the Bible, Christians were rebuked even though they kept “going to church” (Rev. 2-3).
    
2. Believing in God.  People can believe in God and Jesus without being faithful to them. If someone believes in Satan, are they automatically a follower of Satan? Of course not! Some believe and are not faithful (James 2:19; John 12:42-43).
    
3. Praying always. It would be wrong to conclude that all prayers offered to God are acceptable (Matt. 6:5-7). The fact that ungodly behavior can hinder prayers does not stop these people from praying anyway (I Pet. 3:7).
    
4. Believing the Bible is God’s word. There are plenty of criminals in this world who know the law was but do not follow it. Accepting the Bible as God’s word is meaningless if we do not read and obey it (James 1:22; II Tim. 2:15).
                                                                   
5. Going along with what the church does. Being devoted to the church is not the same as being devoted to Christ. We are to be converted to Christ (Rom. 6:3-4). The church is not the head – Christ is (Col. 1:18).
    
6. Having a strong desire to go to heaven. Desiring heaven does not mean a person is going to heaven. On the last day, many will be shocked to find out they are lost (Matt. 7:21-23).
    
7. Avoiding evil deeds. Not doing evil deeds is important, but we must also be born again (I Pet. 1:23). One is not a truly new person until they bury the old man (Rom. 6:3-7).
    
8. Being a “basically” good person. We cannot assume that heaven will be our home just because we feel we are not as bad as the “truly” wicked. This mindset forgets that all have sinned and need God’s mercy and grace (Rom. 3:23; Eph. 2:8).
    
9. Believing that God loves them.  There is no question that God loves everyone (John 3:16). This love will not overlook sin though. Heaven will not be their home (II Cor. 5:9-11).
    
10. Being a very religious person. Talking often about spiritual things does not guarantee heaven. Many religious people walk in darkness (Matt. 15:7-9). Dying for what you believe in is meaningless if you do not follow He who died for mankind (John 8:24).
     
11. I tell people to follow the Lord. Telling others to do the right thing does not mean you are also doing right. Many teachers are guilty of hypocrisy (Phil. 1:16; Rom. 2:21-23).
     
12. My grandfather was a member of this church. Having faithful family members does automatically save the whole family. Timothy’s mother and grandmother were faithful, but Timothy needed his own faith (II Tim. 1:5).

                                                                                               Chuck

Anyone who is familiar with the word of God knows that there were many prophets. People like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and scores of others are found in the Bible. Prophets were used by God to communicate His message to mankind (Heb. 1:1-2). Prophets are not exclusive to the Old Testament either – they were found in the first century as well.

Paul told the brethren at Ephesus that the Lord gave apostles and prophets, along with others, to help edify the church (Eph. 4:11-12). Obviously then, prophets existed during the time of the early church. The church we have today (the church that belongs to Jesus) is the same as the one described in the first century. Are there living prophets today then? To answer this, we are going to do a short study of spiritual gifts.

I Corinthians 12:7-11 describes the variety of spiritual gifts that were given to the saints through the laying on of the apostles’ hands (Acts 8:18). One of the gifts mentioned was prophecy. Recipients of this gift were called prophets (I Cor. 12:28-31). This is a direct fulfillment of the promise given in Acts 2:17, which stated that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh in the last days. The last days began when the gospel message was delivered (Heb. 1:2; John 16:13; Acts 2:1-4).

We must now divert and talk a little about the apostles. We already read how spiritual gifts could be given through the laying of the apostle’s hands. Are there living apostles today? Answering this question it will answer the question about prophets.

After Judas hanged himself, a replacement apostle was needed. This replacement process is described in Acts 1:15-26. One of the qualifications was to have witnessed the resurrection of Christ (verse 22). No one (other than Paul) has seen Jesus since His ascension, thus there have been no other apostles since Paul (Acts 9, 22, 26).

Without an apostle, there can be no laying on of hands to impart spiritual gifts. Since one of the spiritual gifts was prophecy, there can be no prophets since the time of the apostles. This means that people like Joseph Smith, Muhammad, Ellen G. White and scores of others who claimed to be prophets were not!

Saints were warned in the New Testament to beware of false prophets (I John 4:1; II Cor. 11:13; II Pet. 2:1). How could they determine who was a true prophet and who was fake? Through the inspired word of God (I Pet. 4:11)! Therefore, we cannot simply accept the words of every person who claims to be a prophet! False prophets are guilty of putting their words on par with the Lord’s. These false teachings should be rejected as we have the complete revelation from God today (Jude 3; II Tim. 3:16-17; Gal. 1:6-9).

To read Acts 2:17 and conclude that God continues to pour out His Spirit today is to abuse the scriptures. God has spoken unto us in these last days by His Son (Heb. 1:2). Should we to conclude that His message is not yet complete? This is exactly what modern “prophets” want us to believe. When you hear anyone say, “I have a message from God for you that was revealed just to me,” be WARY!

The role of prophets, like apostles, existed for a period. That time is over. God’s word has been fully delivered, so messengers are no longer needed to deliver additional revelation. We know this because 1) the apostles were guided into all truth (John 16:13), and 2) there is no mystery anymore thanks to the apostles and prophets (Eph. 3:1-5). Christians should reject any group that supports, endorses or promotes apostles and prophets after the first century. May we not be deceived into being man-followers.

                                                                                               Chuck

Why people are so quick to accept those who claim to be a prophet? This requires both a lack of knowledge on the part of the listener and smooth talking on the part of the deceiver. Liars are only as successful as those will to listen to them.

We are warned not to be deceived (I Cor. 6:9; 15:33; Gal. 6:7 etc.). We cannot stop false prophets from periodically promoting themselves, but we can prevent ourselves from following them. Teaching that is rooted in the persuasive words of human wisdom should be treated as just that – words of men rather than the word of God (I Cor. 2:4-5). Remember, the gospel (not words of men) is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16).

It might seem heartless to say that all those who are deceived by false prophets want to be. However, this is not entirely untrue. Consider what happened to the brethren at Corinth. The apostle Paul labored with the brethren there for years. Yet as soon as he left, other teachers arrived and turned the brethren against Paul (II Cor. 11). How did they do it? It was with a boastful attitude that the brethren put up with (II Cor. 11:16-21).

I do not know how many times, over the years, I have heard people accept something just because of the way someone said it. Speakers can come across with such confidence and credentials (graduate degrees, years of service, etc.) that they intimidate and recruit followers. People who succumb to this have only themselves to blame. They can claim that they do not want to be deceived, but they are not mustering the courage to question their religious leaders. They have become the blind followers Jesus spoke of (Matt. 15:14).

When Paul told Timothy about Eve’s deception in the garden (I Tim. 2:14), there was not much else to say. He did not have to say “how” Eve was deceived. She simply was quick to believe what she was told. It was what she wanted to hear. We must recognize this lesson that those who want to be deceived will be. Do we recognize this happening our own lives?

                                                                                               Chuck 

Can you picture Jesus’ audience during His sermon on the mount (Matt. 5-7)? Can you imagine then interrupting Him every five seconds to have Him explain what He just said?  That would be odd as His message was given clearly and needed no clarification. When it comes to God’s word, people rarely have a problem with what was actually said – rather, they often have a problem with who it was said to.

Stop and think about the tree of good and evil in the garden (Gen. 2:17). What was wrong with the fruit in and of itself? Beyond the spiritual consequences of eating the fruit, was it going to taste bad? Was it unhealthy? Why did God make it pleasing to the eye? Why not have it covered with thorns so that it would hurt to even touch it? None of those question matter. The fact is, Adam and Eve knew which fruit to avoid and yet they ate it – period.

Over-thinking leads to over-analyzing, which often leads to missing the obvious. Those in Acts 17 searched the scriptures to know if what Paul taught was true (verse 11). They did not consult those deemed “more” scholarly. I have studied with many people and exposed their false ideas with scripture. Rather than accepting God’s word or studying further to confirm my argument, they often return to their religious leaders. I rarely hear from them again. When the Bible speaks, there is no need to hear the opinions of man.

Just last week, a TV viewer disregarded what I said Matthew 19:9 was teaching. He argued that the Greek word for “except” does not mean exception. This can be quickly solved by going to I Corinthians 14:5 where the same word in the Greek for “except” is used, and one can see that it means an exception. Searching the scriptures provided the correct answer.

Over-thinking a Bible verse can be as harmful as never reading it. We should be wary when we hear someone say, “I know it says that, but that’s not really what it means.”

                                                                                               Chuck 

Let’s take a moment to consider the focus of the preaching delivered around the time Christ entered the world. In Luke 1:31-33, Mary was told by an angel that she would bring forth a son and that He would be known as Jesus. Moreover, she was informed He would reign over His kingdom.

This is why we read about the forerunner of Christ (John the Baptist) preaching that the kingdom was at hand (Matt. 3:2). As Jesus began His ministry, He also spoke about the coming of His kingdom (Matt. 4:17). He taught his followers to pray for this kingdom to come (Matt. 6:10). The Savior also stressed the need for everyone to seek that kingdom (Matt. 6:33). Even on the night of His betrayal, Jesus told His apostles that He would not partake of the Lord’s Supper again until His kingdom arrived (Matt. 26:29).

So much of Christ’s teaching about the coming of the kingdom – what should be taught after the kingdom has arrived? The answers to the above question is obvious. If there was to be great anticipation of the Lord’s kingdom, imagine how much more one would talk about the kingdom when arrived!

Is it here though? Yes! Christ stated in Mark 9:1 that the kingdom was going to come with power during the lifetime of some of those standing there listening to Him speak. Logically, we cannot be waiting for the kingdom as none of those people are still alive on the earth.

There are many scriptures that speak of the kingdom being in existence now. Saints were being translated into the kingdom (Col. 1:13). The apostles were given the key to speak the way one can get into the kingdom (Matt. 18:19; John 16:13). But just when did the kingdom come into existence? Remember that Jesus aid the kingdom would come with power (Mark 9:1). The apostles were told to tarry in Jerusalem until they received that power (Luke 24:49). This power comes when the Holy Spirit comes upon them (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit came upon the apostles in Acts 2:1-4.

When the Holy Spirit came, the power came. When the power came, the kingdom came. To be clear, this kingdom is spiritual, not physical. Jesus told Pilate that if His kingdom were of this world, His servants would fight (John 18:36). Pilate realized that Jesus and His followers were not a threat to the Roman government. This spiritual kingdom has come, and we need to become citizens of it today (Eph. 2:19).

To more precisely identify when the kingdom came, we need to see the link between it and the church. When Jesus said He was going to build His church, He connected it with the kingdom (Matt. 16:18-19). The promise to build His church is synonymous with the establishing of His kingdom. The two terms are often used interchangeably in the scriptures. Because Jesus purchased the church with His blood (Acts 20:28), both the church and the kingdom both began after His resurrection. Those who obeyed the gospel were added to the church and the kingdom by the Lord (Acts 2:47; Col. 1:13).

Let us now return to the question posed in the article’s title – can we really over-emphasize the church of our Lord? No! Knowing that the prophets of old, John the Baptist, Jesus and His followers spoke about its coming, why would we not also proclaim that the kingdom (church) has come? If anything, Jesus’ blood-bought church is not discussed and respected enough in today’s pulpits. Remember, Jesus is ruling and reigning (Col. 1:18)! Christ is our king (I Tim. 6:15)! Are you emphasizing the need for people to become members of His church and citizens of His kingdom?

                                                                                               Chuck