What church would Christ attend?

Although the title’s question is hypothetical, our Lord is present when His followers gather to worship Him (Matt. 18:20). Moreover, we know that Christ dwells within the hearts of the faithful (Eph. 3:17). Knowing these things, the Scriptures provide enough information for us to answer the question.

If Jesus were to walk the face of this earth, where would He go to worship on Sunday? The answer can be found in Eph. 2:19, which describes God’s people as being part of a household. Christians belong to the family of God. When someone goes away on a trip and comes back, which family will he spend time with? That might seem like a silly question, but it will help us understand which church Jesus would worship with. Logically, He would spend time with His family and thus worship with His church.

Jesus said He was going to build His church (Matt. 16:18). This happened when He died on the cross and purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). When someone is covered by His blood and becomes a Christian, the Lord adds them to His body – the church (Acts 2:38, 41, 47; Rev. 1:5). This is why Christ calls them His own special people (I Pet. 2:9).

If Jesus returned to earth, would He assemble with the church that He is the head of (Col. 1:18) or some manmade religious organization? The answer might seem obvious. But would Christ show His love by visiting every denomination? This is an interesting question.

This should cause us to ponder a few things. I expect that Christ would visit every religious sect. He would not visit to worship though – He would visit to correct and admonish, telling them they need to abide only in His doctrine (II John 9) and that there is only one gospel (Gal. 1:6-9). Consider Revelation chapters two and three – the deeds of every congregation were recognized, but they were not all praised.

Let us return to the original question; which church would Christ attend? It would be His. We should not expect Christ to choose to worship with us if we designed worship for our own preferences rather than for His (John 4:24). Furthermore, why would anyone think that Christ would gather where He is not recognized as the head? Paul called the faithful who gathered in certain cities as churches of Christ (Rom. 16:16) because they belong to Christ.

Would Christ be pleased and willing to worship at any place that called themselves a church that is Christ?  Not at all. Again, He may go there to rebuke and admonish them to repent, just as He did with the seven churches of Asia in Revelation chapters two and three. Five of those churches were told to repent or else their candlestick would be removed. Jesus could say these churches belong to Him!

Let me make this perfectly clear – Jesus is not coming back to live on the earth again. But He is coming back, and everyone will be judged (II Cor. 5:10). It will be at a time when not expected (II Pet. 3:9-10). It is therefore important to be found faithful. If Christ would not be found worshipping at a manmade church, why would He be pleased to find you at one?

People who claim it does not matter which church we go to should look to the Scriptures and see how Jesus addressed His church. Remember, there will be many in the last day who will think they are going to be received into heaven but will instead hear the Lord say, “I don’t know you” (Matt. 7:21-23). Which church will you belong to?

                                                                                              Chuck

Are Christians brainwashed?

If you read the first article carefully,  you will realize that Christians are not brainwashed. Being a Christian means a person must reason and come to proper conclusions on their own. If saints are instructed to come to their own conclusions, are Christians thus allowed to believe whatever they want? Only if they ignore the word of God.

Children of God are supposed to only speak by the oracles of God (I Pet. 4:11; II Tim. 3:16). How then can we say that Christians are also supposed to think on their own? To answer this, we must understand the concepts of general and specific authority. For example, husbands and wives are to have their own mate to love (Eph. 5:28; Titus 2:4). Yet, the Bible does specifically state how the husband and wife can demonstrate their love for one another. They are simply required to think of ways to please them (I Cor. 7:33).

If married couples were brainwashed, they would mindlessly go through the motions of doing things they were programed to do and would not consider whether their spouse actually appreciated these gestures.  The same goes for Christians in all other areas of their lives. They are to be hospitable (Rom. 12:13). But how is that to be done? One Christian might demonstrate hospitality by letting visiting Christians stay in their home overnight. Another Christian might demonstrate hospitality by having a family over to share a meal.  Or by hosting several families for a meal. Or by taking a fellow Christian out to eat. The point is that Christians are told to be hospitable – a general command – but that there are several specific ways to accomplish this. These specifics are left to the Christian.

If God’s people were brainwashed, then nothing that was offered to the Lord would be genuine. Something cannot be done out of free-will if that person does not even have a will. This explains why Christians are told such words as, “beware”, “watch”, “take heed”, “choose”, etc. Just as God’s people can choose to serve faithfully, they can also choose to disobey (Matt. 13:18-23).

                                                                                        Chuck

Church of Scientology

L. Ron Hubbard (born 1911, died 1986) was the founder of the church of Scientology. He devoted much of his life to a study of what he thought the soul did to the body. The cores of his teachings are found in the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. The church of Scientology began in the 1950’s.  Why write about this?

I have often stated that the concept of the Biblical term “church” is widely misunderstood. Nothing demonstrates this more than learning about sects that call themselves “churches”. How can a group call itself a church when has nothing to do with the word of God? The group’s teachings have nothing to do with what God has commanded, or the e Savior who died for the world (Rom. 5:6-11).

It is bad enough when people are not united regarding the scriptures (I Cor. 1:10). How could we possibly be united with a “church” that seeks “truth” when that truth comes from the mind of man and not God? The answer is simple – you cannot. Listening to lectures and digesting the writings of L. Ron Hubbard is not going to teach you where man came from, what man’s purpose in life is, nor what lies beyond the grave. Obviously, this did not stop Hubbard from teaching his theories (such as the teaching that when you die, you can come back in another body to live on this earth).

This should not surprise us. As long as man expands his imagination, there will be people who want to believe it as fact. This is nothing new (Acts 5:36-37). Once you reject the Bible as the only inspired writing that we have (II Tim. 3:16), then the floodgate opens and the world will be filled with all sorts of false teachings.

Now do not misunderstand me. If Mr. Hubbard imparted some medical information, like we have in many medical journals today, that information could be factual. But it is one thing to impart knowledge. It is something different altogether to share information as if it is divine in its source. Only the Bible can make that claim!

                                                                                        Chuck

Overcoming a struggle

Struggles come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very addictive, which makes it even harder to stop. But for those who want to go to heaven, one of the best ways to cease doing that which is wrong is to admit what it really is – sin! Calling sin “a struggle” can lessen the severity to some degree. Moreover, it also conveys the idea that quitting is not controlled by the individual.

The sooner people see what sin really is, the sooner they can understand how to properly deal with it. Every person I know who drank alcohol, smoked or used hard drugs and now does not had to decide to quit! Unless one makes up their mind, they will continue to give in to “that struggle.”

In writing to the Ephesian brethren, Paul stated that we should not give place to the devil (Eph. 4:27). By that, he specifically mentioned, “put away lying…be angry and sin not….let him who stole steal no more…let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth….” (verses 25-29). One does not overcome anything if they do not repent, which means to turn away from (Luke 13:3). By turning away, measures are put in place to help one not do it again. In the Ephesians text, Paul said instructed the reader to not steal and instead begin labor with hands. For those who spoke corrupt words, Paul admonished them to begin speaking words that edify. In essence, the audience was to told to replace their bad, sinful habits with good ones.

I realize that people who become addicted to something will genuinely struggle to overcome it. However, all sin can become addictive. Some people cannot seem to stop being jealous or envious. Other cannot seem to stop lying to themselves and making excuses for not serving the Lord as they should. Every sin is serious and causes people to be separated from God (Isa. 59:1-2; Rom. 6:23).

Everyone struggles with sin, but everyone has also been commanded to STOP sinning (I John 2:1). May we grow in the desire to never sin as the first step in turning away from those sins we personally struggle with.

 Chuck

Can you be a Christian and go to any church?

I am certain that most religious people believe Christians can go to any church they choose. What does the Bible, God’s preserved word, say? In a literal sense, anyone can do anything THEY want. Let’s rephrase the question to better seek the will of God: Can one be a faithful Christian and go to any church they want?

There are many questions that need to be answered. When we find the answers to these questions, then we will have found the answer to our original question.

1. What does the Bible teach about becoming a Christian? (Rom. 10:17; John 8:24; Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 2:38; 22:16)

2. If a “church” does not teach what the Bible clearly states for question #1, then why would a Christian want to assemble with that “church”? (II John 9-10; I John 4:1)

3. Has the Lord specified which church a Christian must be of? (Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4; Rom. 16:16).

4. If the answer to question #3 is no, then would it really matter which church one was a member of? (Rom. 4:15)

5. However, if the Lord is being specific, then does this not answer the question given in the title? (Acts 2:47).

Allow me to be direct as we conclude this article. Jesus adds those who obey the gospel to His church, not some man-made organization. Becoming a Christian and picking any “church” you want is NOT authorized by the Lord. To make sure you are pleasing the Lord, study to show yourself approved (II Tim. 2:15). If you need further help identifying a church that is faithful to the Lord, do not hesitate to let us know.    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Chuck