What Is the Church, 2nd issue

I wrote an article three years ago that highlights what the true Church is not and what were some of the basics principles that true Christians need to operate under. I titled the article Divide and Destroy, which is Satan’s game plan. Not much has changed since then so I’ll just reprint it to remind you.

Divide and Destroy
Pastor Charles Cooley
3/4/08

Jesus taught that a house divided could not stand (Mark 3:24), yet, the church today finds itself in that position. A recent article highlighted this problem for me.

Catholic League spokeswoman Kiera McCaffrey says Hagee is a "larger problem" than Farrakhan because Farrakhan is "small potatoes and old news" compared to Hagee and his huge following. McCaffrey says her group is calling on McCain to repudiate Hagee, a Christian leader spokeswoman McCaffrey claims has a long history of "anti-Catholic bigotry." - Jim Brown - Catholic League: Hagee's endorsement worse than Farrakhan's- OneNewsNow - 3/3/2008
 

Let me see if I have this right: John Hagee professes belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior - Farrakhan does not; Hagee believes the Bible is the word of God - Farrakhan believes the Koran is; Hagee believes the Jews are God's chosen people - Farrakhan believes they are pigs; Hagee believes God is not finished with Israel and is making them a nation once again - Farrakhan wants to cast them all into the sea! While Hagee is not perfect, no man is, or woman either for that matter, I'm having a hard time seeing how Hagee is a "larger problem" for true Christians then Farrakhan is.

I personally know many fine Catholics who are Christians. Are they all Christians? I don't think so, and neither do many of the Catholics that I know. But, I could say the same thing about Baptists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Pentecostals, etc. It takes more than belonging to a particular church denomination to qualify for being a Christian. The key issue is whether Jesus is Lord in your life and whether you keep His word. He said "If you love me, keep My word." not "If you love Me, go to church!" We are living at a time in the United States when the true Church of Jesus Christ is languishing, needing a fresh vision of our purpose and calling in God. Not a time for partisan bickering and name calling.

This article highlights an issue that I believe the Holy Spirit is speaking plainly about in our day - Denominations are not of God! The very word means "to divide and name" but, Jesus prayed in John 17:21 that His followers, the ones God gave to Him, would be one even as He and the Father were one. I include in this problem all of the early confessions as well as the later denominations that have formed since the Reformation. There is only one "divide and name" process that God is going to do and that is the separation of the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32) when Jesus returns.

How does one get into the "sheep" group? A few thoughts come to mind: 1) Know the truth, because that alone can set you free and Jesus said "My word is truth" - not church tradition but, My word. 2) Act and live as Jesus did. He said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me." (Matthew 25:40). 3) Work for the Jews to come into the true Church, not as Gentile "wild olive' branches but, as the "natural branch" grafted back in through faith in Jesus. After all, this is why Jesus died on the cross, to make "one new man" and break down the barrier between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:11-18). 4) Humble yourself and repent whenever "the truth" illuminates your sin. We all have sinned and continue to sin, because we are not perfected yet. But, if we are willing to bow to the sword of the Spirit, which is the illuminating, piercing, convicting word of God, God will finish in us the good work He began (Philippians 1:6).

There are many other points that could be made, finer points of truth that are necessary for healthy growth in the Lord, but, if we begin with these four, the Holy Spirit will direct our education to include what we need, when we need it. To all those, like the Catholic League, who feel they have to defend their position and their church, I would remind you of the words of our great leader - "I will build My church" - Jesus. Don't get all bent out of shape arguing whether Peter was the rock or whether Peter's confession was the rock, just know that Jesus is going to work it all out if we just follow Him. Meanwhile, the fields are white unto harvest and the Lord is looking for those who will go into the fields and harvest. Not for your church but, for His Church!

Now I know that there are differences that caused rifts in the body of Christ and led to separations, and I know and believe that not all are as interested in the truth of God’s word as they are in their own pride and denominational structures. But I also know it is not my position to judge (condemn to hellfire) another man’s servants and some of those in different church bodies are servants of Jesus Christ! It is my responsibility to know and live in the truth of God’s word as He reveals it to me and pray for all my brothers and sisters in the faith to come to the same knowledge of the truth. They may wish to disassociate from me but it is still my responsibility to love and pray for them.

I am not calling for some sort of ‘ecumenical’ movement. The Holy Spirit never asks us to forsake truth for the sake of fellowship. We are however to be ‘watchmen’ that reach out to all believers and help them to be free of entanglements and snares of the devil. Will that cause some of them to separate from us? Yes, but the separation will not be our fault if we tell them the truth in love.

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. – 1 John 2:18, 19

In these last days there will be many in the ‘apostate church’ that will fall away from the truth (1 Thessalonians 2:3) but our policy should be to love the truth of God’s word and love our brothers and sisters in the faith. To those in churches that do not follow the truth we should encourage them to –

1.   Know the truth
2.  Act and live as Jesus did
3.  Work for the Jews to come into the true Church
4.  Walk in humility and repentance

If we do these things, we will be ready when Jesus comes back.