Bible Studies
Not Every Church of Christ is a Church of Christ
Series: Additional StudiesIntroduction:
1. At this time of year it is popular to take a vacation. 2. This tradition is popular among both Christians and non-Christians, but it poses some challenge to some Christians. 3. Their vacation may take them away from their regular place of worship.a. For some they just don’t worry about worship and skip it for the time they are away.
b. Others are concerned and work to find a place that they can assemble with the people of God even though they are away from home. (I commend this practice because it suggests strength of faith and a desire to worship the Lord and encourage other Christians even when it may be inconvenient to do so. Paul and Silas at Philippi went outside the city to a riverside supposing that there would be a place of prayer.)
4. It is to this second group that this lesson is addressed. To you I say, “Not every Church of Christ is a church of Christ.” 5. When faithful people are traveling and looking for a place of worship they are usually looking for something like what they have at home. But that may not be easy to find. 6. It is naive to think that just because there is a sign out front that says “Church of Christ” that it is like what you have at home. 7. The issue is larger than finding a place of worship while traveling. What if I move into an area? What if I have read Scripture and learned what I need to do to be a Christian and want to associate myself with the people of God? How do I identify the people who are serving the Lord? 8. These questions raise the important issue of “What is a church of Christ?” and “How can I identify it?”Discussion:
I. The use of the term “church” in Scripture.A. The word that is translated “church” in the N.T. is from the Greek word “ekklesia,” which comes from two words, “ek” meaning “out” and “kaleo” meaning “to call.” Thus the term designates those who are “called out.” Observe its use in the following passages.
1. Acts 19:32, 39, 41.
2. Acts 7:38.
B. There is a special use of the term to designate God’s people.
1. Matt. 16:18.
2. 1 Cor. 1:2.
3. Eph. 1:22-23.
4. Acts 20:28.
C. The church is not a building. The church is not an institution people get into. It is just a collective of people like a herd is a collective of cattle, a covey a collective of birds. The church is a bunch of people called out by God. Other collective nouns like church are: flock, troop, crowd, congregation, family, assembly, crew, team.
D. The word “church” is used in at least two senses in Scripture.
1. To refer to all those who are the body of the saved (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23). If one has believed in Christ, repented of their sins and been baptized they are in the universal body of Christ, the church.
2. Christians choose to associate themselves with a body in a particular locality (cf. Acts 9:26ff). In these local groups Christians band together with common motives, pooling their resources to do what the members of that local church agree that God wants them to do.
3. These constitute a church of Christ. They are not The church of Christ (universal), but a church of Christ in a particular locality.
4. Be careful here to realize that The church of Christ is not composed of local churches of Christ. It is composed of Christians.
II. The church of Christ has various descriptive designations—no single one.A. It is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23).
B. It is God’s household (God’s family) (Eph. 2:19).
C. A holy temple (Eph. 2:21).
D. A dwelling of God (Eph. 2:22).
E. The kingdom of God (Col. 1:13-14).
F. The vineyard of the Lord (Matt. 20:1).
G. The church of God (1 Cor. 1:2).
H. The church of Christ (Rom. 16:16).
III. This church is to be distinguished from the so-called denominational system characteristic of modern society.A. Some think of the household of God as composed if different denominational groups.
1. The idea is that all the various “Christian denominational groups compose the church of Christ.”
2. But the church of Christ is not composed of different groups. It is composed of Christians. The body has its members. The household (family) has its members. The kingdom has its citizens. The church Jesus built is founded upon individual confession of Jesus as the Son of God.
3. This is a different way of thinking for many. It may be difficult to get your mind wrapped around, but the way Scripture refers to the church is different than the way our modern world thinks of the church.
a. The world thinks in terms of different institutions Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, etc.
b. Some even reason that each of these are different branches of the church of Christ, but Jesus makes no such point in Jn. 15. Instead he says, “You are the branches (3).” “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch” (6).
c. No denominations are referred to in Scripture.
d. As a matter of fact, division of the body is against the unity Jesus prayed for (Jn. 17:22ff) died to procure (Eph. 2:14ff).
B. The church of Christ consists of those who acknowledge Jesus as Lord (Matt. 16:18).
1. The church of Christ is not a denomination.
2. There are denominations out there with this name.
C. When you go out on vacation you may find some of these.
1. “The Church of Jesus Christ.” … of Latter Day Saints. Mormon church.
2. “The Church of God.” Frank S. Mead, Handbook of Denominations says, “At least 200 independent religious bodies in the United States bear the name Church of God in one form or another.” A sign out in front of a building may not identify which one of the 200 different bodies go by this name. Not every Church of God is a church of God.
3. “The Assembly of God.” Mead says, “the General Council of the Assemblies of God is actually an aggregation of Pentecostal churches and assemblies accomplished at Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1914.”
4. “Church of Christ, Scientist.” Actually this is the church begun by Mary Baker Eddy in the mid 1800’s.
5. “Church of Christ” (instrumental, non-instrumental). The instrumental ones are conservative Christian churches. The non-instrumental ones are using this denominational designation to distinguish themselves from these conservative Christian churches.
6. “Church of Christ” may be on the sign, but it may not be a church of Christ.
7. In light of all the confusion some simply put on their sign “Christians meet here.” This may clarify things for some and add to the confusion for others.
8. “Maybe simply ‘the church’ would be an appropriate appellation??” Moves away from denominational designations, but why should we go that direction away from “of Christ” or “of God?” It may just add to the confusion. Do we mean to imply that we are not a church of Christ? Certainly not!
IV. “Well what should I do?” I give up. I’ll not go anywhere. Contra investigate more thoroughly than the sign out front.A. Ask Christians whose faith you are familiar with.
B. Investigate the congregation on-line.
C. Be careful about what is convenient.
D. When you are considering a move is the presence of the people of God evidenced in the community? Are there people there following Scripture that you can encourage and that can encourage your faith?
E. Don’t depend on the sign out front to define who the people of God are.
F. The people of God are out there, people who have given their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. People like you who are genuinely devoted to God. Find them, encourage them, cast you influence behind them, bring your resources together with these people.
Conclusion:
1. The Church of Christ is not always the church of Christ. 2. Don’t be afraid to investigate. 3. The church of Christ is not a denomination by that title. It is not an institution that people get into to be saved. It is just a group of people called out of the world by Jesus Christ, who have given themselves to Him as Lord. The have been purchased with His blood, and baptized into His body. They are His people. 4. They are not Catholics, Lutherans, Mormons. They are just Christians!
