THE ECUMENICAL SOLUTION
INTRODUCTION
I have said in this pulpit and proven at least to my satisfaction, and I believe to the satisfaction to those who have heard.
There is no division in the religious world over what the Bible says.
All of the division that exists in the world religiously is what the Bible says nothing about.
Religious division, sectarianism, denominationalism, is the result of
magnifying one concept all out of proportion to the
balance of divine revelation.
To base your hope upon one concept, to force every other principle set forth in the word of God to support your preconceived idea, is where division comes from..
This has resulted in religious division as we know it today. This is what the world refers to as Christendom.
The word Christian has been so corrupted that many simply do not know the Biblical definition.
Be that as it may . I want us to understand what the church is and what she stands for.
I want to show that there is a biblical basis for unity.
When the lord prayed for such, and condemned division, he sets forth what men should on the bases of common sense be seeking. If indeed the heart is bent upon accomplishing of the will of God.
The teaching is very simple, yet men see the importance of certain facets
and certain principles and concepts and decide this is the apex of divine
revelation.
Here is the one way, superlative in nature, exceeding all others, through which man can acceptable serve God.
It is just not done that way. To elevate one thought or concept and divide over it is sinful.
You recall the rich younger ruler who came to Jesus.
Matthew 19:16 "And, behold, one came and said unto
him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may
have eternal life"?
What good thing that I may do that I may inherit eternal life? People
are wanting one thing not all to do!
That is it , that is the superlative concept.
Give me the one thing that is above all else.
If I do this perfectly, I have salvation all guaranteed. Never was that way, never will be that way.
Keep the commandments the Lord said. Matthew 19:17
Every word of God is tried, every divine principle is essential.
Eternal truth is set forth in the word of God.
Sometimes people say "truths". You don't read that in the Bible.
You either have the truth or you don't. There are no "truths" in the Bible, just the truth.
Until you have all that God has said on any one subject you do not have the truth.
Every principle involved is the sum total of divine revelation and is essential to my spiritual development.
So the concept of isolating one thought, thereupon building an entire
structure, to base my hope on eternal life, is not only nonsensical,
but unbiblical, and opposed to the will of God
Ephesians 4:1-3 "I, Therefore a prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you that ue walk worthily of the vocation wherewith
ye are called. With all lowliness and meeknes, with longsuffering, forbearing
one another in love;
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Unity of the spirit must be sought after and maintained to please God almighty.
I Corinthians 1:10 " Now I beseech you, brethren, by the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the
same thing and that there be no divisions among you; be that ye be perfectly
joined togeather
in the same mind and judgement."
The lord prayed in the shadow of the cross that they might all be one
through the truth.
John 17:20-21 "Neither pray I for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe on me through their word; That
they all may be one; as thou father, art in me, and I in thee, that they
also may be one in us: that the
world may believe that thou hast sent me".
The greatest deterrent, and greatest hindrance, in the world today against spreading christianity is religion.
The most powerful single factor in the spread of eternal truth that
makes men free, would be the unity of those who
believe and practice Christianity as one body.
Let us observe what the church really stands for. Many of the
terms we hear today on a divisive note are perfectly biblical.
Yet the terms and the facet of their faith excludes other Biblical
truth.
Adventist
Acts 1:9-11 " And when he had spoken these things, while they
beheld, he was taken up: and a cloud received him
out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven
as he went up, behold, two men
stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee,
why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as
ye have seen him go into heaven".
When the Lord last addressed his disciples, afterwards he was taken up from them in the heavens.
A cloud received Jesus from their sight. You know what they are
doing? They were looking up and there was
nothing there.
Jesu returned to the heavenly domain to take his position by the father in heaven.
We wait with the apostles for the second advent of Christ.
As a Christian, I am looking for Jesus to come again.
The second coming of Christ is looked for with desire, expectation and admittedly with some concern.
Understanding my limitations, and weaknesses. Nonetheless when
I think deeply in my heart of hearts, I know that those
who walk faithfully with the good shepherd, will experience a time
here before not experienced from the days of Adam.
What a marvelous experience indeed.
The earth will burn up and the rightous and evil will be judged and enter their eternal reward.
Yes I am adventist. I am earnestly looking for and expecting the second advent of the son of God.
Friend, you need not depart from the Lord's body, or lay
aside divine revelation, in order to gain from the concept
involved in the term advent or adventist. The church of Christ
looks for his second coming!
All there is to know experience and to enjoy, Is in the Lord 's church.
Matthew 16:18 On this rock I willl build my church, and the gates of hell sahll not prevail againts it.
Christ Jesus will appear to those who watch and wait for him. II Timothy 4:8
Death did not defeat Christ or the church. He will come again!
Over and over again, we read of his coming again.
Evangelical
The church of Christ is the most evangelistic body of people on this earth.
The ecclesia, the church, with overflowing hearts seek to promote the cause of Christ throughout the world.
We as his body and church carry on the mission he began to save humanity from their sins.
Luke 19:10 " For the Son of man is come, to seek and to save that which was lost".
My privilege and desire today, is to so live and teach so that people will see a better way.
That the lost will turn to him who alone, who can save their soul.
No need to turn aside, or come up with a human creed.
The church has the thrust of evangelism given by the last orders of Jesus before his ascension to heaven.
Mark 16:15 " Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."
The Lord established a evangelical church long ago.
No need to leave the one church of the Lord and become a member of a
man made denomination to save the lost.
Actually to depart from the one church would to take yourself and others
into religious error.
Salvation Army
I am a soldier for Jesus Christ. Yes sir, I am in the salvation army. The christian, a member of the church which is the Lord's body, is a soldier for Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 6:10-17 " Finally, my brethren, be strong in
thLord, and in his might. Put on the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For
we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto
you the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all,
to stand. Stand therefore,
having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate
of rightousness, and your feet
shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking
the shield of faith, wherewith
ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And
take the helmet of salvation, and
the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God."
Not only does the lord call me to be a soldier but he arms me spiritually for the fray.
I am a part of that army of God, I am doing my best to wear that armor.
Sometimes my armour gets a little thin, and needs to be polished.
Sometimes my armour does not shine as it should.
It is not dull to keep the enemy from using it as a target, I can't make that excuse. dull it by my own actions!
I need to be constantly working with my relationship with the Lord.
My denunciation of sin, and exaltation of eternal truth, with continuing prayer being made for everyone.
I am in the Lords army, the salvation is what the church God's army is all about.
You need not leave the Lord, and established a religious institution that is thus denominated.
No, no, the term denomination suggests naming in view of the name, being part of the whole.
Which denomination? You might as well ask, which Lord?
There is nothing Biblical about such conduct or terminology in the word denomination.
To take the world for Christ, and march with Jesus, we need not leave the church.
To leave the church is to march under another banner.
All that is involved Biblically in the concept of the Lord's army for
salvation is found in the Lord's church.
A Congregationalist
Romans 16:16 "Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you."
The organization of the New Testament church is described. The largest thing you find is the local congregation.
The entire organization of the church is found in one verse.
Philippians 1:1 " Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ,
to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at
Philippi, with the bishops and deacons".
There is the total organization of the church.
The local congregation is the highest unit of action.
There is no amalgamation of congregations ,forming a diocese, where a bishop oversees many congregations.
Such is false and foreign to divine revelation.
The highest unit of action is the local congregation, functioning under qualified, duly appointed, elders.
The Lord's church is found as congregations serving the lord autonomous
of each other.
Latter Day Saints
I am a latter day saint as the Bible teaches and shows us to be as Christians.
Acts 2:16-17 " But this is that which was spoken by the prophet
Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days,
saith the Lord, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams".
"In the last days".
If we have a inspired man, saying of an inspired prophetic utterance of the Old Testament this is that, then you got it.
Until you do you don't.
Divine prophecy cannot be interpreted by uninspired not even by Garner Ted Armstrong or Jack Van Impe!
The New Testament is the fulfillment of the old.
" Christ is the end of the law, unto righteousness unto everyone that believeth", Romans 10:4
Christ is the anti-type of the type in the Old Testament.
He is the substance of the shadow in the law given to Moses 1500 B.C. exclusively to the nation of Israel.
He fulfilled the law, Matthew 5:17-18
He nailed the law to his cross, Colossians. 2:14-17.
So these are the last days, that's right!
And those who have been cleansed in the blood of Cchrist are said to be sanctified? That's right!
Those who are sanctified are said to be saints? That's correct.
The pope was asked recently about saintingd someone who had died.
The person they desire sainted has not performed the two required miracles.
This is fantastic how the minds of people can be deceived.
Men do not perform miracles today in the Christian age since the fulfillment of Old Testament.
Prophecy and the confirmation of the sum total of truth, and the establishment of the government of God in the hearts and minds of men and women. Was what the miracles were for.
The Bible which is, God's Magna Carta, is complete. God does not perform miracles today.
But of course people who don't know the truth don't know that.
People who depart from the truth, go out and teach and try to establish what the Lord has already provided.
I am a saint living in the last days.
Saint doesn't mean sinless perfection. Nor is it some honor, confirmed posthumously, long after someone has deceased.
The christian is a living saint.
The honor of sainthood, is from the hocus pocus and from the vain imagination, of the vain mind of man.
When we are cleansed from the sins of the flesh by the blood of Christ, we are sanctified and made saints.
We live in the Christian age, "the last days" So we are latter day people.
Christians are saints. So we are "latter day saints".
To turn aside and build a denomination, based on a concept that a fellow
to wrote another testament, is the heighth of spiritual folly!.
Baptist
In the biblical sense, I enjoy the confirmation of God's approval as a baptist.
I believe in the baptism of the Bible, a burial or immersion in water.
Acts 10:47 "Can any man forbid water, that these should
not be baptized, which have recieved the Holy Ghost
as well as we"?
Romans 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism
into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the father, even so we also should walk in newness
of life".
We practice baptism for the remision of sins, and salvation based on an obedient faith.
Acts 2:38 "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost".
Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned".
I Peter 3:21 " The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also
now save us (not the puting away of the
filth of the flesh, but the answer of a ggod conscience toward God,) by
the resurrection
of Jesus Christ".
The church of Christ preaches and teaches the truth about baptism.
To deny the essential commands of God concerning baptism is a unbiblical concept.
The very persons that call themselves baptist, in many ways deny baptism is involved in salvation.
Baptism places one in Christ and his body, I Corinthians 12:13
Episcopal
The term Episcopal refers to the rulers of the church on earth. The eldership or overseers of the church.
The office or position of elders is very biblical.
Titus 1:5 " For this cause left the in Crete, that thou
shouldest set in order the things that are wanting,
and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee".
Hebrews 13:17 " Obey them that have the rule over you,
and submit yourselves: for they watch for your
souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and
not with grief,
for that is unprofitable for you".
You need not leave the Lord's church, and turn aside, to simply magnify this one concept, that is sectarianism.
I do not say this with derogatory words, or an angry feeling, but simply to describe this as sectarianism.
To take one segment in opposition to the whole balance of truth is wrong and sinful.
To magnify this, or any doctrine, above other spiritual things, is what denominates, and creates sects, and division.
Proverbs 30:5 " Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him".
The church of Christ has an eldership of qualified overseers that lead
by example. These elders maintain doctrinal purity
and perform the other tasks that God defines in his word for them to
carry out.
church of God
I am a member in the church of God. The one church you read about
in the word of God, which holds all the spiritually
cleansed and saved.
I Corinthians 1:2 "Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus
Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother.
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified
in Christ Jesus, called
to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus
Christ our Lord, both theirs
and ours:
The church originated in the mind of God, the heavenly architect, brought the church into being by the blood of Christ.
The church is also called the kingdom. Matthew 16:19
The church belongs to God, and will be delivered up to him on the last day. I Corinthians 15:24
The Bible supplies the church with all spiritual guidance and direction.
If we arrange an organization foreign to the divine revelation of the
Bible that is denominational and sinful.
METHODIST
Yes I understand the benefit of this term, again I find all the blessings of this term in the Lord's church.
I do not have to magnify the methods to magnify Christ.
I magnify Christ by obeying the things he has given me to do,
I Corinthians 14:40 "Let all things be done decently and order."
Technique and performance and methods, are based on the will of God's word.
No need to change for change sake, but we certainly need to remain faithful.
sing
pray
lord supper
preach
give of our means
The order of worship may vary, but the actions and the worship does not change!
Change for the sake of change, I am against it, but that is my opinion.
The worship of god must be as God commands.
The order, pray first, preach second, take collection third, take
Lord Supper fourthly in order, is by expediency and wisdom.
CATHOLIC
I am a Catholic in the sense, that as a Christian I am under the authority of the Lord.
The Lord wants people of all nations to be saved.
Catholic means universal. Every nation and every people needs to be taught the gospel.
The church is made up of all the obedient believers, regardless to their nationality.
But I am not in the digressive sense of the term.
We do not set up a vicar on earth, who when he speaks excathedral, has the right to set aside the written word for the decrees of mortal man and mans teaching.
This is deadly, exalting oneself to the position of God is blantantly false..
Apostolic
I am apart of worshipping by the apostles doctrine.
Acts 2:42 " And they continued steadfastly in the apostles
doctrine, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers".
I obey and teach and believe what the apostles taught.
I simply teach what the inspired apostles and New Testament writers have given us.
I have no opinion about it, or any additional truth, or error to set forth.
I have no denomination to uphold or defend, nor any ax to grind.
I only tell you what the ambassadors of Christ, the divine emissaries have said to us through this book.
The apostles had the charge of the one sovereign, to deliver the message
of the gospel to mankind.
Holiness
I am part of the only church that practices holiness,
Preacher, I am not sure I agree with that.
Well whether you believe it or not it is the truth!
You can't be holy, and walk counter to divine revelation. There just is no way to do this.
Somebody says, I know someone as dedicated as you ever seen, a good man, as religious and sincere as you are.
That has nothing to do with holiness!
I know some atheist like that. That has nothing to do with holiness.
Holiness simply is being separated from things profane, and being dedicated
exclusively to the will of God.
II Corinthians 7:1 "Having therefore these
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God".
Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethen,
by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service".
Good man morally, oh sure, fine father,
good husbandn no question.
Many good things can be said of them, certainly, yet they have a holiness
built on there standard instead of God's word..
Truth does not destroy, but is used to save. Truth will save when we take it in love to others.
Don't get angry is someone doesn't agree the Lord takes care of that.
John 12:47-48 "And if any man hears my words,
and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the
world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me and receiveth
not my words, hath one that
judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the
last day".
Holiness is being separated to the of doing the will of the father.
Every benefit can be found in Christ Church but in none other. The Lord is not the head of division but of peace.
If we magnify something over the totality of the balance of the Bible this is sinful and terrible.
Why not do the Lord's will, and simply become a New Testament Christian?
To simply follow the lord we renounce all sectarian dogma's and creeds.
We obey the gospel and become members of the church, the body of the Lord.
The sacrifice is truly worth it all.
II Timothy 2:10 " Therefore I endure all things for the elect's
sake, that they may also obtain the salavation
which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory".
CONCLUSION
Are you a member of the one
church the Lord built. The terms of membership are the same terms
of pardon.
We are saved and added to the church by our obedience.
Believe Jesus Christ to be God's son, John 8:24
Repent and turn from sin, Acts 2:38
Confess Christ before men with the mouth, Romans
10:10
Be immersed, batized to wash sins away, Acts
22:16
Live faithful unto death, Revelation 2:10