The ONE Church

We only have to open the telephone directory and look at all the different churches that are listed to wonder "what church is the right church?" There are books that are written about various churches, most claiming to be spiritually and doctrinally correct. We can read where all kinds of things are taught such as praying to Mary, baptizing babies, some priests can marry, others can't, the social work of the church, no life after death or there is life after death! How can we know which church is the church that Jesus built?

I Will Build MY Church

Jesus said: "...I will build my church..." (Matthew 16:18). Jesus said this way back in 30 A.D. Therefore, the church that Christ built was built long ago. Every denomination that is in existence today was built long after Jesus said "I will build my church". Most are proud to tell you the exact date that their church was established and the creed in which it was established on. Since Jesus said "I will build my church", that must mean that the church in which Jesus built belongs to Him. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:22-23: "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." Here we can clearly see that HIS BODY = HIS CHURCH. In Colossians 1:18 it is pointed out that Christ is "the head of the body, the church". Since Christ is the head, He decides, controls, and guides His church.

There Is ONE

The word ONE is mentioned several times in the New Testament. Let's look at a few references to this. In Ephesians 4:4-6 we can read where "there is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Here we can plainly read where there is just ONE of each. Yet while most will acknowledge there is ONE God, they recognize several churches! Paul said that we should be unified (1 Corinthians 1:10). Only when we're doing all things exactly as God has stipulated can we truly be ONE, which is to be unified.

Jesus said: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" (John 10:27). In John 10:16 we can read where there is ONE fold and ONE shepherd. Therefore, in the New Testament (the testament we are under today), we see that there was only ONE CHURCH!

Doctrines Of Men

The Bible is very plain on Christ's teaching about His church. Yet many still want to preach and teach more than ONE church and various other ways of doing things that are in direct violation of God's teaching in His Word! Jesus condemned man for teaching his own ideas and doctrines (Mark 7:7-9). Because man did change the teachings of Jesus, we now have denominations. Some denominationalists teach that denominations are simply branches of Jesus' church. This cannot be so, for in the Bible we read "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned" (John 15:5-6). Disciples are the branches, not churches! 

In Mark 16:16, Jesus said: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Some say "He that believeth and is not baptized shall be saved." Who shall we believe, Jesus, or the doctrines of men? We cannot pollute the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9-11). When Christ's doctrine is polluted with the doctrine of men, it makes man's worship of God empty of any value, it is vain! 

Could it be that you are following the traditions and doctrines of men? Or, are you really striving to abide in the doctrine of Jesus Christ?

The Love of Man

In John 14:21 Jesus says: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” If we truly love Jesus, then we will keep His commandments, which also shows that we love the Father. In addition to Christ and God the Father, we should love the brotherhood. Peter writes: “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17). Unfortunately some Christians in the church today feel like they can treat their brethren wrongly and still be true to Christ — but God’s Word tells us this is not so (1 John 3:14-15). We also have an obligation to love our neighbors and our enemies (Galatians 5:14; Matthew 5:44). Our love should also extend to loving the truth of God’s Word, for without it we cannot be saved. The apostle Paul states: “and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

How Should Man Love?

Our love should be a whole-hearted devotion to God. Listen to what Jesus says in Mark 12:30: “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…” There is no doubt that if every Christian exhibited this kind of love for the Lord, then true Christianity would be practiced every day. A clear example of how we should love is recorded in John 13:34: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another”. If we will love others, as Christ loved us, then our life will be pleasing to Jesus and to others. I encourage every Christian to read, understand, and apply the passages of Mark 12:30 and John 13:34 to their life every day! Children of God should love sincerely and perfectly as they strive to be like Christ (Romans 12:9; 1 John 3:18; 2 Corinthians 8:8; 1 John 4:17-18).

Why Should Man Love?

We should love because Jesus loved us first. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Do we want to be known by God Himself? In order for God to know us the Bible teaches that we must love Him (1 Corinthians 8:3). What is it that demonstrates to God that we do love Him? Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Here we can see that if we really do love God, then we will keep His commandments that He has given to us through His Word, the Bible. It is a foolish thing to say that we love God and at the same time fail to keep His commandments and/or love the brethren. In order for us to have life we must love the brethren and God (1 John 3:14). In John 13:35 Jesus says: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” We show others that we truly are disciples of Christ when our love for one another is demonstrated. Do you want to go to heaven? Of course you do! We all want to go to heaven but the problem is that many people who say they want to go to heaven do not strive to do the things that God has asked them to do in order to receive the crown of life. Please notice what is recorded in the book of James 1:12: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” Once again we see that we will only obtain our heavenly crown when we love Him.

I want to encourage all of us to make sure that we truly demonstrate our love for God, Christ, and one another. If we fail to do so, we will forfeit our eternity with God, Christ, and each other!

Avoiding Temptation

Oh how much easier our Christian walk would be if there was not any temptation confronting us that we had to deal with. In James 1:14 we read "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust." Temptation is an enticement that appears so appetizing to us that often times we get carried away with it and give into it. Is God tempting us? We read in James 1:13 that "God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone". So who is tempting us? Satan is the one that puts those "dangling carrots" in front of us so that we will give in and turn from God (1 Corinthians 7:5; Mark 1:13) . Life is a test of our endurance and we will prevail if we can overcome temptation. We are tempted through the lust of our eyes (1 John 2:16), through the lust of the flesh (James 1:14), through the pride of life (1 John 2:16), and through our own covetousness as we can see in 1 Timothy 6:9.

How Do We Avoid Temptation?

There are ways that we can avoid temptations. First of all, we are more easily tempted when we leave God out of our lives and think that we can do everything on our own without Him. We need to be godly as Peter emphasizes in 2 Peter 2:9. In addition, we can further avoid these temptations by not giving Satan an advantage (1 Corinthians 7:5), through consideration (Galatians 6:1), by prayer (Matthew 6:13; Luke 22:40), by taking the way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13), by watching (Mark 14:38) and of course by allowing Christ to help in our life (Hebrews 2:18). Remember, temptations are set before us to test us. Are we passing the test?

Are We Burdened With Worries?

The Christian should not be burdened with worries. Matthew 6:25 says, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?"

Thoughtful planning does not fall into the same category as fretting or worrying. Actually, God gave us minds so that we could plan ahead. However, as soon as planning goes beyond careful, prayerful planning, and becomes hair-pulling, gut-wrenching anxiety, it's turned into a monster called sin. Worry is a sign of the lack of faith in God's promises. Jesus isn't saying, "don't plan for tomorrow," but rather, "don't let tomorrow's worries mar the beauty of today."

Jesus continued His discourse on worry and anxiety in verses 26-34 of Matthew chapter 6. He is telling us here that we need to get our priorities in the proper order. He is teaching us to not waste our time worrying about the things of the world. Just do what God requires of us, put all our faith and trust in Him, and the things that are necessary for living here on earth will come. Furthermore, when this life here is over, we'll be rewarded with an eternal home in heaven.

Jesus closed His thoughts by saying, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:34). Let us not add the imaginary troubles of tomorrow to the burdens we are already facing today.

Are We Growing in Faith?

Is our faith now weaker than it was in the past? Do we pray as often and with as much fervor as we once did? Do we enjoy the peace that passes understanding? Are we putting the Lord first in our life? Are we courageous in declaring our faith?

The above questions are important because strong faith is absolutely essential to our spiritual survival. Romans 1:17 tells us that the righteous will live by faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "We walk by faith, not by sight." Hebrews 3:12 warns, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God..."

If we see within us signs of a weakening faith, we would do well to identify the danger. Here are a few personal questions which, hopefully, will help us to identify threats to our faith. First, "Are we diligently studying the word of God day by day?" It's a sign of danger when a Christian becomes lax in studying God's word. Remember, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17). The more we study and meditate on the word of God, the stronger our faith will be.

Secondly, "Have we placed ourselves in faith weakening situations?" 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, "Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits." The company we keep, the material we read, and the television we watch can gradually change our interests and convictions.

Thirdly, "Have we noticed that we are becoming weaker in our faith?" If we see that our faith is threatened, meet the danger. 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 tells us, "Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." 1 Corinthians 7:1 says, "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

All of us need to schedule time every day for study and meditation of God's word. We need to seek out companions who promote spiritual growth. We need to exercise and perfect our faith by worship and devotion to God. Just as an athlete's muscles grow weaker from lack of exercise, our faith will grow weaker by lack of daily dedication and service to God. May we all continue to grow in the faith by diligently studying and applying God’s word in our day to day lives.

Cast Your Burden on the Lord

David wrote in Psalms 55:22, "Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." Burdens come to all; rich or poor, young or old, saint or sinner, and there is no escaping them. For the child of God, however, there is a place to leave them. We cast them on the Lord.

Our burdens can become the source of temptation. Sometimes temptations associated with a burden is worse than the burden itself. For instance, there is the temptation to think that God is not caring. However, 1 Peter 5:7 tells us: "...Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." There is often the temptation to try to escape life's responsibilities, and even to try to hide from God. David recognized the futility of trying to hide from God and told us in Psalms 139:7-10 that it was useless to try.

We should never try to deal with our burdens alone. We should anchor our souls in the Lord and as David said, "He shall sustain you." Notice that the promise is not to remove the burden, but to help us bear it. He may choose to remove it, or He may not. Either way, we will be blessed in the midst of our burden. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." If a care is too small to be made into a prayer, it's too small to be made into a burden.

What are your burdens? Are they pressing heavily upon you? Why not follow the counsel in God's word and rest your burdens in the hands of the compassionate Savior?

Let Us Rise and Build

By studying the Bible, we learn how to live as we should. The Bible teaches us that we are the children of God, and each one is an individual different from all others. We must not envy others, but accept who we are, and strive to use all our spiritual potential in pleasing God.

When we fail, we must forgive ourselves, and go on to be faithful to what we know we should. We should love ourselves enough to seek to do that which is best for our souls. We will never be what we should, unless we think that we can be what we ought to be.

I'm not suggesting that we are self-sufficient, but having been created in the image of God, with His help, we can be everything He would have us to be. Paul said in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Thus, the "I can't do it" attitude is a good one. We shouldn't underestimate what God can do through us.

Paul makes another incredible statement in Ephesians 3:20-21. He writes, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Remember, the power is in Christ. We must rise up and rely upon Him, and believe that we can be everything that God wants us to be. Herein lies the secret of an abundant spiritual life in Christ. Let us learn of Christ, obey Him, and rely upon Him. Let us not allow the devil to defeat us with doubt, uncertainty, and inactivity. Let us be like the people of God in Nehemiah's day who said, "Let us rise up and build" and who "strengthened their hands for the good work" (Nehemiah 2:18).