Recognizing The New Testament Church
Lesson One - Bible Names
Lesson Two - Spirit and Truth
Lesson Three - Authority
Lesson Four - Salvation
Lesson Five - Worship, part one
Lesson Six - Worship, part two
Lesson Seven - Worship, part three
Lesson Eight - Church Government
Lesson Nine - Holy Spirit, part one
Lesson Ten - Holy Spirit, part two
In the world today there are almost as many "churches" as there are Peachtree Streets. In fact, there are over 600 in the United States alone. It is no wonder that people run for cover when they see a nicely dressed man riding a bike and carrying a Bible or a nicely dressed woman standing in the Wal-Mart parking lot handing out pamphlets. People are bombarded with all types of philosophies that are ascribed to the mind of God and people simply do not know who to trust or what to believe.
The Bible teaches that there is only one church (Eph. 1:22-23, Eph. 4:4) and this series of articles is designed to help you get past the "commandments of men" (Matt. 15:9) and the "doctrines of devils" (I Tim. 4:1) and get back to the Bible and the Bible only!
If you are not interested in what the Bible says or if you believe your Pastor can overrule what the Scriptures clearly teach, then this series of articles is not for you. But if you truly are looking for what God says on this subject, then I urge you to study these articles in light of Scripture so that you will be able to recognize the New Testament Church.
Our lesson today is on Bible names. Now it should be noticed that one might have a Bible name and still not be the Church of the New Testament. The name alone does not indicate authenticity. But the wrong name can certainly invalidate the groups claim to being a part of the New Testament Church.
In I Corinthians 1:1-15 we find that the Church has a problem with division. Some are calling themselves by names other than that of Christ. Paul condemns the practice and reminds them that they are all to be united in Christ and speak the same thing. You see, the purpose of a name is to identify - not divide! God never wanted people to go to the Church of their choice; He wants them to go to the Church of His choice. While in the United States we have freedom of choice in all that we do, such is not the case in the Lord’s Church. We need to do Bible things in Bible ways and call Bible things by Bible names. Unity of all believers can only be achieved when all believers seek unity through obeying what is taught in the Scriptures.
In accordance with our first study, I will from this point on refer to the New Testament Church as the Church of God, the Church of Christ, or the Body of Christ. These are not the only Biblical designations that we have but these will be the ones I generally use. Please remember these are not the only acceptable terms. Also remember that the wearing of these or other such designations is no guarantee that it is truly the New Testament Church. That will be determined not only by name. It will also be determined by character and conduct.
We will center this week’s study on three parallel passages. They are Joshua 24:14, John 4:24, and I Cor. 14:15. Please read these before continuing this article.
In these three passages we find that, in serving God, one must do so with the proper attitude (spirit, sincerity) and in accordance with God’s revealed will (truth, understanding). Man can displease God by his attitude or by his disobedience. Let’s begin our study with a look at attitude.
Attitude is very important in pleasing God. In fact we find an entire chapter in the letter to Corinth (I Cor. 13:) dealing with this very issue. It tells us that you can do everything right and still be lost if you do not have love. The love, of course, that is required is the love of God and the love of our neighbor (Matt. 22:36-40).
Let’s talk about what it means to love God. To love God means to put Him first above all else (Luke 14:25-27). You will choose Him above family, friends, job, position, even self. If sacrifice is necessary, you will sacrifice. If death is necessary, you will die. His will comes before all else. That’s what it means to love God.
One who loves God will obey Him in all things. It is foolish whenever supposed Gospel preachers make statements teaching that one’s conduct does not affect his salvation. The Bible clearly teaches that obedience to God’s will is necessary to please Him (John 14:15-21) and anyone who believes he can love God and be saved while being disobedient has deceived himself. Obedience is the test of sincerity.
Love for man is similar to love for God. To love man is to want the best for him. The best for him is the Gospel since it is the power to save. Love of man will be demonstrated by a life dedicated to service, especially in telling them about Christ.
Last week we began to view what was necessary to please God and discovered that one must act with the proper spirit (Attitude) and in truth (obedience to God’s word). You see, when we do something in truth we do it by God’s word because His word is truth (John 17:17). Since we are to serve God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) both are necessary to please Him. In fact, if we truly have the right spirit then obedience to God’s instructions will naturally follow. One who objects to obeying what God has commanded has neither the right spirit NOR the truth!
Today we want to discuss the concept of authority. In Matt. 28:18-20 we find that Christ has all authority. That means that whatever He requires of us must be obeyed without question. Thus it is imperative that we recognize, know, understand, and obey His will and His commandments if we are to have any hope of eternity with God (II Tim. 2:15).
In Acts 8:31 when Phillip had asked the Ethiopian Eunuch if he understood what he was reading, he replied he could not unless he received help. That’s what this study is all about.
We must first understand what part of the Bible contains the law which man is under today. In Heb. 10:9 we find that Christ took away the old law to establish the new. The first law with its animal sacrifices, tithing, offerings, etc., could not save mankind (Heb. 10:1-4). It was necessary for Christ to enter this world and offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice so man by grace might be saved. Salvation is found in and only in the new covenant with Christ and not in the old law of Moses. In fact the purpose of the old law was to bring us to Christ (Gal. 3:24, Rom. 10:4). Therefore, whenever I want to find out about salvation, worship, church government, or personal conduct, I need to look in the new testament for my answers.
This is not intended to suggest that the old testament is valueless. In fact, the old testament is the bedrock on which the new testament is anchored. But one needs to understand that while it has eternal principles, valuable history, and specific prophecies to point out the Savior, its law has been replaced by the law of Christ. Therefore, as we continue to look for the new testament church, we must concentrate our search in the Scriptures of Christ.
The most important issue man is ever to face is "What must I do to be saved?" But with all the opposing views presented on television, in tracts, and from the pulpit, how is one to know which way is correct?
Clearly the Bible teaches there will be many who live and die believing themselves to be faithful and in a saved condition only to find out in the judgment they are lost (Matt. 7:21-24). How I feel about my salvation is not an indicator of my true relationship with God. I may be satisfied with what I am doing and not be justified in the sight of God.
The first thing I must realize is salvation is by God’s grace. There is absolutely nothing I can do to earn my salvation (Eph.2:8-10). In fact in Acts 2:47 we find that God adds to the church, one does not join it, get voted into it, or sign up for it. God does the choosing who is to be in the church.
The second thing I must realize is that God saves only those in the church, the one true church spoken of in the New Testament (Eph. 1:3,22,23 Eph. 4:4 Eph. 5:22,23). One who is not a member of the New Testament church has no hope.
The third thing I must recognize is that God’s grace is sometimes conditional. That is, to receive the blessing offered, I must first do what God requires of me in order to receive it. So it is with salvation. God has required certain acts to be done before He will add someone to the church. Let us look at these briefly.
(1) Hear and Believe. Mark 16:15-16 states this clearly. One cannot be saved without belief in Christ as the son of God.
(2) Repent. Acts 2:38 tells us from the very beginning of the church that repentance is necessary for salvation.
(3) Confess. Not only are we taught that salvation requires confession, we are given an example of what we are to confess in Acts 8:35-37.
(4) Baptism. Our entrance into the church is only after we are baptized (immersed) in water for the forgiveness of sins. So it is stated by Peter at Pentecost (Acts 2:38), by Ananias to Saul (Acts 22:12-16), and by Jesus as He commissioned the disciples (Mark 16:15-16). In fact, in Acts 2:41 it states that all who received the message of Christ gladly were baptized and added to the New Testament church.
One must always seek to please God. That can only be done through obedience to His will.
Whenever we become children of God we will naturally want to worship the Creator because of the rich and bountiful love extended towards us, His creation. It has always been a part of the innate nature of mankind to seek objects to worship. God designed us with this desire being a part of our make-up.
But through the centuries man has been careless with his worship. He has either directed his worship towards things which are not to be worshiped (Acts 17:16-31) or has changed what God has instructed him to do in worship (Matt. 15:7-9), both of which are offensive to God. One must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Remember from our previous studies to worship in spirit means in sincerity or with the proper attitude. To worship in truth means to worship as the New Testament Scriptures direct us to worship (John 17:17). One must do things God’s way in order to please Him.
We cannot nearly cover this subject in only one study. But we do need to start with some basic principles. First, we are not under the old covenant, we are under the new covenant of Christ (Heb. 9:15). None of the old law applies to our worship today. That means the method of assembly, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the music, even the day of worship, have all been changed. We are under a new and better covenant and to alter its commands in any way, even by adding part of the old law to it, is an abomination before our Lord (Gal. 1:6-12). In fact, since the old law was designed to bring us to Christ (Gal.3:24) trying to add it to the new covenant would only serve to dilute what Christ has established. One must recognize which covenant he lives under if he is ever to understand God’s will for his life.
In the New Testament the primary day of worship is the first day of the week. It was on the first day of the week that Christ arose (John 20:), on which the Holy Spirit brought forth the church (Acts 2:), and on which the church assembled (Acts 20:7, I Cor. 16:1-2). The Sabbath day was part of the old covenant but was never a part of the new. There is no such thing as the Christian Sabbath. The word "Sabbath" literally means "seven" and was the final day of the week. This day was assigned under the Patriarchal system and was continued under the law of Moses. But under the dispensation of Christ it was replaced by the first day of the week.
In our last study we began to notice some of the differences between the law of Moses and the law of Christ concerning worship. We learned that in the Jewish church the primary day of worship was the Sabbath. However, in the church of Christ the primary day of worship is the first day of the week. But by far this is not the only significant difference. Let us consider several others.
In the old system, there was a tribe of priests which basically performed much of the worship of God’s people for them. But in Christ’s system such is not the case. Each person is authorized to directly worship their God because in Christ’s church ALL its members are priests (I Peter 2:9). This priestly relationship authorizes all members to sacrifice to God on their own behalf. While the old priesthood offered animal sacrifices the new priesthood offers themselves living sacrifices before God (Rom. 12:1-2).
Under the system of Christ, the practice of giving also takes on a whole new persona. Under the old law what you were to give was laid out in the letter of the law. You had to leave the corners of your fields for the poor as well as leaving what you accidentally dropped during the harvest. In addition, tithing of all your harvest, herds, etc., was required by the old law since this belonged to God.
In the body of Christ giving was changed drastically. Instead of God determining how much one would give (tithing) man now determined for himself what his offering would be (II Cor. 9:7). The simple directions in the new covenant are that we purpose our giving (preplan the amount and commit to it), not to give grudgingly or of necessity, but to give cheerfully. While the rules are easier to apply, they require reflection on the part of the giver concerning his or her real dedication to Christ and His church.
In the Mosaical economy the worship also included dancing and instrumental music, as well as the burnt offerings and sacrifices. David discusses some of this in Psalm 150 and many other places. But within Christianity, these acts are not authorized. That is, they are not commanded, inferred, or taught by example. They are foreign to the New Testament worship. The emotional and musical expression authorized in the New Testament is congregational singing. and only congregational singing.
Lesson Seven - Worship, Part III
In our study of worship we have learned several important facts. We learned first that our worship must be in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). This means our attitude concerning worship must be sincere and our acts of worship must be authorized . Otherwise, our worship will be vain (Matt. 15:9).
We learned secondly that we are not under the old covenant but are under the new (Heb. 8:6). This means that our acts of worship must be found in the New Testament if they are to be acceptable to God.
The New Testament reveals that there are five acts which are acceptable in the worship. We will take a look at each of them and discuss them briefly.
(1) The Lord’s Supper - The Christian religion is a religion of giving. No better way is there to highlight our worship than with the Lord’s supper. It is the celebration and remembrance of the greatest gift ever given - the sacrifice of Christ (John 3:16 Acts 20:7 I Cor. 11:26).
(2) Giving - Christ is God’s gift to us. In the Christian faith we have an opportunity to respond by giving back to God’s cause from the things we have. Giving should be something we enjoy. It allows us to demonstrate our appreciation of the gift God gave us of His son (I Cor 16:1-2 II cor. 9:7).
(3) Preaching - Preaching is God speaking to us. It is through preaching, teaching, and Bible reading that we learn of God’s will for our lives (II Tim.2:15 II Tim. 4:2).
(4) Prayer - Lines of communication are very important. Just as God has prepared a way to speak to us He has also prepared a way for us to speak to Him through the avenue of prayer (I Cor. 14:15 I Thess. 5:17).
(5) Congregational singing - In the design of our nature music plays an integral part. It is used to motivate, relax, or even calm our emotions. Singing can express feelings of sadness, joy, amazement, and humility. God placed singing into our worship because He designed us in such a way that singing is the most efficient way of truly expressing our feelings (Eph. 5:18-20 Col. 3:15-17).
What a wonderfully designed assembly we are allowed to enjoy. By having an opportunity to remember God’s gift and respond with a gift of our own, to listen to God and have Him listen to us, and to culminate this experience by singing, truly the Christian worship as God designed it is all-sufficient.
Lesson Eight - Church Government
It is an absolute necessity in any organization if it is to survive and do well that it have qualified and competent leadership. Such is true also of Christ’s Church. While Christ is the head of the church and the absolute authority in all issues, it still becomes necessary to have someone to guide us back to the Bible when we begin to stray. It is also necessary to have someone to motivate us to carry out the commands of God in our lives. To meet these and other needs God has given instructions on how the church is to be governed on earth and this will be our study for this week.
AUTONOMY: In the New Testament we find that each congregation of God’s people governed itself. There were no synods, conventions, district boards, or any other such thing to oversee large areas containing many congregations. Each congregation ran its own business. While they might agree to work together on some project, each was free to obey God without the other group having authority to direct them. This is called autonomy. Each congregation ran its own affairs. Any other system or arrangement is without Bible authority.
ELDERS: In the church each congregation is led by the men of the congregation until qualified men can be appointed to the office of bishop (I Tim. 3:). These bishops, also called elders, pastors, shepherds, etc., are not always the preachers but are men who, having met the qualifications of I Tim. 3:, are selected by the congregation to lead them towards Christ. Only those men qualified are authorized to serve in this capacity, their selection not being a popularity contest but a selection based on Godliness and personal character.
DEACONS: In the New Testament we also find the mention of deacons. But these men are not over the congregation. They are under the direction of the elders and are men appointed over certain works to see that these works are accomplished. These men also have qualifications they must meet listed in I Tim. 3: before they are to serve in this capacity.
PREACHERS: Preachers have no authority over a congregation except as an example (something we all have as Christians) unless they have met the qualifications of an elder and have been appointed to the office. In no case should the preacher wear the title pastor (or any other title for that matter - Matt. 23:1-12) because the wearing of titles is sinful.
Lesson Nine - The Holy Spirit, Part I
In our modern society people have become fascinated with the Holy Spirit and His work. Many are claiming special powers from the Holy Spirit, special anointing, the ability to speak in tongues, heal, and the list goes on. Some are teaching that the Holy Spirit was a New Testament experience and that He played no part in the times prior to Christ. Conversely some claim there is no such person as the Holy Spirit. In this lesson we will try to set in order what the Scriptures really teach concerning the Holy Spirit.
First, the Holy Spirit certainly is a person in the Godhead. He bore witness (I John 5:7), He guided (John 16:13), He comforted (John 14:16-17), and so on. We know these to be characteristics which belong only to a person.
Second, the Holy Spirit has always been active since the beginning of time. He was involved in the creation (Gen. 1:2), in man’s guidance in olden times (Ex. 35:30-35), in prophesy (Joel 2:28-30), in Christ’s conception (Matt. 1:20), in the confirmation of Christ (Matt. 3:16-17), in the support of Christ (Matt. 4:1), in delivering the Word (John 14:26, 16:13), in establishing the Church (Acts 2:1-4), in salvation (Acts 2:38-39), in the growth of the Church (I Cor. 12:1-13), and even in the resurrection of Christ (I Pet. 3:18-22, Rom. 8:11). The Holy Spirit has always been active in the annals of time.
Third, in the ministry of Christ and in the time following when the church was in its infancy, the Holy Spirit was busy confirming the message of God (John 20:30-31, Heb. 2:1-4). This was done by signs and miracles. Nine miraculous gifts were listed as present in the letter to the church at Corinth and instructions were given as to their use (I Cor. 12:). But in the same text we find that a time was coming when the miraculous gifts would be taken away, having finished their purpose (I Cor. 13:8-13). The time when these things would cease (miraculous gifts) is spelled out in I Cor. 13:9-10. It would be when the perfect teaching had come. This was done by around AD 96 at the completion of the writing of the New Testament. Jude tells us that God’s will was once for all delivered (Jude 3). Today there is no need for miraculous gifts. Having revealed to mankind all that pertains to life and salvation, there is no further revelation being given to man from God. Today, man must turn to the written Word to confirm whether or not a teacher is from God.
Lesson Ten - The Holy Spirit, Part II
Last week we began a study concerning the Holy Spirit. We learned that He is a person in the Godhead, He has been active throughout history, and He provided confirmation through miraculous gifts, signs, and wonders as to the credibility of holy men as they spoke for God. This week’s study will provide some concluding thoughts on the Holy Spirit and His work.
The Holy Spirit is our guide today in all issues of religion. He teaches us what we must do to be saved, how we should worship our God, and how we should live our lives so that our God will be pleased. But just how does the Spirit accomplish this?
In times past, the Holy Spirit guided many of God’s servants directly so that His message could be received accurately and completely by man (John 16:13, Mark 13:9-11). Through His guidance the New Testament was written so that we would have a record of all that God wanted us to know in order to be complete (II Tim. 3:14-17). When all was revealed (Jude 3) there was no longer a need for miraculous confirmation and the gifts were taken away (I Cor. chapters 12-14). Today the Holy Spirit guides us through and only through the Word. He reveals who is a teacher of truth and a teacher of error by comparing the individual’s teaching to the New Testament teaching. Anyone who teaches differently than the Spirit recorded is a false teacher and should be so marked (Gal. 1:6-12, II John 9-11).
It is therefore necessary that I concentrate on the Word of God and study regularly so that I will not be guided to Hell rather than Heaven. Many who believe they are right will be lost because they failed to properly discern God’s will (Matt. 7:21-24). May we all continue to rely on the revealed will of God in the Scriptures for they truly contain the words of life.