S. WHY I'M A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF GOD

WHY I’M A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

Windell Gann [ see PowerPoint charts ]

Introduction

1. I want to express in the beginning of our study together this morning how pleased and delighted I am to be a part of the congregation here at Rogersville. I hope you appreciate its friendliness and love; its good Bible teachers and dedicated deacons and elders. We are excited about this year’s plans, and especially our Gospel Meeting planned for this June.

2 But I want to suggest that our reasons for being a member of the Rogersville Church of Christ should go much deeper than these reasons mentioned. a. Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15 "But Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give and answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." b. And Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 "Prove all things, hold fast that which is good." c. 2 Corinthians 13:3 "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves." d. Hebrews 3:6; Hebrews 11:1

3. Ask yourself this question, Why am I a member of a particular church? Why am I a member of the Rogersville Church of Christ? Or why should I become one? a. I would like today to briefly share with you some reasons why I’m a member of the Church of Christ.

4. I think we will agree, our religion must be based upon conviction, that is, upon faith. a. The bible tells us that faith comes from hearing the Word of God, Romans 10:17. b. In order for our faith to be founded upon the Word of God, we must embrace what God has said – allthat He has said– only what He has said.

5. With this in mind, let’s examine our religious position? Why Am I a member of the Church of Christ?

FIRST - I’m a member of the Church of Christ, because of Its ...

FOUNDATION.

1. We recognize the importance of a good foundation. We recognize that a building or institution can be no stronger than the foundation upon which it is built.

(The Sears Town in Chicago - 1450 ft, 110 floors, 808 feet above and 642 down) (World Trade Center - 1350 ft - with 110 floors.) No house built out of proportion with its foundation can stand long. Consider the careful planning for foundations in California with its many earthquakes, etc. The true stability or everlasting endurance of a church depends on its foundation.

2. In order for a church today to be the church of the Bible – it must have a scriptural foundation. No man can claim membership in a scriptural church unless that church is founded upon a scriptural foundation.

3. What is the Rock or Foundation of the New Testament church? To identify the foundation, we search the scriptures for those passages regarding the building and establishment of the church. And we come to Matthew 16:13-16.

We must determine what is the foundation – Christ promised to build his church on a rock. Was that rock Peter as some believe, or is it the Truth Peter confessed, that Jesus is the Son of God? What is the foundation? Peter or Christ?

Peter’s name is "Petros" - masculine in the Greek. The Rock Jesus said he would build on is "Petra" - feminine. From the Greek we can see that the Rock is NOT Peter. But there’s another passage that helps us to understand what the foundation is. Look at 1 Corinthians 3:11, "For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

4. There was a prophesy concerning the foundation of the church in Isaiah 28:16, "Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone of sure foundation."

Jesus applied the prophecy to himself in Matthew 21:42. (Psalms 118:22) "The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner." Peter also applies it to Christ in Acts 4:11. Thus, the proof of the identity of the foundation of church is overwhelming.

5. One of the great faults with modern denominations is their unscriptural founders and foundations. a. If a church has an un-scriptural foundation how can it be a scriptural church? b. The Church of Christ is not built upon the teaching of any human being.

1) The Lutheran church would not have come into existence had dit not been for the teaching of Martin Luther.

2) Many Baker Eddy was responsible for the Christian Science Church.

3) Seventh-Day Adventist church resulted from William Miller’s prediction that the world would end Oct. 22, 1844 and the followers that gather around him.

4) The Mormon church had its foundation in 1829 by Joseph Smith.

5) The Jehovah’s Witnesses took their name in 1931, but they existed for a couple of decades before that, called by other names. They were established by Charles Tate Russell and Judge Rutherford.

6) Charles and John Wesley - founded the Methodist Church in 1729 in England.

7) John Calvin and John Knox were the founders of the Presbyterian church in Scotland in the 1550’s.

8) Most of the 27 denominations of the Baptists are very recent in origin also. The earliest would be a group of ana-baptists in the days of Martin Luther. The first Baptist church close to what we know today as the Baptist Church were organized in the early 1600’s by Jon Smythe, a Separatist minister and a former clergyman of the church of England.

[See 88-D-Ba Primitive Baptists news ad on Primitive Baptists going all the way back to 1689.] But the church that I want to belong to is that church that was built by Christ and founded upon the Foundation that Jesus is the Son of God.

6. Let us note something in particular here - the church was NOT established by John the Baptist. a. Some assume that the church was established when Jesus was born – but such was not the case. The old covenant God make with Israel at Mt. Sinai was still in force til the death of Christ. The New Covenant did not begin until the Old was fulfilled and taken out of the way at the Cross of Calvary. (Colossians 2:14). b. But the FACT that Jesus established the church, as we note in Matthew 16:18 when Jesus said "I will build my church" is irrefutable proof that it was not established by John the Baptist. c. Many believe the church was established by John when he came preaching and baptizing and preparing the way for Christ. But John’s work was not that of ESTABLISHING, but that of PREPARATION. d. Let’s also note, that John the Baptist was dead at the time Jesus promised to build His church. Matthew 14:10, "And he (Herod) sent and beheaded John in the prison." The promise in Matthew 16:18 "will build" was still in the future.

SECOND, I’m a member of the Church of Christ because of Its

HEAD and Source of Authority.

1. The Bible teaches that Christ is the only head of the church (Ephesians 1:20-23).

He is the source of all authority ... Matthew 18:18. That excludes all other sources of authority in matters of religion.

2. The real principle involved is Matthew 21:25 a "from heaven or men"

Matthew 15:9 "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men."

3. This viewpoint will not allow us to practice a thing religiously by Old Testament authorization, Galatians 5:4 "if ye be justified by Law ye are fallen from grace."

Hebrews 1:1 God speaks today through Jesus Christ.

THIRD, I’m a member of the Church of Christ because of Its

CREED. The word creed comes from the Latin "credo" = "I believe."

1. The creed of the New Testament is Christ – Matthew 16:18, "Thou art the Christ." The creed we confess and hold to is CHRIST, himself! Acts 8:37 "I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God."

Matthew 10:32-33 "Whosoever will confess ..."

2. Accept Christ as Lord and Savior and His Word as our rule of faith and practice.

3. Human creeds can be traced back to some human authority. a. Westminister Confession of Faith – one of the most influential creeds of Calvinists and standard for the Presbyterian Church since 1643. b. Augsburg Confession of Faith – compiles by Luther in 1530 is the standard for the Lutheran church, and many European protestant churches. c. Human creeds had their beginning with human councils and conventions. d. One of the oldest is the Nicean Creed, but formulated by the council at Nicea in 325 AD in Asia-Minor.

4. Human creeds become obsolete.

They are human productions written by un-inspired men. a. Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." b. Human creeds undergo revisions from generation to generation. The Gospel does not change. 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; Galatians 1:6-10. c. The fact that human creeds need revision shows they are imperfect. Some creeds have changed so radically that they now teach exactly the opposite of what they once taught.

[ See about Methodist conventions when they changed doctrine. ]

5. Human creeds contradict one another. Which would you accept? More importantly, they often contradict the Word of God and are not worth the paper they are written on.

Creeds that teach what the Bible says – I’m just as well off with my Bible.

FOURTH, I’m a member of the Church of Christ because of Its

WORSHIP

1. The Bible tells us that upon the first day of the week the disciples came together to break bread (Acts 20:7). Since the Lord said that the Lord’s Supper was observed upon the first day of the week, we gather that this was a weekly affair. a. If not, why was mention made of the day of the week. Had the Lord told us that the disciples met upon a certain day of the month, we would have gathered that it was a monthly affair. b. All evidence is that it was observed on the first day of every week. c. What authority do people have for observing the Lord’s Supper four times a year, or two times a year? d. Churches of Christ observe the Lord’s Supper on the first day of every week because of this teaching in Acts 20:7.

2. Furthermore upon the first day of the week we contribute of our means as was done in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2. a. The church has no bazaars, pie suppers, rummage sales, etc. but we advocate that each contribute according to his ability his freewill offerings unto the Lord.

3. Then, too, we have no mechanical instruments of music in our worship, simply because the New Testament does not authorize the use of such. a. Every passage in the New Testament dealing with music in worship specified "singing". Had the Lord given a general command to offer music, then any kind of music would be all right, but since He specified "singing," then we have no right to add something to God’s arrangement. b. For several centuries after the church had been established there were no mechanical instruments of music used in Christian worship.

1) All recognized historians tell us that instruments were not used in the worship until the fifth or sixth century.

2) Why? It wasn’t because they had no mechanical instruments of music, but it was because the Lord had specified a certain kind of music. c. Because of the way the church of Christ adheres to the New Testament order or worship, I am a member of it.

4. The early church had preaching in their services, and the churches of Christ also do.

5. The early church continued faithfully prayer and in the apostles’s doctrine or teaching. (Acts 2:42-47) FIFTH, I’m a member of the Church of Christ, because of Its

ORGANIZATION

1. The churches of Christ have no headquarter on earth. Each congregation is autonomous, and no congregation is over or dictates to another congregation. a. Each congregation selects its own elders to oversee the flock as is suggested in Acts 14:23. b. These leaders are called "bishops" (Titus 1:5, Titus 1:7), "overseers" (Acts 20:28), "stewards" (Titus 1:7), "pastors" (Ephesians 4:11) or "the presbytery" (1 Timothy 4:14). c. The qualification for elders or bishops are very clearly outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-16, Titus 1:1-16, 1 Peter 5:1-14, Acts 20:1-38.

2. Deacons likewise are selected by each congregation, and their qualifications are very clearly set forth in 1 Timothy 3:1-16 and Acts 6:1-15.

3. Elders are to oversee the work of the local congregation, and deacons are to help in a special way, both of whom are to be selected by the local congregation. a. This is what was done in New Testament times. Incidentally, this is the only organization we find in the New Testament church. b. In the writing of the Philippians letter Paul addressed to "the saints in Christ Jesus ... with the bishops and deacons" (Php 1:1).

4. There is no authority for one elder or bishop being over other elders or bishops, nor for one congregation to be over another congregation. Peter tells us that an elder should not "lord it over God’s heritage" (1 Peter 5:3). a. Placing one bishop over other bishops is a departure from the New Testament pattern. The same is true when one congregation is placed over other congregations. b. We must respect the organization that God has set up, and because the church of Christ does respect that organization, I today am a member of it.

SIXTH, I’m a member of the Church of Christ, because of the

NAME IT WEARS.

... Because of What It Is Called.

1. In the New Testament we find such expressions as "the church" (Acts 8:1); "the church of God" (1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Timothy 3:5); "the church of the living God" (1 Timothy 3:15); "the church of the Lord" (Acts 20:28); "the church of the first-born (ones)" (Hebrews 12:23; "the churches of Christ" (Romans 16:16).

2. It was Christ who built the church, and he called it His (Matthew 16:18). a. He is the head of the church, and the Savior of the body (Ephesians 5:23). b. He is the head of the body, the church (Colossians 1:18). In Colossians 1:24 we find this expression "for his body’s sake, which is the church." c. Since the church belongs to Christ shouldn’t the church be so-called? It is certainly scriptural to refer to the Lord’s body as "the church of Christ".

3. It is because of this scriptural designation that I am a member of the church of Christ.

SEVENTH, I’m a member of the Church of Christ, because of the NAME of its MEMBERS ... Because of What Its Members Are Called

1. In the New Testament, followers of Christ are called saints (1 Corinthians 1:2); disciples (Acts 20:7); brethren (1 Corinthians 15:6); children of God (1 John 3:1); sons of God (Romans 8:14); Christians (Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28).

2. Surely it would be permissible to refer to followers of Christ as "saints," "disciples," "brethren," "children of God," "sons of God," "Christians" – for all of these expressions are found in the New Testament.

3. In Isaiah 62:2, God said that He would later call His people by a new name which the mouth of the Lord would name. a. No doubt that name was the name "Christian." It is in this name that we can glorify God (1 Peter 4:16). b. But some claim there is nothing in a name and that it doesn’t matter what one is called religiously. c. If that is the case, then why did the Lord say to glorify God in this name, or on this behalf, refereeing to the name Christian? (1 Peter 4:16).

4. Concerning Christ, the Bible says, "Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). a. There must be something in a name. Religiously we should wear only that name which would honor our Lord. b. The Bible doesn’t speak of "hyphenated" Christians, or of this brand or that brand of Christian, but just "Christian."

5. Members of the church call themselves "Christians," and for this reason I am a member of it.

LAST – I’m A Member of the Church of Christ Because of Its Teaching on How To Become A Christian.

1. The scripture says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). a. What is means by the expression, "not of works, lest any man should boast?" Does this means that no actions at all is required on man’s part? No, "for by grace are ye save through faith." b. Isn’t faith an action on man’s part? Yes. Doesn’t the Bible say that faith is a work? (John 6:29). Yes, but it is the work of God. c. What does the Bible mean then when we says, "Not of works"?

2. Furthermore, how can you harmonize this passage with James 2:24 : "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only"? a. Friends, it is not by the works of man’s own righteousness, but by the works of God’s righteousness that one is saved. "In every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him" (Acts 10:35). b. Faith is a work of God’s righteousness. c. What about repentance? Doesn’t God demand men to repent? (Acts 17:30). Is repentance a work of man’s own righteousness, or a part of God’s righteousness? d. What about baptism? Doesn’t the Bible tell us that baptism saves us? (1 Peter 3:21).

1) Isn’t it through baptism that we put on Christ? (Galatians 3:27).

2) Doesn’t the Bible teach us that we cannot walk in the newness of life until we have been buried and raised with our Lord in baptism? (Romans 6:4). e. Isn’t this therefore a definite part of the new birth? (John 3:5).

3. Jesus very plainly tells us that baptism is a part of God’s righteousness (Matthew 3:15). a. When one is scripturally baptized he is not, by his own works or merit, earning salvation, but he is simply submitting to the work of God’s righteousness. b. This is the arrangement of God’s grace.

4. There is no example in the New Testament of an infant being baptized or christened. Infants do not need to be baptized, for they Lord said, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven." a. We do not believe in infant membership, simply because the New Testament does not teach it.

5. There is no example of anyone being voted into the church. Salvation is offered to all. God adds to the church those who are saved (Acts 2:47).

6. We believe that one must be a member of the Lord’s church in order to be saved. It is by one Spirit that we all are baptized into that one body (1 Corinthians 12:13).

CONCLUSION 1. There are many other reasons that could be given, but time would not permit. a. I do submit the following for your consideration and evaluation– because of what the church of Christ is called, because of its creed, its organization, its worship, and its teaching on how to become a Christian.

2. These are some of the reasons why I today am a member of the church of Christ. a. I invite you, after a careful study of these things, to take your stand with us, on the Bible alone and thereby help us restore the New Testament church.