(Link to Part 1) Now, before you write this author off as some sort of radical nut, let’s reason together. Following the good confession of Simon Peter (Matt. 16:16), Jesus told Peter and the apostles, “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18b, ASV). Please take note of the phrase, “I will build my church.” Each word in that string of words is significant. Let’s consider each of these. First, Jesus said “I, will build my church.” Jesus is the builder. He paid the price for the church by shedding His precious blood on the cross. As the builder He has all authority to build it precisely the way He wants it built (Matt. 28:18). Our obligation is to examine the “blueprint,” the word of God, so as to determine what the features of that church are, and then to make sure we do not deviate from that pattern. If it is important for a contractor to comply with a blueprint in building a house, what makes us think we can even attempt to build the church of our Lord in this day and age and ignore the blueprint? Is it sectarian to read and study the blueprint that God has given, and appeal to that blueprint for authority in building God’s church today? Second, Jesus said, “I WILL BUILD my church.” At the time Jesus lived upon the earth, the church was yet future so far as its existence was concerned. It was only after Jesus died on the cross that the church came into existence. Most Bible students recognize that Acts 2 signifies the beginning of the church. Luke recorded Peter’s stirring words on that day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-35). Not only did the apostle establish undeniable proof of the deity of Jesus, he convicted the multitude of their sin and set forth the terms of pardon. Once they complied to those terms of pardon they were “added” to the church (Acts 2:41,47). Let this point sink into your hearts. A man does not “join” the church; he is “added to it” by compliance to the commands of God. If it is sectarian to claim I have been added to the church Jesus built, then so be it. Third, Jesus said, “I will build MY church.” The emphasis here is upon possession and ownership. When someone says, “This is my house,” he is expressing ownership. When referring to ownership of a piece of property one says essentially the same thing whether he says, “This is Mr. Jones’ house,” or, “This is the house of Mr. Jones.” If the church belongs to Jesus, and it does, then it is proper and right to refer to that church as “Christ’s church” or “the church of Christ.” You have said essentially the same thing. Now, dear friend, is it sectarian to use precisely the same terminology that Paul used in referring to the Lord’s church and thus claim that I am a member of the “church of Christ” (Rom. 16:16)? Fourth, Jesus said, “I will build my CHURCH.” Notice the singular nature of that word. Jesus never promised to build 2,000 or 200, or even 2 churches. He said He would build His church. Is it sectarian, therefore, to claim to be a part of that one church He built and for which He died? What is the alternative? Would someone dare claim, upon compliance to the will of God, that he is not a member of the church for which Jesus died? The law of the excluded middle demands that I am either a member of the church for which Jesus died, or I am not a member of that church. Why am I accused, therefore, of being sectarian when I claim I have been added to that one church for which our Savior died? It is sad that the religious leaders of our age would suggest that what I have written, and the subject I have addressed, is not really that important. Before you buy into that deceptive lie, let me impress upon your mind the importance of this issue we are discussing. Since the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23), and since Paul wrote, “For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23 ASV), I want to make sure I am in the correct church, i.e. Jesus’ body, so as to lay claim to that salvation. There is no salvation outside of Christ (2 Tim. 2:10; Eph. 1:3). I must be a part of that church for which He died. The devil has built many counterfeit churches, but only the church of our Lord will enjoy the blessing of salvation. So you see, it is an important issue. In fact, it is so important an issue, that your very salvation depends upon the church of which you are a member. Think about it! Tom Wacaster
The word “sect” is used nine times in the New Testament. It is translated four times with the English word “sect,” and five times with the word “heresies.” W. E. Vine tells us that the word means “a predilection either for a particular truth, or for a perversion of one, generally with the expectation of personal advantage; hence, a division and the formation of a party or sect in contrast to the uniting power of ‘the truth,’ held in total; a sect is a division developed and brought to an issue.” When Paul arrived in Rome those who were “the chief of the Jews” met with him and said, “We neither received letters from Judaea concerning thee, nor did any of the brethren come hither and report or speak any harm to thee. But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against” (Acts 28:21-22, ASV). It is important to note that Paul did not regard the church as a sect. When he stood before Felix, having been charged by the Jews as a trouble maker, he said, “But this I confess unto thee, that after the Way which they call a sect, so serve I the God of our fathers” (Acts 24:14, ASV). Religious theologians would have us believe that the churches of Christ are just another “sect,” a denomination among denominations, and one of many “ways” by which a man can get to heaven. Unfortunately, these same “theologians” would suggest that the churches of Christ are not worthy to be classified with mainstream denominationalism because of so called “radical” beliefs to which we subscribe. They would have you believe that the church of Christ is nothing more than a heretical, pompous group of dogmatic knuckleheads incapable of understanding God’s love and mercy. One liberal theologian in speaking of the church of Christ has even suggested that he and his contemporaries are “crusading against the tyranny of ecclesiastical professionals within the Christian commonwealth, for we believe the system they espouse is cancerous to the one body of believers.” Still another writes, “It is true that Churches of Christ, like other sects, have reduced the Christian system to mere professional employment and sectarian ecclesiasticalism [sic].” It is really sad that such misrepresentation characterizes those who are bitterly opposed to the church of Christ. It is somewhat inconsistent for the religious leaders of our day to claim that “it makes little difference what church you belong to” while exempting the church of Christ from the so called “umbrella” of God’s grace. One of the charges laid at the feet of those of us who seek a “thus saith the Lord” is the accusation that churches of Christ have been too judgmental in their refusal to fellowship denominations. This, according to some, makes us ‘sectarian.’ Loyalty to the truth of God’s word does not make someone sectarian. If the Bible forbids fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11), then compliance to that God-given command is not heretical, nor is it a manifestation of a “sectarian spirit,” as some are claiming. Another charge laid at our feet is that the churches of Christ are too arrogant in their claims of being the one true church. If the Bible plainly says there is one body (and it does, Eph. 4:4-5), am I sectarian because I preach that message? If the Bible plainly says that all spiritual blessings are in that one body (and it does, Eph. 1:3), am I sectarian because I practice and teach that truth? If the Bible plainly says that one must be baptized in order to enter into that one body (and it does, 1 Cor. 12:13), am I sectarian because I obey and preach that truth? If it is “sectarian” to believe there is one body and that the body is the church, that one must conform to God’s will in order to be pleasing in His sight, that God authorizes only singing in worship, and that men and women who promote denominationalism will be lost, then I plead guilty as charged. But before someone frowns on this self-admitted declaration, let him examine the scriptures and see that the Holy Spirit has clearly revealed that each of the aforementioned, so-called “sectarian” beliefs are in compliance with God’s will. Contrary to what religious leaders may claim or even think, sectarianism is the result of departure from those things, not compliance to them. Hence, those who maintain loyalty to the truth are not sectarian. Brother Darrell Conley wrote, “The church for which Jesus died is not a sect. It is the original. It is the whole of God’s saved people. Simply because men have invented counterfeit churches, does not make the church of Christ a counterfeit. The counterfeits are the sects.” To be continued… Tom Wacaster
“I’m sorry, please forgive me.” Only the Lord knows how many times these words should have been uttered but instead something got in the way of saying them. Maybe it was pride, maybe it was arrogance, maybe it was ignorance, but in any case, we need to be a forgiving people. Just how important is forgiveness? Our life depends upon it. By that I mean our eternal life as Jesus said in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” When we realize that the Father not forgiving us means we face His unmixed wrath, then it quickly becomes a matter of spiritual life or death (cf. Rm. 3:23, 6:23). We need God’s forgiveness which means we need to be willing to forgive one another. Peter asked Jesus if seven times was enough to forgive a brother who sinned against him (Mt. 18:21). Jesus expanded the number to seventy times seven, but He had in mind far more than four hundred and ninety times (Mt. 18:22). The idea Jesus set forth was one of a willingness to forgive regardless of how many times one needs to be forgiven. Recall that Jesus prayed for His persecutors while on the cross that they would be forgiven (Lk. 23:34). This prayer began to be answered on Pentecost when the Gospel was preached and obeyed (cf. Ac. 2:36ff). This teaches us that forgiveness mandates action on the one who needs forgiveness and the one who is forgiving. Forgiveness is not without condition. In Luke 17:3-4 Jesus stated, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” Observe that action is required by the one who was sinned against. This individual is responsible for rebuking the trespasser. This means going to that person and that person alone to charge them with the fault (cf. Mt. 18:15). Note that after the rebuke has taken place there is condition on the part of the one who sinned for forgiveness to take place. Repentance must be present to forgive. Repentance, if it is truly repentance, will always bear fruit and fruit is visible (cf. Mt. 3:8, 7:16-20). If we have the willingness to forgive and repentance is there then forgiveness should take place every time the conditions are met. Such is the case with God when we seek His forgiveness and meet His conditions as His children (cf. Ac. 8:22; 1 Jn. 1:9). Truly God offers His forgiveness and so we should offer ours. In Matthew 18:23-35 Jesus set forth the parable of the unforgiving servant. He owed a massive debt which was forgiven by his master and yet he refused to forgive a small debt owed him by his fellow servant. This is exactly why we need to forgive one another because we need God’s forgiveness! As the song goes, “He paid the debt He did not own, I own the debt I could not pay.” None of us could pay the debt owed by our sin by ourselves and so Christ laid down His life as a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:5-6). That great sacrifice should motivate us all to forgive one another when sin occurs between us. An unforgiving attitude is a horrible thing to have and will condemn our soul to hell. Let us adopt the attitude that Paul wrote about to the Ephesians when he said, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32 NKJV). Please forgive! Trent Thrasher
In the New Testament, the word peace can be defined as: “the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatever sort that is.” Peace is also described in the New Testament as a gift from God and is congruent with His character (Philippians 4:6-9). If God is known as the God of peace, then to know God is to know His peace. This means that the closer we draw to God, the more of His peace we can enjoy (James 4:8). Having the peace of God can be compared to the petals of a flower unfolding in the sunlight. The petals of peace in our lives unfold as we learn more about God (2 Peter 1:2). In other words, the peace that comes from God grows as we get to know Him better (1 Peter 2:1-3). The Scriptures give us clear instructions about how to draw near to God (Psalm 24:3–4). The Bible is also clear that we cannot make ourselves clean enough or pure enough to earn the presence of the Lord (Romans 3:10, 23). So how do we draw near enough to experience His peace? We come into the presence of the Lord through His Son (John 14:6). By accessing the Blood of Christ through baptism (Acts 22:16; Hebrews 10:22), we enter into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) and our sins are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7; Revelation 1:5). Only then can we have peace with God (Romans 5:1). Since the forgiveness of sin is what grants us access to the God of peace (Ephesians 2:13-18) and sin is what separates us from Him (Isaiah 59:1-2) then it makes sense that to keep God’s peace in our lives, we must do our absolute best to keep sin out (Romans 6:1-6; 1 John 1:5-7). There are also certain attitudes that can destroy the peace of God. When we equate the peace of God with the assumption that God will give us whatever we want, we set ourselves up for disappointment. The Bible is filled with examples of the opposite happening to God’s children (Mark 14:35-36; 2 Corinthians 12:7–9). Having the peace of God means we have set our hearts to trust God, no matter what may happen. When we insist on being in control, we sabotage God’s desire to let us live in peace. When we choose to worry rather than to have faith, we cannot live in peace. Jesus warned often about fear and worry (Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-32). Worry is the enemy of peace. God invites us to cast our cares upon Him and then let go of them (1 Peter 5:7). Many times we don’t experience God’s peace because we tend to focus on everything else going on and we forget who God is. We forget God’s sovereignty and authority. We forget Who we serve and Who is really in control. When this happens our peace will most certainly disappear. In Philippians 4:6, just before God’s peace sets up to guard our hearts, God gives us a responsibility. This is why prayer is so important, it connects us to the God of peace. When our situations lead us to worry, that same situation should lead us to prayer. Whatever our source of worry is, we must place that situation in God’s hands. This means that we will trust God to bring us through it and to give us a solution through His Word (2 Peter 1:3). When we get to that place, His peace will now guard our hearts. In other words, God’s peace comes when we make an exchange. It is simply saying to God, “I am giving you all my anxieties and worries.” In exchange God says, “I will give you My peace and this will guard your heart through this situation.” By removing the worry crowding our hearts and giving it to God, we make room for His peace to fill that space. We must remember that no matter what we are going through, God is always faithful (1 Peter 4:19; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24), even when we are not (2 Timothy 2:13). Knowing this, we must not allow our ever-changing circumstances to determine our level of contentment (Hebrews 13:5-6), relying instead upon the character of God that never changes (James 1:17; Malachi 3:6). When we learn to cry out to Him in times of trouble and meditate on His Word daily, we will find that His peace really does pass all human understanding (Philippians 4:6-9). Tobias Hatchett
The second chapter of Acts is the hub of the Bible. The contents of the whole Bible center in this chapter. Everything in the Old Testament points forward, and everything in the New Testament points backward, to the second chapter of Acts. In it Old Testament prophecy and prediction are fulfilled and New Testament blessings and promises are enjoyed. The second chapter of Acts is called “the beginning” by both the prophets and apostles. Isaiah said: “Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:3). Quoting in substance this prophecy, Jesus said: “It is written,…that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk. 24:46-47). Several years after this first gospel sermon in the second chapter of Acts was preached Peter referred to that occasion as “the beginning” (Ac. 11:15). Let us, then, observe the notable events of this ever-memorable and eventful day. Christ First Proclaimed First, it was on this occasion that Jesus Christ was first proclaimed the Son of God and the Savior of men. He had been confessed before this time, but not preached. Peter, in the select group of disciples, had made the great confession, “Thou art the Christ (Mt. 16:16),” but Jesus quickly charged them that they should “tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ (Mt. 16:20).” Also, in the presence of Moses and Elijah, the pioneers of law and prophecy, at the transfiguration of Christ, God declared him to be his Son, but again Jesus cautioned the disciples to “tell it to no man until the Son of man be risen from the dead (Mt. 17:9).” The facts of the gospel could not be preached before the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Did the church exist before the gospel could be preached? Then the house was built before its foundation was laid, for Jesus said: “Upon this rock [Christ, the Son of God] I will build my church (Mt. 16:18).” Hence, not until this eventful day in Acts the second chapter, when Jesus was first proclaimed the Son of God and Savior of men, was the foundation laid and the church built upon it, thus fulfilling the word of the prophet: “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone (Isa. 28:16).” The Holy Spirit Begins His Work in Conversion It was on this day that the Holy Spirit began his mission of conversion, of the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said to his apostles: “When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (Jn. 16:8).” During the personal ministry of Christ “the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified (Jn. 7:39).” We know that Jesus had the Holy Spirit without measure, but not until the second chapter of Acts was he given to the apostles for the purpose of revealing the plan of salvation, or to begin his work of conversion--convicting men of sin (See Jn. 16:8). Hence, we can understand why the twelve at Ephesus who had been baptized unto John’s baptism had not so much as heard that the Holy Spirit was given (Ac. 19:2). They had not learned of the Holy Spirit’s work in revealing the plan of salvation. In verse 33 of Acts 2 we read: “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted [glorified],…he hath shed forth this [the Holy Spirit], which ye now see and hear.” Thus, on Pentecost, in the second chapter of Acts, the Holy Spirit came and began his work of conversion. If the church existed as an established institution before this day, it was inaugurated without Christ proclaimed and without the Holy Spirit’s presence and influence in the conversion of men. The Law of Pardon Announced In the last commission of Christ to the apostles as recorded by Luke, Jesus is quoted as saying: “Thus it is written,…that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Lk. 24:46-47).” But they were commanded to “tarry ye in the city” until they received “power from on high” and “ye shall receive power,” they were told, “when the Holy Spirit is come upon you” (Lk. 24:49; Ac. 1:8). The power came, the first gospel sermon was preached by a Spirit-filled apostle. A caustic and stinging conviction penetrated the hearts of the hearers and brought forth the harrowing cry of faith: “Brethren, what shall we do? (Ac. 2:37)” The man with the keys of the kingdom in his hand announced the terms: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Ac. 2:38).” They “gladly received his word” and “were baptized,” and the Lord added them, the first additions, three thousand in number, to his newly established church (Ac. 2:41). So came the power, Spirit, and kingdom on Pentecost; and thus the second chapter of Acts marks the beginning of the gospel. Foy E. Wallace, Jr.
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