"I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH"
One of the most profound statements in the
Bible is Matthew 16:18. "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on
this rock I will build My church, and the gates of
Hades shall not prevail against it." Not many things are as misunderstood as the church. The church in the Bible was
never a physical building, nor was it a denomination. The church in the Bible
was always people saved by the blood of Jesus.
The church in the Bible is made up of saved
people. The church is a spiritual body of Christ composed of
those that have heard the gospel (Romans 10:9-10), believed in Jesus as the
Christ (John
Some question the importance and place of
baptism. Read these Bible words and then decide on the necessity and purpose
of baptism:
"Go therefore and make disciples of
all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen." (Matthew
28:19-20)
"Go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized
will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mark
16:15-16)
"Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit." (Acts
"But when they believed Philip as he
preached the things concerning the
"Then Philip said, If
you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. So he
commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down
into the water, and he baptized him." (Acts 8:37-38)
"And he commanded them to be baptized
in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days." (Acts
"And he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,
you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all
who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed
their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized." (Acts
16:30-33.)
"Then Crispus, the ruler of the
synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his
household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were
baptized." (Acts 18:8)
"And now why are you waiting? Arise
and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the
Lord." (Acts
"For you are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have
put on Christ." (Galatians 3:26-27)
"There is also an antitype which now
saves us -- baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer
of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ." (1 Peter 3:21)
Those who gladly received the message of
the crucified Lord were baptized. "Then those who gladly received his word
were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to
them." (Acts
You never join the Lord's church. You can
however, join churches established by men. You can never be saved outside the
Lord's church. He adds the saved to the church. (Acts
The church in the Bible is referred to as
“one body.” The church was located in different places but it was the
same church. The Bible speaks of "the
Jesus prayed for unity to exist among His
followers. "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will
believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are
in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may
believe that You sent Me." (John 17:20-21) What are you doing to protect
and promote that unity?
God plan for unity involves "seven
ones" which Christians must endeavor to keep. "I, therefore, the
prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you
were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing
with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were 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." (Ephesians 4:1-6)
Among these seven is "one body." We are not left to wonder what the
"body" is for God identifies it as "the church." "And
He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to
the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."
(Ephesians 1:22-23)
God's plan is simple -- all believers
united in one spiritual body, the church. It is in the church that one finds
salvation through the blood of Christ. "For the husband is head of the
wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to
their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ
also loved the church and gave Himself for her." (Ephesians 5:23-25)
The church in the Bible is neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish. Its members
are not some "kind" of Christian. They are just Christians. "And
when he had found him, he brought him to
There is no privilege greater than that of
being a member of "the
This is the body which worships in
"Spirit and in Truth." "But the hour is coming, and now is, when
the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father
is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24.) New Testament worship
consists of prayers (Acts
The design of worship is to please God.
Most want worship that pleases self. True Christians worship so as to please
God.
Churches of Christ today have as their goal
the practice of New Testament Christianity. "If anyone speaks, let him
speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the
ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through
Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.
Amen." (1 Peter 4:11) It must be scriptural or churches of Christ refuse
its practice. "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we
have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to
you than what you have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:8-9)
We invite you to join with us in the practice of first century Christianity in
the twenty-first century.
By
Charles Box,