The
Church?
We are living
in such a world that when you say the word
church, many ideas come to men's minds. A
great majority think of some religious
organization that men and women have joined
themselves to. By the help of God, we would like
to find out what the Bible is talking about when
it refers the "the Church". If we will follow
"the Church" through all different ages, we will
be able to tell beyond the shadow of a doubt
what "the Church" is and where it is
today.
Christianity suffers much today
from a faulty concept of "the Church". Our
efforts for winning the lost world could be
multiplied many times over if people had the
Bible concept of "the Church". Consider the
concept of true, Bible unity, or God's people
being one. The devil, working through the powers
of deception, has multiple actions taking place.
He has people gathering under many church
organizations, spending money to push their
organization, and working on the mission field.
He has one working against the other, downing
each other.
What a blessing it would be
if people could understand the Biblical concept
of "the Church", what real unity is, and bring
their efforts together. I am not talking about
false ecumenical councils, but I am talking
about getting back to the Biblical concept of
"the Church" and being one as Jesus prayed for
us to be. Our efforts could then be multiplied.
For that very reason, the devil works to
destroy, to divide, and to hinder our
work.
Now, when we talk about the concept
of Bible unity (and I am not preaching on
unity), we are going back to some grass roots of
"the Church". There could be no vital unity
without a Bible-based view of "the Church".
Secondly, Bible unity starts and ends with God.
He is the Alpha and Omega; no unity is worth a
hill of beans unless God sets it in order. It
will never end right, and it will never
accomplish the work that God has ordained it to
do.
When I say the Alpha and Omega, it
means that if we ever have unity, we will have
it by men and women who are sold out to God, who
have a real experience with God and allow Him to
guide their lives day by day. They will come to
the end view of unity, that which God ordained
from the very beginning. So my friend, for it to
be Bible unity, it must start and end with
God.
Holiness
We are living
in a world where people have diversified ideas
of religion; they want to trade ideas with you
and tell you that their idea is as good as
yours. I am not trying, however, to teach my
idea. I want every statement that I make to be
founded on the Word of God, in clarity. God has
chosen just ONE means of revealing Himself:
there are not two, or two dozen. My friend, if
we look at the world, it says, "God is dead. God
is inactive. We can't see God in religion." Why?
God's only means of revealing Himself to us is
through holiness!
Let us read Hebrews
12:12-14: Wherefore lift up the hands which
hang down, and the feeble knees; And make
straight paths for your feet, lest that which is
lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather
be healed. Follow peace with all men, and
holiness, without which no man shall see the
Lord: Some people feels this refers to the
end when Jesus comes again, but if you are not
holy, you will not see Him. Friend, EVERY eye is
going to see Him then. Hebrews 12:14 is talking
about His means of revealing Himself now. Unless
you and I live godly in this present world, no
man will see the Lord.
Everybody today is
interested in most everything but living holy.
The farther we go in religion, the more we see
priests and preachers alike making room for sin.
From the Roman Catholic church right on out, we
have holy water, holy days, but no holy people.
God does not care one whit about the holy
water--He forgot about holy days when Jesus
came. Why? Because EVERY day is holy! When a
person receives Jesus Christ into his or her
heart, everywhere he or she walks is "holy
land".
I have had people ask me every
once in a while to go to the Holy Land. I say,
"Go where?" They answer, "To the Holy
Land". I tell them, "Man, I live THERE. I am
Not interested in going to see where Jesus
WAS; I want to be where He
IS!"
He left that house desolate
and He left that ground desolate. Holiness is
God's one means of revealing Himself; without
it, no person will see the Lord. There is a way,
my friend, that every one of us as individuals
can manifest a greater revelation of God to a
lost and dying world--by gaining an experience
of holiness and living that way every
day.
The
Church Of The
Bible
Let us study
"the Church" the way it is spoken of in the
Bible. I say this with kindness, but "the
Church" that Jesus built is always spoken of in
the singular. The only way it is ever spoken of
in the plural is when it is referring to
different congregational phases of "the Church".
It is spoken of as THE Church, THE Bride, THE
Body--always in the singular. "The Church" is
neither Roman Catholic nor
Protestant.
"The Church" was first
conceived in the mind of God, back in the
council halls of eternity. Some say that "the
Church" had its beginning on Pentecost; others
say "the Church" had its very beginning in A.D.
1880, through Brother Warner and other laborers.
We thank God for those dear brethren and the
truth they brought to us on golden platters, but
"the Church" had its beginning in the mind of
God, back in the council halls of eternity. "The
Church" was before any reformation, and She will
be after every reformation fails. Before God
ever made man, even before He ever prepared the
world, "the Church" was conceived in the mind of
God. God, in His greatness, brought forth the
thought of "the Church".
God knew what
"the Church" would be like in its last days even
before it had any beginning. My friend, we are
dealing with One Who knows the end from the
beginning. Within His very mind, He conceived
"the Church" as a finished building, a finished
organism. He saw it in its finished state. In
fact, that is the only way He could build it.
Any builder cannot build a building which is
worth anything unless he first has a picture of
a finished building within his mind before he
starts. He has a plan before the first footer is
ever dug. He is able to envision how he wants
that finished building to look when he first
conceives the idea of building it!
My
friend, that is exactly how God conceived within
His mind and pictured "the Church" of the Living
God. He saw Her so clearly that He foreordained
and predestined exactly what She would be like
many hundreds of years afterwards.
When
we are dealing with "the Church", we are not
dealing with a good idea that man has come up
with, but "the Church" had its beginning in the
mind of God, back in the council halls of
eternity. Right there, He settled what it would
be like and what it would not be like. He drew
the blueprint for it, and little by little, He
revealed the blueprint to honest and true people
whom He knew He could trust to take the
blueprint and build "the Church" in some
locality. This is no slipshod thing. No Sir! It
was conceived in the very mind of
God.
Bible
Predestination
Not only was
it conceived in the mind of God, but "the
Church" was predestined by God. A lot of people
get very nervous when you talk about
predestination, but I believe in Bible
predestination. I do not believe in a lot of the
false teachings on predestination, such as there
are going to be 144,000 saved, or that you are
predestined to be saved or lost. No! The Bible
does not even suggest such thoughts! The eternal
destiny of individuals is determined by their
individual response to the grace of God, but God
did predestinate "the Church".
Paul said
in Titus 2:11,12, For the grace of God that
bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present
world. When the Grace of God comes around to
the heart of people, He teaches every one the
same lesson. There are some things which are
fixed and settled. The only way you can get
around it is to change it, and when you change
it one iota, you are NOT "the Church". So what
did God predestinate? That every one who was to
become a member of "the Church" (HIS Church)
would live soberly, righteously, and godly in
this world.
Now He did not predestinate
who would be saved: He offers the Grace of God
to every person. Whether you receive it or
reject it is your decision. Your eternal welfare
rests in your own hands, but God did
predestinate how you would live if you believed
on and accepted the Grace of God: For whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans
8:29. He did NOT predestinate who would be
saved, but what would happen to every one who
was saved. What would happen to them? Every one
of them would be conformed to the image of Who?
His Son, Christ Jesus.
This is the mark
that Paul pressed for, and this is the mark of
every TRUE CHRISTian. My friend, heaven is NOT
what God had in mind when He saved you. He had
it in view for you to be conformed to the image
of His Son. Certainly, heaven is the ultimate
end, but that was not what God had in view.
Someone might say, "Oh, God saved me to take me
to heaven." Well, then, you should have been
gone. Brother, the ultimate view that God has in
salvation is to conform us to the image of His
Son. Some say, "We can't do it." Well, you are
missing the mark. (And by the way, WE canNOT do
it, but IF we will allow God to work HIS Will in
our lives, we WILL be conformed to the image of
Christ. If we are willing to sell out to God and
give up our death grip on this world and the
things of this world, God WILL conform us to
that image!)
Let us consider verses 29
and 30: For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate,
them he also called: and whom he called, them he
also justified: and whom he justified, them he
also glorified. Romans 8:29,30. (Now do you
know whether or not you are predestined to be
saved? It's IF He called you! The "who"
in predestination is "whosoever will".) Someone
may say, "Well, I guess I am one who is not
supposed to be saved." Well, you can tell,
because everyone whom God predestined to be
saved, He calls. If God has called you, then you
know you are supposed to be saved. Brothers and
Sisters, God predestined the whole world to be
saved. John 3:16 tells us, For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. If God
would have His way, there would be NO one lost!
If we will but answer His
call...
With
God, ALL Things Are
Possible
Now I want
you to notice the pronoun, "He", referred to in
verses 29 and 30 of Romans 8: there is NOTHING
in there about you. Brothers and Sisters, God
does all this for us! None of us can get saved
if He does not call us, and that call is made
through the Gospel. When He calls you, if you
will hear the call and come in "old-time"
repentance (Biblical heartfelt sorrow for your
sins and true recognition that you need Jesus
Christ as your Savior), He will save you. He
will justify you. None of us can justify
ourselves. He will justify you and everyone whom
He justifies, He also glorifies. HE does
it.
Someone may ask, "How in the world
are we changed, anyway?" Let's take a look at II
Corinthians 3:13-18 (concerning Moses and The
Law) and see:
And not as Moses, which
put a vail over his face, that the children of
Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of
that which is abolished: But their minds were
blinded: for until this day remaineth the same
vail untaken away in the reading of the old
testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the
vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when they
shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken
away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we
all, with open face beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit
of the Lord.
In
those days, there was a veil over the minds of
the people, whereby they could not see the real
glory of the thing; but Thank God, when we come
to Jesus, that veil is taken away. When that
veil is taken away, we behold as in a glass
(God's Word) the image of Christ. We see what He
wants us to be, and if we will only believe it,
we are changed into that image, even from glory
to glory. How? By the Spirit of the Lord. The
power of God's Holy Spirit changes us and makes
us just exactly what God preordained us to
be.
Some feel that it is impossible to
live that way. Well, all things are possible
with God. The rich young ruler came to Jesus and
asked, "Good Master, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life?" (Luke 18:18) Jesus told him to
sell all he had, give it to the poor, and then
come and follow Him. The young man sorrowfully
turned away because he had great possessions.
Jesus then said, "How hardly shall they that
have riches enter into the Kingdom of God!" When
Jesus' disciples heard Him say that, they asked,
"Who then can be saved?" Jesus answered them,
"The things which are impossible with men are
possible with God." (Luke 18:24-27) It is still
true today! Brothers and Sisters, you cannot
save yourself. No pope, priest or preacher can
save you. With man it is impossible, but with
God, ALL things are possible.
Some
are actually preaching that all things are
possible, except living free from sin. It is no
wonder that the mind of man is so confused.
Salvation is out of the question with man; there
is no need of you trying to change your mind to
do better. There is no need of you going to
church every Sunday and every Wednesday (night),
if you are thinking it is those things that will
"save" you! There is nothing wrong with
attending church services and hearing the Word
of God, but mankind cannot save. Salvation is
impossible with man, but with God, however,
ALL things are
possible.
When
Did "The Church" Become A
Reality?
Let us turn
to I Peter 1:18-21 and read it together:
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and
gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; But with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot: Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for you,
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up
from the dead, and gave him glory; that your
faith and hope might be in God. Then we find
in Revelation 13:8, And all that dwell upon
the earth shall worship him, whose names are not
written in the book of life of the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. Christ
knew what part He would play in redemption
before the world ever began. Long before the
world was created, before man was brought into
existence, Jesus Christ was the Lamb That Was
Slain before the foundation of the world. God
not only foreordained that man would live in
holiness and righteousness, but He also
foreordained the plan, or the power, to bring it
all about. This is why Paul said in the Hebrew
letter than Jesus is a "surety of the new
covenant" (Hebrews 7;22). Thank God, it is
yours, it is fixed and settled.
I would
like to say right here that "the Church" did not
begin with Adam. We have people who teach that!
Adam played his part in leading people into sin.
In Genesis 3:15, God gave the promise of Christ.
He stepped on the stage of prophecy and became
the first prophet by saying that the seed of the
woman would bruise the serpent's head. My
friend, He gave a promise there of Christ, but
"the Church" did not begin there.
Well,
"the Church" was conceived in the mind of
God--we know that, but when did it become a
reality? Our scripture text lets us know that
"the Church" is composed of only blood-bought,
redeemed, called out, separated men and women.
That is all that is in "the Church". The same
Greek word is used all throughout the New
Testament. Every time the word church is
used, it comes from the Greek word
ekklesia, which means "a separated,
redeemed, called-out people".
God
predestined 'way back there what kind of people
would make up His church. We do not have "the
Church" in its reality until God has this kind
of people. "The Church" could not have begun
with Adam, because "the Church" is composed of
blood-bought, called-out, redeemed men and
women. They are called out (of partaking of the
sins of this world) and separated unto God. I
will make the statement a little clearer: God
had a people, a chosen people, long before the
coming of Christ, many people. There were people
who were saved before the coming of Christ, but
they were not truly redeemed, in a Biblical
sense, until Christ died on the
cross.
Even the disciples were not
converted until AFTER Pentecost. They were
saved--Jesus did not tell sinners to "go
preach", but they were not converted. Jesus told
them that they were not. My friend, there can be
NO conversion work in any man or woman until the
power of the Holy Spirit moves inside. The
disciples were saved, but they were not
converted; they were not changed.
Now
read this carefully and give it serious thought:
If you will recall, when Jesus was crucified,
the disciples trembled in fear of their very
lives and hid out. If you also recall, Peter
(and the "others") went back to fishing.
Remember how they were out on "the boat" and
Peter dove overboard to swim to shore when they
caught sight of Jesus there by the water?
Whatever their former lives had been, that is
what they returned to after Jesus was crucified.
However, after the "Day of Pentecost"
experience, when the power of the Holy Ghost
truly converted them and changed their lives, we
never read of Peter returning to the boats or
any of the others returning to their former
occupations. They were changed, fully converted.
Now THAT's the indwelling power of the Holy
Ghost in a person's
life!
They
Died In The
Faith
Now, the same
thing was true up through the New Testament.
There were many people who were saved, but they
did NOT make up a part of the REDEEMED,
the sought out, or the true people of "the
Church" UNTIL after Jesus died on the cross. The
bible teaches this. Everyone who lived before
Christ died on the cross, right up to John the
Baptist's disciples, their salvation rested on
believing in Him Who WAS to come.
Turn to
Romans 4:3 and let's read it: For what saith
the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was
counted unto him for righteousness. God let
Abraham's faith take the place of righteousness.
He did not become a righteous individual; the
true righteousness that only Christ could bring
was not in effect until AFTER Christ died on the
cross. He was saved, but it was only AFTER
Christ died on the cross that Abraham's
salvation was counted as true
redemption.
Every happening through the
Old Testament was a type of Christ. The Old
Testament sanctuary, the altar, the sacrifice,
the lamb, the priests, and the high priest all
pointed to Christ. Those people "died in the
faith", according to Hebrews, Chapter 11. They
never received the promise--they all died
without receiving it. They did not constitute,
in the truest Biblical sense, a part of "the
Church" until Christ died on
Calvary.
And for this cause he is the
mediator of the new testament, that by means of
death, for the redemption of the transgressions
that were under the first testament, they which
are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance. For where a testament is, there
must also of necessity be the death of the
testator. Hebrews 9:15,16. ("new testament"
means "covenant") What was the promise that they
died without receiving? Eternal inheritance. It
is the promise that you receive when you accept
Jesus Christ into your life as your personal
Savior--eternal life (eternal
inheritance).
Those under the Old
Testament died without it. The blood of bulls
and goats could not take away sin, but Thank
God! When Jesus' blood was shed, their sins were
cancelled and they were brought right into the
assembly of the "Church of the Firstborn" at the
same time that the way was made for men and
women who believe the Gospel to be brought
in.
Hebrews 11:39,40 tells us: And
these all, having obtained a good report through
faith, received not the promise: God having
provided some better thing for us, that they
without us should not be made perfect. What
kind of perfection is He talking about? He is
not talking about physical death or new,
resurrected bodies there.
What is the
"good thing" which "God provided for us", that
"they without us should not be made perfect"? In
Hebrews 12:22-24, Paul said, But ye are come
unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an
innumerable company of angels, To the general
assembly and church of the firstborn, which are
written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all,
and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And
to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and
to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better
things than that of Abel.
Nothing
under the Old Testament could make the "comers
thereunto" perfect! The blood of bulls and goats
could not make one perfect, as pertaining to
conscience, the inner man, or the spirit. But
Thank God, what the blood of bulls and goats
could NOT do, Jesus came and offered Himself
ONCE and FOR ALL that we can have our conscience
made perfect to serve a living
God!
Who Is
In "The Church"?
Now who is in
"the Church"? My friends, He first mentions
"just men" (Hebrews 12:23). The Bible tells us
that Noah was a "just man"; Abraham was a "just
man", yet their spirits were not made perfect. I
had a man say the other day to me, "Well now,
you put it down too straight. Abraham was a just
man, and he lied." Know this: that is NO excuse
for us to sin! Abraham is NOT our example--Jesus
Christ is! There is NOT one thing in the entire
Bible that tells us to take Abraham as our
example. Abraham was a just man, but his spirit
was never made perfect; his spirit was never
made whole. The blood of bulls and goats could
ONLY sanctify the flesh to the purifying of the
flesh. However, Thank God, the blood of Jesus
Christ can cleanse our flesh and our spirit and
make us perfectly whole and clean in the sight
of God.
So "the Church", my friends, is
made up, first of all, of all those just people
who died in faith. Thank God, when Jesus died on
the cross, they were brought right in. Then the
message of the Gospel was sent forth, and is
still being sent forth to us who dwell on the
earth. Everyone who will believe it, take faith
in it, and obey it, their spirit can be made
perfect and they can be brought right in to the
fold of the Church of the Firstborn. Even though
"the Church" was conceived in the mind of God,
since the Bible teaches that it is made up of
men and women who are blood-bought and redeemed,
it did not become a reality until AFTER
Calvary.
Consider the "birth pains" of
"the Church". Some might say, "There was some
action of 'the Church' BEFORE Pentecost." That
is right, but it was in the womb of God, just
like the babe in the mother's womb when it is
about time for it to be born. There will be
action, but it has to pass to the place of
birth, Amen? Calvary was the birthplace of "the
Church" that God had predestined.
Jesus
Christ had the birth pains in Gethesemane. On
the cross, His pain became greater and greater
until it broke His heart. He died under the
strain, and when the sword pierced His side, out
flowed blood and water that bought "the Church".
Let me tell you: She is STILL a church without
"spot or wrinkle"! There is NO sin in "the
Church" of THE Living God!
Revelation,
Chapter 6, tells of those souls who had hold to
the First Testament. They were crying with a
loud voice to God, How long, O Lord, holy and
true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood
on them that dwell on the earth? Verse 11
tells us, And white robes were given unto
every one of them; and it was said unto them,
that they should rest yet for a little season,
until their fellowservants also and their
brethren, that should be killed as they were,
should be fulfilled. Now notice that--go
back and read it again: WHEN did they get
their robes? My friends, they died in the faith.
God accepted Abraham's faith for righteousness.
When did he ACTUALLY receive righteousness? When
Jesus Christ died on the cross, he received his
righteousness over in heaven.
Someone
might ask, "How do you know that they are WHITE
robes of righteousness?" Revelation 19:8 will
tell you that the white robes are the
righteousness of the saints. Let us be glad
and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath
made herself ready. And to her was granted that
she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and
white: for the fine linen is the righteousness
of saints. Revelation 19:7,8. Those who died
in the faith received their white robes over
there at the same time that the Gospel message
was opened up for you and me. So, we begin at
Calvary and see that "the Church" began to
become a reality--the very Church that was
conceived in the mind of God, predestined to be
holy and clean and conformed to the image of His
Son, Jesus Christ.
What a price He paid!
Why can't we be like Christ? Romans 8:9 tells
us, But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in
you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his. Jesus Christ
shed His own blood to cancel our sins of the
past and to cleanse this temple. Out also came
the water, a symbol of the water of life, or the
life-giving essence coming into our heart and
life through the Spirit of
God.
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