OceanSide church of Christ
Previous | Return to list of articles | Next |
A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CULTURE
Victor M.
Eskew
When one obeys the gospel of Christ, he is added by the Lord to the
church (Acts 2:47). Paul affirmed
this in his letter to the Corinthians.
“For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond
or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (I Cor. 12:13, emp.
mine, vme). The “one body” into
which individuals are baptized is the church (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18). The word “church” literally means “the
called out ones.” By means of the gospel (II Thess. 2:14),
Christians have been called out of the world and have been translated into the
Life within this body is governed by the Word of the living God (II Tim.
3:16-17). These words come forth
from the Savior, the head of the body (Col. 1:18). Members of the body seek to live lives
of holiness and purity (Matt. 5:7; I Peter 1:13-16). They develop and maintain relationships
based upon unfeign love one for another (I Peter 1:22). They pray (I Thess. 5:17), study their
Bibles (II Tim. 2:15), and worship the God of heaven (John 4:24; Heb.
10:25). As disciples of Christ,
they seek to follow the Lord in service to others (John 13:12-17; Gal.
5:13). Members of the body of
Christ appreciate the spiritual blessings they have in Christ (Eph. 1:3). They want others to know of these
riches, therefore, they spread the good news of the salvation in Christ Jesus
(Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16).
These individuals want to be faithful to their Lord (I Cor. 4:2). They want to be ready to meet their
Savior when He comes in His glory (I Thess. 4:16-17).
The way of life for a member of the church is simple. His work is simple. His message is simple. His worship is simple. Everything revolves around the New
Testament of Jesus Christ and the practice of the first century church revealed
in God’s Word. These things set us
apart from the world. They make us
distinct from the man-made religions of the world. They make us strangers and pilgrims
within this world (I Pet. 2:11).
Each time this writer approaches someone who is not within the fellowship
of Christ’s church, he knows that he is approaching an alien. This is especially true when speaking to
those who are caught up in the sin of denominationalism. Denominationalism is filled with
subjectivism, Calvinism, emotionalism, entertainment, and varying degrees of the
direct operation of the Holy Spirit.
These individuals speak in a foreign language. Oh yes, they speak of God, Jesus, the
Bible, Calvary, sin, salvation, the second coming, heaven, and hell, but many of
these things are couched in speech that does not harmonize with the Word of
God.
This writer has compiled a list of things that are evidence that those in
the denominational world are from a totally different religious culture than
those within the churches of Christ.
These things are not listed in any particular order of
importance.
1.
These individuals often
speak of personal experiences they have had with Jesus Christ. They have seen Him in dreams and
visions. They have held
conversations with Him. They have
seen Him perform miracles in their lives.
2.
Closely connected with such
experiences are their personal testimonies. Each person seems to have a unique and
dramatic conversion account to tell.
3.
They love to talk about
their relationship with Jesus Christ.
However, their words are filled with truth and
error.
4.
Feelings’ instead of
objective truth, are their standard of belief much of the time. They often say that they know they are
saved because they feel it in their heart.
5.
Salvation for these
individuals involves grace alone through faith only. Anything more than this is said to be a
work, and works, they say, do not save.
6.
Their worship services are
often quite long. However, these
services take the form of entertainment rather than paying homage to God. Instrumental music and special music
play a very important element in their worship settings.
7.
Oftentimes these individuals
have been taught by one or two spiritual mentors. They rely heavily upon what these
individuals teach. These things are
foundational to their belief system.
8.
The personal indwelling of
the Holy Spirit plays a prominent role in their life. He speaks to them. He directs them. He comforts them. He helps them endure all types of
circumstances. They do not hesitate
to speak of the Holy Spirit’s leading, guiding, and nudging them through
life.
9.
Premillennialism is a major
component of their belief system.
Jesus is coming soon, they say, because the signs of His coming are
present. The frequently speak of
the anti-Christ, the rapture, the thousand year reign, the battle of Armageddon,
and other premillennial beliefs.
10.
Most of these individuals
look forward to the religious holidays of Christmas and Easter. These two Sundays involve special
worship services that commemorate Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ resurrection,
respectively.
11.
Many of these individuals
take a post-modern view of the Bible.
Truth is based solely upon one’s interpretation of the text. Differing beliefs can be tolerated and
accepted.
12.
These individuals speak
often of the unseen spiritual realm.
Demons and angels are referred to as if they are literally
present.
13.
These individuals and groups
seek union with others who acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. Tolerance is the key to this union. However, they will not tolerate any
judging and condemnation.
14.
They do not accept all Bible
teachings. They vehemently reject
such doctrines as the one church, baptism for the remission of sins, no
instrumental music in worship, and weekly observance of the Lord’s
Supper.
15.
They see God as loving,
merciful, forgiving, and tolerant of man’s sins and doctrinal errors. His justice and vengeance seems almost
non-existent.
16.
On major moral/political
issues, they take strong stands (i.e., abortion and homosexuality). Yet, they will tolerate gambling,
dancing, social drinking, immodest attire, and some
cursing.
Most certainly, they are from a different spiritual culture than members of the body of Christ. The things they believe make it very difficult for us to teach them. We must remember that when we speak to them we sound like the foreigners and aliens. They believe that we are the ones from some strange planet. In order for us to guide them, we must follow Paul’s instructions to Timothy in II Timothy 2:24-26. “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”