|
Q.
What is the Gospel?
Q.
Is it true that you do not believe the Old Testament?
Q.
Why do you use the name "church of Christ"?
Q:
Why don’t you have an organ or a piano or a band?
Q:
Why do you have the Lord’s Supper every Sunday?
Q:
Where is your headquarters?
Q:
What do you mean by undenominational?
Q:
What is meant by "Orthodox?"
Q:
Do you have a priest or a pastor?
Q:
Why don’t you call your preacher ‘Pastor’ or ‘Reverend’?
Q:
Do you teach that one must be a member of the church of Christ to be saved?
Q:
How does a person become a member of the kingdom of Christ?
Q:
What is the Gospel?
A. The apostle
Paul wrote a letter to the church in the city of Corinth. In First Corinthians
chapter 15, verses one through four, Paul gives about the best summary one can
find.
1 Cor
15:1-4 (emphasis mine) 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel
I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your
stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I
preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I
passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on
the third day according to the Scriptures, (NIV)
Gospel is a word that
means Good News. The Good News is:
Christ died for our
sins
He was buried in the grave, but He overcame death and was resurrected
back to life on the third day.
Normally, we do not
think of death as a good event in our lives. Certainly, it is not considered
Good News. So we will look more closely. Christ dying for my sins, means he
accepted the punishment that I deserve. This was even more than a physical
death. While Jesus was on the cross, he said, My God, why have you forsaken
me. God who is omnipresence was not with Jesus. Hell is the separation of
God from man, this means Jesus experienced Hell. Jesus did this for "mankind"
or everyone who lived before and after the cross of his death.
Again, we look to
scripture to gain further understanding.
After the
resurrection, Jesus spent additional time with the Apostles, teaching them more
fully. (Remember until the resurrection, the Apostles were expecting an earthly
kingdom) Moments before he ascended up into the sky, he said in: Matt 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely
I am with you always, to the very end of the age."" (NIV)
The resurrection was
proof that Jesus was the "Christ" or "Messiah" which means "anointed one". This
was the ancient way of showing a person had been chosen for a purpose. When
kings of Israel were selected they were anointed by God's prophet. Jesus over
came death, thereby proving he was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament.
On this basis, he has "All authority."
Jesus Christ then
gives the Apostles their mission or purpose in life.
Go - don't
sit around and wait for people to come to you.
Preach - tell
the Good News, Gospel or Path of Salvation that God has provided, making
followers
Baptize
- those who believe the Good News are expected to respond.
James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe
that--and shudder To simply say I believe, just puts man
even with the devil.
Teach - There
is more to serving Jesus than the basics of becoming a Christian. Paul used the
phase "hold firmly to the word."
Let us see if the
Apostles did what Jesus ordered.
When Jesus left the
Apostles, they stayed together and prayed. On the Day of Pentecost, 50 days
after the death of Jesus, God filled the Apostles with his spirit and gave them
the words to say in their preaching. In the New Testament book of Acts chapter
two, these events are reported. It was a powerful sermon and many people were
convicted that Jesus was the Christ. 2:37 they were cut to the heart.
Picture in your mind
a group of people who understood themselves as the people of God, learning they
had a role in murdering the very one God sent to save them. How could we expect
forgiveness or to escape the punishment we deserved? They cried out,
Brothers, what shall we do?
These people were not
left hanging for an answer. They were not told to, pray and see if anything
happens. They were not told, your faith is enough. Nor were they told, it was
hopeless. Notice the scripture.
Acts 2:38 Peter
replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the
remainder of the book of Acts, every person who turns to Jesus is baptized.
Even the one many consider the greatest Apostle - Paul. Says in his own
description of what he was told to be saved.
Acts 22:16 And now
what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling
on his name.'
Back to your
question, What is the Gospel?
It is - - - - that the Son of God, accepted the punishment deserved by man and
provided a way that I could have forgiveness. The process includes
My believing
that Jesus is the Messiah sent to save,
My repenting
or turning from sin to the way of the authoritative Jesus
My immersion
or baptism in water by the authority of Jesus to have my sin removed.
My continued
service in the name and cause of Jesus. Acts 2:47 reveals that all who were
obedient in Acts two on the day of Pentecost, were added to the number of the
saved. The King James Version translated this "added to the church" When a
person obeys the Gospel as preached by the Apostles, they are added to the
church or body of Jesus as a part of God's salvation process.
Some say, God has
done all that is necessary for man to be saved and you should not do anything or
you will be trying to earn your salvation.
Indeed, salvation is
a GIFT! It is a gift so priceless, that I or all of mankind together cannot
even begin to earn, deserve or pay the price. But even a gift must be accepted
on the terms in which it is given. God's terms.
If a rich person
deposits a great sum of money into the bank in your name, you must withdraw the
money!
If a diamond ring is
given to a woman as an engagement ring of impending marriage, she must say
‘Yes’.
Since the beginning
in the Garden of Eden, God has expected his creation to obey him. This obedience
is never considered as an earning or deserving of the blessings of God, but is
often a condition of being blessed.
Q:
Is it true that you do not believe the Old Testament?
A :
We believe the Old Testament to be true. The apostle Paul wrote the following
words to the Christians in Corinth. 1 Cor 10:11 These things happened to them
as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of
the ages has come. NIV. There are many lessons to be learned from God’s
dealing with ancient Israel and others. The confusion revealed by your question
is probably because we believe the New Testament is the sole authority for those
who follow Jesus.
The Old Testament is called a
Schoolmaster, Tutor or Leader by Paul in Gal 3:24-25 So the law
was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now
that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. The
purpose of the Old Testament and more specifically the Law through Moses, was to
bring Israel to the place and time for the coming of the Son of God in human
form. Logos or Word in the flesh, John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 The Word became flesh and
made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and
Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. NIV Therefore, we
follow the New Testament.
Heb 10:1 The law is only a shadow of
the good things that are coming-- not the realities themselves. For this reason
it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make
perfect those who draw near to worship. Given to Israel the law was a
forerunner or shadow of the coming of the Christ and his kingdom.
Col 2:14 says, having canceled the
written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed
to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. Jesus lived a perfect life
under the law, therefore he embodied the law. When Jesus was nailed to the
cross, the law was literally and spiritually nailed to the cross. Eph 2:15 by
abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His
purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace.
One purpose of the Mosical law, was to
keep the Israelites separate from other people, thus providing evidence that the
Creator had kept his word to bring a Savior through the seed (descendants) of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus fulfilled the law as he promised in Matt
5:17-18 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I
have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until
heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a
pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Had Jesus abolished the Law without completing the prophecies, Israel would have
been without guidelines and without a relationship with God.
When Jesus completed his work, then his
Will came law for all mankind, not just for Israel. Heb 9:15-17 For this
reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may
receive the promised eternal inheritance-- now that he has died as a ransom to
set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a
will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will
is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who
made it is living.
In summary, the Old Testament contains
many examples and lessons by which we learn, but it is not binding on mankind
today. The New Testament is our sole authority and guide.
Q:
Why do you use the name "church of Christ?"
A :
We have no copyright or any other exclusion on a name. We simply seek to do
every religious act in a Bible way, with a Bible name. We wish everyone would do
the same. The New Testament does not give an official name for the organization
of Jesus. However, there are several terms used to designate and describe it.
This includes: the church, Acts 9:31; church of God, 1 Cor 1:2;
body of Christ, Col 1:18; Kingdom, Col 1:13; churches of Christ,
Rom 16:16; bride of Christ, Rev 21:9. Any of these descriptive terms
would be acceptable, most have chosen to use church of Christ because it
is Biblical, honors Jesus Christ and offers consistency when visiting other
communities.
Q:
Why don’t you have an organ or a piano or a band?
A :
Since we are under the New Testament (see answer #1), we go to it for our
religious practice. The presumption throughout the Bible is that followers of
God will worship him. However, it is not left up to the believer to worship
totally as he chooses. The Old Testament gave specific instruction to Israel.
Christians will look to the New Testament and find the commandment to SING
in Eph 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing
and make music in your heart to the Lord. Also in Col 3:16 Let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all
wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your
hearts to God. The command to sing is specific in that it excludes by its
nature.
The Old Testament gives lessons which
may be applied to this specific and exclusive nature. Cain and Abel were each
commanded by God to offer a sacrifice. While we are not told the exact
instructions, we are told in Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered God a better
sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God
spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is
dead. We learn in Rom 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the
message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Faith is
described as hearing and following the instruction of God. Abel offered a better
sacrifice by faith. Cain sacrificed and worshiped but not according to the
instruction of God. The Bible tells us, God was displeased with Cain.
Another example is found in Lev 10:1
Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added
incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his
command. These men were nephews of Moses, but as they worshiped in the
temple on behalf of the people of Israel, they used unauthorized fire.
The result of their disobedience was death from the fire roaring out and
devouring them.
Additionally there are scriptures which
warn against adding to the word of God. One is found in the New Testament and
one in the Old Testament. Rev 22:18-19 I warn everyone who hears the words of
the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him
the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this
book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and
in the holy city, which are described in this book. Deut 12:32 See that
you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. The
conclusion can only be that God takes his commands seriously and wants man to
obey.
God’s command is to sing. We are
content to obey his command.
Q:
Why do you have the Lord’s Supper every Sunday?
A :
The Lord’s Supper or Communion was instituted by Jesus Christ as recorded in
Matt 26:26-29 and Luke 22:19-20. The apostle Paul taught in 1 Cor 11:23-26
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on
the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it
and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In
the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new
covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For
whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death
until he comes.
We know that Jesus was resurrected from
the grave on the first day of the week: Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2. The church of
Jesus began on Pentecost which is on the first day of the week. The first
century church met on the first day of the week to observe the Lord’s Supper,
Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul
spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on
talking until midnight. Later Paul gives instruction regarding giving and
connects it to the first day of the week. 1 Cor 16:1-2. Today’s churches meet
every first day of the week and generally collect an offering every first day of
the week. It follows that the Lord’s Supper commemorating the death, burial and
resurrection would be observed every first day of the week.
Q:
Where is your headquarters?
A :
Christ is our head. Eph 1:22-23 And God placed all things under his feet and
appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the
fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Consequently, there is no
earthly headquarters. Headquarters is where Jesus resides.
Each local congregation seeks to have
elders, Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he
bought with his own blood. These men are not the head, but shepherds.
Spiritual men chosen by the flock to oversee the spiritual lives of the
Christian family. Their selection is based on the guidelines found in 1 Tim
3:2-7 and Titus 1:5-9.
Each congregation is autonomous
(self-governed), without hierarchy and without anyone or any group creating
rules in addition to the teaching of the New Testament.
Q:
What do you mean by undenominational?
A :
The definition of denomination means to designate or set aside from the whole.
Since it is our intention to be just what the New Testament teaches regarding
the church found in scripture, we want to be no more, nor any less than that
church. Therefore, we chose not be a denomination or a part of what the New
Testament teaches. It is our intent to be as much like the church God wants us
to be as is humanly possible. To this end,
we have no creed but Jesus Christ,
we have no head other than Jesus,
we have no rule of faith or authority
than his book, the New Testament.
Please note there is no claim of
perfection in this effort to do what Jesus commands. It is our goal to be what
he wants us to be, but we are human and have human failings.
Q:
What is meant by "Orthodox?"
A :
Orthodox means right or correct. All religious groups would claim to be right.
Who would respect any person who knowingly did wrong and encouraged others to do
wrong also. Orthodox or orthodoxy is frequently used to refer to established or
traditional beliefs and practice. In some situations it is part of a name, ie
Eastern Orthodox. Some use the word to indicate those who are more traditional
than themselves. Tradition does not necessarily meant right, nor does it mean it
is wrong. Right or wrong is not determined by the age of a practice, but by the
word of Jesus.
Q:
Do you have a priest or a pastor?
A :
Yes, we have both, but possibly not as you may understand the terms. Again we
use the New Testament to find our answer. The New Testament teaches that Jesus
is the High Priest (Hebrews 4:14; 7:24) and every Christian is a
priest under Jesus (1 Peter 2:5, 9). This means there is no one who stands
between the disciple and God, but Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6; 9:15;
12:24). Believers are not dependent on any other human to worship or serve God.
Confession is not made to a man, nor is communion controlled by others, prayer
is directly to the divine in the name or authority of Jesus (John 16:24).
Pastor is from the Latin
language and means shepherd. Churches of Christ seek out men in each
congregation that have the qualifications given in the New Testament. The
apostle Paul wrote letters to Timothy and Titus, which contain these qualities
(1 Timothy 3:2-7; Titus 1:6-9). The New Testament uses several terms to describe
these men:
shepherds or pastors,
overseers or bishops (from old
English), and
presbyter (from Latin & Greek) or elder
means older
and is contrasted with novice or
less experienced in the faith. The passages which speak of elders in the church
are plural and suggest a group rather than one man. Shepherds, bishops or elders
are not understood as rulers who set up their will as an authority, but as
examples, guides and encouragers that have been chosen by the local members to
lead the congregation.
Q :
Why don’t you call your preacher "pastor" or "reverend"?
A :
Most local congregations have a man who serves the church as preacher. He may be
referred to as preacher, minister or evangelist. Minister means servant and
every disciple is a servant of Jesus. Evangelist means proclaimer of good news.
Preacher carries the same thought. In any case, there are no titles used by the
men who serve in this capacity.
Pastor would mean the church leaders
who meet the qualifications given by Paul and who have been selected by the
local church to serve as shepherds or elders. The preacher may meet those
qualifications or may not. If he does, some preachers have been chosen by the
local congregation to also be a pastor. He serves with others as a part of the
group. However, they do not use "pastor" as a title.
Pastor, Reverend,
Father and even Brother are avoided as religious titles. 1 Peter 2:5,
9 teaches an equality among Christians, not a hierarchy. Matthew 23:8-10 Jesus
says "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and
you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one
Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have
one Teacher, the Christ. Rank or superiority or titles among the followers
of Jesus are out of place. Jesus had to deal with this among his own apostles,
Matt 20:21-28. He condemned it then and it should be avoided. Mark 9:33-35.
Q :
Do you teach that one must be a member of the church of Christ to be saved?
A :
This is an interesting question and one that is frequently emotionally charged.
The truth is, we probably believe the same thing about this.
The New Testament teaches there are
only Two kingdoms. Man is either in God’s kingdom or not. The following verses
use these interchangeably: church, kingdom and body. They mean the same thing.
Colossians 1:13-14. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and
brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins. Matt 16:18-19 And I tell you that you are Peter, and
on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome
it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in
heaven." Col 1:18
And he is the head
of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the
dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
When a person is saved, God makes him a
part of the kingdom, body or church Acts 2:47. praising God and enjoying the
favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were
being saved. Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Our intention is to
follow Jesus and Jesus only, believing to do so will mean Jesus will put the
saved in His kingdom, church or body. So yes, we believe a person must be in
Christ’s kingdom to be saved, but not in a denomination.
Q:
How does a person become a member of the kingdom of Christ?
A :
This is a very important question and should be answered from the teaching found
in the New Testament and not from man. There are many scriptures which deal with
man and salvation. Some seemingly give different answers, but that is because
the person is at a different place in their path to citizenship. Using
scripture, we will learn what God expects from man.
First, man must Listen to the word of
God. Romans 10:17 says, Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,
and the message is heard through the word of Christ. This answers the
question of how do I begin? The message of Jesus is found in the New
Testament, it is a must that one learn the message and accept it. A succinct of
what that message is found in 1 Cor 15:1-4, Now, brothers, I want to remind
you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have
taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I
preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I
passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according
to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures.
Hearing is of no effect unless one
believes. Faith or belief is obvious to any reader of
Heb 11:6,
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to
him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek
him. Likewise, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life. And John 1:12, Yet to all who received him, to those who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–
Those who Believe Jesus is the one
chosen by God to be the Savior of the world will ask like those on the day of
Pentecost, brothers, what shall we do? Acts 2:37. Please note these were
believers, who were cut or pricked to the heart with the
realization of their sin. Peter and the apostles told these believers to
repent. Why did Peter not say believe? Because they did believe, convinced,
but they still needed to do more.
Confession of Jesus, as the son of God
and our savior from sin should be a lifetime enterprise and not once before a
friendly group. Matthew 10:32, Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will
also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. Acts 8:37, is considered a
scribes recognition of the practice of the early church. Now as they went
down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is
water. What hinders me from being baptized?" 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. (NKJ)
Immersion or baptism is taught in the
New Testament as a part of the new birth or being born again. Jesus said in John
3:5, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is
born of water and the Spirit. Paul wrote in Rom 6:3-4,
Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him
through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
When he gave his Great Commission to
the apostles, Jesus said in, Matt 28:19, Therefore go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit. When the apostles preached the first Gospel sermon in Acts
2:38, they commanded these believing people to repent and be baptized, every
one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven.
When the apostle Paul recounted how he
became a disciple of Jesus Christ, he was told by Ananias, Acts 22:16, And
now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away,
calling on his name.'
Peter compares the flood of Noah’s day
with baptism and clearly states in 1 Pet 3:21, and this water symbolizes
baptism that now saves you also-- not the removal of dirt from the body but the
pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. Baptism saves because it is a part of God’s plan, not because
man’s effort is counted as earning the right to be saved.
When a person obeys God, it is not an
earning but a faith that obeys. Can anyone imagine a scene where Abel refuses to
offer sacrifice because God can save him without it? Or Noah refusing to build
an ark, because God does not need an ark to save him? Or Abram refusing to leave
Ur because God can bless him there as well as anywhere else? Or Joshua refusing
to lead the Israelites about Jericho because God can make the walls fall without
Israel having to march?
In summary, God desires that all men
hear the Gospel,
believe the Gospel,
repent of their life of rebellion,
confess Jesus as Lord,
be born again through immersion into
Jesus.
This is the beginning of a New Life in
Christ, where we may serve our Lord through the way we live. Still flawed, but
forgiven of our sin, in a covenant relationship with God, and heaven bound.
Alleluia!
If you have a question, please email it
to ceastwood@elp.rr.com
If you have any questions please e-mail us using
the link below
Eastwood Church of
Christ
| 
