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Many churches of Christ have fallen by the wayside into apostasy. Paul, in 2 Timothy 4:1-4, warned the church about some who would fall away. These congregations have departed from "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints," (Jude 1:3). They preach some false doctrines (i.e. false teaching on fellowship, the work of the church, worship, and salvation) and participate in some practices that are unscriptural. There are some congregations who observe the Lord's Supper other than the first day of the week while others observe christmas as a religious holiday. Also, some churches of Christ worship using other unscriptural practices such as instrumental music, praise teams, choirs, and special singing groups. Furthermore, some congregations even employ women as preachers, allow them to preside over the serving of the Lord?s Supper, teach in the presence of men, pray, and lead the congregation in singing.
It is important that we must, with all boldness and steadfastness in the faith, restore these fallen congregations to the ancient faith. We must, as Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:16,
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.Restoring churches who have wandered away from the fold occurs in several important areas.
The first area in need of restoration is the heart. This means that any fallen away Christian needs to be taught again the first principles of God. Paul rebuked those in the church for their spiritual decline in the knowledge, understanding, and proper application of the word of God. In Hebrews 5:12-14, we read,
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The second area in need of restoration is congregational worship. Worship must be done "in spirit and in truth," (John 4:23-24). Wherever we choose to worship, whether it be underneath a tree, beside a body of water, in someone?s house, or in a building built specifically for worship, Jesus is there with us. He said,
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them," (Matthew 18:20).Thus, whatever we do in worship, must be authorized (Colossians 3:17).
When a fallen away congregation has been restored, it is necessary that it rid itself of all unscriptural practices (i.e. observing the Lord?s Supper other than Sunday and allowing women to serve as deacons, preach, teach in the presence of men, lead the congregation in singing, and pray) and objects (i.e. musical instruments, praise teams, choirs, songbooks with false teaching as well as unscriptural musical accompaniment) that it may own.
The Bible teaches that Christ's church must be united in the same doctrine, the same fellowship, and the same Lord. In Ephesians 4:4-6, we read,
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are 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.There are churches of Christ who practice open fellowship, accepting everyone as a brother or sister, regardless of the religious affiliation. Thus, they advocate the slogan: "We are Christians, but not the only Christians." When churches of Christ practice open fellowship, each one endangers itself in being influenced by denominational teaching. There are some churches of Christ who teach some part of Calvinistic doctrine, while others have adopted the charismatic practices of denominations such as the Pentecostal church.
Another danger that many churches of Christ must strive to avoid is inviting and having open fellowship with false teachers. Unfortunately, this practice runs rampant in the church today. The apostle John writes,
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds," (2 John 1:9-11).In order for a congregation to disassociate itself from a false teacher, it must "purge out...the old leaven," (1 Corinthians 5:7).
The last important area in need of restoration is the work of the church. Many churches of Christ have used the Lord?s treasury to build/fund/maintain institutions such as gymnasiums, fellowship halls, hospitals, unwed mother?s homes, orphanages, the Red Cross, etc. In addition, there are some congregations who act as sponsoring churches. Both concepts of the work of the church are foreign to the scriptures. The church, therefore, is not a social organization through which the carnal nature of man is satisfied. It is a spiritual organization whose work resides in the spiritual realm.
The work of the church involves several things. First, it is to the teaching and edification of the saints. This is done when we worship together on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; Ephesians 5:19). Last, benevolence is provided only to saints in need. For example, it is not the responsibility of the church to take care of widows and orphans (1 Timothy 5:16).
In conclusion, there are many congregations who are living in the wilderness of sin. Let us go forth with all steadfastness and boldness, bringing back the wanderers to God.
Ira Mikell
ira@thechristianexaminer.com
There is a great debate raging today in the United States over prayers in public schools. Many individuals professing Christianity desire their children to have the opportunity to lead public prayers at school, while many activists see this as unfair to those with different belief systems. Many of these professing Christians have taken their message to the Internet, with a message containing a lament of a "Christian" teenager about the violence in schools and the apparent absence of God in these things, and God responds that "He is not allowed in the schools." What should the response of Christians be to such things?
There are many reasons why Christians should not promote the use of public prayer in public schools. The following are reasons why:
We must also recognize that the past fifty years has seen a change in the "spirituality" of America: many of the other religions in the world, including Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, have had many adherents moving to America for better living conditions. America is not the "professing Christian" nation it once claimed to be. Shall we recognize public prayers to Allah and Brahman? Would any Christian subject their child to these prayers? I would think not.
"And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee. And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."
We as Christians must be on guard to protect ourselves and our children from the propogation of false doctrine, and we must therefore protect our right to pray as we see fit to our God. The words of Jesus bear repeating concerning our prayers in Matthew 6:6:
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
We need not fear that "God is not allowed in school." We need to fear those who wish to force their version of God upon our children in the schools.
Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com
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