"What church do you go to?" This is a question that is often asked. The church is people. All the saved people, Christians, are members of the one body of Christ. This is the church of Scripture.
Christians are told to assemble themselves together (Heb. 10:2525Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)); to learn together and wait for the coming of the Lord together (Jude 1:20-2120But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (Jude 20‑21)). The church is told to love one another (1 Peter 1:2222Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: (1 Peter 1:22)); pray together (Eph. 6:1818Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:18)); worship together (John 4:23-2423But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23‑24) and Phil. 3:33For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3)) and remember the Lord together (1 Cor. 11:23-2623For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. (1 Corinthians 11:23‑26)).
God sees only one body (Eph. 1:22-23; 4:422And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:22‑23)
4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (Ephesians 4:4) and 1 Cor. 10:1717For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:17); and Col. 1:1818And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)). In John 17:21-2321That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:21‑23) the Lord Jesus prayed that the believers would be a testimony of that one body. Jesus says; "...That they all may be one... that the world may believe."
If all Christians obeyed the Word of God as to how the church should meet, they all would be gathered together to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The public testimony of the church has failed in its witness to the world that the church is one. It is God's plan for the one body of Christ.
God has given instruction in the Bible about how believers are to worship and for ministry. Every Christian is responsible to find out what those instructions are. We must give an account to the Lord Jesus Christ as to how we obeyed his instructions.
To help Christians learn the will of God so they can obey it, we will look at four reasons for gathering only to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ:
1. Only the Name of the Lord Jesus is worthy;
2. To give the Holy Spirit the leadership that belongs to Him;
3. Scripture teaches that we should worship God outside the 'camp' of organized religion;
4. It is according to Scripture to be on the ground of the one body.
#1 Only the Name of the Lord Jesus Is Worthy.
Christ our Leader is not the head of an organized religion. Christ is the head of the whole church. "There is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12). Jesus Christ should have the first place in all things, Col. 1:1818And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18); God has highly exalted Him, Phil. 2:8-118And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:8‑11); and given Him "a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow..."
There is a responsibility connected with the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ should recognize that He is LORD. The name of the Lord requires obedience. If we are gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we should not be doing things contrary to the Word of God My first responsibility is to be obedient in my personal relationship with Christ as my Lord. Faithfulness should characterize believers gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy. How much is the name of Jesus worth to you?
#2 to Give the Holy Spirit of God His Place of Leadership.
WHO IS THE SPIRIT OF GOD?
He is one of the three Persons of the Godhead. The Spirit of God is God. There is no difference in rank between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each of these divine Persons is God. The Spirit of God is here on earth.
He Shall Glorify Me
God dwells on earth in the Person of the Holy Spirit. God has given his Spirit to lead in the assembly. His duties here are:
The Word of God does not give us written instructions to follow at the time the assembly is gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the duty of the Spirit of God to lead in the assembly. When the Spirit of God is given the place of leadership that belongs to him, He will guide the assembly to give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Spirit of God Is Here to Guide the Assembly Meeting
The meeting for the remembrance of the death of the Lord is precious to our hearts. We do not know who will give thanks for the loaf and the cup, or who will give out a hymn or stand up and praise God in prayer. There is no program. We come depending on the Spirit of God to guide in the assembly meeting. We must behave ourselves properly so that we are prepared for the Spirit of God to use whoever He will, so that Christ may be glorified.
We Have No Program
To prepare a program ahead of time, or if I decide before the meeting to take a certain part, I am not giving the Spirit of God His place. During an assembly meeting, the Spirit of God must have liberty to use whoever He desires. A brother that decides before the meeting to read or pray or give out a hymn during the meeting makes a mistake. The teaching of Scripture is to give the Holy Spirit liberty to lead the meeting.
Men Led by the Spirit of God
It is important that brothers taking part should be spiritual men. They should be reading the Word of God at home, and think and pray about what they read. When they come to meeting, the Spirit of God can bring to their memory those things they have learned in their study time. The brothers who are taking a part in the meetings should be living the truth that they teach.
#3 Scripture Teaches That We Should Worship God Outside the `Camp' of Organized Religion
Our altar is anticipated in Psa. 69:30-3130I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. (Psalm 69:30‑31) "I will praise the name of God with a song...This also shall please the Lord more than an ox or bullock..." Because Jesus, our Sacrifice, "suffered without the gate," we are to go outside the camp bearing His reproach. There we offer the sacrifice of praise to God the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. When we think of all He did for us, we want to do good by helping others. "With such sacrifices God is well pleased."
The religion of the Jews says a person must be good by keeping the law, so God will accept you. This is impossible. No one can be saved by the religion of the Jews. We must separate from our own works and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. "For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2:8, 98For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8‑9).
The camp is anything connected with the Jewish religion. Organized religion mixes the religion of Judaism with Christianity. God wants all believers to go outside the camp and to leave everything connected with this religion. The Spirit of God wants to gather all believers to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants us to worship Him because of His work on the cross without our own works.
The book of Hebrews is written to the Jews in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capital city of the 'camp.' This is the city where Jesus Christ the Messiah should have been received, in power, as King. Instead He was cast out and crucified. His blood was shed outside of that city. The cross of Calvary is the place where Christ was rejected outside of the camp of the religion of the Jews. This is when Jesus bled and died and finished the work of salvation.
This work of Christ cancels the altar of the Jews. Our sacrifice is the work that was finished by Christ on the cross. Now we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. There is no good thing you or I can do to deserve salvation. Titus 3:55Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Titus 3:5) says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us."
God has asked the believer to go outside the camp.
Four things describe the camp:
The camp had a building that was the Holy Place.
Today there are dedicated buildings used for the service of God. People think that the church or meeting room is a holy place. God does not now dwell in buildings men have made. Believers should follow the rejected Christ outside the camp. We may use a building for worship but the building itself is not a Holy Place. We are gathered to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not gathered to a building or a religious organization.
The camp had a class of priests between the worshipers and God.
The Jews had ordained priests as mediators between God and the people. This practice has been ended by Christ. Now there is "one mediator between God and men, the Man, Christ Jesus" 1 Tim. 2:55For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5). Yet men today are being ordained as pastors or priests, to stand between the worshipers and God. These men take a name of God calling themselves Reverend. The Bible tells us "Holy and Reverend is His name." Psa. 111:99He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. (Psalm 111:9).
The camp had a mixed group with both believers and unbelievers.
There are many churches now with saved and lost persons gathered together to worship God. This is because numbers of members are more important to them than the truth of God.
The church is composed only of believers. The remembrance meeting is only for believers. Only believers can pray to God and worship God. Only believers can understand the Word of God. When a person is saved the Lord adds him (her) to His church. unbelievers cannot take part in worship of the Lord. Therefore in assembly meetings only the believers take part. We should invite unbelievers to hear the gospel of the grace of God so that they may be saved.
In the camp all the people were required to keep the law so they could be accepted by God.
Many people are being taught that for them to get to heaven they, must do good works and believe on the Lord Jesus. Keeping the Ten Commandments will not save anyone. You can only be saved by grace, through faith in Christ, without the good works of the law. A believer living by the Spirit will bear the fruit of the Spirit. "Against such there is no law." Gal. 5:22-2322But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22‑23).
Good works are the result of salvation. We should do good things because we are saved; not to get saved.
These four points we have learned about the camp describe many of the churches in the world today.
It Costs Something to Leave the Camp
If you are going to leave the camp you must be committed to believe the Scriptures. You may have family or friends in the camp. It may not be easy for you to meet apart from these people to obey the Word of God. You love your family and friends. They will not like you to leave the camp and be gathered only to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This will bring reproach to you.
Ask a person in any church organization what he is connected with, and he gladly tells you the name of his "Church." He is in the camp and people know about his church. The name of a church denomination gives people a status making them feel accepted in the world of religion.
Suppose I am gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus and I am asked what church I go to. I tell him, "I meet with a group of Christians."
He asks." What is the name of it?"
I answer, "We are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, so we take no other name."
He tells me, "You must have some name."
I tell him, "The name of my Savior is enough;" and he walks away thinking I am very strange.
There is reproach connected with being gathered only to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This reproach should humble us. We must never think that we are better Christians than other believers. We must never forget that each of us has been saved by the grace of God alone. We are all part of that "One Body."
#4 It Is According to Scripture to Be on the Ground of the One Body.
The eye of God sees all believers as one body not hundreds of bodies with various names, as we see them. These names are without value to God. There will be no other names in heaven.
Christians at the beginning of the church in Jerusalem or Corinth or Ephesus met only as believers. They were part of that one body. It is not different today. If you wanted to meet with the Christians as they were remembering the Lord, they should ask some questions before receiving you at the Lord's Table. They would want to know that you are saved and that your life was pure and free from immorality. They would want to make sure you did not believe or teach evil doctrine about the Person and work of Christ. They should accept you as a member of the body of Christ to partake of the loaf and cup. These emblems teach us the truth that all believers are members of the body of Christ.
The unbroken loaf of bread is a picture of all the members of the One Body of Christ. The loaf includes all believers in the world; those who are present at the meeting and those believers who are not present. After the loaf of bread is broken, it reminds us of the death of the Lord Jesus. We partake of that loaf as members of the one body.
It is the teaching of Scripture to be gathered on this large ground. Every member of the body of Christ on earth is recognized to be a brother or sister. Every believer that is not living a life of sin has the privilege of remembering the Lord in partaking of that one loaf.
"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matt. 26:26-2826And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:26‑28)
In the beginning receiving believers was very simple. The assembly has the responsibility to receive believers at the Lord's Table. This duty has become difficult because many who call themselves Christians are not Christians at all. It is not enough to take the testimony of an unknown person himself. God says there must be two or three witnesses. The assembly should discover if the person is true and honest. The assembly is responsible for those who are received. It is not the responsibility of the person to decide for himself. The assembly is responsible to keep the Lord's Table clean. Matt. 18:17-1817And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:17‑18); 1 Cor. 3:16-1716Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3:16‑17); 1 Cor. 5:7-137Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. (1 Corinthians 5:7‑13); 1 Thess. 4:77For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. (1 Thessalonians 4:7)
Love Is an Important Part of the Christian Life.
We have talked much about being gathered only to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the importance of following the instructions of the Bible. These teachings mean nothing to us unless we show the love of Christ to all believers. We may know everything, but without love we are nothing.
"He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" 1 John 4:2020If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (1 John 4:20). Love shows itself in what we do and how we speak. Love is not something that I have in my heart for a short time.
And if I "understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and... have not love, I am nothing... Love has long patience, is kind;... bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.... Love never fails." 1 Cor. 13:2,4,7,82And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)
4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, (1 Corinthians 13:4)
7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. (1 Corinthians 13:7‑8)
Truth without love dishonors God. It is not following Christ. Unless the love of Christ is shown to all believers, we should not say we are gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This responsibility goes along with taking the name of the Lord. Christians have failed in witnessing to the unity of the church, but that failure does not excuse me from practicing these things We ought to be, "Speaking the truth in love," Eph. 4:1515But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (Ephesians 4:15).
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