In his letter to the church in Colossae, Paul said, “The gospel…was proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Colossians 1:23). When Jesus gave His apostles the Great Commission, He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). Paul indicated that by the time he wrote to the Colossians, this had been done. How is that possible? Let us consider the record in the book of Acts.
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The Pew Research Center has recently come out with some new information about how Americans search for a new congregation with which they can worship. The findings were interesting and I believe this information can be helpful as we seek to reach those in the community around us.
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Togetherness is a characteristic seen in the Lord’s church throughout the book of Acts. Let us briefly consider the examples of the church gathering together and see what lessons we can learn.
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From time to time, it is good to revisit questions that brethren have debated in the past. If we fail to do this, there is a danger that the next generation can fall into the same errors that faithful brethren once opposed. A lack of understanding leads to apostasy. This was what happened to the Israelites after Joshua and his generation were gone: “There arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals” (Judges 2:10-11). We should try to prevent such apostasy through teaching.
The question we will consider here is this: Can local congregations work together? If so, how? This issue has been called congregational cooperation or church cooperation. In this article, we are going to consider what the Bible has to say that will help us answer this question.
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The term “church membership” is not used in the New Testament. However, it is certainly a Scriptural concept. Paul clearly taught the concept of church membership in his letter to Corinth (1 Corinthians 12:14-30). Notice the following verses in particular:
“For the body is not one member, but many” (1 Corinthians 12:14).
“But now there are many members, but one body” (1 Corinthians 12:20).
“Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).
In this article, let us consider the topic of church membership. As we do, we will ask three questions: (1) What is church membership? (2) How do we become members? (3) What are members to do?
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The Barna Group released a report on “Bible-Minded” cities. The report ranked the “Bible-mindedness” of individuals in the 100 largest media markets in the United States. According to the criteria of the Barna Group, an individual is “Bible-minded” based on two qualifications:
It is interesting to read reports like this one. Regardless of how “Bible-minded” the cities are in which we live, there are some points we should consider.
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In the past, more emphasis was placed upon one’s denominational affiliation. But for many today, this is less important. This shift in mindset has given rise to the number of “non-denominational” churches we see in the religious world.
For years, faithful brethren have rightly condemned denominationalism. So is the trend toward non-denominationalism a good thing? Maybe not. Why not? Simply being non-denominational is not good enough.
The church in Sardis was a dead church, though they had a reputation that they were alive. Jesus said to them, “I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1). This shows us that a church can seem to be good in the eyes of men, but in the eyes of the Lord, their status is completely different. In the eyes of many, “non-denominational” churches look appealing. But like the church in Sardis, many of these churches simply do not measure up to the Lord’s standard.
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Peter issued this challenge to all Christians: “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15). However, many Christians feel unprepared to do this; therefore, many conversations that could potentially lead people to the truth never get started.
This book will help equip all Christians to start engaging in spiritual conversations with those around them by providing simple answers to some basic Bible questions. Being ready to give an answer does not mean having an answer to every possible question at the drop of a hat. Instead, it means being able to give a ready answer to questions that are fundamental to our faith that can open the door to further discussions and studies with those who are interested. By studying the material in this book and becoming familiar with the Scriptures cited in each answer, Christians will be better prepared and have more confidence when they discuss their faith with others.
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