Welcome back. Last week I posed the question, “Who in the world are the church of Christ?” Trying to crunch the answer to that question to a few articles in the newspaper is really hard to do. I don’t know about you, but when I think of the church, my thought is not of religion. Religion without the Spirit of Christ is empty and powerless, except that it is too often used to manipulate people. Nor is my thought about the cults and denominations that claim Christ but then choose to function according to their own way rather than according to the way of Christ. History is replete with examples of “Christianity gone wrong.” You’ve read about the Crusades, for example, that killed people “in the name of Christ.” The Spirit of Christ had no part in that! And those lust-filled, greedy, and power-hungry men and organizations operating under the guise of Christianity for centuries? Christ has no part in that either; that is not the church of Christ!
That aside, the church of Christ is a real, powerful and divine force in this world — when they are animated by the Spirit of Christ. If you think the world is a bad place today, think what it would be like if the influence of God through Christ and His church had not been a part of the world for these thousands of years. Paul says to the church, “Christ in you is the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). If there is no church of Christ — no church in whom the Spirit of Christ lives — there is no hope of His glory being seen in this dark world; no one will have the hope of seeing God (Matthew 5:16).
When I say “church of Christ,” you might think of that little church up on the hill that has a sign outside that says, “Church of Christ.” Well, you should think that. That is what we want to be: the church that belongs to Christ. But what if we teach differently than did Christ and His apostles? What if we live differently than the way Christ and the apostles taught us to live? What if our purpose is not one with the purpose of God? Call ourselves “church of Christ” if we want, but that doesn’t make it so.
There are many metaphors used by God to refer to those who are the church of Christ. He calls them “the bride of Christ.” They are also called “the holy city.” Another reference calls them “the heavenly Jerusalem.” There are many more, but just think of the picture presented by these three. A bride is someone we think of as beautiful “Holy” and “heavenly” both present pictures of beauty and purity. So, who are these beautiful and pure people? Who exactly are the church of Christ in this world? It’s a fair question. Maybe you’ll give me a chance to continue to unravel this mystery? Oh, by the way, the church of Christ is also called “the mystery of God” (Ephesians 3:1-10). See you next week.
Mike Underwood Pulpit Minister of Blue Ridge Church of Christ
That aside, the church of Christ is a real, powerful and divine force in this world — when they are animated by the Spirit of Christ. If you think the world is a bad place today, think what it would be like if the influence of God through Christ and His church had not been a part of the world for these thousands of years. Paul says to the church, “Christ in you is the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). If there is no church of Christ — no church in whom the Spirit of Christ lives — there is no hope of His glory being seen in this dark world; no one will have the hope of seeing God (Matthew 5:16).
When I say “church of Christ,” you might think of that little church up on the hill that has a sign outside that says, “Church of Christ.” Well, you should think that. That is what we want to be: the church that belongs to Christ. But what if we teach differently than did Christ and His apostles? What if we live differently than the way Christ and the apostles taught us to live? What if our purpose is not one with the purpose of God? Call ourselves “church of Christ” if we want, but that doesn’t make it so.
There are many metaphors used by God to refer to those who are the church of Christ. He calls them “the bride of Christ.” They are also called “the holy city.” Another reference calls them “the heavenly Jerusalem.” There are many more, but just think of the picture presented by these three. A bride is someone we think of as beautiful “Holy” and “heavenly” both present pictures of beauty and purity. So, who are these beautiful and pure people? Who exactly are the church of Christ in this world? It’s a fair question. Maybe you’ll give me a chance to continue to unravel this mystery? Oh, by the way, the church of Christ is also called “the mystery of God” (Ephesians 3:1-10). See you next week.
Mike Underwood Pulpit Minister of Blue Ridge Church of Christ