HOW TO AVOID DIVISIONS? (4)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Many Churches
a) Why are there so many denominations in the world when Jesus said that He would build His church? Why are there so many churches with so many different doctrines? Didn’t Jesus say that He would build His one true church? Is there such a thing as the universal church?
b) There are an estimated 37 million churches in the world with 50,000 new ones added every year and no two are the same. There are so many churches because there are so many Christians in the world. In fact, 1/3 of the world’s population are Christ followers and it is growing exponentially too. These figures do not count the millions of underground and house churches where it is dangerous to profess your faith publicly.
2. How To Avoid Divisions?
a) Know the Truth
i) We can see that there is only one true Church, and that is the body of Christ. This is the assembly of believers (though they meet in all parts of the world, at different times, in different buildings). Many churches are needed to support the 1/3 of the world’s known population of Christians (and the underground population that must hide for safety).
ii) Denominations are a man-made thing. Not all denominations, or even churches are under the Headship of Christ Jesus because some have drifted away from what the Bible teaches as essential doctrines. When a church deviates from the truth that is in the Bible, they are not part of the true Church. When they teach anything other than the true gospel, they should beware because the Bible warns against this (Galatians 1:9; 1 Timothy 6:3-4).
iii) If you are interested in joining with a church, be sure to ask to see their statement of faith — if it does not line up with what the Bible teaches or if there is no statement of faith, think again and continue searching for a doctrine sound church. Remember there is no perfect church because we as humans are not perfect, but Jesus taught us about the true Church and this is all recorded in the Bible. As Christians we should have a biblical world view and the only way to do that is to read the Bible to learn what it says about the subject at hand.
The End ...
1. Many Churchesa) Why are there so many denominations in the world when Jesus said that He would build His church? Why are there so many churches with so many different doctrines? Didn’t Jesus say that He would build His one true church? Is there such a thing as the universal church?
b) There are an estimated 37 million churches in the world with 50,000 new ones added every year and no two are the same. There are so many churches because there are so many Christians in the world. In fact, 1/3 of the world’s population are Christ followers and it is growing exponentially too. These figures do not count the millions of underground and house churches where it is dangerous to profess your faith publicly.
2. How To Avoid Divisions?
a) Know the Truth
i) We can see that there is only one true Church, and that is the body of Christ. This is the assembly of believers (though they meet in all parts of the world, at different times, in different buildings). Many churches are needed to support the 1/3 of the world’s known population of Christians (and the underground population that must hide for safety).
ii) Denominations are a man-made thing. Not all denominations, or even churches are under the Headship of Christ Jesus because some have drifted away from what the Bible teaches as essential doctrines. When a church deviates from the truth that is in the Bible, they are not part of the true Church. When they teach anything other than the true gospel, they should beware because the Bible warns against this (Galatians 1:9; 1 Timothy 6:3-4).
iii) If you are interested in joining with a church, be sure to ask to see their statement of faith — if it does not line up with what the Bible teaches or if there is no statement of faith, think again and continue searching for a doctrine sound church. Remember there is no perfect church because we as humans are not perfect, but Jesus taught us about the true Church and this is all recorded in the Bible. As Christians we should have a biblical world view and the only way to do that is to read the Bible to learn what it says about the subject at hand.
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