The ONE True Church

I've seen a lot of debate recently over which church is right. Actually, remove the word recently. I think this debate has been going on for two thousand years. I want to tell you that I think my church is right.

I am a member of the Body of Christ. That is my church. It contains Methodists, Orthodox, Messianic, Baptists, Calvinists, Armineans, Independents, Catholics, Protestants... You get the picture?

I refuse to say "You don't believe like I do so you're going to Hell." All I know that's right is contained in the Nicene and Apostle's Creed.

Apostle's Creed

Nicene Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Beyond these foundational truths, there are only details that have no bearing on our salvation. What is the proper method of baptism? Is Hell eternal torment, or are you consumed? Will Jesus come before the tribulation or after? Will there be a rapture? What exactly are the blonde locusts in Revelation 9? I've heard it said that they are actually Apache helicopters...

Who were the chief people to receive Jesus' condemnation when he was here? The Pharisees. They followed the details of the law but missed the whole reason for the law. They showed love for the sake of the law, not out of concern for their fellow man.

The modern church has become Pharisaical. The modern church, with its numerous divisions over the years, is more concerned with the trees than the forest. Jesus taught us "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall."

Luke 11:17, NIV

. Well, Satan is a crafty devil, and listened. He has since sought to divide the church against itself. Hence the countless sects in the Body of Christ. He has also put many false teachers, which only increase the division.

Satan has taught us to focus on our differences. Jesus asked us to focus on our similarities. Regardless of your thoughts on instrumental music or infant baptism, think about Jesus' purpose on the cross. Instead of dwelling on whether or not women should preach, think about the deeper meaning of Holy Communion. It's more than crackers and juice, you know.

For a church to say that another group is hellbound simply because they disagree is abhorrent. The divisions cause problems with the unsaved, as well. People don't want to waste their time with us because we can't even agree on what's right. I know many people who say "Organized religion is stupid. There are so many of them out there."

Christianity should be inclusive, welcoming all who come in Jesus' name. When we serve Holy Communion at our building, we have to state "This table is open to all who believe, not just those in our tradition." Many Churches of Christ restrict Communion to those baptized in the CofC. That is exclusive behavior, and Christ is appalled at that behavior.

I believe my foundations of faith are right. I believe anybody deviating from those foundations needs to re-examine their belief system. I share those foundations with the rest of Christianity. I also refuse to debate the validity of arguments over details. If it has no bearing on the foundations, it is not worth getting upset over.

I implore each of you reading this to make peace with those Christians you have despised. They are your brothers and sisters, even if they do believe differently. Remember - we are people. We interpret things differently. Can we not see past those differences and see that we are all on the same side?

Prayer:

Almighty, Heavenly Father, Builder of the Church. We are a fallen race. We have allowed Satan to tear apart Your Holy Institution of the Church. We have allowed petty differences to remove faith from our lives. We have allowed the enemy to destroy what You have built. Forgive us, o Lord, for our pride. Forgive us for our hatred. Forgive us for not listening.
Father, we ask that you restore your Church to its former glory. Rebuild it from the roots up. Remove all trappings of Satan from your Church. Help us to restore Unity to the Body of Christ so that we may, once again, shine your light upon the unsaved.
Father, bring your people together around the globe and glorify yourself in our presence. We are nothing without you, and we are strong with your blessing.
Thank you, o Lord, for your blessings upon your church.
In Jesus' Holy Name we pray,
Amen.