The One Church Which Jesus Built
DID JESUS REALLY ONLY ESTABLISH ONE CHURCH?
I.Our attitude in conducting this study.
A.We thank God for the privilege of being able to study His word with you!
B.We thank God for your willingness to participate in this study!
C.This study involves the eternal destiny of every responsible person.
D.We will have to say some things with which some people will disagree.
E.However, our goal is not to be disagreeable!
1.Eph. 4:15 – Rather, we want to speak the truth in love.
2.Mt. 22:37-40 – We are motivated by intense love for God and you!
3.1 Pet. 4:11 – Our goal is to speak as the oracles (words) of God.
4.Acts 17:11 – Please search the Scriptures daily to determine what
God says is true.
II.Why are there so many different religious denominations in the world today?
A.There are over 300 religious groups professing to follow Jesus.
B.They have different:
1.Originators
2.Times and places of establishment
3.Names
4.Ways of worshiping God
5.Heads and organizational structures
6.Teachings on what a person must do to be saved from sins
C.God is not the source of this confusion (1 Cor. 14:33)!
D.There are so many different religious denominations today because men have disobeyed God’s command not to add to or take away from His word through the years. Please read the following verses.
1.Deut. 4:2
2.Prov. 30:5,6
3.Gal. 1:6-10
4.Rev. 22:18,19
5.Col. 3:17
6.People have added to God’s word by adding traditions, doctrines, and commandments not found in God’s word, the Bible.
7.People have taken away from God’s word by not doing those things God commands in His word in the way He commands us to do them.
III.Where did all of these religious groups come from?
A.Mt. 21:25
1.Jesus made an eternally important point here.
2.Every teaching or practice comes from either Heaven or men.
3.Thus, every one of the different churches in the world either came
from Heaven or they came from men.
4.If they came from Heaven (God), they are approved.
5.If they came from men, God condemns them!
IV.Is God pleased with this division in the religious world? Absolutely not!
A.Jn. 17:20,21
Jesus prayed that His followers would be united together as He and the
Father are united (in belief, teaching, and practice).
B.1 Cor. 1:10-13
God condemns division.
He commands us to speak the same thing (His word).
He wants us to be joined together in the same mind.
C.Eph. 1:22,23
Jesus is the head of the church, which is His spiritual body.
D.Eph. 4:4
There is only one body.
But the body is the church (Eph. 1:22,23).
Therefore, there is only one church that is acceptable to God!
V.Why is it so important for a person to be a member of that one true church?
A.Please consider the statements of some men:
1.“Join and worship at the church of your choice.”
2.“Just be sincere; the church you attend is not important.”
3.“Give me Jesus, but I don’t want anything to do with the church.”
4.Such statements imply that the church is not important and that all churches are acceptable to God.
B.Please compare those statements with what God says in the Bible:
1.Acts 2:47 – God adds the saved to His church.
2.Acts 20:28 – Jesus purchased the church with His blood.
3.Eph. 2:16 – The only place to be reconciled to God is in the one
body, the one church.
4.Eph. 5:23 – Jesus is the Savior of the body, the church (His).
5.Eph. 5:25 – Jesus loved the church and gave Himself for her.
6.Mt. 15:8-14 – Every church that God has not planted will be rooted
up!
7.These statements from God make it absolutely clear that the one
church is extremely valuable and important to God.
8.Thus, it should be extremely important to us.
9.In fact, we must be in that one true church to contact the blood of Jesus, be saved, and be reconciled to God!
VI.Since it is so crucially and eternally important to be a member of the one true church, surely God has given us a way to identify that church and to distinguish it from all of the denominations established by men through the years.
A.When we study God’s dealings with man, we see that He has always given man a PATTERN to follow.
B.Before we study God’s use of patterns, it is important to notice several examples and benefits of patterns that we all recognize in our world today.
1.Please consider the use of a pattern for a shirt, dress, or other item
of clothing.
2.What happens if you repeatedly follow the same pattern exactly in making a certain shirt? (You will make the same shirt every time).
3.What happens if you repeatedly follow the same pattern exactly in making a certain shirt in 20 different places throughout the world? (You will make the same shirt in each one of those places).
4.What happens if you DON’T follow the pattern exactly in those different places? (You will make different shirts rather than the same shirt in each of those places).
C.Several examples of God’s use of a pattern in His dealings with man:
1.Noah and the building of the ark.
a.Gen. 6:14,15 – God gave Noah the pattern to follow. He
gave very specific instructions to Noah, including the
requirement to use gopher wood; make rooms; the length,
width, and height; one window; one door; and lower, second,
and third decks.
b.Gen. 6:22 – Noah did ALL that God commanded him!
c.What was the importance of the ark? (It saved Noah and his family from the flood).
d.What would have happened if Noah had not followed God’s pattern exactly? (Noah and his family would have died).
e.In what ways could Noah have deviated from God’s pattern? (He could have used different wood or different dimensions. He could have added another kind of wood to gopher wood that God commanded). This would have been sinful because he would have been adding to or taking away from God’s word.
2.Moses and the building of the Tabernacle.
a.Ex. 25:9,40 - God gave Moses the pattern.
b.Ex. 40:16-19 – Moses did ALL that God commanded him!
c.What was the importance of the Tabernacle to Israel?
(It was the symbolic dwelling place of God where Israel
worshipped Him).
D.In just the same way, TODAY God has given us a PATTERN, which is the New Testament of Jesus Christ.
1.Please read 2 Tim. 1:13.
2.We must cling tightly to God’s pattern which consists of the sound
words that God moved Paul and other apostles and prophets to
reveal in the New Testament.
E.Thus, if we want to please God, we must use the PATTERN of the New Testament to identify the one true church that God describes in those pages.
VII.The church described in the New Testament PATTERN is distinct, unique, different, one of a kind. It is distinguished from the denominations by the following characteristics:
A.Its originator
B.Its time and place of establishment
C.Its name
D.Its worship
E.Its organization
F.Its teaching on what a person must do to be saved from their sins
VIII.One part of God’s pattern for the church is the ORIGINATOR or BUILDER - Jesus Christ, not any other person.
A.Mt. 16:18
Jesus said He would build HIS (not someone else’s) church (singular, not
many)!
B.We must compare this with the denominations to determine whether their originator or builder fits this part of God’s pattern.
Catholic - Boniface IIIBaptist - John Smith
Lutheran - Martin LutherMethodist - John Wesley
Episcopalian - Henry VIIIJeh. Witnesses - Charles Russell
Presbyterian - John Calvin
C.These originators or builders of these denominations were probably fine men in many ways.
D.However, they were not the Lord Jesus Christ!
E.Therefore, the denominations they originated do not fit this part of God’s
pattern!
IX.Another part of God’s pattern for Jesus’ church is its TIME and PLACE of establishment - the Day of Pentecost, about 30 AD in Jerusalem.
A.Mt. 16:18,19
Jesus used the terms “kingdom” and “church” to refer to the same spiritual
body.
B.Mk. 9:1
1.Jesus said the kingdom (church) would come within the lifetime of
some of those who were living while Jesus was on earth.
2.And He said it would come with POWER.
C.Acts 1:8
1.Jesus said His apostles would receive POWER when the Holy
Spirit came upon them.
2.When the apostles received that power, they would be Jesus’
witnesses beginning in Jerusalem and then going to the end of the
earth.
3.Thus, Jesus said the kingdom (church) would come with POWER.
4.He said His apostles would receive POWER when the Holy Spirit
came upon them.
5.Therefore, we can know that when the Holy Spirit came upon the
apostles to give them power, the kingdom (church) was
established.
6.Consequently, all we have to do is search to find when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles to give them POWER.
D.Acts 2:1-4
1.The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit Who gave them
POWER to speak in tongues (languages they had never learned
before).
2.Since the Holy Spirit gave them POWER, and the kingdom (church) would come with POWER, we know that the kingdom (church) was established on that Day of Pentecost!
E.Acts 2:47
1.The church was spoken of as being in existence in the present tense for the first time in the Bible.
2.Thus, the church that Jesus built was established in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost about 30 AD!
F.We must compare this with the time and place of establishment of denominations to determine whether they fit this part of God’s pattern.
Catholic - 606 (Rome)
Lutheran - 1520 (Germany)
Episcopalian - 1534 (England)
Presbyterian - 1536 (Switzerland)
Baptist - 1607 (Holland)
Methodist - 1739 (England)
Jehovah’s Witnesses - 1872 (U.S.)
G.Each of these churches, and all others, were established in the wrong
place and at the wrong time.
H.Thus, they do not fit this part of God’s pattern for the church and can’t be His one true church!
X.A third part of God’s pattern for Jesus’ church is its NAME - one found in the New Testament of Jesus.
A.Some say that there is nothing in a name. They say it doesn’t matter what the name of the church is. They say it is not important.
1.However, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (father of
multitudes) {Gen. 17:5}. Why did He do that if a name is not
important?
2.God also changed Jacob’s name to Israel (having power with God)
{Gen. 32:28}. Why did He do that if a name is not important?
3.What if you named your child Hitler??
4.Acts 4:12
B.What names of the church do we find in the New Testament?
1.Rom. 16:16 – church of Christ
2.1 Cor. 1:2 – church of God
C.Scriptural names honor Christ and the Father, not men!
They promote unity, not division.
D.We must compare these Biblical names with those of the denominations
to determine whether they fit this part of God’s pattern.
CatholicBaptist
LutheranMethodist
EpiscopalianJehovah’s Witnesses
Presbyterian
E.Denominations have names of men and names given by men. None of
these names can be found in the New Testament as the name of Jesus’
church! Therefore these churches to do not have Scriptural names and
thus cannot be the one true church.
XI.A fourth part of God’s pattern for Jesus’ church is its WORSHIP - governed by
the New Testament of Jesus.
A.Jn. 4:23,24
1.We must worship God in SPIRIT and TRUTH.
2.To worship in SPIRIT means we must have the right heart, the right mind. We must be sincere and we must concentrate upon what we are doing.
3.To worship in TRUTH means to worship in accordance with God’s word, which is the truth (Jn. 17:17).
4.Since Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life for all living today, we must worship in accordance with His New Testament, not the Old Testament which He nailed to the cross as far as its binding power as law (Jn. 14:6; Col. 2:14).
B.God makes it clear that there is such a thing as FALSE worship!
1.Please read Isa. 1:11-15.
a.Those people were engaging in proper acts of worship.
b.Yet, God used such words as “abomination”, “hate”, “cannot
endure”, and “a trouble” to Him with regards to their worship.
c.Then what was the problem?
d.Please notice verse 15.
e.God said their hands were full of blood, that is, they were
living in sin.
f.Thus, they were not worshipping God in SPIRIT!
2.Mt. 15:8,9
a.Jesus rebuked religious people of His day because their worship was VAIN!
b.That is, although these people were worshipping God, it was vain, of no value, useless to them and to God!
c.Jesus gave two reasons why their worship was vain.
d.First, they were drawing near to God with their mouth and honoring Him with their lips, but their heart was far from Him.
e.They were either not sincere in doing what they did or they were not concentrating on what they were doing.
f.They were going through the motions of worshipping God, but their mind was not really involved properly.
g.Thus, they were not worshipping in SPIRIT!
h.Second, they were worshipping God according to the doctrines and commandments of men rather than the word of God.
i.In other words, rather than sticking closely to the word of God in their worship activities, they had substituted their own traditions and teaching for God’s word.
j.Thus, they were not worshipping in TRUTH!
k.In just the same way, if we fail to worship God according to the New Testament, or if we are not sincere or fail to concentrate while worshipping God, our worship is VAIN!
l.Obviously then, proper worship of God is eternally important!
C.Careful study of the New Testament pattern reveals that the early Christians did five things when they assembled together to worship God.
1.1 Cor. 11:23-26
They remembered the Lord’s death by partaking of the unleavened
bread and the fruit of the vine (grape juice).
a.Acts 20:7
1.The apostle Paul and the early Christians only partook of the Lord’s Supper (broke bread) on the first day of the week (Sunday).
2.Obviously, there is one Sunday in each week.
3.Thus, we can safely conclude that we must partake of the Lord’s Supper EVERY Sunday!
4.The fact that we must partake of the Lord’s Supper EVERY Sunday can be seen in another way.
5.Please notice from verse 16 that Paul was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem by the Day of Pentecost.
6.Yet, he stayed in Troas for seven days (verse 6).
7.Why did the apostle Paul stay in Troas for seven days if he was in such a hurry to get to Jerusalem?
8.It seems clear that Paul arrived in Troas on Monday.
9.Although he was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem, he also wanted to worship with the Christians in Troas, including preaching to them and partaking of the Lord’s Supper with them.
10.Thus, he waited there seven days until Sunday when he could worship God with them.
11.He knew that they would meet each Sunday and that as part of their worship, they would partake of the Lord’s Supper each Sunday!
b.We must compare this with the denominations to determine whether they fit this part of God’s pattern for worship.
Some denominations partake of the Lord’s Supper daily;
others once per month; still others once per quarter; and
some once per year.
In doing these things, they are not worshipping in TRUTH,
according to the New Testament of Jesus. Instead, they are
worshipping according to the doctrines and commandments
of men. Jesus said that makes their worship VAIN!
2.1 Cor. 16:1,2
a.Part of our worship is to make a financial contribution to the Lord so that His work can be done.
b.This is to be done on the first day of the week, Sunday.
c.Most religious groups read these verses and draw the conclusion that they must take up a collection each Sunday.
d.The words “on the first day of the week” in Acts 20:7, where God talks about the Lord’s Supper, are exactly the same as they are in 1 Cor. 16:2 where He talks about the collection.
e.Thus, if God wants us to take up a collection EVERY Sunday (1 Cor. 16:1,2), and He does, then clearly, He wants us to partake of the Lord’s Supper EVERY Sunday (Acts 20:7) because the language is the same in both verses!
f.Yet, most religious groups will take up a collection each Sunday, but will not partake of the Lord’s Supper each Sunday.
g.Clearly, that practice is not consistent and it is SINFUL!
3.Acts 2:42
a.The early Christians also prayed as part of their worship of God. We must do the same today!
4.Acts 20:7
a.They also preached the word of God, the apostles’ doctrine. Thus, that must be a part of our worship today.
5.Eph. 5:19
a.Still another part of worship in SPIRIT and TRUTH is singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
b.Some people claim that God doesn’t say notto use
mechanical instruments of music in worship (such as pianos, organs, guitars, trumpets, drums, etc.) therefore we can use them.
c.That is absolutely wrong! Why?