The Church of Christ Lesson 4

1.) The Church of Christ is undenominational.

     The Church that Jesus built is not a denomination. The Church opposes the entire system the denominations use, which is an unscriptural guideline they go by. Some religious groups claim to be undenominational (nondenominational), but in reality, they embrace all denominations. In Ephesians 4:4, the Apostle Paul states, "There is one body." If there is only one body (church), then we can clearly see that all of these religious institutions cannot all be correct. The only conclusion any man can come to, is that they are made by man, not God.

                                  Denominationalism                                                     Bible Teaching

2.) The Church of Christ worships on the Lord's Day.

     There is a specific day on which the Church of Christ gathers together to worship the Lord. Let us first look at the New Testament in order to see what day the Lord chose for the Church to worship Him.

     A.) Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Luke 24:1-3, "But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus."

     B.) Jesus met with His disciples on the first day of the week. In John 20:19, "So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'"

     C.) The Holy Spirit came to remain on earth on the first day of the week. In Acts 2:1-4, "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance."

     This all happened on the day of Pentecost, and Pentecost always fell upon the first day of the week. In Leviticus 23:15-16, "You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD." This shows that Pentecost, which means fiftieth, always fell on the day following the seventh Sabbath. Since the Sabbath was on the seventh day, then Pentecost always fell upon the first day of the week.

     D.) The Church of Christ was established on the first day of the week. Acts 2:47 states, "Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number [the church] day by day those who were being saved." Since this day was considered the day of Pentecost, which means it was on the first day of the week, we can logically say that the Church was founded on the first day of the week.

     Let us look at the New Testament to see how Christians were commanded to worship. Hebrews 10:25 states, "Not forsaking our own assembling together, as it is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." In Hebrews 10:25, we have a command to assemble, but the day is not specified. However, in Acts 20:7, "On the first day of the week, when we all gather together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight." Here, the Holy Spirit specified the day on which the early Christians met to observe the Lord's Supper. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also.

     "On the first day of the week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come." In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, we see that the early Christians on the first day of the week put aside their offering. This offering is money to help continue to spread the Gospel. The early Christians in the assembly sang "to" and "with" one another (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19). Christ ordained that the Church should pray within the assembly. The prayer is to be led by a member of the congregation (1 Corinthians 14:15-16). The early Christians were to teach and read the Bible (1 Timothy 4:13; Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27). The purpose of the assembly was to edify those who attended, and all things were arranged for that purpose (1 Corinthians 14:26, 40). Males only were allowed in the public speaking roles of the assembly (1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:11-13).

3.) The Bible clearly tells how a person can become a member of the Church of Christ and be saved.

     2 Thessalonians 1:8, "In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians 1:8 states that those who do not "obey the gospel" will be punished. The word gospel means good news, which is represented by the death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-5) of Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, this is the way an individual is saved:

• Hear--Romans 10:17, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (Matthew 7:24-27)
• Believe--Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Mark 16:15-16)
• Repent--Luke 13:3, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Acts 2:38; Acts 17:30)
• Confess--Acts 8:36-37, "The eunuch said... 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'" (Matthew 10:32-33)
• Be Baptized--Mark 16:16, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned." (Acts 2:38; Acts 10:48; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21)

     If you would like to obey the gospel and be added to the Church of Christ, follow in the steps of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:35-38) and be baptized today. You do not have to wait until Sunday--we are here to help when you contact us.