Undenominational Christianity

1998027

Topic # 1646 (denominationalism)

Introduction:

A. Judges 2:6-10 – sad words.

1. Words of apostasy- of people departing from God.

2. Only the third generation from Joshua.

3. We are never more than one generation away from total apostasy.

4. Moses had warned of this possibility... Deut. 6:10-15

B. Back to Judges. How did Israel get here?

1. There was a time when the Law of God was taught.

a) People not only knew the law, but they could and did recite the law.

b) This was what kept them faithful; their distinctiveness from the nations around them was constantly kept before them.

2. There came a time when the teaching stopped.

a) People knew the law, but for whatever reason it wasn't taught.

3. Just a short generation later, children grew up who did not know the law.

a) The law of God was unimportant to them because they had not been taught.

b) They mistook the silence of their parents as indifference and a license to choose their own way.

4. They chose the way of the world, the way of idolatry, the way of Baal, over the way of God.

5. The story of the Judges, from this point onward, is cyclical.

C. Israel’s fundamental problem: they lost sight of their distinctiveness as the people of God.

1. This happened because they failed to keep before the people that which set them apart from the world: the Law of God.

D. We are not immune to this same problem.

1. We can lose our distinctiveness as the people of God.

2. This is why it is so important to understand and practice undenominational Christianity.

I. Defining/Denying Denominationalism

A. What is a denomination? Does God approve of denominations? If so, we should. If not, we shouldn't!

B. Denominations are different groups of religious people using different designations, wearing different names, teaching different doctrines, and practicing different things.

C. Denominationalism Defined:

1. The tendency to separate into religious sects or denominations. 2. Advocacy of such separation.

D. What does God say? John 17:20-21; 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:3-4

II. What is Undenominational Christianity?

A. When one turns to the Scripture without any preconceived ideas, a clear image of undenominational Christianity begins to emerge. God's Way was plain and simple.

B. Undenominational Christianity means you are aligned with the Lord.

1. Jesus did not align himself w/any party or division while on earth.

2. Four distinct groups among Jews at this time:

a) Pharisees; Sadducees; Herodians; Essenes.

b) These advocated some truth, but Jesus did not identify Himself w/any of them.

3. Jesus:

a) Prayed for unity – John 17:20-21.

b) Paid for unity – Eph. 2:16

c) Plead for unity – 1 Cor. 1:10

d) Planned for unity – Eph. 4:1-6

4. We deduct that Jesus was anti-denominational and undenominational. Thus, His church must be. Thus we must be.

5. God's eternal purpose was to establish his church - Eph. 3:10-11 - Prophesied, prepared, and produced

a) Jerusalem; 33 A.D.

b) Pentecost (Acts 2); Purchased by the blood of Christ

C. Undenominational Christianity means you are a member of God’s Church.

1. The same church of which Peter, James, John, and Paul were members.

2. Being a member of the Lord’s church in our day does not depend on church succession.

a) Own land in separate states. Desire to plant corn.

b) Don’t have to plant 1 continuous line from state to state.

c) All that is necessary is to take seed from one state to the other & plate the same. Results? Identical crop of corn in each state.

3. Likewise, we do not have to trace an “unbroken chain” all the way back to the 1^st century to make sure we’re part of the “right” church.

4. All we need is the same seed today as was used in the 1^st century.

a) Lk. 8:11- the seed is the word of God.

b) 1 Peter 1:21-25 – the seed in incorruptible.

6. If we will plant the same seed, the pure, unadulterated gospel NOW as THEN – we will have the same results!

7. Gospel preached during first century produced:

a) Rom. 16:16- churches of Christ.

b) Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16 – Christians.

c) When that same gospel is preached today it will produce the same thing!

d) This is the beauty of undenominational Christianity; this is what it means!

III. What does an undenominational church look like?

A. This is the church that looks to the pattern found w/in Scripture to find out what its practice and doctrines will be.

B. Undenominational churches preach the entirety of God’s plan of salvation.

1. Sin separates man from God. Jesus sent by God’s grace to rescue man from sin. Man must respond to God’s conditions for salvation.

2. Believe... John 8:24 – belief comes by being taught (Rom. 10:17)

3. Repent of sins... Luke 13:3

4. Confess... Rom. 10:10

5. Baptized... Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38

C. Undenominational churches are ORGANIZED at God's direction

1. Elders- to oversee.

2. Deacons- to serve.

3. Preachers- to preach.

4. Teacher- to teach.

5. Members- to function.

D. Undenominational churches WORSHIP as God directs... (Necessarily rejecting any mode of worship of human origin).

1. Lord's Supper... Acts 20:7 weekly, using unleavened bread & fruit of the vine.

2. Preaching... Acts 20:7

3. Prayer... 1 Thess. 5:17

4. Singing... Eph. 5:18

5. Giving... 1 Cor. 16:2

E. Undenominational churches WORK as God directs.

1. Evangelism... Acts 13:1-3

2. Edification... Eph. 4:11-16

3. Benevolence... Acts 11:27-30

F. Our faith must begin and end with a "thus says the Lord." This is undenominational Christianity.

IV. We must not neglect to teach on these matters.

A. Historically speaking, gospel preachers and local churches have viewed the denominations as counterfeit churches spawned in the minds of men.

B. There once was a time when, almost universally, we stood together to say denominationalism is sinful.

1. Contrary to Jesus' prayer for unity... John 17:20-21

2. Contrary to the singular nature of the kingdom - Matt. 16:18

C. There are four stages from unquestioned faithfulness to complete apostasy…

1. Spoken Understanding... Bible is taught. Distinctive message is emphasized. People know the Word of God, can recite it, and are committed to keeping it.

2. Unspoken Understanding... The distinctive message is believed but ceases to be taught. General themes are given greatest emphasis.

a. People don't want to preach a plain message or mention names for fear of "offending". They don't want to sit through those kind of Bible classes or hear those kind of sermons.

b. There is the desire for acceptability and credibility with other religious groups.

3. Unspoken Misunderstanding... A new, untaught generation arises. The silence of their parents has been mistaken as indifference and license to "do their own thing".

a. Things once understood are no longer understood. In some cases people know what they are supposed to believe and tradition is accepted, but they don't know why.

b. They may say something like, "We may be Christian's only, but we're not the only Christians." And the door is open for...

4. Spoken Misunderstanding... Here is where we reap the consequences of our failures to teach and preach a distinctive message.

a. People among us, openly declaring their conviction that the church of Christ is just another denomination, one among many.

D. Where would you say we are in this continuum? Where will we be in 20 years? 40? 70?

Conclusion.

A. Jesus has taught us what to do...

1. Know the Word... John 8:32

2. Be skilled in it's use... 2 Tim. 2:15

B. Preach and teach it plainly... 2 Tim. 4:2-5

C. Have no participation in unscriptural actions. Eph. 5:11

D. Have no fellowship with false teachers... 2 John 9-11

E. The Way of Jesus Christ is a doctrine of distinction.

1. It is a doctrine of separation from the world unto the holy ways of God.

2. God wants us to be different, and different we must be!

F. I N V I T A T I O N



Undenominational Christianity 1998027 Topic # 1646 (denominationalism) Introduction: A. Judges 2:6-10 – sad words. 1. Words of apostasy- of people departing from God. 2. Only the third generation from Joshua. 3. We are never more than one generation away from total apostasy. 4. Moses had warned of this possibility... Deut. 6:10-15 B. Back to Judges. How did Israel get here? 1. There was a time when the Law of God was taught. a) People not only knew the law, but they could and did recite the law. b) This was what kept them faithful; their distinctiveness from the nations around them was constantly kept before them. 2. There came a time when the teaching stopped. a) People knew the law, but for whatever reason it wasn't taught. 3. Just a short generation later, children grew up who did not know the law. a) The law of God was unimportant to them because they had not been taught. b) They mistook the silence of their parents as indifference and a license to choose their own way. 4. They chose the way of the world, the way of idolatry, the way of Baal, over the way of God. 5. The story of the Judges, from this point onward, is cyclical. C. Israel’s fundamental problem: they lost sight of their distinctiveness as the people of God. 1. This happened because they failed to keep before the people that which set them apart from the world: the Law of God. D. We are not immune to this same problem. 1. We can lose our distinctiveness as the people of God. 2. This is why it is so important to understand and practice undenominational Christianity. I. Defining/Denying Denominationalism A. What is a denomination? Does God approve of denominations? If so, we should. If not, we shouldn't! B. Denominations are different groups of religious people using different designations, wearing different names, teaching different doctrines, and practicing different things. C. Denominationalism Defined: 1. The tendency to separate into religious sects or denominations. 2. Advocacy of such separation. D. What does God say? John 17:20-21; 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:3-4 II. What is Undenominational Christianity? A. When one turns to the Scripture without any preconceived ideas, a clear image of undenominational Christianity begins to emerge. God's Way was plain and simple. B. Undenominational Christianity means you are aligned with the Lord. 1. Jesus did not align himself w/any party or division while on earth. 2. Four distinct groups among Jews at this time: a) Pharisees; Sadducees; Herodians; Essenes. b) These advocated some truth, but Jesus did not identify Himself w/any of them. 3. Jesus: a) Prayed for unity – John 17:20-21. b) Paid for unity – Eph. 2:16 c) Plead for unity – 1 Cor. 1:10 d) Planned for unity – Eph. 4:1-6 4. We deduct that Jesus was anti-denominational and undenominational. Thus, His church must be. Thus we must be. 5. God's eternal purpose was to establish his church - Eph. 3:10-11 - Prophesied, prepared, and produced a) Jerusalem; 33 A.D. b) Pentecost (Acts 2); Purchased by the blood of Christ C. Undenominational Christianity means you are a member of God’s Church. 1. The same church of which Peter, James, John, and Paul were members. 2. Being a member of the Lord’s church in our day does not depend on church succession. a) Own land in separate states. Desire to plant corn. b) Don’t have to plant 1 continuous line from state to state. c) All that is necessary is to take seed from one state to the other & plate the same. Results? Identical crop of corn in each state. 3. Likewise, we do not have to trace an “unbroken chain” all the way back to the 1^st century to make sure we’re part of the “right” church. 4. All we need is the same seed today as was used in the 1^st century. a) Lk. 8:11- the seed is the word of God. b) 1 Peter 1:21-25 – the seed in incorruptible. 6. If we will plant the same seed, the pure, unadulterated gospel NOW as THEN – we will have the same results! 7. Gospel preached during first century produced: a) Rom. 16:16- churches of Christ. b) Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16 – Christians. c) When that same gospel is preached today it will produce the same thing! d) This is the beauty of undenominational Christianity; this is what it means! III. What does an undenominational church look like? A. This is the church that looks to the pattern found w/in Scripture to find out what its practice and doctrines will be. B. Undenominational churches preach the entirety of God’s plan of salvation. 1. Sin separates man from God. Jesus sent by God’s grace to rescue man from sin. Man must respond to God’s conditions for salvation. 2. Believe... John 8:24 – belief comes by being taught (Rom. 10:17) 3. Repent of sins... Luke 13:3 4. Confess... Rom. 10:10 5. Baptized... Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38 C. Undenominational churches are ORGANIZED at God's direction 1. Elders- to oversee. 2. Deacons- to serve. 3. Preachers- to preach. 4. Teacher- to teach. 5. Members- to function. D. Undenominational churches WORSHIP as God directs... (Necessarily rejecting any mode of worship of human origin). 1. Lord's Supper... Acts 20:7 weekly, using unleavened bread & fruit of the vine. 2. Preaching... Acts 20:7 3. Prayer... 1 Thess. 5:17 4. Singing... Eph. 5:18 5. Giving... 1 Cor. 16:2 E. Undenominational churches WORK as God directs. 1. Evangelism... Acts 13:1-3 2. Edification... Eph. 4:11-16 3. Benevolence... Acts 11:27-30 F. Our faith must begin and end with a "thus says the Lord." This is undenominational Christianity. IV. We must not neglect to teach on these matters. A. Historically speaking, gospel preachers and local churches have viewed the denominations as counterfeit churches spawned in the minds of men. B. There once was a time when, almost universally, we stood together to say denominationalism is sinful. 1. Contrary to Jesus' prayer for unity... John 17:20-21 2. Contrary to the singular nature of the kingdom - Matt. 16:18 C. There are four stages from unquestioned faithfulness to complete apostasy… 1. Spoken Understanding... Bible is taught. Distinctive message is emphasized. People know the Word of God, can recite it, and are committed to keeping it. 2. Unspoken Understanding... The distinctive message is believed but ceases to be taught. General themes are given greatest emphasis. a. People don't want to preach a plain message or mention names for fear of "offending". They don't want to sit through those kind of Bible classes or hear those kind of sermons. b. There is the desire for acceptability and credibility with other religious groups. 3. Unspoken Misunderstanding... A new, untaught generation arises. The silence of their parents has been mistaken as indifference and license to "do their own thing". a. Things once understood are no longer understood. In some cases people know what they are supposed to believe and tradition is accepted, but they don't know why. b. They may say something like, "We may be Christian's only, but we're not the only Christians." And the door is open for... 4. Spoken Misunderstanding... Here is where we reap the consequences of our failures to teach and preach a distinctive message. a. People among us, openly declaring their conviction that the church of Christ is just another denomination, one among many. D. Where would you say we are in this continuum? Where will we be in 20 years? 40? 70? Conclusion. A. Jesus has taught us what to do... 1. Know the Word... John 8:32 2. Be skilled in it's use... 2 Tim. 2:15 B. Preach and teach it plainly... 2 Tim. 4:2-5 C. Have no participation in unscriptural actions. Eph. 5:11 D. Have no fellowship with false teachers... 2 John 9-11 E. The Way of Jesus Christ is a doctrine of distinction. 1. It is a doctrine of separation from the world unto the holy ways of God. 2. God wants us to be different, and different we must be! F. I N V I T A T I O N