Where is Christ’s Church Today?

Was the Church man’s idea? Does the Church have anything to do with salvation? Has the Church of Jesus Christ died? Has it ceased to exist? Or, is the Church just one of the many fellowships of churches today? Or, is the Church of Christ made up of most churches with a common core belief? Let’s use the words of Christ to recognize His Church today.

What is a church? The word “church” is from the Greek word ekkleisia meaning originally “called out”, but the use of the word in the New Testament means “assembly”, which is used in 5 different ways in the Scriptures. The word is used in Scripture to refer to a Christian congregation (1 Cor. 1:2, Rom. 16:16), a meeting of a congregation of Christians (1 Cor. 11:18), everyone who has obeyed the Gospel (Matt. 16:18, Eph. 5:23), a rioting pagan mob (Acts 19:32, 41), and a civil government assembly (Acts 19:39). The word “church” simply means an “assembly”.

The Church is no accident or invention of men. Christ built His own Church (Matt. 16:18). When we look to the Scriptures, Christ’s Church are the people of God (1 Pet. 2:10). The Church of Christ is the whole of everyone who are saved having obeyed the Gospel by being baptized in Jesus’ name (Acts 2:41, 47; 1 Pet. 4:17). Jesus commanded belief and baptism to be saved (Mark 16:16), so those who believe and baptized were added to the Church. Acts 2:41 & 47 says, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them..And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

The words of Christ teach that the Church is the greatest institution ever. The Church is from Christ and established by Him. Like any building, this spiritual building’s architect, Christ, has a design in mind. This building is the spiritual house of Christ, Christ’s Temple, and it is made of “living stones”, which are Christians (1 Pet. 2:5). This Temple, the Church, is served by priests, who are all Christians (1 Pet. 2:5, Rev. 1:6). Its Cornerstone is Christ and its foundation are the Apostles and the prophets (1 Pet. 2:7, Eph. 2:20-21). Make no mistake there is only one Temple, the Church, and this spiritual building has a blueprint that is presented by the words of Christ through His apostles and prophets in the Bible.

Do churches today follow Jesus’ blueprint? Are today’s churches manmade rather than made by Christ? Is there still only one Church of Christ (Eph. 4:4, 1:23, 1 Cor. 12:12)? Can you recognize Christ’s one church today? Let’s answer this after further establishing Christ’s purpose for His Church.

The Church was and is certainly no mistake, and it is not a parenthesis or an accident as many preachers teach today. The Church being the Temple of Christ can absolutely not be an accident. The words of Christ teach Christ’s Church is a part of God’s eternal purpose and that the Church is His eternal kingdom for which the gates of Hades will never prevail (Eph. 3:8-11, Matt. 16:18, Dan. 2:44, Col. 1:13, Heb. 12:28, Rev. 1:6). See, the Church isn’t dead and will not die. Still, many teach that the Church of Christ was and is an accident. This false belief affirms that Christ had to settle for the Church. They say that Jesus did not accomplish His mission in establishing His eternal Kingdom when He first came. Now, one may agree that this idea is wrong that Christ failed, but most believers of Christ do not realize that their preachers and teachers believe and teach this. Many allow and even accept this belief in accepting the most common beliefs regarding the End Times known as Dispensational Pre-Millennialism, which is the simply belief that the Church is an accident and, or parenthesis before Christ; kingdom comes. Put the preachers that teach this to the test. Most teach and believe that the Church is not the eternal kingdom of Christ, and in this belief, they contradict the Scriptures.

Before the Church, Jesus taught to pray “Your kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10) and the kingdom did come. Jesus said, “There are some here of them that stand by, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power” (Mark 9:1). The Holy Spirit says that “He“, Christ, “made us to be a kingdom” (Rev. 1:6). Christians have been translated into this kingdom (Col 1:13), and they have received the kingdom that cannot be shaken (Heb. 12:28). See, Jesus’ eternal kingdom is the Church. Jesus’ kingdom has come. The Bible teaches that the Church is the everlasting kingdom of God and it is the “holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9). Who can withstand Christ? No one can (Dan. 7:14, 27). Who can stop the Church? No one can. For the kingdom is everlasting and it will break in pieces and consume all the nations (Dan. 2:44, 1 Pet. 4:11, 5:11, Rev. 1:6). Let’s be clear though that the Church has no physically standing army for the Church itself does not battle against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12), and still the Church will consume the nations for it is Christ’s kingdom that has already come.

There is only one king over the eternal kingdom. “And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, ‘All authority has been given unto Me in heaven and on earth’” (Matt. 28:18). There is one man who is head over all things in the Church, and that is Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). Jesus is the head, and to separate Jesus from the Church or the head from the body is to attempt to spiritually decapitate Christ though tragically such attempts are the unintentional result of ignorance or false faith. Now, Christ is the head of the body, the Church. Jesus is also the High Priest and Cornerstone of the Temple of Christ (Heb. 9:11, Eph. 2:20). See, Jesus is the head and His words will judge the world on the last day (John 12:47-48), and only His words are spirit and life (John 6:63). Jesus said that He would be ashamed of those who are are ashamed of His words when He comes back (Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26). Jesus gave these words to His Apostles who wrote them in the Bible and His words will never pass away (John 15:20, 17:8, Matt. 24:35). These words of Christ make up the New Testament of the Bible. The New Testament is Christ’s Testament, which is written so that you can know that you have eternal life and so that you can be complete and equipped to do every good work (1 John 5:13, 2 Tim. 3:16-17). No one needs creeds or traditions of men and churches. We need just the Bible specifically the New Testament.

In Jesus’ Church, there are no special priests known as “Fathers”, “High Priests”, or “Archbishops”. Jesus said, “Do not call anyone your father” (Matt. 23:9). The government of the Church in the Scriptures is very simple. Each congregation is self-governed with no earthly headquarters not even locally. Each congregation was established with elders (Acts 14:23). These elders were only men who met specific qualifications (1 Tim. 3:1-7, Tit. 1:5-9). These are the churches pastors not the preachers. For the Bible only mentions once “pastors” in Ephesians 4:11, and the only ones in the Bible who pastor were the elders (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:2-3). These elders are not to lord over the congregations nor to stray from the words of Christ. See, Christ governs the Church by His Word. The Church is not the authority for beliefs and practices, but she is the pillar and ground of Truth, the Word of God (1 Tim. 3:15).

How does Christ feel about the Church? What most people don’t realize about the Church and salvation is that Jesus is the Savior of the Church (Eph. 5:23). Jesus came to save the lost, but that does not mean those who do not obey the Gospel. He gave His life for the Church out of love (Eph. 5:25). Did Christ die for everyone? Though God wants all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4), He died for “us”, Christians, when Christians being ungodly sinners believe and obey the Gospel then these are joined to the Church of Christ (Rom. 5:6-10). The Church is Christ’s greatest purchase. Christ bought the Church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). This shows the great value of the Church and that it was no accident.

Christ cleansed the Church by the washing of water with the Word (Eph. 5:26). There is only one washing of water in the New Testament, and this is the immersion of believers in water in the name of the Lord (Eph. 4:5, Acts 10:47-28). “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Jesus said that those who believe and are baptized will be saved. At baptism, one’s sins are forgiven (Acts 2:38). It is by baptism, an act of faith, that we are saved and appeal for good consciences (1 Pet. 3:21). The Church is described in 1 Corinthians 6:11 as “you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.” Know this that there is only one baptism to enter the Church (Eph. 4:5, 1 Cor. 12:13), and this baptism is water baptism neither Holy Spirit baptism nor any other spiritual baptism since there is only one baptism, which is the one that Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:18-20.

What does the Church do? The Church is not a stagnant mass of people. The work of the Church is to glorify God especially in worship (Eph. 3:21, Rom. 15:5-6), to evangelize (Matt. 28:18-20, Eph. 3:10-11, 1 Tim. 3:15), to edify itself (Eph. 4:16, 1 Cor. 14:26), to do benevolence to everyone who is truly in need (Gal. 6:10, 2 Cor. 9:12-13), to restore those who are sinning (Gal. 6:1-5, James 5:19-20), and to discipline the openly sinful person and oppose the divisive person especially false teachers (1 Cor. 5:1-13, Rom. 16:17). The Church makes disciples and teaches everyone to observe all things that Christ has taught (Matt. 28:18-20). Ask those preachers among the denominations if it is important to the observe all things that Christ taught? Most will teach that this is not that important to them and they’ll credit Jesus’ with forgiving those who so not repent from neglecting this command. May God bless the Church in her mission to glorify Him in all these things.

A characteristic of the Church, that is lost among many church, is the Assembly. The Church’s Assembly is the important meeting that is in the name of the Lord on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). This assembly, “The Assembly”, is the most important meeting in existence. It is to be kept decent and orderly in the purposes of worship, edification, and encouragement. This is what the words of Christ teach through Paul in 1 Corinthians. The Assembly is generally quiet with exception of men speaking one by one unto the congregation or the congregation speaks to one another with one accord in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (1 Cor. 14, Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16, Acts 4:24, Rom. 15:6). The Assembly centers on the Lord’s Supper, which is the great memorial meal of the death of Christ consisting of eating unleavened bread representing Christ’s broken body and drinking unleavened fruit of the grapevine representing Christ’s blood in the new covenant (Luke 22:17-20, 1 Cor. 11:17-34). The Lord’s Supper is commanded to be kept every time the Church assembled on the Lord’s Day (1 Cor. 11:20, 33). The Assembly also consists of the purest music of congregational singing with proxy music especially mechanical (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16), the complete teaching and reading of God’s written Word (1 Cor. 4:17; 14; Col. 4:16, 1 Tim. 4:13), and the honest prayers unto the Father (Gal. 4:6, Eph. 5:20, Phil. 4:6). There is no other meeting like it until the Lord comes. This is the highest meeting of the Church being the greatest institution to have ever been established and still many desire to add to the Assembly rituals of men and entertainment as though Christ’s Assembly is not complete already and it is not entertaining enough as Christ established it.

Christ’s Church is neither “Protestant” though protesting sinful traditions of men; nor “Catholic” though “catholic” in being composed of saved souls throughout the world; nor “Orthodox” though correct and right in following the Truth in Christ’s Word. The Church is not to be divided that is denominated “that they may all be one” as Christ prayed in the shadow of His own cross (John 17:21). The Holy Spirit also instructs the Church that “there be no divisions [denominations] among you; but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Cor. 1:10). Clearly, the unity of Church is in observing all of Christ’s commands. Those practicing “factions, divisions [denominations], parties” will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven (Gal. 5:20), and therefore such has no part in the churches of Christ. The Spirit also instructs the Church that “you be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through faction and conceit” (Phil. 2:2-3). The Church is one in the Faith and was established in the 1st century apart from all dividing sects of centuries past. There should only be one body and fellowship of the Church apart from denominations. We are can all united again by putting aside creeds and traditions, and follwing only the words of Christ given to His Apostles and prophets. There should be no misunderstanding of the Scriptures since the Scriptures are complete and the Holy Spirit revealed every word (1 Cor. 2:13).

The Church is “giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). The Church is united in there being one body the Church, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God the Father (Eph. 4:4-6). These 7 ones are very important and foundational to unity though the Church is taught to observe all things commanded (Matt. 28:20). Notice each one. There is only one Church with only one faith, with one belief consisting of right and wrong, and consisting of teachings and practices according to God’s Word. There is only one Spirit guiding them in the Truth of the one Faith. There is one hope to reach one eternal life in Christ Jesus. There is only one Lord who has saved the Church by His death on the cross. There is one baptism into the forgiveness of sins and to enter the Church. There is one God and Father of us all who has established the Church as a part of His eternal purpose (Eph. 3:10-11).

Does this description of the Church resemble the churches that you know? Are you a member of the Church of Christ? It is clear that only those of the Church of Jesus Christ are the saved. The Scriptures are clear that the Church is alive and well, and no one can destroy it. The Spirit presents in the Scriptures that the one Church is to be sought today not by any division in creeds or names of men, but only by what the Scriptures establish. Will you seek to be a part of the Church of Christ or a part of a church established by man and his philosophies?