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Today, we are touching on the final lesson of our programme New Hearts, Fresh Beginnings. It is the eighth lesson on the relationship between people and their churches. When we have made up our mind to believe in Jesus, does it mean that I am a Christian? Is it a must for Christians to participate in the church fellowship and activities? Why are members of the Church called brothers? What are the requirements for me to be baptised? In summary, what is the relationship between the church and I? Today, we will explore on this topic.
First of all, we have to ask a question: What is church all about? What does the Greek word “Ekklesia” (that is the church) mean? Why are there the Visible Church and the Invisible Church?
According to 1 Corinthians 1:2 in ESV Bible, Paul said, “To be the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.” The church is where Jesus has called His saints. It is a passive act and we are called to it. The Greek word “Ekklesia” is made up of two words – firstly, “Ek” means “to come out of” and “klesia” means “the calling”. Therefore, God has called us. From where does God call us out from? He has called us out of the world – an unbelieving world and a world that resists God. Through the work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, we know that He is our Lord and we are willing to leave this world, follow Him and enter the grace of God. When you are called, I am called and he is called, we are all gathered to form a church.
In other words, the church is where a community of believers gather together to worship the Lord. They are a visible community so they form a “Visible Church”. However, the “Invisible Church” refers to the Christians in the past (they had already passed away and are in heaven now so we cannot see them). The “Invisible Church” also comprises the believers who will become Christians in the future (they are not visible yet). Regardless of whether it is the “Visible Church” or the “Invisible Church”, they are the churches of Jesus Christ and God’s people who are called by God to come out of the unbelieving world. They belong to Jesus Christ so this community of people is called the church of Jesus Christ. Nowadays, there are a lot of denominations in the world which use the word “church”. We will like to emphasize that the church we refer here is the church of Jesus Christ and it belongs to Jesus.
Why are there so many denominations in Christian church? If we are called by God, why are there so many denominations in the world? They are the Presbyterians, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists and others. How do I know which churches are the mainstream churches?
It is written in 2 John 1:7-8 from ESV Bible: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.”
Galatians 1:6-7 in ESV Bible tells us that: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” In other words, those who do not believe in Jesus Christ and do not confess that He came in the flesh are anti-Christs. The message that they share is not the gospel and their church is not the mainstream church.
To put it simply, this is the Apostles’ Creed that we proclaim nowadays:
“I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His 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 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.
This is what we confess in Christianity. For those who do not believe in the Apostles’ Creed, they are basically not the church of Jesus because God has told us clearly through the proclamation of the Apostles’ Creed what kind of God He is. He is a Trinitarian God – God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit. Nowadays, the Presbyterian, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist and even some charismatic churches believe in the Apostles’ Creed so we call them the mainstream churches.
It is not important to know why there are so many denominations. You may say: Jesus only has one church but why are there so many denominations? You and I must remember that God’s truth is so abundant that we cannot fully grasp or comprehend the Word of God. Therefore, some people may look at this perspective and another person will look from another perspective. For example, the Presbyterians emphasizes a lot on God’s authority while the Lutherans stress on being made righteous by faith and the Baptists highlights immersion baptism. Even though we have different emphasis, we still have the same faith so we are brothers- and sisters-in-Christ. Even if we wear different clothes, we are still brothers and sisters-in-Christ. On the contrary, if he is a demon or my enemy and even if he wears the same clothes as we do, he is still an enemy. The focus is not on the external emphasis and names but it is centred on his life, his inner being and what his belief about the truth is. For instance, the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the Trinitarian God. They do not see Jesus as the incarnated God. Therefore, we say “This is heresy! This is not the church of Jesus!”
When we believe in Jesus Christ and start to attend the church service, what are the requirements for me to become a member of the church? In other words, how can I be part of the church?
1) Repentance
In Acts 2:38 from ESV Bible, Peter said: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” “You must repent” is the most basic requirement. “Repent” means that when we hear the Word of God, we are willing to leave our past behind. In the past, we are directed towards the devil, the world and therefore are sinful. Today, when I hear the Word of God, I will turn away from my past and turn towards God, His light and His truth. “Repent”, in original Greek language means to have a change in our direction. Therefore, “repentance” means that we truly know the truth, hear the gospel of God, know that Jesus Christ is the Savior for humanity and are deeply aware that we are sinners. Therefore, we are willing to repent for our sins, willing to be broken, leave the past behind and turn towards God. This is repentance!
2) Believe
We must not only repent, but also truly believe what is written in Romans 10: 9-10 from the ESV Bible: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” We must truly believe - confess with our mouth and believe in our heart. On the surface, this verse seems easy for us to live out our faith. However, in reality, under the Romans’ authority at that time, it was very difficult to confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus Christ is whom they believe in. When they proclaimed: “I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord”, they had to face imprisonment, lashes and even being killed ultimately. Therefore, Paul clearly tells us that we must not only repent, but also truly believe in Him.
There are three levels of “belief”: firstly, we need to clearly know in our mind that Jesus Christ is the Savior and we are sinners. Secondly, we need to be broken over our sins emotionally and give thanks to God for His salvation for us. We thank God and praise Him that Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins and thus, our sins are forgiven. Thirdly, we must be willing to leave our sins behind as an act of our will and turn towards the true God. We need to have a change in direction – depart from darkness and walk in His light. This is the true belief.
Some people say: “It is so easy to believe in Jesus and be saved!” I will tell him: “Is it that easy for you? Since you have said so, please believe in Him now!” He will reply: “I will not believe.” Brothers and sister, believing in Jesus Christ is not an easy thing. Prior to becoming Christians, we need to hear the gospel and understand it. We must also grieve over our sins and thank God for His salvation. We have to be determined to depart from sins and turn towards God. Even when we have to face persecutions, mocking and pressures, we still stay firm and are willing to do so. This is the true belief!
3) Born again
In John 3: 5-6 from ESV Bible, Jesus said that: “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
In 2 Corinthians 5:17 from ESV Bible, it is written: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” I must not only repent, but also believe that I am born again through the Holy Spirit. In other words, I have received a new life in Jesus Christ and become a new creation. With the new life, I am saved. I am a new creation in Jesus Christ so I have a new relationship with God and have made peace with Him to become a child of God. Therefore, this is a Christian who has joined God’s family.
4) Baptism (we will continue with this point in the next episode)
Thank the Lord that He has called us and we have become part of the church. Let us all pray together!
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you! Through the calling in Jesus Christ, we are born again in the spirit. We have received your salvation and our sins are forgiven. Therefore, we are a new creation in Jesus. The old has passed away and the new has come! Our transgressions are removed and we also stay away from sins. We will follow God and enter your kingdom to be part of your church. By God’s grace, you have called us. May our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ gather together to live out our Christian lives and grow spiritually. We pray this in the Holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
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