NO EXCUSE FOR CONFUSION Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 Why will people allow themselves to be CONFUSED over the church subject? It is the simplest institution God ever created. There is nothing confusing about it, left as God has revealed it. Yet, extremely few religious people have any clear conception of what the church is. They not only think it is something they can JOIN, but there are such a number of them that one may JOIN the church of his choice -just as though the choice of man is safe and accurate as the CHOICE of God. God chose the church for man, and man was left without either the necessity or ability to chose for himself. What is wrong with Gods choice? Cant he be trusted to select a church for the people for whom He gave His Son to die? The first time the church is mentioned as an existing institution, is in Acts 2:41. It is there shown to be functioning in all essentials. Moreover, it was the Lord Himself who selected for the Pentecostian converts the CHURCH to BELONG TO! As soon as baptized, people were by the Lord added to the ONLY CHURCH the Lord has ever recognized. The proper church for the proper people was there exhibited. Peter told the people what to do to become sons of God (Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:38), and as many as Received his word were baptized; and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls (cf. verse 31). In verse 47 it is stated; And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved. The Lord not only added the people to the church of HIS CHOICE, but He added to it ALL THE SAVED! Not a saved man or woman could be found OUT of the church. Only the baptized were added to the church in New Testament times, and the church consisted of ALL THE SAVED. A saved person out of the church is not found in the New Testament from Pentecost on. That was because the church consisted of the saved. That SAME CHURCH consists of the saved today. Any church out of which men can be saved is a CHURCH of men, not the church of God; for He adds all the saved to His church. If a man is not in the church, he is not a saved man; for all the saved are by the Lord added to the church. Preparation for membership in the TRUE church of God is simple. They hear and believe the gospel; they repent of their sin; they are baptized: the rest the Lord does. He raises them up from baptism into a NEW LIFE, and in that act He ADDS them to the church, which is His FAMILY, consisting of all His children (1 Timothy 3:15). See that? This is HOW people are saved by grace. The sinner merely has to submit. Do you say God does the pardoning? If He does that, He immediately adds the pardoned to the church. Why all the CONFUSION? See ya Sunday, Ralph
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 09:13:51 +0000
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