Where is the church that Jesus Christ built? Is it possible
to distinguish it from the midst of the babble of confusion that exists today!
Since He said that, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” it must
be somewhere still in existence, and one should be able to identify and
distinguish it from all counterfeits.
Since God is not the author of confusion, but a God of
peace as in all the churches of the saints, it is for certain that most of the
churches we see today do not represent the church which Jesus Christ built. I
know that it is quite convenient for people to say that, God has His people
everywhere, but that still does not make them the church, the body of Christ
which Jesus Christ built.
Let us also not ignore the warning which Jesus gave
saying; “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name,
saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many” (Matthew 24: -5).
How then can the Church which Jesus Christ built upon
Himself be identified and differentiated from the many counterfeits? First and
foremost, the church is not a worldly organization, it is not a denomination:
As a matter of fact, having the preconceived notion or idea of belonging to a
particular sect or religious denomination is already a sin called sectarianism.
In pleading for the unity of the church the apostle Paul
wrote; “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you,
but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same
judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those
of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this that
each of you says, “I am of Paul, or I am of Apollos," or "I am of
Cephas," or "I am of Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul
crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)
The apostle Paul further admonished the church by
stating; "For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and
divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when
one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos,"
are you not carnal?" (1 Corinthians 3: 3-4).
The church in true perspective comprise of believers who
forms the body of Christ. The word church refers to all who have been redeemed,
and also groups of Christians assembled for worship. In reality, people do not
go to church as it is commonly said, but rather the church meets at a
particular time and place.
The church, the body of Christ is a kingdom of priests
with Jesus Christ being the High Priest and head of that kingdom. As it is
written; “God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head
over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who
fills everything in every way” (Ephesians
1:22-23).
Jesus Christ is the head of the body, the church, the
kingdom of priests, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in
all things He may have the preeminence. He is the chief corner stone that was
rejected by men. He is the noble man who went into a far country to receive for
himself a kingdom and to return, but his citizens hated him, saying, ‘we will
not have this man reign over us’ (Luke 19:12, 14).
He is the son of the owner of the vineyard whom when the
vine dresser saw, reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come
let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours” (Luke 20:14-17).
To this end there has to be definite prescribed sign/s that distinguish the true church, the body of Christ, the royal priesthood, the
holy nation which Jesus Christ built, from all other counterfeits.
To be continued
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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