Is there a true church?
Joe Lewis, March 1, 1996
(Click Here to Hear Audio Message of This Sermon)
Is there a true church in the world today? Yes there is.
You know - you know what the church is? The true church is the body of Christ.
You know what the body of Christ is? The body of Christ are - is Christians. Those who truly are Christians are the body of Christ and they are the church - the true church in the world today.
In Ephesians five - you might turn to Ephesians five if you have your Bibles with you and would like to follow along. Ephesians five and verse twenty, says, "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord."
Says, unto your own husbands, um, so, keep - keep that in mind. Not other men or some - any other - other men, but their own husbands - is what is pictured here. And also, as we read these natural things, the point that Paul is wanting to get across is that the church is the body of Christ. And, so he's going - going to make that comparison through - through here. Um, as a woman is to be in subjection to her husband, we as the church or the bride of Christ, are to be in subjection to Christ. Because we are the body. He is the head. Your body - your own body does what your head tells it to do, right? So if we are the body of Christ, Christ is the head and we are to be in subjection to Christ.
Just - and then Paul used a natural marriage situation so - 'cause everyone could understand that - as a woman is supposed to be in subjection to her own husband, you, as a body - the body of Christ - are to be in subjection to Christ.
In . . . . verse twenty three, it says, "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wife - wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;"
Do you husbands love your wives that much?
You know how much Christ loved us? He loved us enough to give his life for us, so that we could be without blemish - without spot on the final - on that day. He has protected us. His has died for us. He - he loved us because of the great love that he has for us.
On the natural side, if you men love your wives like Christ loved the church, your marriage - you will be in your right place in your marriage. What woman's right place in a marriage is to be is to submit to her husband. But the husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. And I - I heard women say, "If - if - if my husband had loved me as much as Christ loved the church, I would have respected him and I would have . . . . and . . . .
I appreciate being in the homes of those of you where your marriage - the husbands love their wives like Christ loved the church, and the wife is submitting to her husband - things are in order.
You know, going back to that comment ah, quoting a woman - what she said about her husband - if he had loved her - the woman's responsibility is not to be concerned about what the man's job is. But the woman's responsibility is to be in subjection to her husband just - and be sure that she is doing that. And the husband - his responsibility isn't to be sure that the wife is submitting to him. His responsibility is that he is loving his wife.
Verse twenty six says, "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Now, that's - that's us. It's what Christ has done for us shedding his blood for us.
The church - the church without a blemish, without spot, without wrinkle, glorious - says - says - repeats some of the same things here in verse twenty eight - says, "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nevertheless (sic) - but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they shoo (sic) - they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."
The point he wanted made - the main point that Paul wanted made, we are the - we are the church, we are the bride of Christ, we are the body of Christ. But nevertheless, one of the things we also learn, that natural lesson also, and to remember it, and he was reminding them of it. And it's to be mindful of their place in their marriage.
But, today, our subject is on the church - the true church of today. We want to be mindful of that. Mindful that the people - true Christians are the true church today.
You'll run across people who claim to be Christians ah, and whether they are or not - truly are Christians or not - we'll leave that in God's hands.
Um, I didn't say those who call themselves Christians are the body of Christ. I said those who are Christians are the body of Christ. And those who are Christians are the true church today.
Some ah, qualities about the ah, the church - I can't take time to go into the references of these, but you can jot it down and study them for yourselves. In ah, in Hebrews four - just going the mention one reference I'll give you - it's on the rest - the rest of Christ.
Those who are Christians - those who really are part of the body of Christ - they have been entered into the rest of Christ. They've ceased from their own works, and they're now doing the work of God. They're - they've ceased from listening to their own head - their own mind - what they were going to do with their lives, and make even each day, and they're going to trust the mind of Christ. Christ is the head for what to do.
Um, the reason I am here in this place today - it wasn't my own mind that wanted me to be here, who said, "Joe, you should be in the ministry preaching The Gospel." It wasn't my mind at all. It was the mind of Christ that I be here. I've entered into that rest - resting from Joe's work, and doing the work of the Lord.
And you also can fill your places - ah, useful places in God's Kingdom. You know, a hand doesn't do what a foot does, and a foot doesn't do what a hand does. A hand doesn't do what a mouth does, or an ear, or an eye, or any other part of the body. All these different parts of the body are needed. You can't fill my place. I can't fill your place. Keep that in mind too. Every part of the body is needed. And useful.
The hand has work t - its work to do that a foot can't do. A hand can't walk - well, paraplegics; some of them walk on their hands. But um, it's not what - we don't want to go and reach for exceptions to the rule, but God's plan was - is that feet do the walking and the hands do their work. We each have work to do and we need to have God's mind on the matter; what he wants us to do and the body will be working to the end result - God's will being done.
The eyes see. The mind ah, - we - we see the things that Christ wants us to see and have a revelation. We - we've got to have revelation if we're going to be true Christians; serving God in the capacity that he wants us to. The mind - hav - have the mind of Christ, then now all the things that we cu - that we feed on, and what we feed others - things that we say, things that we share in Meetings. Um, and the things that we share with each other out of Meetings.
You know, there can be harmful things shared just as easily as there can be good, healthy, wholesome food for sheep food sharing. And we want to be concerned that we are feeding each other and ah, to be an encouragement to each other and love the body of Christ.
True Christians have love one for another. And this is - this is one of the key things that Jesus said, "By this love that you have one for another shall all men know that you are my disciples." (sic) People - many people are claiming to be Christians - do claim to be. Jesus said, "By the love that you have one for another - by that will all men know that you are my disciples." (sic)
You know, the synagogue system that we read about in the New Testament - we don't read anywhere where God appointed that system to be established. And don't get confused with the tabernacle, or the temple. They were two separate things. The tabernacle, God did appoint to be made. The temple, God did appoint to be made. He gave instructions how to build them and what to build it with and so forth.
The synagogue system, people liken it to churches today. And they have their similarities. Neither one was instructed by God to build.
Jesus, Paul and others went into synagogues to preach the gospel, that's true. If you were going to preach The Gospel to some Jews, the best place to find them gathered together would be either in the temple, or in a synagogue. God's Servants went to the temple and they went to synagogues to find the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They knew that's where they'd be. And they preached The Truth to them and many of them received it, but many of them rejected it.
Those who received it, we read that they started worshiping in the homes of their elders. People like Priscilla and Aquila. People like Philemon. They met in those people's homes. They did not continue to worship and to meet for fellowship in the synagogues.
It's also the reason that they - Jesus preached on the sabbath and Paul preached on the sabbath. That's when the people were gathered together in the synagogues - was on the sabbath.
That was also unscriptural. The sabbath day was a day of rest. It was not sup - God did not appoint it to be a day of worship. They weren't even supposed to be out of - leaving the houses . . . . on that day - on that sabbath day.
Somebody changed the rules, they thought. They gave some allowances that they thought. And they gave them something they - they had, ah, something called a sabbath day's journey. A certain amount of distance. And with that little rule, anybody in Jerusalem could get to a synagogue within that amount of distance. Something that even the priests ordained themselves so that people could come to the synagogues that they established, or their forefathers - somebody appointed that done. It came from Babylon. It was a schooling system. And you know what? The whole thing was not of God.
The church system we have today that - excuse me - the church system that the world has today - it's not honored by God. It's not established by God. God told His Apostles - sent them forth to preach the gospel freely. They did. We do.
When those churches in the world that we see when we go through any town in this country and most other countries - the gospel cannot be preached freely. The gospel was to be preached to every person that wanted to hear - rich or poor. No favoritism could be shown to somebody that had a lot more money and put a lot more money into a church. Some of those churches glorify those who can give the most money. Put their names up on billboards - who gave so much money.
Reminds me of what we read in Matthew seven verse thirteen says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." You know, the - the gate is getting wider and wider and wider.
False religions of this world - you know what they're - they've gone so far as to even allow all kinds of sin and still allow people to live in their sin and forget about repentance. Go ahead and live in your sin; you can still be called a Christian, you can still come and have fellowship with us, and just continue to live in your . . . . sin.
The worst thing that comes to my mind right off is ah, gay and lesbian relationships.
The gate is getting wider and wider, and you know where it leads? Jesus said, "Destruction." Many there be that find it. Many there be that follow it. Go through it. Few there be who find the narrow way.
It says, verse fifteen, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
Most people living in sin and not worrying about repenting of it - that is the fruit of those churches. You can't expect any better. The foundation of the church is wrong from the min - from the ministry on up. Notice, I said from the ministry on up, not from the ministry on down. The work - churches of this world put the ministers up top. Christ put himself as a Servant. He did not lift himself up. And we do not do that either. So it should not be surprising that a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. It shouldn't be surprising to us - to anybody. If the tree is good, it will bring forth good fruit.
Verse twenty one - it says, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall ev - enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth - he - the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Did you - did you catch what was Jesus said, Depart from me ye who work iniquity? Wasn't - it wasn't the people who are worshiping Buddha. And it wasn't people who are worshiping all these other gods. It was people who are claiming to be Christians - they were claiming to do a lot of . . . . fancy things in the name of Jesus. And Jesus said, "Depart from me ye workers of iniquity." (sic) That is preachers who are claiming to be Christians - who are claiming to cast out . . . . evil spirits and doing mighty wonderful works in the name of Jesus. There was not somebody . . . . out there that doesn't even claim to be a Christian. Jesus said, "There's going to be many people like that who I'm going to have to tell, 'Depart from me 'cause I never even knew you.'" (sic) They never had a relationship with Christ.
How's your relationship with Christ? We don't want to be doing all the outward things right, and forget about having a true relationship with Christ. Those who have a true relationship with Christ are the body of Christ, and they are the true church.
Is there a true church?
Terry Wells, March 1, 1996
When I was thinking about ah, this Meeting and this topic that we're talking about tonight - is there a true church - I remembered um, one of The Friends' testimony. Um, he was six years old. And he had a friend - a little girl-friend, and she was six years old and - Sometimes they would - they would talk about whether or not there was a God. Sometimes they would talk about who was going to die first. One day, the little girl said, "Well, I think you're going to die first." Then he said, "No. I think you're going to die first." And they went back and forth like that. And they would talk about - they would wonder, what - what would God's Way be like. What could God's Way be like. And, the little girl - she said, "Well, you know I think God's Way would be a humble Way - it would be a Lowly Way." The little girl - she died first. That little girl died first. She was very young - she was only about seven when she passed away. And it caused that little boy to be very, very serious in his - in thinking about his future and about life. And you know that little boy - he began to pray. And he began to pray that ah, God would hear him, and God would show him what was right. What he should do with his life. And that ah, that little boy - he heard The Gospel. He - he offered his life for The Harvest Field, and he was in The Harvest Field for many, many years. And after he spent, I think at least twenty years in The Work, his health gave out. And now he's married, and he lives in B.C. Um, but he found - he found The Way of God. (emphasis is the preacher's)
Um, you know without The Way - without The Way of God, there would be no church. There would be no Truth of God without The Way of God. Ah, when we speak about the - The True Church, we're really speaking about The True Way that Jesus walked.
And it's those who were walking in the foot steps of Jesus - following in the foot prints that he left behind, that could be called, or constitute this church - this True Church. (emphasis is the preacher's)
And we remember what Paul said in his letters that ah, "the foundation of God stands sure, having the seal. God knows them that are his." (sic)
And we sure don't have to worry about who is in and who is out. We need to concern ourselves with whether I'm in or I'm out. And that is even what is told us. Ah, when we examine - on the first day of the week that we - we come and we sit ah, in the Fellowship Meeting, and the emblems - the - the communion of the bread and the fruit of the vine is before us - we're told not to examine our brother, but we're told to examine ourselves. And Paul said, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith or not." (sic) I believe that ah, those who make up the True Church are people that are examining - they're examining themselves. They're not examining their brother, or the man down the street. But they are wondering about their own relationship with God, and how they measure up with their master. Paul said ah, in another letter, "We are not amongst those that compare themselves with others." (sic) Ah, it says, "If we compare ourselves with others, or measure ourselves by ourselves, we're not wise." (sic) It's not wise to do that. And he spoke about the "measure" that he received in Christ. That is the true measure.
And, ahem, a - as we - but Jesus had - Jesus has shown us The Way. Believe there's a verse in the Old Testament - and I didn't bother to look it up before the Meeting - says, "This is The Way. Walk ye in it."
It would be inconceivable that God would not have a direction for his people to walk in. After they wou - ah, after a person would search for ah, to - to have the - the conscience guidance of God's hand, then that - that God would just say, "Well, you just go your merry way, and ah, do the thing of your choice."
No, God - God has a plan. And that plan helps us to grow and mature in The Way of God, and in the things of Christ.
I like what John wrote ah, in one of his letters. He said - he said to - said to believers, "These things we write unto you that you might have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ." (sic) There um, I - I don't know if those to whom John was writing at that time maybe did not feel the
need of gathering together one with another. But John felt that it was an important part of their growth. That they would be in fellowship with the Servants that brought them The Gospel. And that Fellowship would bring them also in fellowship - they would be in fellowship with Jesus Christ and with the Father.
And so, um, the - the - The Way of God - is not - it's not an isolated Way, because it's a Way of ah, - there are brothers and sisters. And ah, there are those walking with us. And John um, - it's um, - it's like we sometimes hear, "It's like a family."
Just recently - and we've had several phone calls in - in response to the invitations that w - we've been passing out in Bellingham. And one young man that I talked to on the phone exclaimed to me . . . . ah, that he - that he is a Christian. And that he has a um, Calvinist background. And . . . . ah . . . . that there are certain . . . . ah . . . . doctrinal tenets that he believes are true. And um, - but then he proceeded to say that h - he isn't a part of any church. The church that he's in is going through a very ah, ah, ah, difficult time of division and um, struggle. And he - he's very disillusioned . . . . with that. And so he isn't a part of anything, and yet um, he feels that um, he has confidence in his salvation, just judging by what he - how he sounds on the phone.
And . . . . that was not my experience. And I don't know if that has been your experience either. But my experience was, when I began to seek God, and when I - when I b - became willing to do what God asked me to do . . . . and when the new birth took place . . . . um . . . . I was brought into a family. I - I was gath - I wasn't . . . . orphaned. I wasn't orphaned.
And that young man I talked to is going through an orphaned experience. He - he has a father - a heavenly father. He ah . . . . he believes he, he certainly has the Christ within, and yet he has no one who he's in fellowship with. And so his father essentially has left him out somewhere alone.
But that hasn't been my experience. And - and as we read the experiences of the Christians in the New Testament, that wasn't their experience either. They - they - there was rich fellowship from the very beginning.
I've enjoyed ah, just looking at Hebrews chapter eleven. And in Hebrews chapter eleven you'll find sixteen names listed there that span time from um . . . . Abel down to ah . . . . David, Samson . . . . ah, a quite a range of - of years and ah, variety of experiences. Ah, they - there was a - the common thread was their faith.
Now, those men - there - there are also women listed there - you could take that group of fifteen people - that's just about the size of a Sunday Meeting, isn't it? - and you could put them in a room, and you know, you would have a wonderful Meeting. You would have a Fellowship Meeting. I would really like to listen in on that Fellowship Meeting. Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Abel and - and Sarah and Rahab and Moses - they didn't ah, - some of them knew one another but most of them did not know one another personally but they knew the same God. And their faith was in the same living God. And their Fellowship would be - it would have been a wonderful Fellowship when they could have told one another - and there would have been a certain ah, understanding. And I - I feel that today we can read about the experiences of those in Hebrews chapter eleven and we too can identify with the experience of one or two or three or several of those individuals - what they ha - what they - they had and the situation that they were in.
Ah, then that's the church, and the - the - the church today continues to have the same kind of experiences. Ah, for instance, Moses - it says when he became of years he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Those that are . . . . ah, that the Lord has his eye upon, and those who are seeking a relationship with God, come - come to realize that The Way of God means separation. Separation from the world - refusing to be - like Moses - he refused to be called the daughter - or the son of Pharaoh's daughter. There had to be a separation in his life. And it says that he chose to suffer affliction with the people of God. There - there was a definite refusal on the one hand and a definite choice on the other. But that's like - that's for everyone that is in this True Church - this True Way of God. They've made that choice in their hearts and in their lives. They've refused what the world offers, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. Moses made that choice. Ah, Jesus made that choice every day. Every day we make that choice. We don't do it just once.
Then ah, we read in Romans sixteen - we read of another group of names. There's about twenty five names there, that ah, Paul was giving his greetings to. And many many of them - I - I - I've no idea of who they were, or we don't read much about them in - in anything at all. But we can tell, in the way that Paul addresses these people, that they are a part of the church that was in Rome.
And ah, that would have constituted another little Meeting. And it would have been wonderful to sit in on that Meeting. And . . . . those eleven in Hebrews, or those fifteen in Hebrews, could have come together and met with those twenty five in Romans, and I believe you would have had a wonderful Union Meeting. One that ah, um, that would've been just wonderful. But um, maybe you'd like - maybe you say that I'm just ah, - that's just pipe-dream and just ah, - that would never happen but ah, what about eternity? And what about heaven? - About the gathering around that throne and around the lamb and speaking of the wonderful things that God has done for us.
Well, all of those - all of those constituted the true ah, The True Church - The Living Way.
(- -) but thinking about ah, ah, what Jesus said in ah, John chapter - I think it's chapter twelve - when some . . . . Greeks ah, came up to Jerusalem and - and they wanted to see Jesus and they asked one of the disciples, "Sir, we would see Jesus." And so he went and he ah, told another disciple and they came to Jesus and - and ah . . . . This is what Jesus showed them when they wanted to see him. What he showed them - he said . . . . this . . . . he said to them, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit" (sic) They wanted to see Jesus, so Jesus showed them a seed. And ah, that seed is the same seed from which the True Church sprang. To fall into the ground and die, as Jesus did - the - The Ministry that he set up must also, every day, die to their-selves. Fall into the ground and die, and it will bring forth much fruit. It will bring forth a living church - a True Church.
You must say that the True Church has to be synonymous with living church. You can't have a True Church, and it be dead. You can't have a True Church and - and ah, - and then have it to be ah, motionless. It's living. There's life. Like we sometimes - sometimes hear that there can be no living church without a dying ministry. And that is so true.
And ah, Jesus set the example. People wanted to see him, and so he just showed them a seed. A seed that falls into the ground and dies. And if it won't do that, then it just - it just abides alone. Sometimes I wonder if maybe that isn't the reason why there are so many lonely Christians in the world today. Because they haven't fallen into the ground. Just sitting on the shelf - they haven't been planted in the soil - they haven't been willing to die to the old human nature. And he said, "If - if - The cure for loneliness is to fall into the ground and die." (sic) That's the cure.
You know, um . . . . Another thought that I liked in thinking about this . . . . this Way of God um, is, is The Way of God made up of perfect people? Are they perfect and are they . . . . sinless and do they never make a mistake and - what kind of people constitutes the True Church? Well, I think of - back to Matthew chapter nine, when Jesus spoke ah . . . . um . . . . he was - he was ah, at supper with some publicans and the Pharisees came and - and they were being critical ah, that the ah, that Jesus was eating with publicans and sinners. And Jesus said, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. I didn't come to call sinners - didn't come to call the righteous, I came to call sinners to repentance." (sic) You know, the - heaven is going to be made up of repentant sinners.
Sometimes ah, we get a - we get the strong impression from . . . . people that . . . . good - good people are going to be - or good people go to heaven - good people are going to be saved. But that's not what I read. What I read is Jesus came to save sinners that repent. That includes good people. Good people need repentance as much as . . . . as anyone else. And salvation is for those who repent. And the - the - this True Church is made up of - of sinners . . . . who repent. And they believe they repent every day. If ah, if we don't need repentance, um . . . . I - I don't know if ah, this Bible is for us - if we're not in need of it.
The scripture was written about those, and for those who were - who were looking for a way out of this life. Looking for a way out. And they found it in Jesus. And we're most thankful that there - there is a Way out of the earth. And that Way ah, is - is attained by just following the footsteps of Jesus.
One time ah, a - a Worker was passing out some invitations. And he came to some - a group of people and he gave them an invitation to a Gospel Meeting. And ah, there was some comment made about, "Well, there's lots of different ways around and how are we supposed to know which way is right?" And the Worker said, "Ho - just how many ways can you follow me out of here?" And um, there was only one way, and that's to get behind and walk.
When I was in the - before I was in The Ministry ah, where I worked, there was a woman there, and she - she went to a - a denominational church. And it was her view that there was no true church. She did not believe that there was a true church. Well, my response was, "If there's no true church, how will you - how will you know Jesus when he comes - how will you know him? How would you under - how would you know him and how would you respond, if there's no True Way?"
Well, The Way of Jesus is just as simple as the footsteps he walked. And we're thankful that that is clear - it's very clear for us. And as we're following - as we're following his footsteps, we're close to one another. We're close to each other, and we have fellowship with each other. We're just thankful for that. And we're glad that ah, God has a Way on the earth today. And ah, we're thankful for his people. Thankful to be a part of something that's so great and has such a wonderful future. And we're thankful that the foundation is in its (- -). We think of those words of - in the Psalms, "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." And it would be a wonderful thing if we could be a part of that which is for ever settled.
