Where denominations came from
Joe Lewis, March 8, 1996
Do you know what one of the products is of unbelief? One of the products of unbelief is false religions. When people want to worship gods, or worship some thing, or make their own god, it's usually at the pop - it's because of unbelief. They don't want to worship the one and only true God. Unwillingness for The Truth.
Many religions have been established because somebody did not believe The Truth. You know, in the first century, there were false religions . . . . in Jesus' day.
You know, before Jesus, there were many false religions. There were many false gods and we can - we read about them throughout the Old Testament - many of them.
But even in Jesus' day there were false religions. They're nothing new. People who are not willing for the Christ . . . . of the first century . . . . you know, Jesus prophesied that there would be many christs - many many people claiming to be Christ. We already, in our own day, have - have known of some who claim to be Christ, or a messiah. Unbelief is - is one of the things that promotes false religion.
Think of the people who even have churches named after themselves. Maybe those kind of people - even pride enters into the picture and they want to be lifted up to be the leader. Their own "I thinks," "I feel," "I believes" encouched bodily after them . . . . Pride. . . . . An ego trip.
The simple teachings of Jesus - we - we've already covered many of them in these Meetings and most of you are familiar with them. But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever. You know, some people when - when they think of Christ - when they think of Jesus, they think of him as somebody dead. Well he lived back nineteen hundred years ago - no, he's living today. And he hasn't changed. The things he taught living in the first century, if he was here in person, he'd still be teaching the same gospel - the same truths - people would still be following him in the same Way.
We read that the Apostles continued teaching the same gospel - same truths. In Acts ah . . . . it's chapter one I - I believe and - have to re-look up - didn't put a marker in on that one . . . . it tells us that they ah, they continued in the Apostles doctrine . . . . verse - chapter two and verse forty two. It says . . . . um, I'll go back to verse forty one, it says, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." and so on. They went from house to house Breaking Bread and so on.
You know two chapters later in chapter four we read that there were five thousand converted. I don't know if the first thousand are considered part of that five thousand or not. Still, five thousand is a considerable number of people.
And we don't read that because there were so many people, they had to build a church of stone or some kind of building material. What we continue to see throughout the whole New Testament is a Two And Two Ministry. People willing to go and preach the Gospel in faith. Faith that their needs would be met without any promises of a certain amount of money per month or anything like that. But rather going on faith . . . . going . . . . They did not wait for the sheep to come to a certain place but they went to seek the lost sheep. They went out into the Fields casting the seed - sowing the Gospel - seeking - they didn't stand for instance, in the corner of the Field and throw the seed as far as they could throw it. But they went throughout the Field, sowing seed. And . . . . the ministry that Jesus established . . . and that is still - he is still blessing . . . . is going throughout the world sowing that . . . . Gospel. There are um, places - Paul mentioned the - about the people receiving some other gospel. But which there really is no other true gospel. There's only one true gospel.
Jesus Christ is - because he is the same yesterday, today and for ever - and we can be thankful that he is because it creates stability for us - confidence for us in him - and, you know, we're quite - John twelve - you can read John twelve, last half of the chapter um, there were people - there were even chief Priests - there were Priests who believed in Jesus, but you know that they wouldn't confess him . . . . because they loved the praise of men more than praise of God. They would rather keep their high positions and places of authority, their robe, the riches, wearing their purple and gold garments, and get the praise of men. See, we have people like that today too. Flesh is still flesh. It's the same today as it was back then.
We're going to be judged, in the last part of John twelve there, right after those verses - those verses are like verse forty two or somewhere in there . . . . ah, right after those, we read that we're going to be judged by the words of Jesus - what we have to go by here in our Bibles.
We can be mighty thankful that Jesus doesn't change because if he did change, you know what? They'd have to come out with a new Bible every few years. If the things Jesus taught in the first century were going to be different now - if His Ministry was going to be different, if how people have Fellowship was going to be different, if the love they have for one another was supposed to be different or changed because today - well, so many things are different today, we'd have to have a new Bible, a new Christ - Well, guess what - the world has done that.
Hebrews thirteen and verse eight is ah, one of the places where we read that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and for ever. Then in verse nine it says - Hebrews thirteen verse nine says, "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines." Now, we're - we're talking some years after Jesus died. And here the writer here, Paul - he's concerned about many different and very false doctrines that people could be taken up with. See, they’re (they) were in his day too. And he was havening (having) to warn God's Saints - True People of God - "Don't get carried up with them - don't get carried away with them." (sic) Paul, when he was writing to the church in Corinth, manyd (made) much exhortation against people who had come in amongst them trying to build on the foundation that true Apostles had established - come and take those people away and build - give them some other false doctrine. Paul heard of it. Maybe - maybe that - maybe all - all that that he heard that was going on was from the house of Chloe. First Corinthians one verse eleven, we read that Paul was informed by the house of Chloe of the problems in the church at Corinth. I don't know all the problems that Paul dealt with in book one and two of Corinthians are addressing just what Chloe may have told him of. But there he definitely addresses a problem with false doctrine - people who were false apro - false apostles or prophets that had come in amongst them trying to steal them away.
Verse Nine says, "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is good - a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." and so on. You know - then over in first John - the first epistle of John in chapter two verse eighteen - John is warning the people he was writing to of people - "You watch out for people who at one time were amongst us but were not all of us." (sic)
You know we have that same problem today, and we're going to read to you the same warning today as he gave them. Verse eighteen says, "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." So what they really were was shown. It was revealed what really was within their hearts. Verse twenty, "But ye - ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." This is one of the problems that - that they were dealing with in John's day. People did not believe this. Verse twenty two, "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father:"
I'm going to read these next words but they're italicized, you might notice, which means they are not in the original text - Greek text. However, the - the ah, translators understood that this was also the truth, "he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." They understood the scriptures well enough to just - to know that that's - was one of the points that would be fitting in this - with this verse.
Verse twenty four says, "Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." - and so on.
John was warning these people, "When these - when these people who once were of us were with us, but were not of us - when they come to your door or come to you and try and tell you . . . . to hinder your faith in who God and the son - his son, Jesus - are - when somebody - when those people come to your door to try and hinder your faith, the holy sp - you don't need me, John, to be there to tell you what they are doing is wrong and they're of an evil spirit. You don't need me there to do that. The holy spirit will convict you, and tell you that these have come of an evil spirit." (sic)
You know, there's people who actually will take that little verse out of context - that this says, "You don't - you don't need someone to teach you." They'll - they take that and say, "Well, we don't need anyone to teach us anything about the scriptures. The Holy Spirit will reveal it." (sic) Why did Jesus send all his Apostles? Why did he send the twelve? Why did he send the seventy? Why Paul? Why Timothy? Why Silas? . . . . (dead silence for fifteen seconds) . . . .
You know, another thing about Ministry, a lot of people are not willing to follow Jesus whithersoever he goeth. There's a story - it's a sad story - and it's in um, Mark ten - I don't have this one marked, but it's - I'm going to have to paraphrase it - ah, it's ah, about a rich young ruler - it starts in verse seventeen - and he had came to Jesus asking, "What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Um, Jesus told him some things and he said, "All these things I have done." Then in verse twenty one it says, - and he asked "What else must I do? And - and Jesus said, "beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions."
This wasn't just a story. It's of a man who - he was a ruler of a synagogue. And Jesus called him, not only to follow after him as a Saint, but also called him into The Ministry - just like - like the other twelve, like the seventy, like Pa - ah, like Paul, and others. And the man was not willing to give up - give up his all to follow Jesus - give up all his riches, his possessions, his - his life's ambitions, goals in life, praise of men. He wasn't willing to give all that up. And there are lots of people not willing for it today.
One of the products of unbelief, and unwillingness . . . . is . . . . false denominations . . . . today . . . . just like back then. There were people who tried to turn God's People from The Truth to follow after them.
We have many religions today named after men - lift themselves up - glory - for themselves. Don't want to be guilty of that. In Revelations um, Babylon - all false religion is going to - there's going to be a grievous day for - for all false religion. It's going to crumble - it's going to fall - there's going to be much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Don't feel bad, and wonder what in the world is going on - all these false religions around are - seem to be . . . . prospering. . . .
You know, the Bible teaches us that there's going to be much false religion. There's going to be wailing and gnashing of teeth. There's going to be false prophets that end up right by their buddy, Satan . . . . in eternity . . . . the man who they've really been worshiping.
There are religions that own corporations, businesses, stores - huge stores. In Revu - the book of Revelation we read that those merchants wept because - when Babylon fell - for all their profits and their gains are - read it in - in Revelation ah, seventeen and eighteen - chapter seventeen and eighteen ah, is where you can read about that.
Where denominations came from
Terry Wells, March 8, 1996
Our topic tonight was how denominations came to be. And as I was thinking about this, I - I wondered if maybe I shouldn't have thought of a new topic for tonight.
But ah, while Joe was speaking I - I thought of a story I heard that actually happened. Um, a lady went into Sears, went to the customer service counter. And she - she had a vacuum cleaner or something there and she had this invoice and she was wanting a - it was defective merchandise, and she - she wanted her money back. And the clerk ah, looked at - at the merchandise and then looked at the invoice and said ah, "Ma'am, you purchased this at J.C.Penny, and we cannot honor ah, their merchandise in our store." And um, so ah, she really apparently hadn't just thought about - in her frustration, I suppose - didn't think about where she was going. But what's good to remember is that God will not honor any work but his own work. Ah, it will have to be his work. He - he - he is not obligated to take coupons from other merchants.
Um, John spoke about that- ah, John the Baptist - he said, "Now is the -" he says, "The axe is laid to the root of the tree. And - and every tree that doesn't bring forth good fruit," he said, "it'd be hewed down and cast into the fire." (sic) And - ahem, that's why this is such a - it - it's a serious, serious matter - that what we're in or a part of or ah, that these - that - that the thing that we feel is going to be - if we're going to say, "Well, I - I was a part of this church - whether or whatever name you want to put on it - and the Lord says, "I don't know who he was - he wasn't one of my apostles" (sic) - we - we a - we are not going to ah - the Lord is not going to open a door for us.
Ah, in thinking about this matter of denominations and names and what not, I just thought about what - what it - of the definition and ah, what it means to be named or to name something and - and ah, it's what people do to distinguish what they have from other churches or other - other groups. And they give them - they give themselves a name. It identifies them and distinguishes them from others. And it's a human tendency to do that - really human tendency.
We first read about that in Cain. Cain built a city in Genesis chapter four. He named it after his son. Um, it was just a human thing to do. Ah, to - just so that it would be recognized.
Um, in um, Genesis chapter eleven we read about a great tower that men were building. When they built it ah, ah, they said, "Let us build a tower that may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name lest we be scattered upon the earth." (sic) That's another reason why people would be interested in naming themselves or giving themselves ah - identifying themselves - it's just a fear of being scattered.
Often times people ask us, "How - how do you know your people? How do you - how can you identify -? Because you don't have a name. You don't take a name. How do you know one another? How are you able to tell where your people are?" It's very difficult for ah, people to grasp that there could be such a thing upon the earth as people who do not n - name themselves with some title. You know what the key is? The key isn't some kind of secret kind of ah, name to identify with, like some - some organizations have a - maybe a - a hand-shake or something like that or maybe a little - maybe a lapel pin or just some little give-away to identify them. The Lord's people - God's Work it's - it's identified by his spirit. By the spirit that he gives people.
He doesn't give that spirit just random. He gives it those who call upon his name - upon HIS name. And we read in Genesis chapter four - we read that Cain named the city - the city after the name of his son - but then - then we read a long list of other men and their accomplishments and what they did - the last verse says, "Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD." (sic) God gives his spirit to those who are willing to call upon his name, and men who are willing to abandon THEIR claims, and THEIR ideas, and THEIR purposes, and let God have complete liberty to - to work in their lives - at the - at - at the co - at their own cost - at their own - cost of their own selves.
You know there's a - there's a common symbol today - that's - that's another means by which people sometimes identify. The CROSS is a symbol of - supposedly som - a symbol of Christians or Christ. And often you see people with um, a cross around their neck or in - in some way - and sometimes you see the little - a little fish sign and this - this is a - identifies them as a supposed believer. But you know . . . . um . . . . Jesus said, "Except you take up your cross and follow me" - he wasn't talking about, "Go down to the local book store and buy a necklace and put it around your neck and - or something like that - and that's what you need - you, a follower of me." That's not what he's talking about when he says, "Take up your cross and follow me." He talking about laying down our will so that his will could be done. And if we're willing for that, then God gives us of his spirit. And Paul spoke about that . . . . in ah, second Timothy - it says that God has not given us a spirit of (-audience cough-), but the spirit of love, of power, and of a sound mind. We have the spirit - spirit of his people.
A few weeks ago . . . . I saw a woman . . . . in the library . . . . and . . . . by her outward appearance . . . . I thought that she might be someone I would know. And she was down in the lobby and ah, - of the library where we're having our Gospel Meeting and I thought, "Well, maybe she is waiting for the Meeting to start . . . . and I wondered if -" so, I - I walked up to her - she was looking at a bulletin board - and, I walked up and, I kind of looked - (preacher went into body action that showed an attempt to gain attention silently from the woman) - looked - looking at the bulletin board and I approached her from the side, and when she turned . . . . she had - she had quite a hard look in her eyes and she says, "Who are you looking for?" I - I didn't need to say anything more - I knew she wasn't any of our people. Ah, and she - she was waiting and her husband joined her and they left the library.
But ahem, it's - it's by the spirit, that God's People are able to identify and know another and - this - this was one of the most wonderful experiences that I ever had. When I ah, when I Made My Choice a few years ago, the first one was when I went to a Fellowship Meeting in another country. And that country happened to be B.C. (British Columbia, Canada) - I Made My Choice in Alaska . . . . and then I was heading down to Washington for a vacation. And it just so happened that ah, I was going to be in Prince George on Sunday. And I . . . . knew . . . . the Workers told me that there was a Meeting there, but I'd never been to a Meeting ah, out - outside of the little town of Setton, Alaska - never been out of the - the ah - out of that town. And I went to a Meeting there and , you know it was - it was just the same. It was the same spirit in that Meeting. Different people. Different home setting. But the same spirit, and the same Work had been accomplished. And I felt the same after the Meeting.
Then, a - a few years later, I had the opportunity to be ah, in the Orient during ah, Conventions - during some Conventions. But I also had the opportunity to be in some little Fellowship Meetings in the Philippine Islands, and Taiwan, and in Korea and some other places. And you know, even though I couldn't speak the language, there was a spirit in that Meeting that was so assuring, and it was the same. It was a wonderful thing. And just such a confirmation, that the same Gospel that had been brought to me over here had been brought to them. And ah - that ah - ahem - that's a real - that's a real founding - ah -
If you ever have the chance to do that - to go overseas or even a neighboring country, ah, don't miss an opportunity to Meet with God's People. You know - because it's a wonderful confirmation that God's Work is the same in every age and every - every clim' - every country, it's the same. Produces the same spirit in people. Um, so they're known by their spirit and not by - not by simple - not by ah, ah, - just ah - not by using a name.
When ah, Paul was writing in Acts fifteen, he mentions that ah, ah . . . . those verses mention in Acts fifteen that God had visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. That's - that is - that is the - that's been God's - that's his Work - his purpose in - in - in sending ah, Servants into the world - is to take out of - of humanity - the masses of humanity - there'll be a few - there'll be a few there for his name.
Um . . . . you know, Jesus always had multitudes and multitudes and multitudes of people following him. And they were all wanting to see Jesus. They all wanted to touch Jesus. But, you know, the people that really got helped were the ones that got separated from the crowd. They were willing to distance themselves from all the other ah, souvenir hunters. And I say souvenir hunters because basically, that's what all those people that were following Jesus - that's what they were doing. Um, they really . . . . they - they - they admired him. They wanted to see a miracle. They wanted to see it. And if they - if it could happen to them, that would just be fine. But there weren't many that were willing to take up the cross - very few. And it is the - it is true today. Very few are willing to pick up the cross.
Remember this - the - the account of the woman with the issue of blood? And how she seen there was a - a great press of people thronging Jesus. And she came up behind, and she - she had said to herself, she said, "If I can just touch his garment I know that I'll be healed." (sic) And ah, she came up and she did that. She touched his garment. And she says she knew in herself that she was whole of her plague. And Jesus stopped. And he said, "Who touched me?" (sic) And . . . . the disciples around said, "Master, the multitude throng and press you and you ask who touched me. You ask who touched me?" (sic) And, as though everyone - so many hands had been touching him - so many, but there was the one hand - the one hand that he distinguished. This was a person who had fai - this was a person with faith - this was a person that may be willing to pick up the cross.
I remember being ah, in my - in my service days, I had a - I had a week in Sydney, Australia. And, it just so happened when I was there that ah, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were visiting the city. And, ah, I didn't know this, but we happened to be down town one day, and there was quite a crowd gathered along ah, one of the thorough-fares. And . . . . we made these - we asked, "Well, what - what's going on?" We were a couple of American GIs and we - we didn't know what was happening. But, it was - it - "The king and the queen are passing by in a motorcade." And, you know I wanted to see them. I really wanted to see the king and the queen. Not because I was loyal. You know, I wanted to see them, well, to tell mom, "Hey, mom . . . . (audience muted laughter) . . . . guess who I saw." Mom had an interest in them. But, I - I wasn't a subject. But no - nobody would have been able to tell. I - I was as anxious to see them as anybody else. But I was not - I was not loyal. I was not - I was not ah, under the authority of the king and q - queen. I was just a souvenir hunter.
You know, Christianity today, sad to say, is very much like that. People want - they want to be identified with Jesus, but they don't want any of his claims. They want his provision, but they don't want the cross. And it tells us about that in Isaiah, that the day is coming, it says, when - when seven women will take ahold of one man, and they'll say, "We'll eat your bread, and we'll will eat - wear your garments, but we want to be called by our own name." (sic) Well, that's so true you know. When all - all the - all Christianity we hear of . . . . um, they - it's popular to be a Christian. But it's never too popular to take the cross - never too popular. But we're thankful for a few that have been willing. And it's to those - it's to those few, the Lord will open wide the gate of heaven. The Lord is looking for a people for his name.
Now, one other thing before I close. Um, I - I could say where denomin - probably - my topic - where denominations came from. You know, I think that if you will carefully read the book of Acts, you will begin to see - that - that . . . . you'll begin to see ah, that there would be ah, that there were separations made . . . . in Acts fifteen is the first. And then I think it's Acts - Acts twenty one is another. And you have people who were believers but they're - they're - they're also hooking on to the old law - hooking on to parts of the old law.
Those people ah - the thread of the scripture doesn't follow them. It follows the Apostles. I don't feel that those people were learned. They were unwilling. And they just did their own thing. They just went and worshiped what they wanted to do.
Now, it doesn't say that they did that. But we see it all around it - it happens all around today. When people are dissatisfied with this or that, they just go and do their own thing. And so it was even then. They were not willing for the - for the - for the - for the counsel of the sp - of the holy spirit and the counsel of the - of the Apostles. What do you suppose they did? Um, they may not have accepted it - I'm sure some did.
And, I was thinking about Judas. Do you know who the first hired . . . . preacher was - in the New Testament? It was Judas. He was the first hired false Prophet. It's interesting because Peter said he was a guide. And hired false Prophets are hired to be guides to Jesus.
We sometimes incur quite lot of ire and - from those ministers who regret deeply that ah, that they're like Judas - they're hired and they - they just - they feel - they - they - they want desperately to justify that they're called and their ministry is a called ministry of God. And it's very difficult to prove otherwise until they get called to a - a - a higher position somewhere - a higher salary.
And I always find it interesting in John - or in Revelations chapter ten where we read about ah, John. And the angel told him after he had - after he had swallowed the little book that was sweet to the - sweet to the taste but it was bitter inside - he said - he said to John - and John's an old man now - he said, "You must go again and prophesy before many - many kingdoms, many tongues and many people." (sic) Again, he was an old man, and the Lord's sending him out again.
And I found it somewhat interesting how many of the hired - hireling ah, shepherds - that's really a - not a - a shepherd can't be hired - just hired preacher I guess - how they all are called to retire about the same age. I find that very strange. But um, we don't want to argue too much about that with them.
But, ahem, when - when people are not willing for The Way of God, it isn't a difficult thing to find someone who will - who - who you can pay to be your preacher. And we read about that - there's a fine example in the book of Judges - about a man who was hired to be a priest. It was in the day of the judges rule and it says, "Every man did what - that which is right in his own sight." (sic) So, there couldn't be a more clear description of - of our present age - our present religious world. Every man does that which is right in his own sight. Somehow, they feel that the Lord is going to bless them.
Well, we're thankful that ah, God does not change. And, we're thankful that um - I was thinking Wednesday, just his wonderful power to bring life out of nothing - just out of nothing. We're so con - we - we just feel like the only way for life to come is there was to be a mother and there has to be a father, and John the Baptist said, "God can raise up children of these stones to Abraham." (sic) There's wonderful life begetting power in God. He even takes dust and breathes into it the spirit of life.
And I ahem, I'm thankful that um, for one thing, that the scripture gives us - it - it follows the thread - the spirit of God follows the thread of his ministry and his people. There were many many par - come in contact with this thread - they’re not willing and they fade out of sight, but the thread is true. And ahem, ah, God can even show us that True Thread. And we're just thankful for the - for all the - (- -) that that can (- -) us. May God help us to be true to his name. May that be so for Jesus sake. .
NOTES:
After this final lecture Gray was introduced by Mr. Wells to a lady named Ruth Barclay. She is a Canadian "Worker." She invited Gray to her Meetings in Abbotsford, and gave two business cards to Gray that read as follows:
You are WELCOME to a series of Gospel Services at
McCallum Activity Center
2478 McCallum Road Abbotsford
WEDNESDAYS 8PM
No collection or obligation
R. Barklay L. Jackson
You are WELCOME to a series of
Gospel Services at
Vedder Elementary School
45850 Promontory Road Vedder
SUNDAYS 3:30PM
No collection or obligation
R. Barklay L. Jackson
