Who is "The Church of Christ?

JESUS & HIS CHURCH
(The following information is from a tract written by Bruce Evans entitled: "Let me tell you about...Jesus & His Church")

The most important truths of all time are two truths so big that the mind is unable to hold them at the same time Truth number one: Jesus is God - he has all the power of the supreme being and is, in fact, the one through whom all things were created. Truth number two: Jesus once lived on this earth as a human being. I can think about one or I can think about the other, but simultaneous God and man is so far outside the borders of my human experience that it escapes me. Or perhaps, it captures me.

The most important event of human history is the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth. All the nations, all the leaders, all the turning points that history students learn must fall below the life of Jesus on the List of Significant Events. No matter how important other events were their impacts were limited by the boundary of death. But Jesus' life has implications for me which continue even beyond the end of my earthly life.

Jesus came and lived on the earth so that I could begin to understand what God is like and what He has done for me. In fact, he came to show me just that -- that God really is truly good news. Without God, I was drowning in ungodliness. I was punishing myself with loneliness, anger, depression, and all other repulsive results of self-centeredness. The life of Jesus gave me my first real chance to escape from my destructive life of sin. When I saw how Jesus lived and loved, it first gave me a ray of hope that my life could be better.

His life made me want to be like him. His death and resurrection made it possible.  The Bible's eyewitness accounts of how He death with people left me amazed at His compassion for people who had lost their way in sin.  I listened to the stories of His forgiveness and how He gave people power to live their new lives.  I watched with wonder each time He overcame evil, not by attacking, but by loving.  I wanted desperately to be like Him but my sin bound me with guilt and was, no doubt, heading me toward eternal death.  I had despaired that life could hold joy and happiness.

But then, at the crossroads of all time, Jesus removed the power of death over me.  He died as the sacrifice for my sin.  He was buried in a tomb.  But He broke the power of sin and death and returned to life.  And He promised to give me ( and all who believed) the same power over sin and death, if I would believe in Him and give my life to Him.

I gave my life to Him gladly.  It was no good to me without Him. I was sick of sin.  I confessed that I believe He is the Son of God, the only one with power to change me.  I rejected my previous plan to live for myself and was buried.  And I came out of that watery grave as a forgiven person -- it is Jesus living in me.  I still live in my body, but I live by faith in Jesus, Son of God, who loves me and gave His life for me.

On Pentecost, only days after Jesus' ascension, the first invitation was given too become a part of the church Christ established.  In His divine wisdom, He established a fellowship of those, like me, who are being saved by their belief in Him.  He knows the fragile nature of my faith, and the awesome power of life's temptations.  So He gives me a world-wide network of brothers and sisters in His love, a church family to support my new life in Him.  He wants me to grow strong.

If you've got a few minutes, I'd like to tell you about my church family.  It's a relationship that is making all the difference in my life as I seek to follow Jesus.  The church supports me now that God has changed me from a sinner with no hope to a forgiven sinner with the hope of spending eternity in the presence of God.  If that's something that interests you, then, we'll both be glad we had this talk.  If not, well, I'll enjoy telling you about it anyway.

The church that Jesus established meets all of my needs.   In fact, I always think of it as my family.  In our transient society, I need a place where I can know I'll be loved unconditionally, accepted totally and forgiven completely, no matter what my failures.  I have found this bond in my church family, in a local church of Christ.  I suppose it's just natural for to want to share my family with anyone I can.  I'm proud of it and so thankful for it.

From what I know about history, I get the feeling that Jesus established His church; and then, through the centuries, we humans let it slide into something altogether different.  Those first Christians shared a common faith in Jesus Christ, a common gratitude for the salvation Jesus has given them, and a common love and concern for each other.  They lived and died long before our modern cliché's for categorizing religions.  They were neither Catholic, Protestant, nor Jews but simply the church that belonged to Jesus.

In the first century, the word church referred to a group of Christians.  That was before the word "church" came to describe religious building and organizational structures.  Church meant simply those called out of the world by their faith in Jesus Christ and transformed into brothers and sisters in the family of God.

Today, it's still true:  Christ's church results when men and women come to Him as Savior and want Him to be their Lord.  When people hear that Jesus died for their sins and they turn to Him in a faith that obeys- then the church is the natural result.  God keeps on adding people to the church every day who turn away from sin to Jesus and are immersed into His death.

Time after time, I see proofs that Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He designed His church.  He created a simple structure for spreading the good news and nurturing those who would believe.  His church was designed to meet the normal human needs for wholeness, love and togetherness, needs that are essential in my world as they were in the world of Peter and Paul.  The church has shown love to me and to those close to me.  I've watched my brothers and sisters seek to feed the hungry, comfort the grieving, care for the sick, counsel broken hearts, provide for orphans, reassure the widowed, champion the poor, and bring the good news of Jesus to those on the outside.  These goals are worthy of our best efforts because we love Him so much.

In my church family, we are continually trying to recover the church Jesus envisioned.  We study the New Testament for God's picture of what He wants His church to be.  We want the organization  and ways of worshipping and serving to be pleasing to Him.  We are coming to appreciate the power and simplicity that Jesus intended.  As we continue striving to be a faithful church to honor Jesus, the patient pursuit of that dream increases our faith in God and our love for each other.

The more we become a church that honors Jesus, the more unusual we might appear if you compare us to traditional churches.  It may be because we take the authority of the Bible so seriously.  The quest to please God leads us to search the scriptures for a picture of how God would have us worship Him and serve Him.

If you visit as we worship, you might be a little surprised when our men stand up to preach and lead prayers because these worship activities are conducted, not by clergy with special robes or titles, but by our own brothers or peers.   And, while many of our preachers and evangelists are highly educated, we try not to accept any message just because of the credentials of the messenger.  We are determined to listen for messages that are Christ-centered and Bible-based.

Another major emphasis of our worship together is the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper.  We partake of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine every Sunday.  The memorial meal was started by Jesus Himself on the night of His betrayal when He asked His disciples to let the supper always remind them of Him.  I know, from the New Testament, that the early Christians regularly met for the purpose of eating the Lord's Supper on Sunday, "the first day of the week."

As we participate in the Lord's Supper, we think back to the death , burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  Those memories cause us to focus on the death, burial and resurrection that each of us went through when we were baptized.   Also, each time we take the Lord's Supper, we are obeying our Lord's request that we proclaim our continuing faith in His return.

Each Sunday, we contribute financially as we have been prospered.   The financial needs of the early church were met because Christians gave as they prospered.  We don't limit our giving to tithing, since 100% of what we have belongs to the Lord already.  It is a free-will gift.

In our worship, we have tried to restore the simplicity and power of the New Testament church's music.  Historically, instrumental music in church worship first appeared in the sixth century and was not in general use until after the eighth century.

The joining of our hearts and voices in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is a treasured part of our worship. Whether our mood is   happy or sad, prayer or praise, we unite our voices in songs as one person.   All are encouraged to sing, to understand with feeling the grand and noble thoughts of the ages.  These songs are the undenominational call upward to God, to worship Him with heartfelt thanksgiving.

In our public teaching and preaching, you are very likely to hear from one or more of our elders.  These are spiritual leaders of Christ's church who have been appointed to lead our congregation.  Elders, who are also referred to as pastors or shepherds of the flock, work together to guide Christians as they grow and serve.  Whenever I'm going through rough spots in my life, these elders are ready to pray with me and give me the benefit of their years of experience in the Lord.

Also, deacons support the spiritual leadership of elders by coordinating the diverse activities of the church, such as benevolent programs.   They do not, however, have to personally do every job that is required.  Ours is a fellowship where each member is responsible for active service in the Lord's work.   Jesus didn't set up a church where members could get their names on the roll, send in an occasional donation, and expect someone else to do all the work.  The Christian life is one of total commitment and personal involvement.  Each member of the family has responsibility that I accept gladly because my life now belongs to Jesus Christ, who loved me and gave His life up for me.

In the New Testament, the church is compared to a human body with Christ as its head.  The head supplies the body with its life.  The head unifies and coordinates the different organs of the body.  At the same time, the head depends on the body to carry out its functions.  My brothers and sisters and I are the hands, the feet, and the voices by which Jesus continues His work in the world today.

One of the most exciting characteristics of the church family is the fact that we each have a part to play.  There are no free rides and no part-time memberships in the church that Jesus established.  Just as the members of a human body carry out complimentary functions, the members of the church's body have different strengths and talents.  One may teach.  Another may serve.   Another's gift my be in giving, or encouraging, or spreading the gospel to those who have yet to hear.

Of course, in a church made up of human beings, there is always the potential for disagreement.  God's remedy for that danger is the essential glue that has held His people together since the church was founded: love.   Many centuries of church history have demonstrated that nobody can make enough rules and policies to guarantee peace and contentment within churches.  Even compromise will not bring unity.  The only thing that has ever brought religious unity on the earth has been the love of Christ, shown in patience and understanding.   Needs for each of us will vary, but the love of Christ will motivate us to exhibit kindness in making whatever allowance are necessary and helpful.

In the centuries since Jesus established His church, God has continued to add people to the church as they were saved.  The scriptures promise salvation to those who believe in Christ as the Son of God, turn from their sin, confess their faith in Jesus as Lord, and are baptized (immersed in water) in the name of Christ.

Baptism is an act of obedience to the command of Christ.   My burial in water was a decisive act that identifies for me the moment at which Christ's saving blood began to remove my sins.  Baptism demonstrated a radical turning point in my life which was the death of the old sinful person and the birth of a new creature in Christ.  As a person born again of water and the Spirit, I participated in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

In the first century, a person who became a Christian was automatically a member of the church.  The same is true of churches of Christ today.  There are no additional rules or ceremonies which one must follow to be inducted into the church.  When you are "in Christ" you are in Christ's body, the church.  No further steps are required to qualify for church membership.

For some people, the idea of a church with no earthly headquarters, takes a little getting used to.  But that's the way Jesus originally established it.  Instead of a manmade organization restricted by all the limitations of time, space and bureaucracy, Jesus established a dynamic church that exists wherever people believe in Him and follow His written word.

Because its only headquarters is in heaven, the church of Christ is limited by languages, cultures, or international boundaries.  In Spanish cultures, you may find the Iglesia de Cristo.  In Germany you'll find Gemeinde Christi.  Groups of Christians also wear other New Testament names like "the family of God", "the household of faith", "the people of God", or "the community of faith".

So, if you ask me how many members of the church of Christ there are in the world, the only answer I can give you is, "I don't know."   You see, God is really the one one who has the power to count His people and He has always placed a lot more emphasis on qualities than quantities.

When you come right down to it, I don't really need to know  the size of the church in this world.  I just need to know its size in my life.

Christ's church today can be recognized by the fact that its behavior and loyalties are like those described in the New Testament.  We are committed to cry together, laugh together, and encourage each other.  We seek to bear one another's burdens/  We want to support the weak and care for the lonely.   We earnestly desire to demonstrate for the world around us the one quality that can actually change people:  the love of Christ.

You see, your needs and mine are the same as those people in the first century when Jesus established His church.  For all our space-age technology, we still have not come close to conquering failure, guilt, fear, pain, or death.  Our human wisdom has not been able to develop a cure for sin.  In God's plan, Jesus Christ offered Himself as the only answer to the dilemma of sin.  Our solution is Christ.

We place a lot of emphasis on the Bible.  We believe the scriptures were inspired by God and protected through the ages for those in every age who would seek God.  We are dependent on the scriptures and we believe they are fully inspired by God and authoritative for our lives.

Since only the New Testament sets forth Christ's instruction for His followers, it alone must serve as the basis for what we teach and do.   And, what we learn we gladly share with others.  In fact, I hope you and I will have a chance to study the living word together.

God loves you.  I know it's hard to understand, but I love you also and I am praying that the future holds a chance for you and me to sit down together and read God's word.  Together we can learn about salvation that is in Christ and the fellowship of his followers known as the church.

The next step is yours.  It may be a phone call or it may be a visit.  I can promise you this -- when you contact the church of Christ near you, you're going to find down-to-earth people who love Jesus Christ.  They want to give Him their lives, and they would like nothing better than to share with you what they are finding in Him.