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Jan 18 2016
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Who Are You Affiliated With

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One Saturday morning many years ago, while preaching in front of an abortion clinic with some other ministers, an elderly lady came up to me and asked me who I was affiliated with. In a quick response to her answer I said, “Jesus.” I really knew what she wanted to know. She wanted to know what denomination or organization I was affiliated with. For the first 16½ years of my Christian life I was a member of two different denominations. Since then I have been what is referred to as nondenominational. Some call it independent. I like to call it “dependent,” dependent on the Holy Spirit.

It is only natural for many believers to want to know what denominations or groups other believers associate with. This would not be the case if the body of Christ would have never divided themselves up into schisms. No doubt, the intention behind many of those who form new denominations, fellowships and affiliations is an attempt to honor God by having the most accurate doctrine or trying to resemble the first century church. One of the problems this creates for us is that many of the saints do not seem to quite know how to have true fellowship with those outside of their particular denomination or fellowship. Those in the nondenominational, independent ranks don’t always have it right either. They can have an attitude of excluding others who do not believe exactly as their church scripted as well. And, of course, those who want to gather disciples unto themselves will form their own church that foolish sheep will flock to. Thus we are left with the body of Christ, who is supposed to have one head and function as one body, being divided into many fragments and often unable to cooperate, much less get along with each other. Being on the outside of the denomination structure of the present day church has given me a little insight to this question of who I am affiliated with.

So with that said, I will tell you who I am affiliated with. I will mostly do that by telling you who I am not affiliated with. I am not a Lutheran because I don’t follow Martin Luther. I am not a Wesleyan because I don’t follow John Wesley. I am not a Roman Catholic because I don’t follow the pope nor the false teachings of that church. I was born into a Catholic home, but learned this religion had no power to set me free. I am not a Calvinist or an Arminian, I am a “Bibleist” (I made that word up).

I am not a Puritan, but “unto the pure all things are pure” (Titus 1:15). I do not belong to the Reformed Church, but I believe our God is sovereign and that He did predestinate me to be conformed to the image of His Son. Besides that, we don’t need the church to be reformed, we need her to come back to her original form of holiness, righteousness, unity and power.

I am not a fundamentalist but I believe in the fundamentals of the word of God. I am not liberal, but I am liberated in the Spirit. I am not a conservative because a Christian is to be more conservative than many that call themselves a conservative.

I am not a Baptist, though I believe in getting baptized. I am not affiliated with the Church of Christ; even though I believe in baptism, I don’t believe baptism saves you. Yet if you are in Christ, you belong to the spiritual church of Christ. I am not a Pentecostal, though I believe in the experience and power that was given to the church on the day of Pentecost to reach the lost, and I expect what happened on that day to continue until the Lord comes. I am not a charismatic even though I believe in spiritual gifts, all of them. I do not affiliate with the Word of Faith teachings or teachers, yet the faith I have is often heard in the words I speak.

I don’t belong to the United Pentecostals / Jesus Only, yet I do believe, Jesus is the only way to the Father, who He and the Holy Spirit are One with. I also believe in the authority that is given to me in the name of Jesus Christ and use it often for God’s glory. I am not a member of the Brethren Church, but all that are in the church are my brethren and I am theirs.

I certainly don’t belong to any of the cults. I don’t belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, although I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ and I am living in the latter days. I don’t belong to the Watchtower Society also called Jehovah’s Witnesses, yet I am a living witness of our great Jehovah.

I’m sure you know I am not a Muslim. Allah and my Heavenly Father are not the same God. The God of the Bible never threatens people to convert or else be killed. Instead He loves, invites and even woos people to come. He says, “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15). Instead of killing people in attempts to convert them, He sent His Son who demonstrated His love for fallen rebellious sinful man and went to the cross and died for all.

I don’t belong to the Holiness Churches, yet I know that I must, “….put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). Holiness is a life I live because the Holy One is inside me. That is what the HOLY Spirit does, He makes unholy people holy.

I am not a Seventh Day Adventist. In regard to the “Seventh Day” I believe in keeping the Sabbath day holy right along with keeping the other six days of the week holy. I can’t imagine that we can wake up one morning and say, “I don’t have to keep this day holy.” I read and pray all seven days of the week. About resting on the seventh day, I have entered into God’s rest when I was born again. No more burden of sin nor weight of guilt. Since I have been saved, I have had my rest seven days a week, twelve months a year. In regard to “Adventist,” I am convinced that we are the generation that will witness the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is recorded that the early church met daily from house to house. Well, at this present time I have fellowship with the saints at least three days a week. But I believe the day is coming when we will meet more often because of the evil that will prevail around us all. We will need to meet because we will need one another.

I am not attracted to the Hebrew or Messianic Jewish influence on the church in that I rejoice in the consolation that I do not have to come under the bondage of the Law of Moses with its ordinances and feasts that cannot perfect me. Yet I am a Gentile who loves the Jewish people and still believes they are God’s chosen people. I have willing submitted myself to a new royal law. It is the law of love which fulfilled and continues to fulfill all the law of God.

So the question was asked to me, “Who are you affiliated with.” I trust you can see that I am affiliated with Jesus, just as I told that dear sister that Saturday morning many years ago. Who am I affiliated with? I am affiliated with you, if you are a born again believer. The word of God is my final authority, not as I perceive it, but as the Spirit of truth teaches and reveals it. I am in unity with you, if you do believe the truth and are willing to believe all the truth. Without a determination to know all the truth, our unity at best will be just some ecumenical thing, which really is not unity.

Please forgive me if I overloaded your brain with all these different aspects of man’s organized religion. However, I didn’t invent these; this is the mess the church is in today. Do you want to simplify your walk with the Lord? Then why don’t you too be satisfied to be affiliated with Jesus and let the word of God and the truth fully establish your life.

Jan 09 2016
1

Why I Love Going To Church

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Though I am a pastor and am expected to be at church, when it comes down to it, I love going to church. Following are many reasons “Why I Love Going to Church.” If you don’t love going too, then following are reasons why you need to go to church.

Reason 1

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

Though a gunman could go into a church and gun down people, it is still the safest place to be. The gates of hell cannot prevail against Christ’s church. Christian beware, if you think you do not need to belong with a fellowship of believers. Jesus made this promise to the church that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. I am not so sure there is a promise for those that are outside the church. It is possible that the gates of hell may prevail against those who want to remain independent of the church.

 

Reason 2

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).

There is no better place to find wise men than in the church. I love going to church because I can be with these wise men. For those that are independent of the church, they will be wise in their own eyes.

 

Reason 3

“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5).

When you belong to a church, you have the peace of knowing that the saints will be praying for you when you really need it. They will know your needs and you will know theirs, if you stay in fellowship. Those independent of the church have none to very little prayer support.

 

Reasons 4 and 5

“That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it” (I Corinthians 12:25-26).

It is in the nature of Christ to care for others. If I belong to a fellowship of believers, then there will be many others I can care for. There will also be others that will care for me. Those that are independent of the church, for the most part, will only care for themselves and their family and will have few believers that care for them.

If I am committed to a fellowship of believers, I will be there to suffer with those who suffer. I will also rejoice with those who rejoice. So too, will those brethren that are committed to the same fellowship suffer and rejoice with me. Those that are independent of the church will suffer alone and rejoice alone.

 

Reason 6

“Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church” (I Corinthians 14:12).

God gave each of us spiritual gifts. It is when I gather with the fellowship of believers, provided that the pastor doesn’t forbid it, that I can use my gifts to bless the brethren. I will also be blessed by the brethren who use their gifts. For those who are independent of the church, they really have no use for their giftings. They might just as well hide their gift in the earth or store it in a napkin, so they can give it back to the Lord later. YIKES!

 

Reasons 7 and 8

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

I love going to church and I need to because I fall down sometimes. Sometimes I grow cold. I need someone to pick me up when I fall and warm me up once in a while when I grow cold. I love being around fiery people. Those that are independent of the church need one of those gadgets that you can press the button and say, “I have fallen and I can’t get up.”

I love going to church because my brethren strengthen me so I cannot be “quickly broken.” Those that are independent of the church are like a single strand of string.

 

Reason 9

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).

I love going to church because it’s a gathering of people who get the focus and attention of Christ’s love. He gave Himself for the church. For those who are independent of the church, they miss out on that special corporate love.

 

Reason 10

“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.” (Ephesians 5:27)

How would you handle it if you went for a routine physical and an x-ray of your lungs only to hear a report from the doctor that he detected a spot on your lungs? Would you just shrug it off and go about your business? Or would you have enough concern and to find out what you can do to be healed from that unwelcomed spot? In the same way, Jesus Christ is concerned with our spots and wrinkles and is at work removing them from His church. I love going to church and I want to go because I need that work done in me. Feeling a little spotted and wrinkled lately? Get to church this Sunday, or whenever you can go.

 

Reason 11

“And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea” (Colossians 4:16).

I love going to church because I don’t want to miss out on any reading that will be shared amongst the church. Those who are independent of the church will only hear what they read.

 

Reason 12

“And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches” (Acts 15:41).

I love going to church because, when an anointed man comes to the church, he confirms the Word and the things of the Spirit to me.

 

Reason 13

“And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily” (Acts 16:5).

I love going to church because there is an establishing of faith going on there. I also love to welcome in and rejoice with those that are being born into the kingdom of God. Hallelujah!

 

Reason 14

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 2:29; 3:6,13,22).

I want and need to be in church so I can hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

 

Reason 15

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).

The reason I love going to church is because I am afraid I might miss out on a mighty visitation from God.

 

Reason 16

“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD” (Psalm 122:1).

The main reason I love going to church is because I DO. It makes me glad.