There is ONE & ONLY ONE Church

Introduction:

A.     What we are saying.

1.      We are here to speak the truth (Eph. 4:15, Prov. 23:23, Jn. 8:32).

2.      We are here to speak the truth in Love (Eph. 4:15, I Cor. 16:14, Prov. 27:5).

3.      We are here to clearly speak the truth in love (Hab. 2:2, Jn. 10:25, bill board, preacher joke).

4.      We are here to please no one but God (Gal. 1:10, 2 Kngs. 18:13).

5.      We are not here to make self your enemy (Gal. 4:16, I Kngs. 18:17).

6.      We are not here to anger anyone (Eph. 6:4, Heb. 10:24).

B.     What we are not saying.

1.      We are not the only sincere religious people (Rom. 10:2---Sincerely wrong, Rom. 6:17).

2.      We are not the only ones who can know the truth  (Jn. 8:32, 7:17, Eph. 3:3-4).

3.      We are not saying we are right and everyone else is wrong (Ezek. 18:25, Ps. 18:30, truth not based on individuals, God is Right).

4.      We are not saying you must study with one of our preachers to go to be saved (Matt. 7:21).

5.      We are not saying you have to be baptized in our baptistery or our building to be saved (Rev. 22:14).

C.     What is your (our) responsibility?

1.      To demand to know/hear the truth plainly taught (Jn. 10:24, Jer. 5:30-31—too many hirelings today).

2.      To listen very carefully to what the Bible says (Lk. 9:44, 8:18, 7:40, Zeph. 3:2, Acts 22:22—17:11).

What Saith the Scriptures (Rom. 4:3)?

I.  What the church is NOT.

A.     The church is not the building (I go to church at…, Acts 7:48-50, 1Cor. 12:27, Jesus did not die for the building—Acts 20:28).

B.     The church is not worship (going to church???, the church worship but worship is not the church, Jn. 4:24).

C.     Church is not a denomination (1Cor. 1:10-13, 1Cor. 3:11).

D.    Church is not a human institution (Isa. 2:1-4, 1Tim. 3:15, Dan. 2:44).

E.     Church is not worthless (Ps. 84:10, Ps. 122:1).

II. What the church IS.

A.     The church is the ekklesia of God (2 Thes. 2:14-15, James 4:4, 2 Cor. 6:17-18, I Pet. 2:9).

B.     The church is POSSESSIVE (Matt. 16:18, Eph. 4:4, 2 Cor. 1:3, my house, my care, my wife, etc.).

C.     The church is a singular organism (Eph. 4:4, 1:22-23,Col. 1:18, I Cor. 12:13).

D.    Church is founded by Christ (I Cor. 3:11, Matt. 16:18, who founded your church?).

E.     Church must wear biblical names (Rom. 16:16, 2 Cor. 1:3, Heb. 12:27-29, Acts. 20:28, etc.).

F.      Church must have begun in A.D. 30  (Dan. 2:44, Acts 2:47).

G.    Church must have begun at Jerusalem (Isa. 2:1-4, Lk. 24:44ff).