2015 Theme

We continue our reading program in the Psalms. This week's reading is Psalm 26-29. Read and take note of how God is with His people! You can download the entire Reading Schedule here.

From the desk of Josh Creel

I did not write the following. Brother Bill Hall did in an article titled, "The Church Not Found In The Bible" Today we are going to consider some principles involved in non-denominational Christianity, and these words serve as a fitting introduction...
    The word “church” is used in two senses in the Bible. (1) It is used in the universal sense, referring to the saved of all ages, and (2) it is used in the local sense, referring to a congregation of saved people in any given locality. So, we read of Jesus’ giving Himself for the church (Eph 5.25) and of His purchasing the church with His own blood (Acts 20.28). In these two passages the word “church” is used in the universal sense. Jesus gave Himself for the saved of all ages and purchased them with His own blood. 
     But we also read of the church in Corinth (1 Cor 1.2), the church in Jerusalem (Acts 11.22), and the seven churches of Asia (Rev 1.11). The reference in these passages is to congregations of saved people in these different localities. These local churches were organized, each with its own “bishops and deacons” (Phil 1.1)
     The Bible does not use the word “church,” however, in the denominational sense. One cannot read in the scriptures of denominational conferences, associations, or synods. Nor can he read of denominational hierarchies, names, creeds, or doctrines. These are the inventions of men, not of God. They have been the cause of many problems in religion. What of the reader? Does he consider himself a part of that universal church made up of all the saved? Is he also a member of a local church? Does his membership in that local church bring him also into an association with a denominational organization— an organization bigger than the local church, but smaller than the universal church? If so, he is a part of a “church” not found in the Bible. 

Friday February 27 2015