Christians (the Church), and our Responsibility

 I was studying in Acts for our Sunday School lesson, covering the establishment of the Church, and Christ's commandments to Christians regarding the work of the Church. Part of the lesson was to compare the Gospels against each other along with Acts.

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16:15-16

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Luke 24:46-49

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 
And ye are witnesses of these things. 
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

John 20:21

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Acts 1:5-8

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

When comparing these passages you get a very powerful message about what Christians should be doing, preaching and teaching the Gospel to every creature, to the uttermost part of the earth.

God does not want anyone to miss out on Salvation! We do not know how much time we have! We must be acting with haste and intent! The times and seasons are known only to God.

Our responsibility: Win souls to Christ, and baptize new Christians into the Body of Christ which in turn increases and builds the Church. (You see how this loop feeds itself?)

Ephesians 1:22-23

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Colossians 1:24

Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

You see what the Church is? It is Christians working together with one Spirit to proclaim the knowledge of God. His plan for all the world to have Salvation.

The Church is not a denomination or a religion, it is Christians, believers, having fellowship with God and each other to increase the Body of Christ.

John 14:26

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 

1 John 2:27

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.

Christ sent Christians the Holy Spirit to provide unity, tools, comfort, strength, knowledge, and wisdom, a way to know the Mind of God through His Word.

John 1:1-4

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

We have God's commandments, tools, teacher, grace, knowledge, wisdom, and love. Christians should be sharing it in every way and at every time possible.

I pray that we as Christians, brothers and sisters in Christ, members of the Church of the Body of Christ, will take advantage of all that God has done for us, and be a witness, a beacon of light, to tell the world how great and marvelous our Lord and Savior is!

Don't hide your light under a bushel!

Matthew 5:14-16

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

What is religion?

As a Christian what role does religion have? Why are there so many denominations and religions?

Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines religion as

1a : the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion
b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

and denomination (for our purpose)

4: a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices

The definitions above are of the world. Man putting his mark and control on how to approach God, how to worship God, how to believe and partake in something greater than ourselves. Minimizing what God laid out from the very foundations of the beginning.

Look at what God's Word says in James 1:27

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. 

This is the Bible's only definition of religion, it seems pretty simple and unlike any definition of the world. Pure religion defines love for the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and purity from the world. This seems to echo the greatest commandment and second from Matthew 22:36-40.

When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we immediately become members of the Church of the Body of Christ. This is the only Church that God's Word mentions.

Romans 12:5

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 and 27-28

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Colossians 1:18

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

This is the Church, the Church of the Body of Christ. We are the Church, each Christian, one who as accepted Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior and believes that Jesus is the risen Son of God.
There are no denominations, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, etc. Religions all fall away. They are man putting himself before God, exerting control and himself on others, foolishly trying to increase what is already perfect and undefiled.

There is only our God and our belief in him.

This is satan's great lie, man against man, brother against brother, believer against believer, to corrupt and defile God's grace and mercy through the hand of man.

When what we should be doing is in Romans 12:10

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

As members of the Church of the Body of Christ, as Christians, we should love one another as brothers in Christ, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves, so that they might join the Church of the Body of Christ.