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.

Divorce - but from the beginning it was not so.

Matthew 19:3-8

The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

God says that from the beginning it was not so, that a man and a woman should join as one flesh and that what God as joined let no man separate, and because of man's sinful nature Moses provided a writing of divorcement.

That is a pretty strong indictment of divorce, God never meant for man and woman to divorce after their union, their commitment to each other, their joining as one. Period!!!

I believe that the reason for this and why it is so important for the Christian is it models our relationship with God. Our Salvation depends on it.

Ezekiel 16:22-42

And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord God;)
That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.
Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.
Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied therewith.
How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;
In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;
But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord:
Thus saith the Lord God; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.
They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.
So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.

Ezekiel 16:59:63

For thus saith the Lord God; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord:
That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.

God is talking about his chosen people Israel, sinning against him as fornicators, whores, adulterers, and idolaters. Showing his judgement, correction, and that God is keeping Israel as his people, establishing an everlasting covenant.

For Christians, children of God, we are baptized into one body, we are one with Christ, one body, one spirit. We can not be separated!

1 Corinthians 12:13-14

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.
For the body is not one member, but many.

Ephesians 5:30-32

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Romans 8:35

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Think of it this way. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are joining Christ as one flesh and one spirit, we have become part of the Body of Christ, we are the bride of Christ, we have married Jesus. This is a commitment from us to God. You have seen God's commitment to his people, and now we are his people as well.
So...
If because of all our sin, our faults, our adulterous, whorish, and idolatrous behavior God decided to "divorce" us. We would lose our salvation. We would be doomed to spend eternity without God, an eternity in hell!
But, because from the beginning it was not so. We have the promise of eternal life!

Ephesians 5:25-33

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
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.
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

We are to love our wives like Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it.
That means that we should NEVER divorce our wives, our partners, our own committed flesh for any reason. If Christ can go to the cross and die for us, what right do we have to divorce our spouse for anything?
We must treat and love our wives as we love ourselves. This is Christ's model and as Christians it is our model!

God provided from the beginning for us, his unyielding love and commitment to us through His Son, our Savior. As Christians God will never forsake us, he will never divorce us, we are eternally his.

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

How wonderful is that?

I thank my Savior and Lord everyday for these truths and blessings.

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.