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Where In The Bible Will I Find... The Church That Jesus Built? Gary Colley

November 2002 Many honest people are confused today because of the existence of so many churches. Not knowing the Bible, and desiring to be generous, they think all religions are pleasing to God. But this idea does not agree with the Bible. Saul of Tarsus, later called Paul, was a member of the "Jews' religion" and persecuted the church of Christ beyond measure before he learned and obeyed the gospel and entered the one body of Christ, the church (Gal. 1:13-14). We read in the New Testament of only one God, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Spirit, and one hope as well as only one body or church (Eph. 4:4-6; 1:22-23). In the first century, all people were classified as saved or lost, in the church of Christ or out of the church, believers or unbelievers, in Christ or out of Christ. But today we have the confusion of many religious bodies. The many confusing names, doctrines, and practices cannot all be right. Is there some way we can identify the church of Christ of the first century amid all the religious confusion about us? Yes there is, and it's quite simple. If you can identify your car, your house, your wife or your husband by certain evidence, then you can likewise identify the Lord's church by certain Biblical evidence. One has but to read the New Testament and find the religious group today that is identical in faith and practice with the church of the first century. Accept no substitutes! Recognize the counterfeit when you see it! Identifying Features To Look For Built by Christ — not man (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:19-22), in the city of Jerusalem (Isa. 2:2-4; Acts 2). Individual members wore the name of Christ — "Christians" (Acts 11:26; 1 Pet. 4:16-18). They also collectively wore the name of Christ (Rom. 16:16). They obeyed the Lord's conditions of pardon, including immersion in water for the forgiveness of their sins (John 8:24; Matt. 10:32; Lk. 13:3,5; Mk. 16:16; Rom. 6:3-5). They worshipped according to the New Testament pattern (Jn. 4:24; Acts 2:42; Eph. 5:19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). They recognized Christ as the only head of the church (Col. 1:18). When you find the identifying marks, you have found the church of Christ. Please investigate!

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