One day when Jesus was walking with his disciples, He asked them who He was (Matthew 16:15). Peter said to Jesus, “You are Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus told Peter that God had told him this, and upon this rock, Jesus would build His church. This rock is the confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour of this world (Matthew 16:16-18). The power of Satan will not be sufficient to destroy this Church.
On the day of Pentecost this Church received the Holy Spirit, for God poured it out on all those who really loved Jesus. The disciples preached about Christ everywhere with a very strong word. They told everyone to repent, and beg God to forgive all their sins through Jesus Christ. He is the Iamb of God, and gave His life for our sins (Acts 2:1-4:38). Those who believed the disciples and received Jesus as their Saviour were baptized. Three thousand people were added to the Church on the day of Pentecost. All these people listened carefully to the Word of God, and were faithful in their new doctrine and faith (Acts 2:41-42).
How good it would be if all the Christians would have been faithful! That was God’s plan, and then we would not have so much confusion today about which is the true Church. The foundation of God is standing strong and sure. God knows every one of His children, and they will not take part in evil things. (2 Timothy 2:19). Paul tells us plainly to be a separate people and not to touch evil things. Then God will receive us as His sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:17-18). Not one person is excluded, but many people say it is too difficult to deny themselves of the sins they like to do. Many people find it difficult to leave mother and father, brother and sister, and other dear ones, and faithfully follow Jesus alone (Matthew 10:37-38; 19:28). God wants us to put Him first. God’s people must not be tied to evil things, or evil people and societies that will hinder them in following God completely.
At Pentecost this group of believers, or church, enjoyed a fellowship that was sweeter than anything else on earth. They were very happy and rejoiced in their new faith (Acts 10:41-47). Born again Christians experience this same fellowship today. They have received the same Spirit of God and have listened to the same Word of God. They have eaten the same spiritual food, and have tasted the same spiritual drink the Water and Bread of life, Jesus Christ (John 6:35; 4:14; 7:37).
Jesus calls us His friends if we do whatever He tells us to do (John 15:14). If we love Christ, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). One time Jesus asked, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I tell you to do?” (Luke 6:46). We can see that Jesus wants His Church to teach faithfully all the things that He has commanded (Matthew 28:20). Let us search the Bible and find out what we must do to be saved, and become members of the Church of God.
The first thing we must do is repent of our sins. John the Baptist preached it (Matthew 3:2), Jesus preached it (Matthew 4:17), Peter preached it (Acts 2:38), Paul preached it (Acts 17:30), and God’s Church still preaches it today.
To repent means to be sorry for the evil things in our old life and to forsake and leave them. We are then to walk as a proper Christian in the new life (Romans 6:4). The Church of God will require that a person must repent before he can become a proper member. We cannot be saved without feeling sorry for our past sins, and properly repenting of them. We cannot see the kingdom of God until we have repented, and are born again (John 3:5). If we try to come into the Church any other way we are only trying to climb over the wall instead of coming in through the door (John 10:1). At the great supper when Jesus will take His children home with Him, anyone who comes in without a proper clean garment will be cast out into outer darkness where the devil and his angels are (Matthew 22:11-13).
Jesus told His disciples that those who have repented and are born again shall be baptized (John 3:5; Mark 16:16). The disciples taught this and God’s Church today is still teaching this. Peter baptized at Pentecost (Acts 2:38), Philip baptized the eunuch (Acts 8:36-38), and in many other places the Bible tells us about water baptism. Water baptism is a sign on the outside of a person who has a clean heart on the inside. That clean heart can only come to those who have repented of their sins and are truly born again. This baptism is the door through which the three thousand people came into the Church at Pentecost. The Bible speaks of only this one way, and the Church must follow the teachings of Christ.
Those who have become proper members of the Church by baptism after they have repented and received the new birth are the brotherhood of Christ. They are the brothers and sisters of Christ (Matthew 12:50; Mark 3:35). God has Given His children very clear instructions about their conduct and speech. They must be very careful to stay close to Jesus if they want to enjoy fellowship with each other and with God. God knows the nature of a man and He knows that Satan will try to push God’s children off the right road. Because Jesus knows this, He has given us instructions how to deal with those members who are not obedient to God and His Church (Matthew 18:15-17).
Jesus instructed God’s children everywhere to watch over each other and be their brother’s keeper, so that those who are tempted by Satan and are finding much difficulty in their life will not become discouraged (Hebrews 12:13; Galatians 6:1). Jesus said that we must warn each other when we see that someone is having trouble. The reason for these warnings and reproofs is to save the erring one from spiritual destruction. Where this discipline is not practiced God takes away His grace and fellowship, and little by little evil comes in until they are not walking with God at all anymore. In the practice of this discipline is every member’s safety. A Christian who is not in the Church and is trying to serve God alone, can be compared with a single stalk of corn standing alone in the farm by itself. He is in very great danger of being destroyed by the wind of evil. Jesus Christ has given the Church the order of discipline. The apostles have written of that discipline in detail, and God’s Church has accepted and practiced it to the present day (1 Corinthians 5:11). We must remember that the Church has not done all its duty when it has put away the unfaithful member. The Church must still practice a brother’s part in admonishing the erring one to return to God and His Church. The Church must at the same time practice an avoidance, by not eating and not fellowshipping with the erring one. As this teaching is exercised the erring one will be ashamed and will seek God for the saving of his soul (2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15; 1 Corinthians 5:11).
Just before Jesus was crucified He ate the Last Supper with His disciples. He instituted the Holy Communion as a memorial feast to remind us from time to time that it took the Blood of Jesus to cleanse us of our sins. Jesus gave His life that we through Him can now live for God. When Jesus was with the disciples at the Last Supper, He took bread and broke it into pieces and gave it to each of the disciples to eat. Then Jesus took the cup with the wine, the fruit of the vine, and gave all the disciples to drink of it. Jesus told them that the bread was a symbol of His body which would be broken. The wine was a symbol of His Blood which would be shed for the forgiveness of sins.
To impress on the disciples and us today the need for a humble heart and this spiritual cleansing, Jesus took a basin with water and washed the disciples’ feet. Peter did not want Jesus to wash his feet but Jesus told him, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me” (John 13:8). After this service He said, “Ye also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). Many churches will give reasons why they do not practice this, yet it is the command of Christ and is a great blessing to those who will practice it faithfully. God’s Church will practice this, for His Church has always kept this doctrine.
God wants men and women to be happy and He wants the human race to continue. For this reason God made Eve and brought her to Adam in the Garden of Eden to be his wife. God gave Adam only one wife because God wanted the people to be holy and pure before Him (Malachi 2:14-16). God does not want a man to have many wives (Matthew 19:3-9). Jesus agreed with this and the apostles taught this way. Marriage was instituted between two, and only two, believing persons who had become the children of God. They are one in Christ, sharing the same confession of faith, united with the Church, and support and practice all that the Bible teaches. The Church of the Bible, or we can say God’s Church, will not perform any other marriage because the Word of God does not agree with it. Jesus said that a man and his wife are bound to each other as long as they live (Matthew 19:6; 1 Corinthians 7:39). If husband and wife cannot live together without fighting, the Bible says that they may live in separate houses, but then they cannot marry another one. God wants to see they make peace and live together again in the same house (1 Corinthians 7:10-16). No church that will allow its members to put away their wife or husband can claim to be the Church of God for it is contrary to Christ’s teaching.
Jesus knew that the principles He was teaching would not be accepted by the world. So, He taught us by Word and showed us by His example how to deal with Satan, who is the Christian’s foe. Christ was falsely accused, shamefully treated, unjustly tried, and finally killed, but He did not resist His enemies. Listen to Jesus’ words, “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil” (Matthew 5:39). Jesus did not let His disciples fight with swords or spears, nor does He let His disciples today fight with guns (Matt. 26:51-52). The apostles and faithful Christians through the many years since Jesus lived on earth have been steadfast in this doctrine even when for many of them it meant death. This doctrine is still believed and practiced by His Church today.
The apostles were told to organize and establish churches among the Jews and the Gentiles wherever men would listen and obey God’s Word. The apostle Paul was very zealous in this work and so were other men. God gave these men the ability to work very effectively. Paul was especially concerned that the leaders of these churches would be sound in faith and would be willing to give themselves and their time for the welfare of other Christians. Paul told Timothy and Titus what to look for in the men who were called to serve as the pastors and ministers (1 Timothy 1:13; Titus 1:5-9). He told them to choose men from among their brethren who were agreed in all the doctrine and teachings of the Bible, and were one in the Spirit of God. This is still God’s plan for His Church and His people. Pastors are not to be chosen because they have a good education or many degrees, or much money or great fame. They are to be chosen because they are filled with the Holy Spirit. The true Church trys to faithfully teach and practice all of the doctrines of Jesus Christ and the apostles.
Let us remember that Jesus asked strict obedience to all His teachings. Let us also remember that the Word of God contains the message that Jesus brought. We must search the Bible to find out what His will is, and then prove that we love Him by our obedience to Him. Then God can lead us to His Church where we will find a spiritual home and other true Christians.