Part 6

First, they should _pray_. Acts 2:42 states that the church at Jerusalem continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayer. Acts 20:36 gives us an example of public prayer. At the seaside the apostle Paul knelt down with those who were gathered with him and prayed unto God. Prayer by its very nature is an act of worship.

We also learn in First Corinthians 16:1 and 2, that we should _lay by in store_ upon the first day of the week as we have been prospered; and that itself is an item of worship. Giving or sacrificing unto God for the sake of God is an act of worship.

From Acts 2:42, Acts 20:7, and many other Scriptures that could be listed, we learn that _teaching and studying the Bible_ are also commanded of God’s children; and that, likewise, is worship.

In Ephesians 5:19 we read these words, “Speaking unto yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” And in Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” These Scriptures command us to _sing_ praises to God and admonitions unto each other, which is naturally an act of worship.

And then, finally, we are taught to eat the Lord’s supper (1 Cor. 11:17-34; Luke 22:19-20). Acts 20:7 tells us that this shall be done on the first day of the week. The church at Troas, under apostolic guidance, met upon _the first day of the week_ to eat the Lord’s supper. And, friends, “the sabbath day,” as the expression was used in the Old Testament, meant every sabbath day, and by the same line of reasoning, “the first day of the week” means the first day of every week.

Tomorrow students will be registering out at Peabody and Vanderbilt. Their schedules will state that a certain class meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They will not state that it meets _every_ Monday and _every_ Wednesday and _every_ Friday, but even a college freshman will understand what is meant! When we are told that a class meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we know that it meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of every week.

If you were to search the New Testament to find out how often we should eat the Lord’s supper, you would not find the slightest suggestion that it should be eaten once a year. You would find no sort of hint that it should be taken upon the first of every quarter or upon one Sunday out of each month. The only Scripture which throws any light whatsoever upon the question puts it upon a weekly basis.

John 4:24 shows that all these acts of worship must be done in spirit and in truth. “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

That’s what the Bible teaches about the worship of the Bible church. The church which does these five things in spirit and in truth is the right church as far as the worship is concerned. A church might be right in worship and wrong in doctrine, or vice versa; but the church which, in spirit and in truth, teaches and practices these five items and only these, is right in its worship; and the church that preaches and practices anything different from this is wrong. The Bible is right. This is what the Bible teaches. The church which does this is consequently right; the one which doesn’t is wrong.

V Christian Living

A church is responsible for its teaching in respect to how its members should live. It cannot force the members to do according to its teaching and we must distinguish between the conduct of the church as a whole and the behavior of individual members. If the church teaches the truth and attempts to persuade its members to obey it, and properly disciplines them when they disobey, the church as a whole cannot be held accountable for their misbehavior.

Concerning Christian living the Bible says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12). “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” (Jas. 1:27). “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31). And then in Matthew 7:12, we have what is called the Golden Rule, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”

These are general commandments governing Christian behavior, and the church which teaches and impresses these Bible lessons upon its members is right that far, but the church which fails to condemn worldliness and ungodly living lacks that much being right. It may be ever so sound on doctrine and worship, but if it fails to properly admonish its members and hold up before them the divine standard of Christian conduct and insist that they follow it, it lacks that much being right.

Friends, here’s (speaker points to board) what the Bible teaches on Christian behavior. The church which teaches this is right on that point because the Bible is right and this is what the Bible says.

VI The Name

We come now to the name. You know, there are a lot of churches right here in Nashville tonight which simply cannot find their names in the Bible. They could look from now till the end of the world and they couldn’t find the names they wear in the Bible to save their lives! That, to me, is an astonishing fact. It looks as if anybody ought to know that the Bible cannot guide you into a church which isn’t even mentioned in the Bible. A road map cannot direct you to a town which is not shown on the map. A Tennessee road map cannot show you how to find a town in Texas, and so the Bible cannot guide you to a church which isn’t even found in the Bible. That’s a very simple test which you might apply in your search for the right church.

What does the Bible say about the name? In Ephesians 1:22 we find that Christ has been made head over all things unto _the church_. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.” And so, first of all, it is simply called _the church_. Then in Revelation 1:4 we read about “the seven _churches_” of Asia, meaning the seven different congregations which are specified in chapters three and four. In a general sense, including all saved people on the earth, it is simply called _the church_. In the plural form this name refers to the various local congregations of that great body.

We learn also from First Corinthians 15:9 that it is called the _church of God_. Paul said he was not fit to be called an apostle, because he persecuted the _church of God_. First Corinthians Cor 11:16 says, “But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.” So in the singular and comprehensive sense, it is called the _church of God_; not as a denominational title, but as an expression of ownership. It is the church which belongs to God. And in Matthew 16:18 Christ said, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” It is, therefore, the church which belongs to Christ. And in the plural form, we read in Romans 16:16, “The churches of Christ salute you.”

Friends, we learn from the Bible, then, that in the broad, general sense, including all saved people, it is called the church, or the church of God, or the church of the Lord, the church which belongs to Christ. Referring to different local congregations, those same terms are used in the plural form. This leads me to believe that anything bigger than a local congregation and smaller than all God’s people throughout the world or some specific geographic area, cannot scripturally be called _the church_. That’s where denominationalism comes in. The only way this universal institution can scripturally be broken down into different parts is to do it on a geographical or congregational basis. Splitting it up on any other basis results in sectarianism or denominationalism—creates different parties and sects.

I have two pictures drawn here to keep that before your mind. Here’s the Bible picture (speaker points to board). The big ring includes all of God’s people throughout the entire world. These small dots represent various congregations like the church at Laodicea, the church at Smyrna, the church at Ephesus, the church at Madison, the church at Chapel Avenue, the church at Columbia, Tennessee, and so on around the world—different local congregations. This is purely a geographical grouping.

But here is the best figure I can draw on denominationalism and it’s not entirely accurate (speaker points to board again). When a group of these congregations, even if they have all been scripturally baptized—which they have not—draw a ring about themselves and say, “We are the ‘A’ Church,” another group says, “We are the ‘B’ Church,” and another says, “We are the ‘C’ Church,” each group of congregations distinguishing itself from other similar groups by a distinguishing title—that is denominationalism, pure and simple! That picture does _not_ represent a _geographic_ distribution, for we have all those different denominations right here in Nashville. It’s not a geographical division, but a division based on difference in teaching, practice, and faith. That’s not the Bible picture (speaker continues to refer to board). Here is the Bible picture.

The church which wears these Bible names, and only these, is the right church as far as the name is concerned. But, friends, any church that calls itself by any other name, any name not in the Bible, is not the right church because the Bible is right. When a church has a name upon their building which cannot be found in the Bible, they need not claim that they are taking the Bible as their one and only guide, for the very name on the church building denies that claim. Just think how foolish it is for a preacher to stand up and say, “We take the Bible as our guide,” when, out in front of the building, in great big letters, is a name which cannot even be found in the Bible! That’s one reason I think we had better examine a man’s claim to follow the Bible. Here’s what the Bible teaches on the name, and the Bible is right. The church that wears these names and only these is right on that point.

But merely wearing the right name will not make a church right. It may wear the right name and still be wrong in other respects. I used to preach in a town where there was a great big church building which had a name in bold letters that you could see almost all over town—Central Church of Christ. But if you went to their worship, you’d find something that’s not listed here at all (speaker refers to section of outline on board). They were not following the Bible on worship. They had the right name but they didn’t have the right worship. They were right on one point but wrong on another. There are churches over the country called “Churches of God.” That’s a good name, but they have items of doctrine that cannot be found in the Bible. For instance, they preach that you have to be baptized in the Holy Spirit in order to be saved, and that’s not in the Bible. Consequently, they are wrong on doctrine; and to merely wear the right name does not atone for their false teaching on what one must do to be saved.

VII Organization

Just one more item or two and then we’re through. Number 7 here refers to the organization of the church. According to the Bible every local congregation is entirely independent under God to manage its own affairs, with its elders overseeing its work. Acts 14:23: “When they had ordained them elders in every church and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.” Acts 20:28 says, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” In addressing the church at Philippi Paul speaks of all the saints at Philippi “with the bishops and deacons.”

According to this simple but effective organization of God’s church, every local congregation is entirely independent, supervised and tended, under God, by a group of men known as overseers or pastors or elders. Now, that’s what the Bible teaches on church organization. The church which follows this plan is right on that point. Wherever you see a group of congregations tied together by some inter-congregational organization, that group’s wrong on their organization. I know some groups that maintain congregational independence, but are wrong in some other way. Remember that in order for a church to be the right church, it must be right on all these items.

VIII Charity and Missionary Work

And then, finally, the Bible teaches that God’s church should be active in beneficent and missionary work. It is the duty of the church to feed the poor and to preach the gospel unto the entire world. I have a long list of Scriptures here which authorize this statement (Acts 11:27-30; 12:25; 24:17; 1 Cor. 16:1-4; Acts 11:19-21; 11:22-26; 13:1-4; etc.). Even though a church may be right in every other way, including Christian living, including the name, and including the organization, if it doesn’t do what it can to take care of the poor, and if it doesn’t make a scriptural effort to preach the gospel to all the world, it lacks that much being right, and cannot justify its claims to be known as the church of Christ!

Now, friends, let me repeat again that here’s what the Bible teaches. The church which does these things is right, because the Bible is right; but the church which deviates from these, leaves off some of them or adds something to them, lacks that much being right. And even though a church followed this plan in every item except one, it would still be wrong.

IX Conclusions

What practical application shall we make? Simply take your Bible and follow out this plan, study it for yourself, see that this is what the Bible teaches, and then identify yourself with the congregation which does the same. You say, “Maybe I cannot find one that follows the Bible plan.” I believe you can in this town, but I’ll admit there are some towns where you can’t. Then what would you do? The answer is very simple—just start one! That’s one of the easiest things in the world to do. Study your Bible, follow its simple pattern, and the result will be a church after the New Testament order. If you can find even one person who is willing to follow this plan and work it with you, then you’ll have a congregation which pleases God. Jesus says, “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there will I be in the midst of them.”

And, friends, I believe that the most practical and effective missionary work that we could possibly do would be for all church members who move away from Nashville and other places where the church is strong, to faithfully and persistently follow this Bible program wherever they go, even though they have to meet and worship in their own homes. There are too many who forsake this plan when they go away to a strange city.

If all who move away from places where the church is strong, would simply take Christ and the Bible with them and start a congregation wherever they go, it would be the most far-reaching, the most effective, the most practical, and the most economical missionary work that could possibly be conceived! It would not only be all of that, it would also be scriptural. What more could you expect? That certainly is enough to recommend it to us all. So, friends, simply take this plan, if you know of a congregation that’s following it, then identify yourself with it. If you can’t find one, then start one, with the determination to follow the Bible; and then you’ll be in the right church. You may forget about all these 200 different denominations, except to do whatever you can to lead them out of error into the truth!

I told you I would do no boasting tonight and I shall do none, but I will say this: I sincerely believe it is the earnest determination of the congregation at Chapel Avenue to follow this simple Bible plan, and I believe I speak the truth when I say that if you can point out to the overseers of this congregation that they are failing to follow the Bible on any single item, they will change their practice immediately. That should be the attitude of everyone who loves the truth, and they will not embarrass you or rebuff you if you approach them on the question. If you even _think_ they are failing on some point, they would welcome an interview and pledge themselves to make any sort of alteration or change that is necessary to bring the teaching, the practice, and the name of this congregation into harmony with the Bible plan. If that were not true, I would not continue to preach for this group except long enough to do what I could to get them to reform.

Friends, above everything else, I want to go to heaven when I die and I know that the only way to do that is to follow the Bible; so I still insist that it is entirely proper and appropriate to emphasize that the church which follows the Bible is the one that’s right. This simple test, if faithfully and honestly applied, will eliminate every church in this town which cannot find its name, its doctrine, and its practice in the Bible. Are you willing to live up to the claim that you take that Bible as your one and only guide? If so, just follow this (speaker refers to outline on the board) step by step, believe that Jesus is the Christ, repent of your sins, confess your faith, and then be baptized for remission of sins. Then go on, worshiping God as the Bible directs, behaving yourself as the Bible teaches, supporting the church which wears the right name, which is scripturally organized, and which takes the Bible as its one and only guide.

If, after having been scripturally baptized, you have failed on one or more of these items, the Bible teaches that if you will repent, confess your sins and pray for forgiveness, God will surely forgive you. As we stand and sing the song announced, we entreat you to accept the invitation of our Lord, who says, “Come unto me and I will give you rest.”

VI WHY NOT BE JUST A CHRISTIAN?

Religious people seem to realize more keenly than before the importance and even necessity of Christian unity. But before we can have the unity which the Bible teaches and demands, some practical means of attaining it must be employed. It seems to me that it would be well to begin by emphasizing some points of agreement—in other words, let us see how close together we are, at present, and then we will be in better position to discuss the points of difference. I believe in religious debates, have engaged in such myself and shall be glad to do so again whenever the opportunity presents itself, but in this sermon I want to emphasize the truth upon which most religious people are already agreed.

I Points of Agreement

I believe we can say that most of those who claim to be followers of Christ are agreed upon the following points:

A. _General Statements_ 1. God is. 2. The Bible is His word written by men as they were guided by the Holy Spirit. 3. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. 4. The world needs a Savior and has no power by which to redeem itself from sin. 5. Redemption or salvation is to be had through Christ and only through Him. B. _The Plan of Salvation_

If we agree upon these five points, then, we also agree that there is a plan of salvation, for these points imply such a plan. It may be that we can get closer together upon the items of this plan than you have thought we could. We will all agree that faith is the very foundation of the plan (John 3:16). All accept the fact that repentance is essential (Acts 17:30). Everyone agrees that the plan of salvation includes the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matt. 10:32, Acts 8:37, Rom. 10:10). Some make additions to this simple Biblical confession, but I have never heard of anyone’s subtracting from it. When the comprehensiveness of the term “Christ” is understood, it is obvious that no additions are needed. Everyone who agrees on the foregoing will also agree that Jesus commanded baptism and promised salvation to those who believed and were baptized. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). We will all agree that Peter said, as the Holy Spirit prompted him, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). We will agree that Ananias said to Paul, “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16), and also that the Holy Spirit said through the Apostle Peter, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). It is also generally agreed that when one has been immersed he has been baptized. There are some who believe that sprinkling or pouring will do as well, but all agree that immersion is safe. Furthermore, it is generally agreed that when one believes and repents, confesses his faith, and is immersed for the remission of sins in the name of Christ, he is saved. Some believe one is saved before completing this program, but all will agree that he is saved when he has completed it. So here again we find the ground of unity.

C. _Christian Worship_

The next question is, “What should one do by way of worship and Christian service after becoming a Christian?” In these realms, also, there are many important points of agreement. In reference to public worship all will agree that it is proper for Christians to meet upon the first day of the week and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and make melody in their hearts unto the Lord; lay by in store as they have been prospered; pray unto their Father in heaven; teach and be taught; and eat the Lord’s Supper in memory of Him who died for them. Some dare to add to these items of worship, some dare to subtract from them; but all agree that they are scriptural and sufficient. When Christians come together upon the first day of each week and perform these five Biblical items of worship to God, doing so in spirit and in truth, they know that their worship has pleased their Maker and Redeemer. This, then, is the ground of unity in our worship on the Lord’s Day. In such a program all Christians could take part and go away believing that they had done all that was required and nothing that was condemned.

D. _Christian Service_

In reference to Christian service there is general agreement upon the broad principles that should govern. Everyone will subscribe to the Golden Rule (Luke 6:31) and to the Royal Law (Jas. 2:8). We agree that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world, that we should love our neighbors as ourselves, and that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

II The Sufficiency of the Plan