• IS THE CHURCH DIVIDED INTO 16 FRAGMENTS?

  • Intro. Letter from Costa Rica, "Several years ago a pastor told me that in the United States the church of Christ was divided into no less than 16 different parts. What he told me has caused me a lot of sorrow. Brother Gardner, could you please inform me if there are in reality that many segments of the church?"

  • A. How would you answer that?

  • B. Have heard others who express themselves that way:
    1. "Church Divided into institutional, non inst., one cup, no class," etc.
    2. Maybe I've been guilty of talking that way.
  • C. Not Bible way of answering
  • D. Want us to answer question in lesson tonight: focus on two points
    1. What is the Lord's church?
    2. How can we best view problems among brethren?
  • E. What is universal church?
    1. Acts 2:47
    2. Heb. 12:23 "church of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven".
    F. It is not.... building, organizacion, religious tradition, movement

    I. You cannot divide universal church
  • A. Paul's point in I Cor. 1:13
    1. If they were going to be divisive in local church, such divisions could not be of Christ
    2. Upon dividing they were leaving Christ
  • B. God is only one who adds and takes away from his universal church: Acts 2:47
    1. Men can be saved, Lord adds, or abandon Christ, God takes away
    2. He does it all

    II. Why then, warnings against division? Local churches can divide, division can occur among individuals
    A. Church in Corinth (I Cor. 1:10-17)
  • B. Rom. 16:17; Rome, brethren
  • C. Sad to see: resentment, anger,
    1. One of two reaons: usually a combination
    a. Lack of respect for authority of Bible
    b. Lack of love
  • D. Talk about divisions of local churches, among brethren in certain area, is not talking of division of universal church:
    1. Talk about one more point that will make this clear.

    III. God gives time to erring brethren so that they will repent:
  • A. Apostles
    1. were often weak
    a. fire from heaven c. when will you restore kingdom to Israel
    b. who's the greatest d. "Oh ye of little faith"
    2. Yet considered Jesús's disciples; His people
    3. Must be true today:
    a. brethren have wrong concepts, striving to serve Him: Jesus still is patient.
  • B. Church at Corinth: In bad shape in I Corinthians
    1. Had fornicator among them, went to court against each other, mess of the Lord's supper
    2. Weak brethren still considered to be of Christ
    3. God gave them time to repent and they did
  • C. Seven churches of Asia: Rev. 2,3
    1. with weaknesses
    a. Ephesus: left first love d. Sardis: Name alive, but dead
    b. Pergamos: had false teachers (Baalam) e. Laodicea: Lukewarm
    c. Thyatira: Jezabel
    2. Yet God had not yet removed candlestick from any, even worst, Sardis, Laodicea
    a. His message to them: repent or I will remove it, but not yet
  • D. How did God view these immature, weak brethren? As Fragments of universal church?
    1. Weak churches not considered "fragments" of universal church
    a. Weak members in them would be sickly members of Christ's body but not fragments thereof.
    b. Correct way of viewing Christians with erroneous concepts today
    i. Not as fragments: but as weak members
    ii. Need to repent or will have candlesticks removed (2:5)
    2. Weaknesses in those congregations did not mean they did not have those in them who were part of God's universal church:
    a. If I had lived in first cent. probably could not have recommended some of weak churches (at least Sardis or Laodicea) to travelers or contacts:
    b. Did not mean there were no members of God's univ. church there: (Rev. 3:4)
    c. Same true today: Cannot recommend some congregations to travelers or contacts
    d. Does not mean no saved people in them:
  • ALWAYS A QUESTION ARISES HERE
  • IV. To what point is God patient with weak Chrisitans: How far will He extend mercy? How much time does he give for repentance?
    A. Only He knows: That's entirely up to Him.
    1. We are curious: We want to say, "He will be lost," "He will be saved."
    a. Some brethren have fixation on saying whose going to hell
    2. Unhealthy
    a. "Whittling on God's end of the stick" (Robert Turner)
    b. Aude McKee: "It's none of your business"
  • B. It is not for us to speculate on the matter: I Cor. 4:5
    WHAT THEN SHOULD WE DO?
  • V. What is our business as we face differences among brethren?
    A. Follow God's word carefully and respectfully: (Phil. 2:12)
    1. Strict, "conservative" attitude towards His will
  • B. Work and worship with those who accept us and allow us to practice our faith without violating our conscience. (Acts 9:26; Heb. 10:24,25)
    1. Christianity not for hermits:
    2. Sometimes we cannot work and worship with brethren:
    a. especially true when worship would involve our participation in what violates our conscience
    b. Or, they won't allow expresion of our ideas
  • C. It is important to warn about spiritual dangers in a loving way
    1. Gal. 6:1; II Tim. 4:1
    2. Part of love for God and others
    3. Two extremes:
    a. refuse to warn, . indifference
    b. warn with sarcasm and ugliness
    4. Leave everything else up to God
    a. Who's going to hell?
    b. What about sincere people in error?
    c. God knows how far he will extend his mercy: for him to decide
    d. Many problems come by trying to be God, judge, condemn leave that to Him
  • Concl.
    A. Are there 16 fragments in the ch. of Christ?
    1. No.
    2. Some weak members, some going away from him.
    3. Like ch. at Corinth, Laodicea Sardis, do not represent fragments, but rather weak brethren.
  • B. We need to simply follow Christ: correct ourselves, learn, grow, make adustments
  • C. If in him, and growing, confidence that he will carry us all in one body to heaven!
  • D. Two questions you must answer: Are you in Him and growing?
    1. How to be accepted in Him ? (Gal. 3:26, 27)