I must first begin by saying I do believe that God has one, universal church, the church of God. “The Church of God in Name Only,” is an effort to criticize those who profess a high claim, yet fall very short in living to that claim. In my estimation many who profess to be God's holy people are not, because the scripture deems such individuals unholy. Such people are not the Church of God.
In order to comprehend the reasoning behind such a subject one must already have a general idea of the Church of God's standard. I will not go into great detail concerning the following topics. The Church of God teaches justification, sanctification, unity, divine healing eternity, modesty, the trinity, and various doctrines. However, this same institution fails to live in accordance to their own claim concerning a few of the core doctrines. Holiness simply means freedom from sin and sinful affections. Sanctification is the act of consecrating or of setting apart for a sacred purpose. Unity is the state of being one. Evidence will show that the lives of many professed Christians are falling short of their own taught standard.
It is easy for the Church of God to condemn the religious world. The majority of denominations outwardly teach a standard that is not biblical. For instance, many ministers, from various affiliations, teach one cannot have power over sin or the flesh. So as a result, Church of God attendees feel justified because they understand such a teaching is erroneous. However, if the Church of God were to be judged based solely upon her claims, disregarding the religious world, what would be found? Is the message of the Church of God producing a people who are holy and manifest the power of God through signs by faith?
As stat...
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...e of the Church of God ought, and must, lay judgment on all sin, commit to a zero-tolerance policy on worldliness, move souls to complete consecration, and strongly emphasize what being a Christian truly means.
In order for the Church of God to make these necessary adjustments someone must possess a burden. In these last days God needs men and women to seek God with a weighted burden. In the words of E. Faith Stewart, “if we get down to where we need to be, then the glory of the morning time will be ours.” It is my sincere hope that God will find a few willing vessels to get down where they need to be. God has a people, but they may need to forsake their groups, their ideas, and their followings, so God can have a beautiful Church of God that is one and complete in Him. The Church of God cannot be God's church in name only, but it must be God's church in reality.
In conclusion, the church is appointed and maintained divinely body of regenerated believers who sustain the true doctrine of God, humanity, Scripture, Jesus Christ, and salvation which are absolutely non-negotiable.
I believe the Church has been talking about God for long enough now. We're due for a change. People know enough about God. They know what God likes and what God doesn't and how God would generally want them to live their lives. It seems, to us and to them, that we just keep repeating ourselves. As I said, we've been talking about God for long enough now.
...lvation is achieved differs significantly among the various Christian groups, for example, the Catholic Church believes that salvation is attained through good works such as acts of charity and almsgiving, while the Anglican Church as a deeper focus on personal faith and acceptance of Jesus as the Savior. The concept of salvation is a driving factor in the formation of ethics and morals in the Christian faith, as individual desire to receive eternal life in heaven underpins many actions and choices that they make, such as the choice to attend church or participate in aiding the poor and helpless.
Jesus Christ, said he was the way, the truth, and life and that no one enters the kingdom of heaven accept through him. Through Catholicism, Christ’s Church, humanity has everything necessary for salvation. Since humanity is the Body of Christ, we are all called to his Church and to fulfill the Gospel. Though not everyone has the full knowledge of Christ and his Church, every individual has mission to find the fullness of truth and to seek it.
The church in today’s world have very low standards. We are disregarding the active sins of the believers in the churches and are not ready to take a stand and speak to them about it. As a result of this churches are encouraging adultery, envy, strife, unforgiveness and lack of love which is taking us away from God on a daily basis. God will give us a time to repent but one day he will judge the church and the nation just like Israel so that we come back to him (Beckham, n.d.).
Christianity is a monotheistic religion, which means people of that faith believe in one God. Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus. Most Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God, and the savior of humanity. Christians refer to Jesus as Christ, which means Messiah. Christianity is the world’s largest religion consisting of approximately 2.2 billion Christians. There are branches of Christianity, the three primary divisions are Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism.
The church is the hub in which we as Christians come together as brothers and sisters in Christ to learn and study God’s Word. The church, according to passage, states that there should be no high statuses within the church and that we should all be on the same level playing field. Scripture tells us that we should be obedient; I read this to include the church and all of us who make up the congregation. We are told that Jesus lived a selfless life as he served His Father and I believe as servants to him, we should live the same kind of life as he did. I believe that at times it is difficult to be humbled in our lives and be forgiving of others, but scripture tells us that as a church, we should lead by example. We are promised by his word, that God created all things in the heavens and earth and that we shall bow and worship Him, shout praises to him, so that we can live a glorious life with him in His kingdom
When the Christian church was first founded many question arose from its formation. What was this new organization and what was to become of it? There are many interpretation of what the church should be. They range from small community church lead by a reverend to a worldwide church lead by a pope. I will argue the latter. That the original meaning from the bible was to a have a single unified church under the primacy of the bishop of rome. This can be supported in three areas the historical, biblical, and theological reasoning.
That isn’t to say there aren’t pockets here and there where that spirit is alive, but as the Church is perceived as a body, so will the world perceive its function, which is largely as a partial paralytic. The nature of its mass congregation is in my opinion, reduced to following a ritualized practice that serves security of the one’s own soul, while vainly proclaiming messages from a practiced pulpit for world outreach in daily life. Then everyone goes home. The outreach that does get done tends to be of a charitable nature, highly organized and outperformed by many secular outfits, where the inductive power is carried by genuine empathy, a desire to help fellow man. Again, the Church means well, but its efforts seem to move with a sense of obligation, rather than true mission. I would argue that the congregations get too large, too organized, do not engage the issues that face culture ...
The church or Ecclesia, as it is called in the original Greek language, regardless of size, are the called out ones who assemble to represent the Body and life of Jesus Christ. They engage in meetings of praise, worship, and listening to the Word of God, which is taken from their manual called the Holy Bible, or the Scriptures; those bringing the message are considered to be the mouthpieces for God, and are typically called preachers (KJV, Eph 5.23-32). According to the Bible, the church, which includes the preachers, is to strive to exemplify the type of life that Jesu...
Hence, as a Christian adherent, it is essential they follow the words of the Lord and express their faith in the correct manner. Individuals can do this by following the steps of Paul of Tarsus, in his attempt to spread Christianity worldwide, abide by the ethical teachings set by the church such as euthanasia and participate in Saturday/Sunday Worship.
Jesus is the head of the church and he is the reason why we care and provide counseling. It is his command and passion to care. He can offer the rest (Matt. 11:28-30), guidance and protection because he is the good shepherd. (Ps. 23, Jn. 10:11) We serve in the God’s household, which is the church of loving God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1 Tim. 3:15) We rely on the law of the Lord, which is perfect and refreshing the souls. (Ps. 19:7) God is the one truth source for the sorrow souls. For him, he is the father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles. (2 Co. 1:3)
It is the beliefs above that has shaped the theology of Christianity, bringing about the writing of many creeds that Christians still value today. It is what distinguishes the many denominations and unites them as well. With each passing generation it seems that Christianity is continually losing its popularity amongst the young people. Christianity is relevant in today’s society. Churches today should greatly value the historical aspect of Christianity as a religion. If certain values and principles of Christianity have withstood the test of time then this should reassure Christians of the validity of their beliefs. Young people today are interested in the theology of the bible they value the message of Jesus Christ. It is the “religious” aspects that many are fed up with. People are frustrate with the church because of the corruption that has occurred over time and its inauthenticity at times. To some it appears that the church is more concerned with appearances then actually fulfilling the work of God. This generation needs church leaders that embrace the historical roots of Christianity. And someone who isn’t afraid to be teach the raw and passionate message that is the gospel. Getting at the core of what it truly means to be a
The church is a place in which many come to find a sense of belonging, comfort, and purpose. It's through these three qualities which have drawn and maintained many church goers throughout the years.
What is the church? This can be a very deep question, or a rather simple one depending on one’s context, theology, and general understanding of Scripture and faith. From my personal experience, most members of the congregations I grew up in if asked this question would point to the church building or sanctuary. This is not that surprising in my opinion when we consider the gorgeous monuments we have built as houses for God. As a child, I would have answered the exact same way as most people in a congregation, and it was not until later in my adulthood that I came to understand “the church” not as a physical building, but as much more. A very common response to this question has been that the church is “the people of God” or even “God’s chosen people.” I, however, prefer the definition of the church as “the community of Christian faith,” a much more inclusive definition than the previous mentioned definitions.