Bible Studies

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We, as advancing disciples, have likewise been told much of what took place in the past, is going on now, and will go on in the future in the spiritual realm. But do we believe it with the undoubting faith of a child, or do we privately harbor some doubts?

This undoubting childlike type of faith understands that there is no need for anything else to be added to faith in the atoning Work that the Lord Jesus Christ finished (John 19: 30) on the cross, in order to become and remain saved. This undoubting faith has no fear of losing something that he or she knows cannot be lost.

Paul wrote of moral degeneration brewing in the ancient local assembly in Corinth (2Cor. 11: 3: 4). “But I fear, lest by ANY means (human viewpoint/moral degeneracy/etc.) as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have NOT preached, or you receive (listen to) a different spirit (1Tim. 4: 1) which you have not received (from us), or a different gospel (means of salvation) which you (should) have not accepted, this you tolerate (go along with) very well (2Cor. 11: 3, 4 NASB2020 parentheses mine)!”

The same could be said for what is taking place in many of the different denominations and non-denominational sub-divisions that have been established by Man throughout the course of the Church Age.

The “Church that God designed” was established by God at the Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem around 33 AD (Acts 2), centuries before the “add-ons” of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism came into the picture.

Unlike the churches that Man has designed, the Church that God designed does not consist of buildings with altars. Born again believers do not “go to Church,” but ARE the Church that gathers together in local assembles. Unlike how it had been during the Old Testament dispensation, the location, the structure (if there is one), is of no significance or consequence, here in the Church Age.

The Church that God designed acknowledges the cross that Jesus was crucified on as having been the last sacrificial altar.

The Church that God designed celebrates the Lord’s Supper (Communion) as the means to bring into remembrance (1Cor. 11: 24, 25), not to reproduce, the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Church that God designed does not have tangible confessionals with human priests as intercessors. The Church that God designed does not have graven images. The Church that God designed has the Bible as its one, only, and final tangible source of spiritual edification.

The local assemblies of the Church that God designed, has Biblically-qualified, trained and ordained, pastor-teachers, whose primary function it is, to STUDY and TEACH the Word of God, “…for the equipping of the saints for the work of this ministry (Eph. 4: 12 NASB2020).”

Different religions train and assigns functions to their priesthood that God has not assigned to ANY fallen man in ANY capacity. There are NO ongoing blood sacrifices to be made, therefore there are no “sacrificing” priests for the Church Age, as there had been during the Old Testament dispensation.

To the surprise of many, Jesus, having NOT come from the Tribe of Levi, would have not “qualified” for the Old Testament priesthood that served in the Temple!

The “High Priest” of the Church Age is the Lord Jesus Christ, having “gone behind the veil” once and for all, to make atonement for the world’s sin via His shed blood sacrifice while on the cross (1John 2: 2). The royal priesthood of the Church Age consists of ALL born-again believers (1Pet. 2:9/Rev. 1: 6/Rev.5: 10), in that they have direct access to, and can represent themselves before God, and represent God before Man.

The primary mission of the Church that God designed is to preserve and to promote the unadulterated Gospel Message as being the means of salvation, and to make disciples (students and appliers of the Word of God) out of those who are born-again (Matt. 28: 19, 20).

Religious Man has established “Churches” with alternative agendas, trying to improve the devil’s world (Luke 4: 6), while neglecting the primary job (Matt. 28: 19, 20) that the Church God designed was given to do. The devil will take all the help he can get, and is pleased when the primary job that God gave His Church to do is neglected.

Jesus taught produced that a “tree” will be known by the fruit it produces (Luke 6: 43). The Church that God designed will be known by the fruit that it produces. The “fruit” produced by the type of local assembly that God designed consists of born-again believers that go on to become disciples (students and appliers of the Word of God), participating in the Great Commission.

There are all kinds of other “fruit” consisting of human good and good deeds. Such things are a part of the daily life of most Christians, providing them with such things as the means to “make a living,” while here in the devil’s world, but have no impact on the spiritual lives of those around them.

The classic example of this is the medical services that take place in the operating rooms every day, saving or improving natural lives, but do nothing to evangelize or to edify the soul of the same individual.

Many who consider themselves to be “Christians” entertain moral degeneracy, having been misled to believe it to be the means of obtaining and retaining salvation. Good behavior and good deeds have their place in the lives of Christians, but they have nothing to do with obtaining and or retaining salvation.

The Church that God designed and its advancing disciples have a different agenda. It is the ongoing job of the Church that God designed to equip the congregation for service (Eph.4: 12).

Like a runner in a torch-relay race, a runner cannot pass along to someone else something that he or she has not first taken possession of himself. It is wherever an advancing disciple finds himself or herself 24/7, that he or she is to function in the capacity of Christ’s ambassador, taking advantage of the 1Pet. 3: 15 opportunities that present themselves.

Otherwise, “For what does it (spiritually) benefit a person to gain (or to be given) the whole world and (if he or she) forfeit his soul (Mark 8: 36 NASB2020 parentheses mine).” The bottom line is, we should do good deeds, but don’t allow moral degeneration to mislead you into thinking that by doing such things that all is well. Jesus did a lot of miracles that temporarily benefited the earthly lives of those involved, but His primary concern was always for their spiritual well-being, and for the spiritual well-being of those who witnessed the miracles.

End of Part Three

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