I have belonged to several churches and have attended many more, so I have a pretty good idea of what they are like. I grew up in a Methodist church, came to know Jesus as my Savior through the writings of Billy Graham, a Southern Baptist, was married in a Presbyterian church, was baptized in an United Pentecostal church, was a deacon in an independent Church of Christ, taught Sunday School at a Foursquare church and a Calvary Chapel, and was an elder and the Director of Children's Ministries at a Presbyterian church. In addition, my wife has belonged to an Anglican church, a Catholic church, a Church of God and an independent Charismatic church.
All of these churches were good churches, though some were better than others. They may have been very strong in one area but were also weak in another area. One was very strong in Bible knowledge but it was very prideful. It was like the Pharisees who tithed mint, dill and cummin but neglected justice, mercy and faithfulness. Another was full of singing, praise, joy and spiritual signs, but the people were ignorant of basic Bible teachings. In spite of the weaknesses, I found righteous, godly people in every church as well as unrighteous, ungodly people.
Some people say that there should be only one church, but I do not agree. Bresler's Ice Cream has 33 flavors because people have different tastes. In the same way, people have different preferences for worship and service.
However, I do insist that there is only one right church, the Ekklesia, but I have never seen a church by that name and if you do, it isn't the right one. The literal meaning of Ekklessia is "called out". In Greece before the time of Jesus Christ, an ekklessia was an assembly of the citizens of a city called on a regular basis to conduct political business. The early Christian writers used Ekklessia to refer the believers who were called out to follow Jesus Christ. So, the Ekklessia is the church made of all true believers in the entire world. And, the only way to join it is to give your heart to Jesus, then He will make you a part of the Ekklessia.
If you have questions or comments, please EMAIL me at rodney@rodsgarden.50megs.com
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