Following Jesus Article 5
Following Him to Where His People are Gathered
by Bryan Gibson
Return to the "Following Jesus" Landing Page
For the past several articles we have been looking at the call Jesus issues to every person—“Follow Me.” We learned in the last article that following Jesus means following Him wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4). One of these places is wherever His followers are gathered, because wherever His people are gathered, He is in their midst (Revelation 1:10-13, 20; 2:1). But as we noted in the last article, His presence is conditional—He will not continue to abide with those who will not abide in His word (Revelation 2:5; 2 John 1:9). Let’s look at one “place” where we will not find Jesus.
We cannot follow Jesus into a denomination, because He won’t be there. That’s not the popular view, so before you reject it, consider the following:
HIS EXAMPLE. Jesus did not join any of the sects (denominations) of his day (Pharisees, Sadducees, etc.), for several reasons.
HIS PRAYER, especially the one recorded in John 17:20-21: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” How could Jesus support a division (denomination) when He prayed for unity?
HIS TEACHING, such as that recorded in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13: “...that you all speak the same thing...that there be no divisions among you...that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me...that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Read that passage again, very carefully. Do you see any thing that resembles the current state in the religious world? Many denominations have been formed around men and the different doctrines they teach. Clearly, from what we read in the passage above, Christ is not pleased.
THE PURPOSE OF HIS DEATH—“that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:16). Jesus died to bring people together, not to divide them up. So if Jesus cannot be found in a denomination, where is He? Where can we go and be assured of His presence? We’ll delve into that question in the next article. Please e-mail us if you have any questions -- Contact Us.
References:
Work of the Lord's Church
Worship of the Lord's Church
This page contains articles for each of the acts of worship:
The Lord's Supper
Singing
Prayer
Giving
Preaching the Gospel
Go on to "To His Church" - Article 6
What are the conditions of salvation given by Jesus?
For the past several articles we have been looking at the call Jesus issues to every person—“Follow Me.” We learned in the last article that following Jesus means following Him wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4). One of these places is wherever His followers are gathered, because wherever His people are gathered, He is in their midst (Revelation 1:10-13, 20; 2:1). But as we noted in the last article, His presence is conditional—He will not continue to abide with those who will not abide in His word (Revelation 2:5; 2 John 1:9). Let’s look at one “place” where we will not find Jesus.
We cannot follow Jesus into a denomination, because He won’t be there. That’s not the popular view, so before you reject it, consider the following:
HIS EXAMPLE. Jesus did not join any of the sects (denominations) of his day (Pharisees, Sadducees, etc.), for several reasons.
- Their teaching, at least on some points, was contrary to the will of God (Matthew 16:11-12).
- By joining one of these, He would have promoted loyalty to a party, rather than to God. Jesus said, “I have come...to do the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38), and that’s exactly what He invited others to do (Luke 8:19-21; 11:27-28), independent of any of these sects. Can you imagine Him saying instead, “What we as Pharisees believe...”?
- By aligning himself with one party, he would have separated Himself from others who might follow Him.
HIS PRAYER, especially the one recorded in John 17:20-21: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” How could Jesus support a division (denomination) when He prayed for unity?
HIS TEACHING, such as that recorded in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13: “...that you all speak the same thing...that there be no divisions among you...that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me...that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Read that passage again, very carefully. Do you see any thing that resembles the current state in the religious world? Many denominations have been formed around men and the different doctrines they teach. Clearly, from what we read in the passage above, Christ is not pleased.
THE PURPOSE OF HIS DEATH—“that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:16). Jesus died to bring people together, not to divide them up. So if Jesus cannot be found in a denomination, where is He? Where can we go and be assured of His presence? We’ll delve into that question in the next article. Please e-mail us if you have any questions -- Contact Us.
References:
Work of the Lord's Church
Worship of the Lord's Church
This page contains articles for each of the acts of worship:
The Lord's Supper
Singing
Prayer
Giving
Preaching the Gospel
Go on to "To His Church" - Article 6
What are the conditions of salvation given by Jesus?
