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[Note:\u00a0 <\/strong>This MS is available in larger font on our Longer Articles<\/strong>\u00a0 page.]<\/span><\/p>\n Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Occasionally I review some of the sermon material I preached as a young man several decades ago (and am still preaching). I am often impressed with a striking phenomenon: Several of the Biblical principles which I fervently preached then to those who were outside of Christ are the very principles which we must now aim directly at our errant brethren. We will do well to review some of these dual application principles.<\/span><\/p>\n Unity and Fellowship<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n For how long and how many generations have faithful brethren pleaded for unity among professed believers in the Bible! From the beginning of the efforts at the onset of the nineteenth century to restore the Scriptural church, godly men have urged and preached unity based on the New Testament. All of my preaching life I have publicly and privately emphasized that men ought to be and can be one in Christ. The Lord\u2019s prayer (i.e., the actual <\/strong>\u201cLord\u2019s prayer\u201d) for unity in John 17 specifically applies to the apostles and those who would obey the Gospel through their preaching, thus including us (vv. 20\u201321). However, that fact does not imply that the Lord desires that all other men be divided in religion and remain separate from His people.<\/span><\/p>\n Likewise, Paul\u2019s great plea for unity (1 Cor. 1:10\u201313) was addressed to the Corinthian saints who were divided. Their situation is the nearest thing to denominationalism one can find in the New Testament after Pentecost. It is sometimes referred to as \u201cincipient denominationalism,\u201d indicating that its seeds were there, and if left to germinate, they would likely develop into denominationalism. If Paul rebuked a denominational spirit that resulted in division within the church, would he have had no concern about it among unbelievers? In days gone by, brethren almost universally rejected the idea that any kind of spiritual fellowship could exist between us and any of the denominations (2 Cor. 6:14\u201318; Eph. 5:11). The line was clearly drawn and maintained.<\/span><\/p>\n The denominations have repeatedly excused their separateness from one another (and from us) on the oxymoronic principle of \u201cunity in diversity.\u201d In years past they often had their summer \u201cunion meetings\u201d in which various churches (perhaps the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Christian churches) would join forces for a few days in a \u201crevival,\u201d then all go their separate\u2014 and different\u2014ways. Billy Graham holds this same philosophy. He cares nothing about the denominational affiliation of those who respond at his crusades, either before or after they respond\u2014 \u201cGo home and join the church of your choice,\u201d he urges. The denominational \u201cpastors\u201d meet in their ministerial alliances, ignore their doctrinal and practical errors and differences, glad-hand each other, and thank God for their diversity.<\/span><\/p>\n Faithful men and women have for generations emphasized the evil of such a system and have cried out against it. However, we now have a large crop of \u201cif-you-can\u2019t-lick \u2018em-join-\u2018em\u201d folks in\u2014but rapidly making their way out of\u2014the church. They have obviously decided that sectarianism was right all along, and they have declared a truce with them. More than that, they are openly and actively joining fellowship hands with them and bidding them Godspeed. They are active in ministerial alliances and participate in interdenominational religious programs and observances (e.g., \u201cGood Friday,\u201d \u201cEaster,\u201d \u201cThanksgiving\u201d services). They promote and participate in such things as the multidenominational \u201cPromise Keepers.”<\/span><\/p>\n They urge people to attend the crusades of false teachers such as the late Billy Graham and Franklin Graham and serve as \u201ccounselors\u201d for them. They meet year after year with the Independent Christian Church folk and emphasize only the few things we have in common, while relegating to insignificance crucial differences. They exchange local pulpits with Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals\u2014you name it\u2014not to teach them the Truth or refute their errors, but to praise and \u201cbrother\u201d them in their error. All the while, they castigate and condemn as \u201cisolationists\u201d all who rebuke their unabashed compromises. Most certainly, we must now aim strong, persistent teaching and preaching on the meaning of Biblical unity and fellowship\u2014toward our brethren.<\/span><\/p>\n Moral Issues<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n A few decades ago, when we preached and taught on such moral issues as divorce and remarriage, \u201csocial\u201d drinking, wearing immodest apparel, dancing, and other such things, these practices were not very common among the Lord\u2019s own. Most elderships wanted preachers to preach on and warn against these worldly traits. Most members appreciated (and expected) such lessons. Men who did not preach the Bible Truth on moral issues\u2014and with some frequency\u2014were notable exceptions and generally had a hard time finding a place to preach.<\/span><\/p>\n My, how things have changed! Many preachers refuse to preach on such subjects anymore, deeming them unimportant. Others do not preach on them because they know that to do so would incur the wrath of a large number of members. I have heard the following sentiment expressed more than once: \u201cIf so-and-so preached what the Bible teaches on divorce and remarriage where he preaches, the church would lose a dozen couples who are living in adulterous marriages.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Some preach on these subjects all right, but they do not preach the Truth. Many pulpiteers have adopted compromising and anti-Scriptural views on marriage, divorce, and remarriage. They profess inability to comprehend the simple teaching of Jesus on the subject (e.g., Mat. 5:31\u201332; 19:9), but remarkably, they are experts on what He does not <\/strong>mean! Understandably, the churches where they preach have become havens for those who live in adultery. Inevitably, such congregations will eventually appoint men as elders and deacons who are living in adultery. Some congregations knowingly support preachers who are divorced and remarried without Scriptural authority.<\/span><\/p>\n Many elderships do not want these subjects discussed from the pulpit\u2014some for lack of Scriptural convictions in the Truth themselves and others for lack of courage to face the anticipated storm of protest from worldly members. Numerous preachers have lost their jobs\u2014 and many others their convictions\u2014because of such pressures. Preachers in such situations must decide right away whether they will obey God or men (Acts 5:29; Gal. 1:10).<\/span><\/p>\n There are preachers who not only refuse to preach on divorce and remarriage, but on other moral issues as well. As with marriage, divorce and remarriage, some preach on such things as \u201cmoderate\u201d drinking, disrobing in public, dancing, mixed swimming, and the like in order to justify rather than condemn them. These men are paying an awful price to remain in the employment of hedonistic, pleasure-mad members of worldly churches. They will pay an even higher price at The Judgment.<\/span><\/p>\n The Purpose of Baptism<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n All of my preaching life I have emphasized that merely to be immersed in water as a religious act in order \u201cto obey God\u201d does not constitute Scriptural baptism. Several years ago, this emphasis was directed almost altogether toward denominations that administer immersion, but that deny the Scriptural purpose of it (i.e., to receive salvation\/forgiveness through the blood of Christ). Now we have many in the church (some of considerable influence) to whom we must address the Truth on the purpose of baptism. Some of these errant brethren implicitly bypass baptism altogether, piously declaring, \u201cAnyone who calls God his Father is my brother.\u201d Roman Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others who do not even honor the Scriptural action (much less the purpose) of baptism, \u201ccall God their Father.\u201d If these are our brethren, then we may as well tear all of the passages on baptism (to say nothing of fellowship, worship, et al.) out of our New Testaments.<\/span><\/p>\n An even larger clique among us deny that a sinner need know the God-assigned purpose of baptism for it to be Scriptural. If this works on baptism, would it also work on the Lord\u2019s supper? Can one Scripturally partake of the bread and the fruit of the vine \u201cin order to obey God,\u201d but with no knowledge of the Scriptural purpose of doing so? (1 Cor. 11:26\u201329 should settle this question.) Is it necessary to sing praise and pray unto God \u201cwith the understanding\u201d of what we are doing and saying and why (1 Cor. 14:5), but unnecessary to be baptized \u201cwith the understanding\u201d? Those who preach and who still love the Truth will do well to preach some fundamental lessons on baptism\u2014including its God-ordained purpose\u2014to their Sunday morning assemblies!<\/span><\/p>\n The Work of the Church<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In the past, as I would preach on the nature and identity of the New Testament church, I would contrast the various social, recreational, political, and secular emphases of the denominational churches with the singular great work of the church of Christ\u2014preaching the Gospel in all of the world Mat. 28:19; Mark 16:15\u201316). Faithful men have also contrasted the various unauthorized money-raising projects of the denominations with the simple authorized means of free-will offerings each first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:2).<\/span><\/p>\n More and more in recent years we have had to direct these same sermons to many of the congregations with the name Church of Christ <\/em>on their buildings. Numerous brethren have been caught up in the denominational craze to \u201cmeet every felt need\u201d of everyone who comes along, almost from headaches to hangnails. Millions of dollars have been and are being spent on recreational facilities and social programs, which the Lord neither envisioned nor authorized for His church. I well remember working with a Texas congregation many years ago that rightly held a nearby denomination in great contempt because of its gymnasium. That very same congregation built its own gymnasium twenty years later!<\/span><\/p>\n Announcements in church bulletins of ingenious fund-raising programs have been growing over a span of several years now. These include teen car washes, \u201cparking lot\u201d sales (garage sales on the church parking lot), carnivals, \u201cfairs,\u201d and about anything else the sects are doing. Bingo will probably be next. It was once unheard of for any radio or TV program we conducted to solicit funds from unbelievers, but some brethren now do this with no qualms.<\/span><\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This list could be extended to many other subjects, but these few surely illustrate the point of my title. Why do we have to preach to our brethren about so many things that once we directed almost solely toward the denominations? The answer is simple (and unarguable): Many of our brethren have abandoned New Testament doctrine and practice for the precepts and practices of the denominations<\/strong>. They are no longer concerned with doing only what the Lord authorizes (Col. 3:17). All of us who teach and preach must keep drawing the line in a clear and unmistakable fashion between Truth and error and between the church and all competing religious institutions. Many of those I described above are too far gone to reclaim, but we must do our best to salvage all others whom we can.<\/span><\/p>\n [Note: <\/strong>I wrote this MS, and it originally appeared as an \u201cEditorial Perspective\u201d in the March 2001 issue of THE GOSPEL JOURNAL, <\/em>of which I was editor at the time.]<\/span><\/p>\n Attribution:<\/strong> From thescripturecache.com<\/em>; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Views: 0[Note:\u00a0 This MS is available in larger font on our Longer Articles\u00a0 page.] Introduction Occasionally I review some of the sermon material I preached as a young man several decades ago (and am still preaching). I am often impressed with a striking phenomenon: Several…<\/p>\n