Naming His Church.
The meaning of denomination is "to name." How would Jesus have responded if someone would have given "their name" to His Church during His time on earth? Jesus is alive today and He is not limited to one geographical area as He was during is physical presence on earth. How do you think He feels about the different names that people have attributed to buildings and call it His Church?
We are named after the Father, how dare we be so conceded and selfishness to name what we say is "His Church" after men or some catchy phrase. Yet, it is done without a second thought. as though we have a mandate from Jesus Himself. We use such names as Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Episcopalian, and Church of Christ, New covenant, Calvary Chapel, Christian Life, Christian Fellowship, Faith Tabernacle, etc.. the naming is without an end…. and so are the divisions.
Being a Believer makes us a member of the family of God, a child of God, a part of the Church of God. The Father calls us the "Called-out-ones, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ", these names are not names we call our groups or meeting places, these are words spoken from the Father to His children. It is a DESCRIPTION not a DENOMINATION.
The Church is the kingdom of God, can you imagine John or Jesus preaching the "kingdom of the Baptists" the kingdom of the Pentecostals" or the "kingdom of the Methodists"?
John 17 contains the high-priestly prayer of Jesus before His death on the cross. In verse 11, He prayed, "Holy Father, keep through your “own name” those whom you have given me, that they may be one (one name, one body), as we are one."
The Church is a family relationship, and we don't put names on families. The family carries the name of their Father. The church meets in the name of the Father. His Church is RELATIONAL, not INSTITUTIONAL. The institutional Church thinks in terms of corporate, impersonal, commercial, business, company, structural, organizational, etc..
Would you stand before Jesus carrying the name some religion has decided for His body? How dare we throw in the face of Jesus' prayer for unity our various names that have only deepened the division of His body?
Believers have accepted division without a second thought and our deception has failed us to further inquire into the nature of the consequences of our actions.
Jesus said in John 5:43, "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in “his own” name, him you will receive."
This idea of naming was first started by the Corinthians, they used the apostles names to segregate and separate their groups one from the other. They sought an identity separate and apart from Christ. 1 Cor 1:12-13, "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?"
Also we see the same kind of man-made pattern in Mark 9:5-8, "Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You (Jesus denomination), one for Moses (Moses denomination), and one for Elijah (Elijah denomination)' because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!'" By hearing Jesus, God will build His church. "Let him who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Whenever we are asleep spiritually, we justify our deceptions until our deceptions become the traditions of men and we accept the traditions as being Godly! God is looking for new wine skins for the new wine being poured out today. Jesus is building "His" called-out-ones, His Church using living stones (people) and not materials of wood and mortar.
We are named after the Father, how dare we be so conceded and selfishness to name what we say is "His Church" after men or some catchy phrase. Yet, it is done without a second thought. as though we have a mandate from Jesus Himself. We use such names as Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Episcopalian, and Church of Christ, New covenant, Calvary Chapel, Christian Life, Christian Fellowship, Faith Tabernacle, etc.. the naming is without an end…. and so are the divisions.
Being a Believer makes us a member of the family of God, a child of God, a part of the Church of God. The Father calls us the "Called-out-ones, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ", these names are not names we call our groups or meeting places, these are words spoken from the Father to His children. It is a DESCRIPTION not a DENOMINATION.
The Church is the kingdom of God, can you imagine John or Jesus preaching the "kingdom of the Baptists" the kingdom of the Pentecostals" or the "kingdom of the Methodists"?
John 17 contains the high-priestly prayer of Jesus before His death on the cross. In verse 11, He prayed, "Holy Father, keep through your “own name” those whom you have given me, that they may be one (one name, one body), as we are one."
The Church is a family relationship, and we don't put names on families. The family carries the name of their Father. The church meets in the name of the Father. His Church is RELATIONAL, not INSTITUTIONAL. The institutional Church thinks in terms of corporate, impersonal, commercial, business, company, structural, organizational, etc..
Would you stand before Jesus carrying the name some religion has decided for His body? How dare we throw in the face of Jesus' prayer for unity our various names that have only deepened the division of His body?
Believers have accepted division without a second thought and our deception has failed us to further inquire into the nature of the consequences of our actions.
Jesus said in John 5:43, "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in “his own” name, him you will receive."
This idea of naming was first started by the Corinthians, they used the apostles names to segregate and separate their groups one from the other. They sought an identity separate and apart from Christ. 1 Cor 1:12-13, "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?"
Also we see the same kind of man-made pattern in Mark 9:5-8, "Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You (Jesus denomination), one for Moses (Moses denomination), and one for Elijah (Elijah denomination)' because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!'" By hearing Jesus, God will build His church. "Let him who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Whenever we are asleep spiritually, we justify our deceptions until our deceptions become the traditions of men and we accept the traditions as being Godly! God is looking for new wine skins for the new wine being poured out today. Jesus is building "His" called-out-ones, His Church using living stones (people) and not materials of wood and mortar.
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