Judge This Case

Here is the case…

A man wanted to build a house for himself. He hired a contractor to construct the house for him. He handed the contractor a blueprint and said, “I am going to Europe for a year. Construct this house for me and when I return I will pay you.”

The contractor began work on the house. The blueprint called for a ranch layout. The contractor thought, “Ranch style houses are old fashioned, no one builds them anymore, traditional three story houses are the style now.” So, a three story went up.

The blueprint had no specifications for a garage and only called for a small concrete parking pad. The contractor thought, “It’s foolish to not have a garage to store stuff in or a driveway to keep the car on .” A two stall garage and matching driveway were added. The blueprint specified tile floors through out, hardwood flooring went down. And so it went.

You get the idea. Time after time the contractor added things he thought were better or simply ignored things he didn’t think were needed. By the time the house was finished it was a house but it was nothing like the house on the blueprint.

Now then, here’s the question before you, should the builder pay the contractor upon his return?

I’m certain your answer would be a quick, no! The contractor didn’t follow the builder’s plan. We would all require the house blueprint to be followed in order for the contractor to be paid the agreed price.

Strangely enough, we seldom apply that requirement in our religious life.

Some 2000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth, before his crucifixion, announced he would build a church.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18 KJV)

In the second chapter of Acts we read…

Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:47 KJV)

At some point between his conversation with Peter and Acts chapter 2, Jesus, the Christ, has built His church. As we read further in the New Testament we find the church that Jesus built was spreading.

The question arises, is there a plan, or blueprint, for these churches that together make up one church? Do these churches spring up willy nilly or is there a plan that must be followed?

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)

Here we see the church is built on truth. The Bible says God’s word is truth.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17)

The Bible also says the word is the seed.

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. (Luke 8:11)

If we want to grow or build a church that conforms to Christ’s church then we need to build it according to the word of God. Adding anything to it, or taking anything away from it, or planting some other seed makes it something other than what Christ ordained.

Christ has left us a plan for God’s church. To build a God accepted, Christ based church we only need to look to the blueprint in the New Testament.

The church of the Bible has no earthly synod, convention or other central ruling earthly body other than Christ and the New Testament.

The church of the Bible has no creeds, doxologies or mission statements. Creeds and mission statements always are less than the Bible or more than the Bible – any more or any less than the Bible is not needed. A creed or mission statement that follows the Bible is not needed, we have the Bible. Creeds and mission statements are outside the Bible and as such are mere additions of men. The church of the Bible uses the Bible, no more, no less.

The church of the Bible has an established founder and foundation time and place – the first Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection, at Jerusalem. Any church started after that time by anyone else, in any place is founded too late, wrong founder, wrong place. Any church based on the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy, John Calvin, Joseph Smith, Martin Luther, Garner Ted Armstrong, Daniel S. Warner and associates. Charles Taze Russell, Ellen G. White, John Wesley, John Smyth or anyone else other than Christ is not the church of the Bible.

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matthew 15:8-9)

He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘ This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me,