Some people think that as long as one is a Christian, it is good enough; there is no need to be part of a church. Putting it another way, they want Christ but they do not want the church. It is fine to have individual prayers and Bible studies, but it is too troublesome for them to be related to other people. For this reason many Christians refuse to join any church. This is an unhealthy as well as erroneous concept among Christians. When a person has believed in Christ, not only does he have to negatively reject the world, but he has to positively be part of the church.
Part of a whole
According to the Word of God, there is a corporate aspect to the Christian life. First, we are born into the family of God. We are children in this family. God’s family is a big one, and we have to be children with many others. Second, all the redeemed ones are corporately a house for God’s dwelling. God makes His abode here. Third, together we constitute the Body of Christ. Individually we are members of this one Body and are related to one another.
Hence, no matter from what angle you look, individual Christians are only parts of a whole. It is improper for us to be Christians individually without relating to others. Such an attitude cannot last for long and is damaging to growth. A Christian who takes such a stand will never be able to touch the riches of God or manifest the glory of the light of life.
Born into the biggest family
With this view in mind, we have to realize that we are not the only begotten son in this family. If my father has only begotten me, then I do not have to care about anyone else, because I have no brother. But if I have five other brothers and sisters in my family, then I cannot say, “I just want to be my father’s son. I want nothing to do with the other five brothers and sisters. They are not my concern.” I cannot do this.
Now that we are regenerated and have become Christians, we have to realize that we are born into the biggest family of the world. In this big family we have hundreds and thousands of brothers and sisters. The life we possess demands that we have fellowship with them. If there is no desire within you to visit other brothers and sisters or to shake their hands, I doubt that your regeneration is a genuine one.
The desire to regard the children of God as one’s own brothers and sisters is something that comes from the life of God. It is something sweet and full of love. The nature of the life of God forbids us to be individual Christians. We cannot merely seek our own gain. We have to fellowship with all the children of God and live in this family of love, which is the church of God.
Living stones for the building
There are many big revelations in the book of Ephesians which relate to the church. In chapter two we see one of them — the church is the habitation of God. What God has been desiring for a long time is a habitation, or a dwelling place. Chapter two reveals that God’s habitation is the church.
The church can be God’s habitation because as individual Christians we are living stones (1 Pet. 2:5). But if the living stones are not built up together, there is still no habitation. An individual Christian may not be a dead stone; he may be quite living. But he is only an isolated stone. He is of no use in God’s habitation; God can never dwell there.
This is not all. The new life within us urges us constantly to be built up with other stones. It will never be at ease or feel useful until we are built up into a spiritual house for God to dwell in. If we do not do this, we will feel that we are a piece of waste. I have to put myself into God’s building. Because of me a gap is filled. When I am being built, I become part of the glory and majesty of this house.
Members of the Body
Ephesians 4 tells us that Christians are the Body of Christ. It also tells us that there is but “one Body.” There is only one church in this universe. First Corinthians 12 says that “the body is one and has many members.” This shows us even more clearly that we cannot be isolated or independent.
I am a Christian. I have been fully redeemed by the Lord and received the full grace of God. There is no doubt that I am a child of God. But in this huge Body, I am just a member. I may be a big member, a very useful one, yet I am still only a member. I am merely a part of the Body. I must depend on the other members. Together we become the Body.
For example, my body has eyes, a mouth, hands, and feet. All these are individual members. My eyes are useful only when they are in my head. If I leave them at home, they will become useless. My hands can only function when they are attached to my arms. If they are locked in a safe they are useless. The members can never be detached from the body. If they are detached, they become useless. This is a very crucial relationship.
Not only are the detached members useless, but they are ugly as well. If there was a human leg lying beneath this table, or if you picked up an arm on the road, how would you feel? It is impossible for you to be detached from the Body. The members cannot be independent. They must be attached together.
A mutual life
We have to realize that the life we received is perfect but not complete. God has not given us a complete life. Our life is one that depends on other lives. The life we received from Christ is a mutual life. It is not independent. I have to rely on you, and you have to rely on me. We cannot live without each other. Therefore, we need the church.
Some institutions in the world have their attached departments, and some colleges have attached schools. In the same sense, we Christians are attached one to another. We live by attaching to each other. From the first day on we have to learn not to be independent. We have to be part of the church and live with other children of God.
Hence, to come into the church does not mean to be converted from being an unbeliever to a believer. It means that those who are already Christians should not be independent; rather, they should be related to others in the church.
Not an easy matter
Of which church then should we be a part?
In the old days, this was not a big problem because there was only one church in the whole world. But today the matter has become very complicated. Presently, merely the organized and sizable denominations number at least fifteen hundred. In some cities you can easily name a hundred organizations that call themselves a church. As a Christian it is not easy to choose one out of the fifteen hundred without being somewhat swayed by others’ influence.
The Word of God gives the way
Due to the confusion, the problem of identifying oneself with a church is a very difficult one. Yet if you would go according to the Word of God and look at the matter from the biblical point of view, there is still a way. The Word of God has a clear revelation concerning this matter. It shows us clearly of which church we should be a part.
However, we have to know a little more about the divisions in the church. Only then will we know what God is after. When we have the discernment, we will know which church is according to the Word of God.
Causes of divisions
The causes of the present confusion and divisions among churches can be summarized into the following categories:
(1) Groups are denominated according to geographical reasons. The Anglican or Episcopal Church is one example of this. Anglican means it belongs to the Anglos. It is the Church of England. When it was carried over to America, it was called the Episcopal Church. But it was in reality still the Church of England. When it was brought to China, it became the Church of England in China. And when the Episcopal Church also came to China, it became the Church of England in America in China!
Take the example of the Catholic Church. It is in reality the Church of Rome. When it came to China, it established churches in Shanghai and Foochow. Now Rome is mixed up with Foochow. Many denominations that originate according to geographical reasons confuse the churches throughout the world.
(2) Confusion may arise out of the difference in time. For example, when Catholicism was introduced in China during the Tang dynasty, it was called Nestorianism. Then during the Ming dynasty, a new wave came in distinct from the former Nestorians. During the Ching dynasty, all kinds of sects and denominations started to flow in. None of them were related in any way to the former two groups. When they all came to Shanghai, the time lapse between their establishments had produced a host of different churches.
(3) Churches may be divided according to people. The group that Mr. John Wesley started eventually became the Methodist Church. It has its independent organization and administration and has branches all over the world. Then there is the Lutheran denomination, which was formed after the death of Martin Luther. Now Lutheran churches appear all over the world also. All these divisions are divided according to men. There are many other organizations that denominate themselves in this way.
(4) There may be a difference in the emphasis of truths. Those who emphasize justification by faith set up the Lutheran Church. Those who look to Pentecostal experiences started the Pentecostal churches. And those who believe in immersion, as opposed to sprinkling for baptism, formed the Baptist Church.
Some groups emphasize church administration. Those who believe in the independence of jurisdiction formed the Congregational churches. Those who proposed the order of eldership started the Presbyterian Church. Those who emphasize apostolic succession began the Apostolic Church.
Thus, all these fifteen hundred denominations were formed. Every group has its history and doctrines. If you merely listen to their history or doctrines, it is very difficult to find the way to go. Today if you are in Shanghai or in Foochow, it is a hard thing for you to decide which church you should join.
One church, one city
But the Bible gives a clear and simple word concerning the matter of the church. It has no confusion. If you read the Acts of the Apostles or the beginning of all the Epistles or the first chapter of Revelation, you can see what the Bible calls the churches. They are called “the church in Rome,” “the church in Jerusalem,” “the church in Corinth,” “the church in Colossae,” etc. In Revelation 1 there are seven churches in seven localities. We can see that the Bible designates the churches according to only one way. There is no other way. Rome is the name of a city. So is Corinth, Ephesus, Colossae, or Philippi. They are all names of cities. The churches are identified according to the names of cities. Other than the difference in localities, there is no other way for the churches to be differentiated. The church has its locality as its unit. Other than a division according to this unit, the Bible gives no further ramifications.
Neither bigger nor smaller
Hence, whether a church is big or small, its unit is the locality. Anything smaller than the locality cannot be the unit of the church, nor can anything bigger. What does it mean to have something smaller than the locality?
The first chapter of 1 Corinthians shows us clearly that there was only one church in Corinth. If some among them should say, “I am of Paul,” while some other said, “I am of Apollos,” with a third party saying, “I am of Cephas,” and a fourth proclaiming, “I am of Christ,” the church would be divided into four parts. Every one of these parts would be smaller than the boundary of the locality. The Bible calls this division and walking according to the flesh. This kind of division produces sects which God hates.
But the church cannot be bigger than a locality either. The Bible shows us that Galatia, which was a province containing many cities, had many churches. It calls them “the churches of Galatia” (Gal. 1:2).
Again, Asia is a region. It consists of different areas. The Bible says that there were seven churches in Asia. Note that it does not mention a unified organization. Rather, it mentions seven individual local churches.
In Foochow, God ordained that there should only be one church, which is the church in Foochow. We cannot have a number of churches in one city. Fukien, however, is a province with many cities. In this province God has not sanctioned a church of Fukien. Anything that is bigger or smaller than the locality cannot form the basis for the church.
No other name
This is not all. A church can only be named after its locality. It cannot have any other name. This is also quite clear from the Bible. The church should not be prefixed by the name of any person, system, country, origin, or doctrine. It must only contain the name of the locality.
Hence, you cannot have a church of Rome in Shanghai or the Church of England in Foochow. Even the Church of Christ in China is something not found in the Bible. Wherever you are, you are the church in that locality. If you want to change churches, you have to move to another locality.
Born into the church
After a man has believed in Jesus Christ through the mercy of God, he must realize that God has put him into the church. He is born into it in the same way that a member is born a part of the body. There is no need to join the church, for he is already a part of it. However, for the sake of knowing and fellowshipping with other brothers and sisters, he should find a church that stands on the ground of locality. He should go to them and say, “I am a Christian. Let us have fellowship together.” In this way he will be able to function with other members in the Body of Christ and will be able to run a straight course and experience fast progress in his Christian life.