Why Are There So Many Denominations In The Church

[warrior12]

33 minutes ago, Charlie1988 said:

I believe that my Church is correct because it is based on the Apostolic Church model. We tick every box, on Gods list of requirements to validate a local Church as being Biblically correct and pleasing to God. 

Our approach to the life of the Church is all about obedience and service to God. Our aim is not to entertain our members and visitors with seeker friendly messages and entertainment. 

There are more than enough scriptures in the Bible which give us clear instruction on what constitutes a Biblically correct Church. If a Church doesn't meet Gods requirements, then God doesn't bless that Church and it is dead. 

We believe that the Old and New Testament is the inspired and infallible Word of God, and the only authoritative rule for faith and practice.

• 2 Tim 3:15-17; Rom 15:4; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

 We believe that the God of the Scriptures is the only true and living God. He is one God who co-exists in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• Exodus 20:1-5; 1 Cor 8:4-6; 1 John 5:7-8; Matt 28:19.

 We believe that in six days God created all things which exist and on the seventh He rested.
• Gen 1-2:2; Exodus 31:14.

 We believe that God is sovereign in all things. In His infinite wisdom and power He directs the affairs of humanity.
• Ps 110:3; Prov 21:1; Is 45:7; Amos 3:6.

 We believe that God created Adam and Eve without sin. He permitted sin to enter the world through a voluntary act of their disobedience.
• Gen 2:16,17; Rom 5:12.

 We believe that God in eternity, before creation, determined to save His chosen people, to deliver them from the power and penalty of sin.
• Matt 25:34; Eph 1:4; Rom 8:29,30.

 We believe that Jesus Christ is the mediator of God’s covenant. Being both fully God and fully man He was able to secure the redemption of God’s elect by dying on their behalf.
• Eph 1:22,23; 1 Tim 2:5,6; Heb 2:16-18; 4:14-16; 9:14,15.

 We believe that the Church is made up of those who have exercised faith in Jesus Christ and repentance toward God.
• Acts 2:38; Acts 8:37; Acts 20:21.

 We believe that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only two ordinances given by Christ to His Church.
• 1 Cor 11:23-31; Acts 20:7; Acts 2:41; Acts 16:31-34.

 We believe that the mandate of the Church is to make disciples of all nations.
• Matt 28:19,20; 1 Cor 1:18-25; Col 1:28; 2 Tim 4:2.

 We believe that God has appointed two offices in the Church, namely elders and deacons.
• Acts 6:1-7; 1 Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9.

 We believe it is God’s will for Christians to assemble together in local congregations on the Lord’s Day (Sunday), to worship Him and encourage one another according to the Scriptural pattern.
• Is 58:13; Ecc 5:1,2; Acts 2:42; 20:7; Heb 10:24,25.

 We believe that as the people of God we have a responsibility to show benevolence to all men, but especially to assist other Churches committed to the same Scriptural truths and principles.
• Acts 11:19-24; Gal 6:10; Phil 4:10,14.

 We believe in the literal return of Jesus Christ at which time He will judge the nations. The redeemed will be with Him forever in the new heavens and the new earth, the ungodly cast into hell for eternity.

• Matt 25:31-46; Acts 1:11; 1Thes 4:18; 2 Peter 3:1-13

 

Real comprehensive list. Thanks.

Do the women remain silent or are they allow to speak and paticipate in the chutch service.

[warrior12]

4 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Marquees of Queensberry rules.

My own water baptism took place in an Independent Baptist Church dunk tank where I was a rather active "member" for some early years after being born again. We loved a good joke on us. Loved to tell 'em too.

Hey, if one can't tell a good joke within every five minutes of a KJV only sermon one can't be considered a good Baptist pastor. "Our" second favorite pastime  was  deciding on, if given a choice to decide, what community we would each be assigned by Jesus to rule over during the millennium period.  Always shared as a joke-sort of, but I don't know if the hearts knew it.

Ahh my Baptist days. Good people but kinda well .... as the say'n goes takes all kinds. Why look at me, well not really, but consider, I am only now becoming part of the great American Hippie Christian movement generally associated with Calvary Chapels. How funny, I was there back in the 1960's right there,- Costa Mesa area and was a suit!

Now more than a half century later I'm a hippie, guess that makes me a laggard. And the potter seems to be still turning me adding water shaping and reshaping me.

I know; I hereby declare the newest denomination and call it Neighbor Church.

Nothing wrong with cowboy boots, jeans with holes in them and . Better tell the whole story.   😀 If the heart is right, i guess you good to go. Can't please them all.

 

[Charlie1988]

12 hours ago, RdJ said:

Those guys who ran away weren't christian and if He only gave it to the apostles that would be bad news for other demoniacs similar to the guy from the Gadarenes. What is the church's answer for those? Go to an unchristian psychiater and take drugs? 

Hey look. I never saw that. He worshipped Him.

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the [a]Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore[c] You by God that You do not torment me.”

8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?”

And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And [d]at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

 

We need to consider a couple of facts here, when dealing with this subject. 

The first thing we should consider, Demons are not in the world today as they were when Jesus came into the world 2000 years ago. So Demonic possession doesn't happen today as it did back then. 

Jesus bound the Devil and His Demons with big chains so they have been in prison for the past 2000 years. So the truth is they can't posses anyone, unless they get a special permit to leave the prison and posses someone, that permit can only be given by the Lord Himself. 

So nobody is possessed today in the same way people were when Jesus came into the world. That's why Jesus didn't give anyone the power and authority to cast out Demons after the Apostles. 

What you do have today, is sinners who rebelled against God and turned to witchcraft and necromancy and that led them to become spiritually sick and many falsely believe that they are possessed by a Demon.

A rebellious sinner doesn't need the help of Demons to become spiritually sick like a Demon. Sin and rebellion against God leads everyone who practices it to become like a Demon. The thing to remember is that sin takes a person into deeper and deeper depravity, until they become exactly the same as a Demon. 

Jesus casts unrepentant sinners into hell when they die. The Bible says that hell was created for the Devil and His Demons, but when man sinned he became the same as a Demon because they used to be good Angels in heaven until they sinned. 

So we can't just blame the Devil and the Demons for our sin, we don't need any help from them to become just as evil as they are. So the sinner needs to be set free from bondage to sin and Satan, and the only way that happens is for the sinner to put his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and not some deliverance Minister.  

[Charlie1988]

12 hours ago, Tristen said:

I understood; however the term “denomination” simply refers to a subgroup of Christianity. It does not necessarily speak to conflict and disunity. Obviously, sometimes there is conflict and disunity – but that is not always the case, and therefore not what the word suggests. Many Christian “denominations” get along perfectly fine with each other – despite their differences (of doctrine, of ministry focus, of demographic focus etc.).

 

I'm "OK with it" if it is done maturely, and expands the church, and furthers the Gospel. But I'm not "OK with it" when it causes conflict and disunity and hinders the Gospel. However, that is more about how we behave towards each other during the formation of a new "denomination" - and not that "denominations" are somehow inherently, conceptually nefarious.

 

Is that what Jesus considers to be "ideal"? I'm not so sure. He is the One who built the church. It seems self-evident to me that He likes variety in His church. He uses that variety to reach more people.

So, if you mean a model where different sub-groups of Christians act a bit more maturely – doing a better job to get along - and learn to progress the Gospel of Christ alongside each other despite our differences, then I agree - that would be "ideal". 

However, if you mean a model where all Christians are lumped under the single human authority (person or organization), holding to all the same doctrines and worship styles, with a single ministry focus determined by the church authority, then I’d suggest that is what lead to the Roman Catholic church becoming corrupted, and tyrannical, and departing from scripture, and needing to be “reformed”.
 

Which infallible human authority are we going to trust to be the arbiter of God's truth? Will anyone be permitted to question the legitimacy of this person/organization - or publicly hold a different opinion to them?

As I said previously, this model has been tried - and it leads to corruption and tyranny and bloodshed and the Gospel being hidden away.

 

You are more comfortable aligning yourself with the accuser of our brethren than I.

Jesus said that He will build His church. I'd posit that we trust He knows what He is doing and get on with working out our own salvation. 

Even if what you claim is true, how can we trust an organization of men not to make a universal "man centered" church. Then where would we be?

 

I think the perspective stated in this comment causes the problems you see in others.

I assume you understand that the people who disagree with your doctrines also consider themselves to be holders of God's truth. There is no humility in suggesting, 'Every sincere Christian should come together under my banner'. What if you are wrong, and they are right?

 

Ultimately, what you are suggesting doesn't work. And more importantly, it is not the model Jesus has chosen.

 

The fact that denominations exist, proves that the majority of professing believers have departed from the Church which Christ established and continues to build it to this day. 

There is only One Lord an One true Church, which is made up of those who Jesus purchased and redeemed. Those who are not joined to His body are not members of His body. He only has One Body, and not many separate bodies doing their own thing. So diversity in that sense is a bad thing.

There is only one gospel message and only one correct understanding of what it means. God is not the author of confusion, there is simplicity in Christ. The only reason denominations exist is because professing believers rejected the simplicity and chose to create their own complicated version of the gospel. 

The Apostolic Church model was very simple, they just followed the instructions Christ gave them. They went out into the whole world and preached the gospel and baptized those who believed, in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit. 

The early Churches had to learn lessons, like leaving their old covenant ordinances such as circumcision, dietary requirements, ceremonial rituals behind and put their trust in the finished work of Christ for their salvation. 

We have the benefit of hindsight, the letters that Paul wrote to the Churches addressed all the issues in the early Church. So we have a clear picture of what God requires of the Church. 

Mans preferences and desires have nothing to do with the true Church, they never come into consideration. So your assessment of my Church as having men directing it is wrong. Jesus is our Director, He is building His Church and we are merely laborious. He is the Boss, we just obey His orders. The problem is is caused by the denominations who who unlawfully usurp authority from Christ and set themselves up as the final authority. 

The true Church of God, has always been united into One Body and Christ continues to expand it regardless of what men think or do. If you want to know which Churches are true, just find out who their leader is. If you find titles like Pope Francis or Joseph Smith, then you can assume it's a man centered organization posing as a Church.        

 

[RdJ]

43 minutes ago, Charlie1988 said:

We need to consider a couple of facts here, when dealing with this subject. 

The first thing we should consider, Demons are not in the world today as they were when Jesus came into the world 2000 years ago. So Demonic possession doesn't happen today as it did back then. 

Jesus bound the Devil and His Demons with big chains so they have been in prison for the past 2000 years. So the truth is they can't posses anyone, unless they get a special permit to leave the prison and posses someone, that permit can only be given by the Lord Himself. 

So nobody is possessed today in the same way people were when Jesus came into the world. That's why Jesus didn't give anyone the power and authority to cast out Demons after the Apostles. 

What you do have today, is sinners who rebelled against God and turned to witchcraft and necromancy and that led them to become spiritually sick and many falsely believe that they are possessed by a Demon.

A rebellious sinner doesn't need the help of Demons to become spiritually sick like a Demon. Sin and rebellion against God leads everyone who practices it to become like a Demon. The thing to remember is that sin takes a person into deeper and deeper depravity, until they become exactly the same as a Demon. 

Jesus casts unrepentant sinners into hell when they die. The Bible says that hell was created for the Devil and His Demons, but when man sinned he became the same as a Demon because they used to be good Angels in heaven until they sinned. 

So we can't just blame the Devil and the Demons for our sin, we don't need any help from them to become just as evil as they are. So the sinner needs to be set free from bondage to sin and Satan, and the only way that happens is for the sinner to put his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and not some deliverance Minister.  

The worst ones have been bound.  It's most of the time not possession but demonic influence. The woman who didn't walk straight, spirit of infirmity. Only her body was bound. She was the possession of God. Or unclean spirits. They didn't leave. Paul said we had to wrestle against them. If someone is addicted to porn those demons come through the tv. Trusting in a minister is no use. Always trust in God, but He may use someone and it's useless if you don't repent from that sin.

[Neighbor]

49 minutes ago, warrior12 said:

Nothing wrong with cowboy boots, jeans with holes in them and . Better tell the whole story.   😀 If the heart is right, i guess you good to go. Can't please them all.

 

Jeans and boots okay, but my sandals and shorts and t-shirt?  Oh sorry bout the ball cap. I wear it cause the overhead lighting bothers my old eyes, making it hard to see the big screen ( Actually two little screens).

[warrior12]

6 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Jeans and boots okay, but my sandals and shorts and t-shirt?  Oh sorry bout the ball cap. I wear it cause the overhead lighting bothers my old eyes, making it hard to see the big screen ( Actually two little screens).

My preference is a simple formality.   I am never one for looking sharp.   But to each his own.  But a well dress man that looks sharp does catch the eye, and there is nothing wrong with that too.

Did not Paul say a bit about women in that area.

Legalism, no , not getting into that.   Back to the topic at hand.

[RdJ]

I just read in a Dutch reformed newspaper that a church that's a combi of 2 types of reformed churches coming together, in a certain city, now lets gay couples take an office. Guy in the comments says: This is why you get church splits. I see another one coming.

In the 90s I was in an evangelical church that later split because half was pro and the other half was anti Toronto blessing.

 

‭I Corinthians 11:18-19 NKJV‬
[18] For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. [19] For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 

https://bible.com/bible/114/1co.11.18-19.NKJV

 

But it can also be because of ego's and building their own kingdom.

[Charlie1988]

11 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Hi, I don't see that  as being correct, not from the testimony within the Bible anyway. For the Bible account at Matthew 12  states that itinerant Jewish exorcists had been doing just that. Doing so in the name of Jesus.

It wasn't until the seven sons of Sceva tried it that  the man who they tried exorcism upon evil spirit  replied  "Jesus I know and Paul too but who are you?" and attacked them.

 ..."Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,  so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.  Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.”  Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.  This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified."

 

My understanding is that Jesus gave the power to cast out Demons to His Apostles only. The Jews who were converted and believed in Jesus, could pray over possessed people and Jesus would answer their prayers and the Demons would go out of the person.

The point I was trying to make is that nobody was given the power and authority to cast out Demons after Paul and the Apostles. I believe the reason is, that there is there was no need to give it to anyone else. Since Jesus bound Satan and the Demons in great chains, so they can't posses anyone like to used to before they were bound up in prison.

If a person today displays signs of being Demon possessed, it's not actual possession like it used to be 2000 years ago. Now people are influenced by the doctrine of Demons who can still operate in the spiritual realm and deceive unbelievers and cause them to become spiritually sick.

A Church Minister can pray over such a person and if they respond by believing in Jesus, then they are set free from their torment.         

[Michael37]

1 hour ago, Charlie1988 said:

I believe your encounter may have been with the Holy Spirit and not Jesus Himself.   

When I shared my testimony from the pulpit one lady asked if Jesus had long hair in the vision of His glistening snow-white glorified form. I couldn't say because a tallit covered His Head.

1 hour ago, Charlie1988 said:

I don't find anything in the Bible to support the notion that Jesus would appear and speak to anyone, after His ascension to heaven.

I was 26 at the time.

Act 2:17  ‘It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.