FACING GIANTS DENOMINATIONALISM

When I was growing up, eating out at a restaurant was a treat. It was a special treat to go to a restaurant in Rossville, GA known as “Bea’s.” It was a buffet restaurant with very reasonable prices. You went in and sat at a round table with a “lazy susan” in the middle and they brought the food to the table. It was my favorite place to eat. I still enjoy buffet restaurants. There is a great variety of food. You can pick what you want and pass over what you do not like. Aren’t buffets great?

We have a spiritual buffet in the religious world. There are all kinds of churches to choose from. Pick and choose from what you like and don’t like. Some of the differences are of no significance: where they meet, size of the crowd, time (on Sunday) when they meet. Other differences do matter because they are not in following God’s will. Not all religious people are right with God. Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’(Matthew 7:21-23). Paul warned that some would depart from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1). He urged Timothy to preach the word because the time was coming when Christians would not accept sound doctrine and would turn away from the truth (2 Timothy 4:2-4). Many people today base their “church preference” on likes and dislikes rather that the Word of God.

Over the years, more and more people drifted away from God’s will. This departure from the truth has resulted in a divided religious world. This is the opposite of what Jesus wanted. He prayed, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21). Some estimates suggest there are over 20,000 religious denominations in the world today. How is that fulfilling the Lord’s prayer that believers be one? The word “denominationalism” refers to the divided religious world that has adopted the philosophy of “live and let live.” Co-exist with one another, accept one another’s differences, and agree to disagree, because one church is as good as another.

Not only has Satan used this giant to cause unbelief, he is also using it to influence the church of Christ. Some congregations are mimicking the denominations by using musical instruments in worship, serving the Lord’s Supper on days other than Sunday, permitting women to take leadership roles over men, teaching falsely on baptism and salvation, and other practices and teaching not found in Scripture. We need to search out what the Bible teaches and make sure what we are believing, practicing, and teaching is based on the authority of our Lord (Colossians 3:17).
--Lamar