CAPITALISM - AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN WHICH INVESTMENT IN AND OWNERSHIP OF THE MEANS   OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, AND EXCHANGE OF WEALTH IS MADE AND   MAINTAINED CHIEFLY BY PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS OR CORPORATIONS.
 As an economic system Capitalism works as well if not better than any other that has ever been used. We need to remember, however, that an economic system is just an economic system and not any part of the foundation for Christianity. It seems to me by all accounts of the early church that the system of economics working actively among them was a form of voluntary socialism or communism. Not that they divided everything equally, nor was it forced, but they had all things in common, no one thought of the possessions he had as his own, and they willingly sold their goods to care for the poor among them. I would like to see this attitude of stewardship return to the Lord’s church.

Capitalism is an effective economic system for a country, but the church cannot be effective if it holds too tightly to that doctrine. I have been in congregations where capitalism had taken over the church and the results were disastrous for the body. Here are a few of the problems that developed and the error of the thinking involved.

1) “Don’t sit there that is MY seat” - Have you ever seen this? Are you guilty of it? The Pharisees had a problem kind of like this one; (Mat 23:2) “Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:” (Mat 23:6) “And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,” We don’t want to be like them

2) “Do it how I want or I will take MY money out of the treasury” - We need to remember that all that we have is a gift from God. The money that has been given into our keeping is not ours, nor do we deserve it any more than we deserve the air we breathe or the water we drink. We have no right to take God’s money out of the treasury unless the church is being disobedient to Him with it.

3) “This is MY/OUR church and we decide how things are done” - Is it really? Did any of us die to purchase the church with our blood? Are we baptized into our names our Christ’s name? What name does the church wear?  If it is the bride of Christ it better wear his name. There are no doubt many congregations and entire denominations that don’t belong to Christ, but we better.  Christ is the one who decides what his church is to do and we are here to obey.

4) “ME and MY FAMILY built this church” - Did you really, now?! If you and your family or my family and I built the church with which we worship then it is safe to say it isn’t the same one that Christ promised to build in Matthew 16:18

Now someone will say, “You know what I meant, and it isn’t like you are interpreting it”. I realize that we many times use phrases in our common language that are not meant in the way we say them. We say it is MY church meaning that it is the congregation I worship with. Often when someone speaks of building the church they mean the building. We must realize that many of the things we say leave the wrong impression and sometimes our speech exposes our true feelings. The church is spiritual and not physical, and it belongs to Christ. We cannot nor should we want to own it. We instead should be content and happy to be part of it.

CANNIBALISM - A PERSON WHO EATS HUMAN FLESH
 I got a book while I was in Yellowstone a couple of weeks ago about the deaths that have occurred in that park since it was discovered and established. Some of the deaths were accidents, some intentional, some as a result of negligence on someone’s part, and others as a result of animal attacks. Many of these could be considered gruesome, but the ones that have seemed most disturbing to me were the cases of people who were killed and partially or even completely devoured by grizzly bears.  There are probably many people who would place Jeffrey Dahmer as worse than Hitler because of the fact that he ate parts of his victims. We can think of nothing more horrifying than one person eating another. Despite the appalling nature of this atrocious act it is an all too common occurrence in the church. I am referring to the spiritual parallel not the literal physical act. Backbiting, biting off someone’s head, having a preacher roast, and chewing the fat (gossip) are present all too often among groups of people who are supposed to be living like Christ. Peter warns us that the devil is trying to devour us. (1 Pet 5:8) “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” We expect that from him, but we are often surprised by his companions, our fellow Christians, who are helping him scrape the bones clean.

Are we doing Satan’s job for him? Paul warns us that none of us will win if we attack each other. (Gal 5:14-15)  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. {15} But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Cannibalism goes against everything the Bible teaches about the way we should treat one another. If it is horrendous for one person to eat another’s flesh, how much more so for us to devour one another’s souls and spirits. Don’t be a cannibal.

BROMISM OR BROMINISM - SKIN ERUPTIONS CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE USE OF BROMIDES
What are bromides? The dictionary gives basically 3 definitions for ’bromide’, 1) a salt consisting of two elements one of which is bromine (a dark red, fuming, toxic liquid), 2) a platitude, and 3) a boring person. As you can see any of those could be problematic for the church.

1)When Jesus said we should be the salt of the world I don’t think he was referring to this kind of salt. Salt is very important and we need it in our physical bodies as well as our spiritual bodies, but we also know that many health problems are aggravated or even caused by an excess of salt. In our spiritual lives we need to strive for the proper proportions. If we lose our flavor as Jesus said we won’t be ‘worth our salt.’ We will need to be thrown out. On the other hand, if we have too much salt; as the sons of thunder did when they wanted to call down fire from Heaven to consume those who rejected Jesus, we will do damage to the cause of Christ. Some ‘Christians’ were blunt to the point that instead of showing an individual what the scriptures said in a loving way, and allowing that individual to realize his lost state, they would tell the person something to this effect, “You are going to hell.” Not only were the words harsh, but the impression left behind was, ”You are going to hell to suffer for eternity, and I am glad of it.” Anytime we leave that kind of an impression with someone we have done more harm than good.

I often think back to the homosexual man who was killed out in Wyoming. At his funeral there were people claiming to be Christians with signs and banners proclaiming the judgement of God against homosexuals, and explaining how they would spend eternity suffering. I did not see a single one that told the people attending that funeral of God’s love and desire for all of us to come to him, or of the fact that if they will repent He will freely forgive. It is no wonder many in the sin homosexuality don’t want to become Christians and change if they think we all act like those individuals.

2) On the other hand we don’t need to be spouting meaningless or overused platitudes. If you have just experienced some tragedy in your life, even if I went through a similar tragedy, I don’t know how you feel. Telling me that all things work for good, which I already know, doesn’t help much when I am in the depths of despair. There are so many things that we say that just don’t help. Sometimes it’s best to just be there and be quiet. Job was comforted by the presence of his friends until they started talking. (Job 2:13) “So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.”

3) Many in the world think that the Christian life is boring. Some of them think this way because we don’t get drunk, sleep around, do drugs, or any other of the things that sinful people seem to think is exciting. If that is the reason then let them keep thinking that way, I will take the boring path. There are some though that have gotten the impression from us that a Christian has to be miserable, or at least somber, all the time. We have given that impression at times. If we walk around looking like we were baptized in vinegar and weaned on a pickle what do we expect. It isn’t very pleasant to be around someone who never smiles or laughs, never plays a game, and never whistles or hums a tune or sings a cheery song.

There is an old story that you may have heard. Jesus was showing one of the angels around the earth. He pointed out all the places He had been when He was here; the temple, the garden, the cross, the tomb, etc. Then Jesus took the angel to an assembly of the church and explained to the angel that these were the people who had accepted his love and returned it in their obedience. Jesus told the angel how these people were on their way to Heaven and could spend an eternity there with the other angels, and with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The angel was excited about this even though he had known it for 2000 years, and he looked at the people gathered together singing and praying and studying the Bible. After seeing the looks of boredom, solemness, sadness, and seriousness on their faces the angel turned to Jesus and asked, “Do you want me to tell them or are you going to?” Let’s be sure to live our lives in such a way that others know that we know that Christianity is a better way to live in this world and in the next.

BINOMIALISM - NAME CONSISTING OF A GENERIC AND SPECIFIC TERM
This is, of course, a scientific term for the type of naming that scientists do. “Homo sapiens”, for example, is the binomial name for humans. This in and of itself has caused some problems for Christians because of the fact that different species (that is the second part) can sometimes breed. The wolf and the domesticated dog have been mated to produce mixes. Scientists have tried to use these occurrences to prove evolution, and to throw doubt on the Biblical account of creation and the flood. The Bible, however, never says anything about “genus” and “species”; rather it speaks of kinds which is broader than the “species” that we know today. A wolf and a dog are two separate species, but they are the same kind. But, we want to look at a spiritual application.

From a spiritual point of view, Binomialism could refer to the way many who claim to be Christians aren’t satisfied with wearing the name of Christ and only the name of Christ. There are many that claim to be some ‘kind’ of Christian. Many use their denominations name along with Christ’s. Others try to describe some distinction between themselves and others. We have probably heard terms like: Evangelical Christian, Protestant Christian, or Pentecostal Christian. We often hear the question, “What kind of Christian are you?”. The reply may be: Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, etc. Paul condemned this type of thinking when he wrote to the church in Corinth. (1 Cor 1:10-13) “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. {11} For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. {12} Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. {13} Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”

If ever unity is to exist we must, among other things, first stop using man made names and titles and stick to what God has given us in his word. We seem to want to insist on this use of man made distinctions, however. We have: non-institutional or anti- churches, one-cup churches, black churches, white churches, liberal churches, mainstream churches, conservative churches, ultra-conservative churches, etc. We must continually ask ourselves as Paul asked the Corinthians, “Is Christ divided”. I am not in any way advocating union without regard to doctrine, quite to the contrary I am emphasizing that we can never truly be the church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ until we give up human names and doctrines and fully embrace his name and doctrine. 

BARBITURISM - POISONING CAUSED BY USE OF A BARBITURATE
Compton’s Encyclopedia says, “Several types of chemicals induce sleep and cause intoxication. These chemicals also cause physical and psychological dependence. The group includes ethyl alcohol, barbiturates, methaqualone, and many related sedatives. Barbiturates, also known as downers, may be prescribed by doctors for insomnia and tension. It is very easy to become addicted to them, and they cause severe depression. Those taking barbiturates can easily lose track of how many they have taken. This can lead to a fatal overdose.” You have probably heard of these drugs and possibly known someone affected by them. In a spiritual sense we may be drugged like this as well. Satan wants nothing more than to destroy the church and all Christians, and to do that he will use any means necessary. One interesting thing about these drugs is that the person taking them often doesn’t realize the effects until it is too late.

Satan puts us to sleep with his drugs and if he can give us enough we slip into a coma and eventually die a spiritual death. Sin in our life is one of those drugs that the devil gives us, but Paul says that Jesus has the cure. (Eph 5:14) “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Complacency and indifference to the cause of Christ, the true cause of Christ (reaching the lost), are both symptoms of an overdose of Satan’s drugs. We may be involved in lots of activities related to the Social Gospel, but we may be neglecting the essential part of Christianity. Many churches today fit this description. It sounds a lot like the church in Sardis as described by John, (Rev 3:1-2) ”And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. {2} Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” Satan had the whole church at the brink of death and they were going along like nothing was wrong.

If we think that we can live as part of the world and still be pleasing to God we are truly intoxicated by sin. Paul tells Timothy the same thing concerning widows. Even though specifically aimed toward widows it applies to all of us, (1 Tim 5:6) “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” We need to check ourselves regularly with the Great Physician to be sure that we are not under the influence of Satan’s barbiturates.

AMORPHISM - LACKING FORM

Some words can have more than one meaning or application and this is one of those words. It doesn’t really have any religious connotations, but we can make application. It technically refers to something like an amoeba or a cloud that can change shape and has no definite form. There are two ways we can apply this problem to the church, individually, and collectively.

1. There are some Christians (preachers, elders, etc.) who have no backbone, so to speak. These people will not stand up for the truth. They believe the truth, but they just don’t have the intestinal fortitude to defend it from attack. (Jude 1:3) Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

There are others who are just plain wishy-washy about what they believe. I do not mean those who are honest enough to change if they see that they are contrary to the teaching of scripture. I also am not referring to those sincere individuals who are struggling to find the truth on some issue. Even though both of these might seem to be suffering from amorphism, they are really just trying to define their form. Those I am speaking of are those who love the praise of men more than the praise of God and are thus willing to “go with the flow” even when the flow is going contrary to God’s will. Whatever is popular is what they believe. (Eph 4:14-15) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; {15} But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

2. Another danger that falls here is the belief that the church itself is amorphous. The number of ‘Christians’ who believe: that we are on our own and that the New Testament doesn’t lay a pattern or form for the church, is growing. Because of a desire to do things in a ‘new’ way these individuals are teaching that the only things that matter are loving God and loving each other. It is true that Christ Himself said those were the “GREATEST” two commandments, but he never said they were the “ONLY” commandments. The fallacy of this thinking lies in the assumption that one can love God without doing what God said do. Jesus said that our love would be expressed in the action of keeping his commands. (John 15:14) Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. And (John 14:15) If ye love me, keep my commandments. What’s more he made it clear that if the apostles, and by virtue of their teaching us as well, wanted to continue in His good favor, they had to obey him. (John 15:10) If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

Many might say, “that is true, but Jesus didn’t command all the things written in the letters to the churches.” Another lack of knowledge is the problem here. There are two principles: The inspiration of the word, and the chain of authority both refute this illogical position. The apostles placed commands on the Christian individual and on congregations, there is no questioning that. (2 Th 3:4) And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. This passage as well as others shows us that the apostles certainly thought they had the authority to make commands and expect them to be followed. Where did they get that authority? It came directly from Christ and through the Holy Spirit. Christ gave the apostles authority to bind. (Mat 16:19) And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. The commands of the apostles bear the full authority and endorsement of Christ. Let us be sure that we are not a church without a foundation, or like the man who built his house on the sand ours too will crumble and fall.

ABSENTEEISM - PRACTICE OF BEING ABSENT
We understand the need to go to work everyday. We understand that children won’t learn if they are not taught everyday. Why is it that so many don’t understand the need to assemble with the saints every time they are together? All of us must be absent at times because of illness, travel, or work. Absenteeism isn’t about those times, but rather the practice of being absent. Allowing a habit to form that nearly always leads to total disassociation from the body of Christ is a danger not only to one’s self, but also to the entire body as a whole. How would we function if on several days of the week certain parts of our bodies didn’t show up? Can you imagine what life would be like if on Monday we had no sight, Tuesday we couldn’t hear, Wednesday we couldn’t use our arms, etc.? The church can no more function without all of its members than our bodies can. The Hebrew writer warns us of the consequences of choosing such a path in Heb. 10:23-27. The only thing waiting down that path is “judgement and fiery indignation”. Think how much better the alternative to say as David did in Psalm 122:1 “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD’.” Assemble with the saints here on earth to prepare for the great assembly of saints in Heaven

When Jesus was about to be arrested the gospels record that He went to the Mount of Olives and prayed. Many may recall that He asked His Father to “let this cup pass” 3 times. It must have been important for Him to mention it 3 times. But, did you know that there was something else that He prayed for that night that He mentioned not 3, but 4 times? Something so important to Him that even with His impending death only hours away He prayed about this thing more than the crucifixion itself. Was He asking God to be sure to raise him up again? No. Was He praying for some other need that He had? No. He was praying for His followers. In fact, He was praying for everyone who has ever been a believer. He prayed that all the believers might be one, and He prayed it at least 4 times (John 17:11-23). How sad Christ must be as He looks down on the hundreds of divisions among the people who claim to follow Him.

This is certainly nothing new, it has been going on since the first century (1 Corinthians 1:10-13), but that is no excuse for us to allow it to continue in our lives. He was not pleased with division then and He is not pleased with it now. In one county there are at least 20 different kinds of churches with 20 different doctrines about how to become a Christian, how to worship God, and/or how to get to Heaven. There are over 40 churches listed in the phone book and oddly enough some with the same teachings have divided for various other reasons. This county is certainly not unusual in this regard. Churches split almost daily for one reason or another, and new denominations spring up nearly as often. I have a book almost 2 inches thick full of information on different denominations in the United States. 

Is this what Jesus was praying for when he prayed that “they all might be one”? I can’t believe it is. Many people say “one church is as good as another”, or “choose the church of your choice”, or “we are all serving the same God”, or “we are all Christians just taking different paths to get to the same place”, or something similar. That sounds nice and most people like to hear that. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “Is that true?”. Can we choose any way we want to get to Heaven or does God specify? Can someone become a Christian 20 different ways? Who gets to decide what is acceptable worship and what is not? In other words, what standard of authority, if any, are we following.

Interestingly enough, the answer is in Jesus’ own prayer in John 17. He asks God to sanctify(literally, ‘make holy’) His followers by God’s truth (John 17:17). Then He gave the source of God’s truth, “thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, Jesus asks God to make His followers holy by using his true word. If we believe that the Bible is God’s word then when we have disagreements we can look to the Bible to give us the answers that are right with God and that will make us holy.

Jesus promised to build only one church in Matthew 16:18. He prayed for unity no less than 4 times the night he was betrayed(John 17). He said we must not only call Him, Lord, but also do the will of His Father to enter the kingdom (Matthew 7:21). Ephesians 4:4 tells us there is only one body, and Colossians 1:18 teaches that the body is the church and Christ is the head of that body. Any other arrangement causes deformity. Christ is not one head with multiple bodies, nor can the church have any head other than Christ. One more thing along this line, in Matthew 7:14 Jesus makes it clear that there is only one gate that leads to life and one way to that one gate. He also said we must find it. We can’t make our own path to get to heaven because no man has ever been there. We must follow the path that Jesus laid out for us.

Just remember God is not the source of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Here is something for you to ponder as you go through the week. If Jesus only built one church, as he promised, and there are over twenty in your area; assuming one of them is the church Christ built, who is responsible for building all the others? We should all want to be a part of the church Christ built of which He is the head and savior. Study God’s Word and see if you can find the church that you are a member of mentioned and described there.

Jesus asked the people about John the Baptizer 3 times in Luke 7:24-26. He asked them what they had gone out into the wilderness to see. Then He made some silly guesses. Did you go to see a reed shaken with the wind? Of course that was not it. Was it a man dressed in fancy clothes? No, you wouldn’t go to the desert to see that. Well, was it a prophet? Ah, yes that was it the people thought of John as a prophet, but what would Jesus say about him? Jesus not only acknowledged that John was a prophet, he said John was much more than just a prophet. In fact, He said John was the greatest prophet that had ever lived. According to verse 27 Jesus believed John was “the prophet,” the one that was supposed to come and announce the messiah, the second Elijah (Matthew 17:10-13). Yes, Jesus thought John was a pretty important person. 

Remember that there is no record of John ever performing a single miracle. Miracles are not what makes someone great. So, what made John such a special prophet? His message. The other prophets had prophesied about that great time off in the future when God would establish his kingdom (Genesis 49:10; Daniel 2:44, Zechariah 9:9, Joel 2:28-32,  etc.). John was the one who got to preach, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”(Matthew 3:1-3). He got to tell people that the glorious time promised for centuries was finally coming. Even though the kingdom was close and many that heard John’s teaching would enter that kingdom when it was established on the day of Pentecost some 3-4 years in the future(Mark 9:1; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 2:4), John himself would not get the opportunity to be a part of the kingdom that he preached about. John was executed by Herod(Matthew 14:1-12) before Jesus built his church, the kingdom of God on earth (Matthew 16:18-19). This explains the statement that Jesus closes with. Regardless of how great John was, Jesus says that the least important person who was IN the kingdom would be greater than John. 

Imagine that! Every true Christian (not every one who claims Christianity) who has ever lived is greater than John the Baptist. Christians have access to things that John and the prophets never dreamed of. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that all spiritual blessings are in Christ. Paul explains in (Ephesians 1:9; 3:3-12; 6:19-20 and Colossians 1:26-27; 4:2-4 ) that the mystery that was hidden from the foundation of the world has now been revealed through the apostles and inspired Christian writers of the New Testament. Christians have access to the blood of Christ and to Christ Himself as our High Priest. The list could go on and on. Suffice it to say we live under a better covenant with better promises and a better mediator (Hebrews 8:6). If you are not in God’s kingdom you better get there before it is too late.

Now, let’s switch gears and ask a similar question for all of you “church goers” out there. Think about the last time you went to church. What did you go in there to see? Did you go to see who else would be there? I hope not. Did you go to see who would have the best clothes? For shame. Worse yet, did you go because your favorite team won a game and you want to rub it in? Did you go to be entertained by a choir and a preacher’s anecdotes and jokes? Some do. Maybe you only went because you didn’t have “anything better” to do. Did you go to see what you would get out of it? That seems increasingly to be the primary reason people go to church. 

If you are going to a church where the focus is on the “audience” or if you want the focus to be on you, then you need to make a change. Jesus built the church so that the focus would be on HIM not us. What do you go to see? I hope and pray that each of you will begin thinking of worship as something for God and not something for you. When we change our focus in this way we should realize that many of the things that are being done in many churches are done not because God wants them done, but because of human arrogance and selfishness. When we go to worship God he is the audience, not those sitting in the pews.

If everyone was doing what God wants in religion, then there wouldn’t be dozens of churches in every city. Division comes from men doing what they want instead of what God commands in scripture.

Is that an offensive question to you? If so, ask yourself why. The reason, most likely, is that you believe the idea that you can join the church of your choice, I can join the church of my choice, and others can join the church of their choice with all of us meeting in heaven at the end. This idea has been spread throughout the country and anyone who disagrees with it is considered judgmental and divisive. Since the idea of one Christian group being just as good as another has been embraced by most people the movement now is to equate the Christian religion with all other world religions. My last article dealt with the distinctive nature of Christianity. Now, if you are willing I want to challenge you to examine the idea that all churches are of equal value and see if it is true.

First, some believe that a big church is better than a small church, or that a rich church is better than a poor church. That is ridiculous, God is interested in faithfulness not money or prestige. Noah and his family were only 8 people in the whole world, but God thought they were the better group. In the letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 there was a poor church, Smyrna, and a rich church, Laodicea, read it and see whether God thought they were of equal value. Despite these two examples, we cannot go to the other extreme and assume the smallest and poorest are always better. Quite simply size, wealth, and popularity from men is irrelevant in God’s eyes.

I believe there are some things that can and will make one church better than another. Look at the following comparisons and see if you find them to be true. They may seem rather obvious, but they fly in the face of the idea that it doesn’t matter which church you go to or of which you are a part.

(1) A church established by the Lord is better than a church established by men.
(2) Churches that teach truth are better than churches that teach error.
(3) Churches that teach all the truth are better than those that teach only part of the truth.
(4) A church whose doctrines give all glory to God is better than one whose doctrines give glory to men.
(5) A church whose sole authority is the Word of God is better than one that refuses to obey Christ’s commands and takes for doctrines the commandments of men.
(6) A church that encourages godly living is better than one that allows and encourages sinfulness to continue unchecked.
(7) Churches that worship in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24) are better than those that worship in vain (Mt. 15:9).
(8) Churches that practice the truths they teach are better than those that do not.

Now, honestly, do you really believe that all the churches in the world, or even in your community are equivalent in these 8 areas? How does your church stack up? Compare churches not by size, wealth, location, building and grounds, its history or age, or any other worldly measure. Instead compare churches by their willingness to teach and practice the things God teaches in the New Testament of Jesus Christ. If you still believe churches are pretty much the same, take a closer look at the 7 churches in Revelation. Five of those churches were sternly warned because of their sinfulness and 2 of them were on the verge of being disowned (2:5, 3:16). Two others had wicked factions that God was going to fight against and destroy (2:14-16, 2:20-23). Another is already mostly spiritually dead and the rest is about to die (3:1-3). There are two churches that are complimented and encouraged because they were faithful. Which of these seven churches would you have wanted to be a part of if you had been there?

At the time Revelation was written there was only one church in each of these 7 towns some faithful Christians were stuck to do the best they could in some unfaithful churches. There are in your community today dozens of different churches. There is no reason for anyone to feel stuck in a church that is spiritually dead, full of wickedness, practicing false doctrine, following men, or any of the other things mentioned above. Let me suggest that we have two responsibilities if we find ourselves in that kind of church. First it is our responsibility to point out the problem biblically, point out the biblical solution, and encourage the change necessary to correct the problem. If that attempt were to fail, then we have our second responsibility: to stop supporting sin and error and come to the truth ourselves even if no one else follows. The fact of the matter is that regardless of what they call themselves those who reject the counsel of God against their own souls and will not repent are not Christians: they are not believers. In 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 Paul reminds us that we should not be yoked together with unbelievers, and that we are to come out from among them and be separate. If you cannot find a church that follows the Bible it is still your responsibility to worship God as He demands, even if that means you are alone as Noah was in his day.

How would you feel on the day of judgment if your association with sinful false teachers caused your friends, neighbors, children, or other family members to be lost? What if you yourself become one of those who call Jesus, ‘Lord, Lord’, but to whom He responds, “Depart from me”? 

If you are looking for a church look for the best and go even if it is miles away. Just be sure that you determine its value based on the Bible and not on any other basis.