have you ever asked yourself...

Jesus does not want His church to be divided. Jesus prayed that all His followers be united through the apostles’ teachings. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me,” John 17:20-21.

The churches in New Testament times were united by their obedience to the teachings of Christ and His apostles. When we today listen and obey the teachings of the apostles as found in the New Testament, we too can be united to Christ and to everyone else who follows them.

In Acts 2, after baptism, the first church (group who obeyed Christ and His apostles) “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer,” (Acts 2:42). They loved each other, helped each other, met together, and shared the Good News of Jesus with others. The church grew more and more in number (Acts 2:43-47; 4:4). Over the next thirty years, the book of Acts gives the story of how the church grew throughout the Mediterranean world. As people everywhere were hearing the same Gospel (Good News) truth of Jesus, believing and obeying it, congregations of believers (churches) were formed.

Two thousand years later, the church exists where people (1) hear the same message of Jesus that the apostles preached, and (2) give the same response of obedience in faith, repentance, and baptism. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,‘” Acts 2:37-38.

If we are to follow the apostles’ teaching, after baptism, we too must worship and serve the Lord as the first churches did as recorded in the New Testament. Jesus described this as true worship or those who worship “in spirit and in truth” in John 4:23-24. Christ’s church in the New Testament met together on the first day of the week. This was the same day of Jesus’ resurrection, which is commonly called Sunday. They would “break bread,” which is a term referring to the communion of bread and fruit of the vine also known as the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42; 20:7). This was a meal commanded by Jesus in Luke 22:19-20 when he said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (also see 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The churches sang “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19), prayed together (Colossians 4:2), gave and received teaching (Matthew 28:20), and encouraged and built each other up in the faith of Jesus (1 Corinthians 14:1-35; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22). The members shared love and resources and helped one another (Acts 4:32-34). They shared the Good News of Jesus with everyone they could (Acts 5:28; 8:4; 28:23-31). The churches were led by spiritual men called overseers, or elders (Acts 14:23; 20:28; Philippians 1:1). They were committed to following Jesus in everything.

Jesus and His apostles warn there will be many “false prophets” or “false teachers” who will attempt to persuade people to follow something different from what they are teaching. Jesus said, “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect,” Matthew 24:24. Peter confirmed what Jesus said in 2 Peter 2:1, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies [false teachings], even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” John also gives us a warning in 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.“

Sadly these false teachers have taught many divisive beliefs leading to the creation of many denominations (divisions). These false teaches have led many people astray from Jesus and His apostles teachings. Jesus calls us to be united together by following what He and His apostles taught, not by denominations or divisions.

As Jesus concluded His prayer to the Father, He said “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth,” John 17:17. If we want to be apart of Christ’s church and receive the blessings that come by being united with Christ, we must live by the truth which can only be found by studying the Word of God.