Does Is Really
Make A Difference?
Kipp Campbell
Over the last two weeks we’ve looked
at some differences between the current day denominations and the church of the
New Testament. Some of the differences
we’ve looked at are: who founded the
church, what doctrine and teacher to follow, and what we have to do to please
God. We now want to conclude our
thoughts along this line by discussing some of the practices of the
denominational churches and those of the New Testament church.
Multiple collections. In a lot of denominational churches,
multiple collections are either taken during each service or multiple times
through the week. It has led, in my
opinion, to many people “tuning out” religion” because they think churches just
want their money. What they fail to
realize is the practice of multiple collections is not found in the New
Testament. Paul said, “On the first
day of the week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so
that no collections be made when I come” (I Cor. 16:2). Paul, being inspired of the Holy Spirit,
limits the time money can be gathered to Sunday. That’s it. Not every time
the church comes together, no matter how noble the cause might be.
Elevating women to leadership
positions. Most readers know this
writer well enough to know that I am not a chauvinist nor do I wish to “hold
women down.” However, the scriptures
are clear when it comes to the topic of women in leadership positions within
the church. Paul said, “But I do not
allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet”
(I Tim. 2:12). This statement by
the inspired apostle would cover positions such as preachers, elders (pastors),
deacons, etc. There is growing pressure
to conform to the standards of the world, but we must remember who it is we
serve.
Infrequency of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper was a weekly remembrance
of the first century Christians and should be that way today (Acts 20:7). For many people, though, it is an observance
that only takes place once a month, once a quarter, or even once a year. The purpose of the Lord’s Supper seems to be
lost by those who partake of it on such an infrequent basis. Paul said, “For as often as you eat this
bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (I Cor.
11:26). Paul says the purpose of
the Lord’s Supper is to remember the death of our Savior. Why wouldn’t we want to remember the Lord’s
death the way He desires?
Over the last couple of weeks we’ve
looked at just a few differences between the present day denominations and the
church for which Jesus died. There are
many more we could examine, but these should suffice. We’ve shown that is does make a difference in what we believe and
who we follow after. It’s now up to us
to examine what we believe and make the necessary changes in our life. May God bless you as you strive to seek out
Him and His way.