God has a universal, invisible church composed of all true Christians in every land. It is c called “the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven” (Heb. 12:23). Christ called it “my church” (Matt. 16:18). It is also referred to as the body of Christ (Eph. 1:23); Col. 1:18, 24).The New Testament also uses the term “the church” to designate a local organized group of believers in a given place (Acts 11:26; 13:1; 14:26,27; 18:22; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19).
Membership in God’s true, visible, organized church will not save any sou. Nothing we can do of ourselves will save us. Salvation is by faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ.
So the question arises, When a true Christian is enrolled in God’s universal, invisible church, does this make it unnecessary for him to belong to the visible, organized church of God on earth? Some dedicated Christians say Yes. Even though they believe in the truths for which Christ’s remnant stand, they do not want to be members of the church that is taking the message for our time (Rev. 14:6-12) to the world.
What do the Scriptures say about his? How was it with the 3.000 converts on the day of Pentecost? When they were baptized and received the gift of the Holy Spirit their names were enrolled in the book of life, and they became members of the “church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven” (Heb. 12:23).
Did this make it unnecessary for them to become members of the visible, organized church of Christ in Jerusalem? No. the record says, “The Lord added to the church daily such as should be save” (Acts 2:47), or “those whom he was saving” (N.E.B.).
“The church” to which they were added was a visible, organized church. According to this text, when the Lord bestows salvation upon a believer. He wants the Lord bestows salvation upon a believer, He wants him to become a member of the organized church. Since the Lord has not changed, His plan of adding members to the church still holds good. When we follow the Lord all the way, He will lead us to become members of the organized body that is bearing His threefold message to the world.
Paul went to Corinth and preached the Word of God. Many accepted the truths he taught and were organized into a visible church with a regular membership into a visible church with a regular membership and with officers in charge. After Paul left, he wrote letters to these believers. How did he identify the Christians there? Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he wrote, “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Cor. 1.2; 2 Cor. 1:1). It is clear that it was God’s will that all in Corinth who accepted Christ should be connected with God’s church in that city.
Suppose some person at Corinth who had accepted Christ had taken this position: By accepting Christ I have become a member of His general church. My name is enrolled in heaven. Hence I do not need to be a member oh this local church.
Would this attitude have met with God’s approval? Not in the light of the Word of God. That Corinthian believer would not have followed the Lord all the way until he became a member of the Lord’s organized church.
The same holds true today. It is the will of God that all who accept His message be on the roll of the visible, organized church of God. Those who have been called out in any place by God’s threefold message, and organized by His messengers into a local church, constitute the church of God in that city or town.
Some people declare that church organization is a man-made arrangement and is therefore something into which the Lord does not want us to enter. But this is not the case, because the plan of the followers of Jesus being organized into churches was established by Christ Himself. As the apostles and their associates went from city to city preaching God’s message, converts were organized into church units in harmony with definite instruction from the Lord.
They must have had definite membership rolls, as this text indicates: “When they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).
Here was a special meeting of believers in the city of Antioch. Paul and Barnabas, two ministers, had returned from their missionary journey. The record is that they “gathered the church together.” The fact that it was known whom to notify about this special meeting shows there was a definite membership roll.
In Matthew 18:15-17, Christ gave plain instruction that church members who persist in open sin are to be dropped from the membership list. It seems obvious that, since Christ laid down a plan for expelling unworthy members, it is certainly His will that His true followers should be registered on a membership list.
The word church in the New Testament is from the Greek word ekklésia, “called-out one.” For example, “the church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38) was the nation of Israel, called out of Egypt and assembled in the wilderness of Sinai.
Christ’s true church today is made up of those who are called out of the world, out of Babylon. Those who are called out by His last-day, threefold message constitute His last church, or the remnant of Revelation 12:17.
The call of Christ for our day is, as we have previously seen, to “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (chap. 14:12). When we come out of Babylon and keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, we will recognize the need of joining the remnant church.
When Saul of Tarsus accepted the Lord Jesus he had only one question: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). The Lord instructed him to go into Damascus, and there he would be told what he must do. Then the Lord used Ananias to guide him into the present truth for that time. This indicates that the Lord had respect to the order that he had established in His church. So Paul came out of the Jewish religion to which he had belonged all his life. He was baptized and became a member of the church that followed the teachings of Christ.
This certainly tells us that when a sincere soul follows through on the question “Lord, what will Thou have me do?” he will be led by the Lord to become a member of His visible, organized church.
Suppose you had lived in the days of Noah. What would the Lord have wanted you to do? Clearly it would have been to accept His special message as preached by Noah, to turn from the worldliness around and enter the ark at the appointed time.
Perhaps some who heard Noah’s message said, “We love God and are living good lives, but we will not go into the ark.” They perished along with the mort rebellious sinners. So, the eternal welfare of those who hear God’s present truth for our day depends on their acceptance of this heaven-sent message.
Adherence to God’s message through John the Baptist involved accepting the message John preached, which acceptance called one out – separated one – as it were, from others and involved being baptized. The acceptance of God’s message through the apostles involved coming out from the Jewish religion or from heathen religions and entering into the visible, organized church units of Christianity.
So the acceptance of God’s threefold message for these last days involves a coming out from the world and the religions and churches of Babylon into one of the visible, organized units of God’s threefold-message movement. The acceptance of God’s message for our day includes membership in His remnant church.
It is evident that when God sends a special message for a certain time, following it is the right way for that time. Since the threefold message of Revelation 14 is what God has appointed to be preached, believed, and obeyed in these days, He is definitely calling us to be a part of that movement. This call must take precedence over all else in religion today.
When the teachings of this last-day message have been brought clearly before an individual, the issue confronting him is far more than his identifying himself with the Advents Movement. The real issue is: “Shall I accept or reject God’s message? Shall I respond to or disregard the call of the Lord to me?
When one is face with such an issue, the only wise course, the only safe way, is to accept the message and keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. But such an acceptance does include identifying oneself with the Advent Movement.
Some may be thinking, If I decide to do that what will happen if I am called to the office on Saturday? What about the opposition I have in my home? Friend of mine, if you will make your decision for God, He will make a way for you through all the opposition, the obstacles, and the difficulties. There are no problems too big for Him.
The experience of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-9) helps us to understand that no problem is too big for Jesus to solve. The man had not taken a step in thirty-eight years. But when Jesus told him to pick up his mat and walk, he decided to obey. When he did that, Jesus gave him the power to walk.
So it may be with you. Decide that you will live for God, and He will give you the power to move forward in obedience. If you will tell God that you will go ahead, He will make a way for you.
If it were possible for man to offer homes for sale in a subdivision where there were no taxes, no trouble, no sickness. Pain, or sorrow, and no death, would you be interested? Certainly. No matter how much such a home cost, you would be determined to have one if you could get the money.
God does have such homes in the New Jerusalem and in the new earth for those who choose to obey His truth. Why shouldn’t every soul gladly make his decision to come out and take his stand for God’s commandments and the fait of Jesus? If you have not done this, why not here and now tell the Lord you will respond to His call to obey Him?
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