The story of Cain and Abel, the first two sons of Adam and Eve, establishes an important principle that the worship of God should not be according to man’s thought but according to God’s revelation (Gen. 4:3-8). Abel offered a lamb according to God’s revelation, but Cain offered the fruit of the work of his […]
All articles tagged "Christianity"
Assailing the Ground of Oneness (6): The Ground of the Church Being for the Building Up of the Body of Christ
Matthew 18:20 contains a wonderful promise: “For where two or three are gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.” However, some have misused this verse to discount the need for local churches established and built up on the proper ground. They claim that the gathering of two or three in the Lord’s […]
Our Attitude toward Ecumenism
One defining characteristic of the ministry in the Lord’s recovery is an absoluteness for the truth. If we are faithful to the Lord, we cannot compromise the truth. For that reason we can accept only what matches God’s intention as expressed in the Bible; we cannot accept manmade imitations or compromises. This is why we […]
Our Attitude toward Other Christians and Their Work, Part 1: Maintaining the Oneness with Fellow Believers
This three-part article will address the relationship between those who meet in the local churches and fellow believers, the denominations and free groups to which they may belong, and their work. If we are not clear in these matters, we may be influenced by accusations that those in the recovery divide themselves from other Christians. […]
Our Attitude toward Other Christians and Their Work, Part 2: The Vision of the Lord’s Recovery Being Contrary to Today’s Christianity
In the first article of this series we saw the imperative of preserving the oneness of the Body of Christ and avoiding divisiveness on our part at all costs. Our attitude toward other believers, including those who do not meet with us in the local churches, should be one of acceptance and inclusion. For the […]
Our Attitude toward Other Christians and Their Work, Part 3: Not Entangling the Work of the Lord’s Recovery with Others’ Work
In addition to our attitude toward other Christians and toward the denominations (parts 1 and 2 of this series), we need to consider our attitude toward others’ work, and more specifically, toward the work that is being carried out today by the denominations, free groups, and parachurch organizations of Christianity. Christians all over the earth […]
Assailing the Ground of Oneness (4): Are “House Churches” Biblical?
“House churches,” in which believers meet in a house as a separate, independent unit of administration, are a popular means of circumventing the biblical pattern of keeping the oneness of the unique Body of Christ in local churches. A careful examination of Scripture shows that while a church may gather in a believer’s home, such […]
Concerning Hierarchy and Organization
The local churches in the Lord’s recovery function according to the principles of the Body of Christ as an organism, not as a hierarchical organization as some have mistakenly claimed. We should not confuse the proper organic order of the Body with worldly hierarchical organizations. To say that the church is an organism does not […]