church “of Christ”

Were the Apostles members of a denomination?

Did they join the denomination of their choice?

They were members of the church and did not belong to any denomination!

NO

NO

“Religious Denomination”

“A large group of religious congregations united under a common faith and name and organized under a single administrative and legal hierarchy.”

American Heritage Dictionary, 2011

Word denomination is not in N.T.

Sect of Jews = Pharisees & Sadducees“Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation” Acts 5:17

Word denomination is not in N.T.

Sect of Jews = Pharisees & Sadducees“But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

Acts 15:5

Word denomination is not in N.T.

Sect = the division and formation of a party

No person in New Testament times joined a denomination

Christianity is undenominational.

It is not inter-denominational

It is not conglomerationalism

Did the Apostles tell others to join the church of their choice ?

All the apostles were members of the same church.

All the people they converted were members of that same church.

NO

• Pentecost – Acts 2 Peter preached

• People asked what to do

• Acts 2:38 – repent and be baptized

• Acts 2:41 - 3,000 were baptized

• Acts 2:47 – Lord added them to the church

• Which church ?????

They were all members of the same church

Did the apostles want them to divide into small units or denominations?

They had plenty of people to organize several denominations.

NO

Acts 2:42 “They continued in the apostles doctrine.”

They did not teach contradictory doctrines.

Denominations today teach contradictory doctrines.

“And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul.”

Acts 4:32

“...stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”

Phil. 1:27

The apostles discouraged dividing...

1 Cor. 1:10-17 - they had 4 groups

Paul

Christ

Peter

Apollos

“You are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal?“

1 Cor. 3:3-4

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

1 Cor. 1:10

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ...that they may be one just as We are one”

Jn. 17:20-23

The apostles did not join any denomination, but were members of the church which Jesus built.

We teach people what to do to be saved. They obey the gospel. And the Lord adds them to the church.

We become Christians – Acts 11:26

People ask: “What are you religiously?”

“I am a Christian. ”

“What kind of a Christian?”

“Just a Christian.”

Accounts of conversion in the book of Acts show that they heard and obeyed the gospel and were added to the church by the Lord.

SalvationSalvation

Hear the gospel (Rom. 10:17)Believe In Jesus (Jn. 8:24)REPENT of your sins (Lk. 13:3)Confess your faith (Matt. 10:32-33)Baptized Into Christ (Acts 2:38)

Faithful until death (Rev. 2:10)

REMISSION OF SINS