Learning the Church from the New Testament

If we read the New Testament, we learn the church is NOT made up of churches. To the contrary, it is made up of individuals who are in a saved relationship to God (Acts 2:47; Hebrews 12:22-24)! These saved individuals who comprised the body of Christ in the New Testament, were determined to be joined together in the same mind and judgment toward God (His authority), or as Jesus said, they were to be ONE as the Father was in Him and He was in the Father (I Corinthians 1:10; John 17:17-21). 

Have you ever considered why Denominationalism exists? It ONLY exists because it is NOT one toward God's authority, or as Jesus was one in the Father (vice versa). In other words, denominationalism exists because they all do NOT teach the same thing. Therefore, even if the church we read about in the New Testament was made up of churches (which it isn't but for the sake of argument let's say it is) it could not be made up of denominations, BECAUSE denominations only exist by reason of their differences. Thus, they are not ONE as Jesus prayed. (John 17:17-21) 

Paul made it clear that "Jesus is the head over all things to the church, which is His body" (Ephesians 1:22-23). If Jesus is the head over the church then, it is only by His authority that the church exists. Therefore, those who are members of His body, are members because they honor His authority and submit to Him as the head over all things to the church. 

So as we have read, the church is HIS body and the body is His church. It is fitting that the apostle Paul would write that there is only "ONE BODY," just like there is ONLY one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith and one God, (Ephesians 4:4-6). Just like Jesus wanted his disciples to be ONE as He and the Father are ONE. Friends, one is not two, any more than it can be many. Therefore, ONE body is not made up of many churches. To the contrary, the body is ONE being made up of many members (individuals), as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26. It is Jesus who said in John 15:1-11, He was the vine and we are the branches. I know he was talking about individuals being branches rather than churches because he said in verse 6, "if ANYONE, does not abide in me HE is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned." He was talking about individuals - you and me! 

Are you ONE in, with and through Christ? "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free -- and all were made to drink of one Spirit."