Question For Christians....?

Question

Why do we separate each other with different denominations: Baptist, methodist, Catholic etc etc why cant we just be Christ followers and follow his word? Any opinions?
I just consider my self a lover and follower of Jesus!

matt--
there shouldnt BE differences in how we precieve the Bible. people just take what they want out of it and run with it...

i mean were all reading from the same book arent we?

polka dot:
i agree with that, my hubby is messianic jew.

this is the thing, while we're all on our street corners playing church, were confusing the lost people... many of the denominations i dont believe represent Christ, and the lost are getting bad tastes in their mouths by some of the religious junk that some of the denominations are playing

Answer 1

We begin by looking at the early church, as talked about in:

Acts 2:42-47 (New International Version)

The Fellowship of the Believers

42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.


Then there is:

Acts 4:32-35 (New International Version)

The Believers Share Their Possessions

32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

And then there is:

Acts 4:24-31 (New International Version)

24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
" 'Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.[a]'[b] 27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people[c] of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.




What do we see in the early Christian Church, from these passages? It can be summed up in one word-UNITY! There was Absolute unity among ALL Believers! Can we truley say that there is that same unity in the Christian Church today? No. The Christian Church is so fractured today, that there is very LITTLE unity today!

What qualities did the early Christian Church have?
1. They all prayed together DAILY!
2. They were ALL of one mind!
3. They shared EVERYTHING!
4. They prayed for their leaders DAILY!

*SIGH* Can the Christian Church of today, claim to be like the early Christian Church was? No. Why? Because MAN has intriduced all kinds of doctrines into the Church over the centuries, doctrines that God never intended to be introduced, & created DENOMINATIONS, instead of following the very principles tthat the early church was run. Praying together, sharing everything that they had with other Believers, praying for their leaders DAILY, meeting together DAILY! And what happened when they did? GOD BLESSED THEM, & ADDED TO THEIR NUMBERS DAILY!

Why is the witness of the Christian Church, so weak today, my Brothers & Sisters? It is because we have introduced so many man made beliefs into the simple faith of the early Church & the Christian Church SPLIT-into denominations created by MAN-NOT GOD! MAN decided to try to interpret Scripture, instead of letting the Holy Spirit guide them, & the CHURCH, AS JESUS MEANT IT TO BE, fractured into beliefs that were ruled by MAN'S beliefs-NOT GODS!

Look at:

Psalm 133:1 (New International Version)

1 How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!

In what? In doctrinal beliefs? No-in UNITY! They very unity that makes EVERY SINGLE MAN & WOMAN WHO HAS RECEIVED CHRIST JESUS AS THEIR LORD & SAVIOR, WHO HAS BEEN BORN AGAIN-ONE!

There was NO DIVISION in the early Chruch-they were all ONE! Look at:

Ephesians 4:13 (New International Version)

13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

The Christian Church is still very much IMMATURE today, my Brothers & Sisters. Instead of banding together, as the early Christian Church was, we have followed MAN'S beliefs, instead of God's teachings. Look above, at what happened when all the Believers were gathered together in one place, to pray about the persucution that Peter & John went through at the hands of the Sadducees! What happened? "................THE PLACE WHERE THEY WERE MEETING WAS SHAKEN, & they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, & spoke the Word of God BOLDLY!

We who are Believers, ARE Believers because of ONE BELIEF-that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for each one of our sins. We have accepted that gift offered to ALL MANKIND, & have been BORN AGAIN because of it! The message of the Gospel is so simple, my beloved Brothers & Sisters-"SALVATION IS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS + NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This & ONLY THIS is the message of our Savior! Not all hese MAN MADE doctrines! CHRIST JESUS, & Him ALONE is the ONLY way to be saved!

Look at:

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (New International Version)

5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.

Look at what our Lord said about Himself:

John 14:6-7 (New International Version)

6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

NOT through water baptism, (although EVERY Believer SHOULD have this done), not by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, (although it IS available to all who seek it), but through Christ Jesus, & HIM ALONE!

Is this message really so difficult to understand, that men need to clutter it up with MAN-MADE doctrinal beliefs? No, my Brothers & Sisters! It is about Christ Jesus, & Him Crucified.

Period.

Answer 2

Every time someone adds to or takes from the Bible in a different way, they call themselves by a different name so the church must be a different name to distinguish it from all others.

The church with whom I worship is the church of Christ. It uses only the Bible for a guide and has only local leadership under a group of elders with none with higher status than any other. This is the way the early churches were run. That also had deacons (servants) as do we. We attempt to speak with the Bible and keep silent on things not in the part of the Bible that is to us.

Since the church is ruled by the last will and testament of Jesus, then it did not go into effect until the will did, and that was at the crucifixion. The first gospel sermon was preached in Acts 2: thus leading the Christian age into existence.

Jesus lived and died a Jew. He left the apostles and disciples to follow His will and testament and form the church because the old law was completed when Jesus died on the Cross so another was needed. Colossians 2: tells us it was nailed with Him to the cross so the 10 Commandments was completed and is no longer binding. Too many people claim to be Christians and do not try to understand what the Bible teaches. I don't see any of them making animal sacrifices, but Paul in Galatians 5: tells them they must keep the whole law if they keep part of it, but they don't seem to want to follow the Bible.


No B Quotes, the important thing is what God/Jesus thinks about it.

Berry123, we differ because parts of the Bible many people just do not want to do, so they teach it is not important.

duhh, it was too large of an area for only one church so Revelation speaks of the church that meets at one place or the church that meets at another place. They were all the same church and no denomination or part or fraction. The people was the church, not the meeting place. The church met these places as individual members. Anyone that associates the building as the "church" is not reading the Bible for information.

Answer 3

Well, that's why I am non-denominational. However, there are certain things that the Bible doesn't speak clearly to, and different people take a different stand on these "gray" areas. So they naturally seek out others who feel the same way about it. An example would be the style of music, the Bible does not pick one style and say its best, but people have definite preferences, they prefer to go to a church that worships and sings songs in the style they prefer.

However, in general I agree that "denominationalism" (did I invent a word?)_ does more harm than good.

Answer 4

Though I may disagree with some Protestants, may of those who broke away from the Catholic Church, like Luther, for example, were right to do so since there were things going on in the Church that were very wrong.

That said, I think that is the basic thing that holds us altogether, that we are Christ followers. The other things, like the Pope or statues or Mary, for instance, are all antithetical and should not get in the way of us praying together.

And then there are those, like Matt, who have beliefs about groups, like Catholics, that are wrong but believe them with all their hearts. Catholics believe and are taught to believe that faith alone saves you. We do not believe nor are we taught that we are saved by good works. It's these kinds of misconceptions that are believed wholeheartedly that continue to divide us. I could understand that if there was no YA that had us encountering each other and respectfully explaining things to each other, but some refuse to believe the truth told from a believer. How can we ever come together as one group with that sort of thing going on?

Answer 5

Our pastor has talked about that in church before. It is too bad we can't just be plain Christians with no denominations. I guess it's caused by differences of opinion about the Bible. From what I see, most of the differences are very minor.

Answer 6

There was separation even in Jesus time. In revelations it talks of the different churches. Each one had a problem. I believe that there isn`t any perfect church. People look at the word and interpret it differently that`s why there are different religions doesn`t make them wrong and if you believe what is taught there and do your best to abide by its doc-terns then your fine. I believe also if your a spiritualist and don`t conform to any one church but do your best to serve God and live right that your also right. God said that Heaven was is throne and the earth his foot stool,that no man could build him a church because we are is church.

Answer 7

I am a just-plain-Christian with no denomination. There are lots of us out here. Feel free to join us. We're the original just-plain-Christians that Jesus formed into the original church.

The Catholics split from us. Don't let them tell you otherwise.

As a just-plain-Christian I can't tell you why all those denominational Christians and Christian-wannabes can't get along. I get along with other just-plain-Christians just fine.

Answer 8

There is a lot of diveristy in the Body of Christ. We are not clones of each other. We have different styles of worship. Different denominations place emphasis on different doctrines that they think are important, but all true believers agree on the essentials.

Answer 9

I think it's because following Jesus is a difficult journey. People try to make rules that mimic that journey, and that is where religion comes from. There is only two commandments...1) Love God with all your being and 2) Love others as you would love yourself. If we are following those two commandments then a lot of the behaviors people try to correct by making rules are eliminated without a rule.

Answer 10

i have no problem with religions listed or any ligitimate religion. it should not be a religion anyway so much as a relationship. but i certainly dont want to just be included with other religions. some worship cow, or statues, or aliens, themselves, or just about anything, just think of something u like and give it a name and worship....i dont want any part of it. IN MY OPINION...any religion not believing in salvation through Jesus Christ are wasting thier time...

Answer 11

Different Christians will have different interpretations of Christianity and will want to worship Christ differently. And they will associate with people who think like they do.

Why can't all Christians have respect for each other, because of their similarities, and not discriminate based on their differences?

Why can't people of all faiths live in harmony and recognize their common humanity, in spite of their differing beliefs?