Muscle and a Shovel by Michael Shank
Chapter 25 (Study 1 of 5 with Randall)
“What do you know about the church of the Bible?” asked Randall.
“Randall, until I met you I didn’t know anything about the church of the Bible,” said Mike. “Church, at least from what I remember, was always something that was secondary to salvation. I was taught that salvation and church membership were totally separate issues.”
“Were you taught that you had to be faithful to the church to go to Heaven?” asked Randall.
“No. I was saved when I was eight but didn’t join the Baptist church until I was thirteen. In most Baptist Churches it seems easier to get into Heaven than to get into the church because joining the Baptist Church requires you to go through a process. You have to relate your salvation experience and then the church takes a vote on you. If the vote is positive you’re given the opportunity to be baptized to become a member of the Baptist Church.”
“That’s why you believe that people from every denomination will go to Heaven?” Randall asked.
“I did, but after all that I’ve studied to this point I’m starting to wonder,” replied Mike.
“Alright. Now, let’s go back for a minute. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus told Peter that He would build His church, right?”
“Right,” I remembered from our previous study.
“Turn to Acts 2,” Randall said and we both turned to it.
“Acts 2:38 says:
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now, look at verse 41:
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
“Mr. Mike, not all received what Peter said, did they?”
“Evidently not,” I answered.
“How many received his word?” Randall asked.
“About three thousand,” I replied after reading verse 41.
“Mr. Mike, do you realize that there would have been over a million Jews in Jerusalem at that time?” Randall asked.
“You’re kidding?” I responded.
“No man I’m not kidding. This was one of the primary holy events in the life of a Jew at that time. Almost every Jew would have attended the celebration of Pentecost. Now look at what Peter said here in Acts 2:36,” he said as he pointed at verse 36.
I followed along at verse 36. Randall read, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” You see, Mr. Mike, Peter proclaimed Jesus Christ to the entire house of Israel. That’s the entire nation of Jews. But only about three thousand souls gladly received Peter’s words. Then those that gladly received his word did what?” he asked.
“They were baptized,” I said, looking at verse 41.
“Exactly. Now, do you see where it says there were added?” Randall pointed to the text using his index finger.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“Who added them?” Randall asked.
“I don’t know,” I responded.
Randall smiled. “That’s okay man. Look here at verse 47,” and he read the verse aloud:
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
“The Lord added to the church,” I said.
“That’s correct. It is God who adds to the church,” Randall stated. “Who did God add to the church?”
“The people that gladly received Peter’s words,” I answered.
“And what did those people do to receive his words?” asked Randall.
“They repented and were baptized,” I answered while looking at the scripture.
“That’s right, Mr. Mike,” Randall replied, “and what were they called?” he asked while pointing to verse 47.
“It says “those who were being saved,” I replied. “They were called the saved.”
“That’s right. So God,” Randall went on, “added the saved to the church?”
“Yeah,” I responded. It was crystal clear.
“So, Mr. Mike, the church is made up of the saved and the saved make up the church.”
“That’s what it says,” I said. “But Randall, the Baptist Church votes on who gets into the Baptist Church.”
Randall didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. God’s Word was being revealed to me one piece at a time.
“Mike, the church was called many things. The body, the bride, the kingdom, the household of faith, the pillar and ground of truth, and a spiritual house. Let’s turn to Colossians 1.” Randall turned the pages and pushed on. “Look here at Colossians 1:18:
And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Paul said that Christ is the Head of the body, the church. The body and church are one in the same,” said Randall.
“So God added the saved to the church and the church is the same thing as Christ’s body?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” Randall said. “Now look at Ephesians 4:4:
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
Randall looked up at me. “Mr. Mike, how many bodies did Paul say there were?”
“One,” I replied.
Randall asked, “Now, if the church is the body and Paul said there’s only one body, how many churches are there?”
“One,” I answered his question as if I had just opened a treasure chest full of gold. “So, Randall,” I said as I looked at the words on the page, is this the reason for the bad rap?”
“What do you mean?” Randall was confused at my question.
“Kirk told me to stay away from you because your church believes that you’re the only ones going to Heaven. Is this where it comes from?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Good people like Kirk hear bits and pieces but they never want to take the time to sit down and find out exactly what the Bible teaches. They go off half-cocked and looking to pick a fight or they spread rumors and gossip, trying to stir as much trouble as possible.”
“Why?”
Randall thought about it for a second, then said, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8.” The Adversary was always present, always there trying to lead men away from the Truth. Peter warned Christians to be vigilant.
“Mr. Mike, people have no problem with the idea that there’s one God and one faith and one Holy Spirit and one Jesus Christ and one Heaven and one Hell and one Bible. But when you say there’s one church, as Paul said, they freak out!”
“Randall, it’s because it sounds so narrow. We’ve been told throughout our entire lives the exact opposite!” I responded.
“Yeah, Mr. Mike, I know that,” replied Randall.
“But, Randall, where does the Bible say that Jesus will save the church? I know you’ve mentioned it in the past, but I’d like to see it again.”
“Ephesians 5:23-25:
For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
If Christ is the Savior of the body, the church, then it is impossible to be saved outside of the church because that’s the very thing that He is going to save,” Randall explained.
“So when people say join the church of your choice?” I asked.
Randall replied, “It’s a nice sounding phrase that seems to come from good intentions, but it’s rooted in ignorance of the Word. If those people knew what you know now, would they say that?”
“No, they wouldn’t,” I answered.
“Why?” Randall asked quickly.
“Well, the Bible seems to say that when people obey God’s instructions to be saved, they don’t choose the church of their choice. God adds them to the church of His Son.”
“You’ve got it man!”
“So,” I asked, “the name church of Christ is a Bible name?”
“It’s one of many Bible names used in the New Testament to describe the one body of Christ. Romans 16:16 says:
Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.
A small ‘c’ is used in the word church because the church of Christ is not a proper name. It’s simply a description of Christ’s body, His blood-bought church. It’s a descriptive term of Christ’s church.”
“Randall, I’ve never seen Romans 16:16,” I said, surprised again.
“Mr. Mike, that’s alright. You see, you can’t find the Catholics, the Baptists, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, or the rest of them in the Bible. You can’t find any of those groups by name or by practice. That’s because they didn’t exist in the first century. But, you find the church of Christ in both name and practice. The church of Christ was born, as we see here in Acts 2, on the Day of Pentecost—”
“I’ve just never equated the church with salvation,” I interrupted.
“Most people don’t know that the church is essential to their salvation. The saved are members of the church and the church is made up of the saved. The two cannot be separated.”
“I’ve never thought of it that way,” I said as the words trailed off.
“Man,” Randall continued, “I’m going to show you how easy this is to understand.”
“Go ahead,” I said.
“God had Noah build a vessel of salvation, right?” he asked.
“Yeah. The ark.”
“Right. Now Noah said to get into the ark to be saved. Get into the vessel commissioned by God to have salvation. It’s your choice to get in the ark. Don’t get in if you don’t want to but if you don’t get in you won’t be saved,” Randall asked.
“Okay,” I replied.
“Mr. Mike, was salvation found outside of that ark?”
“Of course not,” I answered.
Randall said, “So you agree that no one was saved who was outside of the ark, right?”
“Right,” I replied.
“Now, Mr. Mike, God commissioned another soul-saving vessel. The perfect soul-saving vessel, Jesus Christ. The principle from the Old Testament was brought forth and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. You have the choice. Get into the vessel of Jesus Christ which is the body of Christ to be saved. You don’t have to get in if you don’t want to, but if you don’t get in you won’t be saved. Man, it’s just like the ark.” Randall paralleled the two.
“Mr. Mike, is salvation found outside of the ark of Christ,” asked Randall.
“It can’t be,” I answered.
“Okay, so you’d agree that no one can be saved outside of the ark of Christ?” he asked.
“I’d agree.”
“Mr. Mike, the ark of Christ is the body of Christ. The body of Christ is the church of Christ. That is why you must be in the church of Christ for salvation. It’s the soul-saving ark of God today just like the soul-saving ark of God during Noah’s day. The ark was the antitype of the church and Noah was the antitype of Christ,” said Randall.
It made perfect sense. The parallel was in complete biblical harmony. Actually, it was amazing.
“So you couldn’t possibly get saved one day then join a church on another day.” I was thinking it through, talking out loud.
“Peter didn’t teach you could get saved one day and join a church another day and he was being led by the Holy Spirit! People didn’t receive that during the first century because being saved one day and then joining a church days or even years later, like you, wasn’t taught by the Apostles. No one practiced anything like that in the Bible,” Randall replied.
“Randall,” I interrupted again. “I thought that the church of Christ was just another denomination, but you’ve always claimed that it’s not a denomination.”
“That’s right. It’s not a denomination. Denominations are divisions from the original. The church of Christ is the original that began on the Day of Pentecost around 33AD. Secondly, denominations have an earthly head, an association, a committee, a board of directors, conventions, etc. The churches of Christ have no earthly head of any kind!”
“Randall, are you telling me that the church of Christ has no associations or boards?” How is it held together? Who makes the rules?” I just couldn’t get my mind around it.
Randall smiled at my disbelief. “Mr. Mike, every congregation of the church of Christ is completely autonomous. Each congregation is self-governed by Elders as described in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Deacons assist in the service of the church as instructed in 1 Timothy 3:8-12.”
I was listening.
“Christ is the only Head. He is seated at the right hand of God, Acts 2:33, and governs over His kingdom, the church. Jesus governs His kingdom at this very moment. That kingdom is His church, Colossians 1:18, and the idea is explained in Ephesians 1:20-23, which says:
which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
The church of Christ is the fullness of Christ. The common bond that binds one congregation to another is brotherly love and the Word of God. The Word unites us into one faith, Ephesians 4:3-6. We have no man-made statements of faith, no denominational creed-books, no associations, no conventions, and no board of directors. The Bible is our only rule of faith.”
Simple yet profound. Plain Bible teaching with no human opinions. Allowing the Bible to speak where it speaks. A people who demand the book, chapter, and verse for every belief and practice potentially prescribed to. Anything not found in the Word would be thrown aside as insufficient. The mystery of the Bible was unfolding before my eyes.
I was reminded of the Eunuch’s reply to Philip after Philip had asked him if he understood what he was reading. The Eunuch responded, “How can I unless someone guide me?” Someone was guiding me through the Word.
“But, Randall, how do you identify the church of Christ from every other church on the planet?”
“Excellent question Mike,” he said in his encouraging way,” and that’d be a good place to start tomorrow morning.”