I Don't Belong to a Church

 

This may seem off topic as I begin with David before he became king, hiding in a cave from the anointed king, Saul. We know what was on David's mind because he wrote it down in what we call Psalm 142 - Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave.

I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. (Psalms 142:1-2 KJV)

That Psalm does not end with a miraculous intervention by God to keep David from feeling such aloneness. Instead David offers a bargain:

Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. (Psalms 142:7 KJV)

That was part of a sermon our pastor gave in January of 2021. I take notes during the service in a spiral notebook, creating my own short Bible lessons. We joined this particular church after visiting in 1999. We remain active members - but we don't "belong" to the church, though we consider ourselves a part of it. My reasoning goes back to Paul:

For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:4-7 KJV)

I firmly believe God's word that God does give the increase. We are not saved by the name of any preacher, church, denomination, according to the Bible:

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12 KJV)

Peter's sermon in answer to healing a man not only explains that what happened was due to his belief in Jesus as God's son, but the whole world was included in God's salvation story. Peter and the disciples were given the Holy Spirit to continue God's work:

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. (Acts 4:8-10 KJV)

Jesus' resurrection was included as proof as to how the man was healed. Jesus' resurrection is the reason there is none other name whereby we must be saved. Many had died for their belief in God. One was prophesized and fulfilled. Through God's planning, this is how we are saved from our sinfulness:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)

God provides the salvation with works - not belonging to one church in this world, but by becoming a part of believers in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the propitiation of our sins.  Paul, at the end of a list of what we should not do, mentions the price tag for our salvation:

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV)

As believers of the biblical history of Jesus, God's promised Messiah, we belong to God. God is not defined nor confined by mankind, but by how He describes Himself by inspiring His written word:

From Moses' doubt and God's answer:

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. (Exodus 4:14-16 KJV)

Through Jesus' response to Satan's temptation:

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:3-4 KJV)

To His descriiption in Revelation:

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:15-16 KJV)

We need to study what God has said, to whom it was said, why it was said, and what we are to do about what God said. Pick up a Bible and start, right now.