ALONE WITH GOD     

  Jesus came preaching repentance and righteous living, a new doctrine to the people of that day. The teachings of this young Galilean so far surpassed over-shadowed the teachings of the chief priests Pharisees that many listened with eagerness, yet were stunned. They confessed that men never spake like this man. Their lives had been accustomed to the teachings of Judaism, which stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal ordinances imposed upon them. These ordinances and ceremonies could not deliver from sin, for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. So when Jesus came preaching repentance and righteous living, it conflicted with their lifelong teachings, thus arousing the sinful nature within and causing them to persecute and even crucify the Son of God. But thank God! all men did not reject his teachings. Many left their means of livelihood and followed him withersoever he went, and to them gave he Power to become the sons of God. It was to those who had believed on him and become disciples that the statement was made, "I Will build my church." To those who later were called " Christians" at Antioch.

  We are told that the word church is derived from the Greek word ekklesia, which means an assembly or congregation. Therefore the term may be applied to any gathering of people, whether for a good purpose or a bad one. That being the case, some term must be attached to designate the one who called the gathering and the purpose for which it was called. When Jesus said: build my church," in reality he said, "I will call an assembly or congregation out of sin and the multitudes of people to carry my gospel and in which I may live through the Spirit, a people for myself.Ó. Isaiah, in speaking of the people of God, said, "And they shall call them, The holy people. The redeemed of the Lord; and thou shalt be called, Sought out. A city which shall not be forsaken. He carries the thought of a people who have been sought out of something and brought together as a city which shall not be forsaken. As Jesus went about the land of Judea preaching and teaching, he was gathering material or followers to build this church (assembly). As time went on, the number of believers increased, and he taught them to forsake all and follow him and that they should love God with all their heart, soul, strength. and mind, and also love their fellowman as themselves, and that by his love all men would recognize them as his disciples. Upon this teaching he called an assembly of "born again" followers to constitute this church he was to build.

  This church was to be made up of men and women who had forsaken sin and believed in the Christ and were "born again." Also they were folk who had left the different sects of religion of that day, such as the sect of the Sadducees and the Phariscees that so bitterly opposed Jesus. The fact that folk had accepted Jesus and become adherents of his, automatically set them at odds with these various sects. It was impossible for them to be a follower of Christ and still be a member of one of these sects because, of the conflict in the teachings; therefore, when one accepted Jesus, he segregated himself from the multitudes and was branded a fanatical heretic.

  We turn and read from the book of Acts concerning this assembly of people who were gathered from the common horde of religious people and were so knit together that they had all things common. There was something strange about these folk who rallied around this young Galilean, something about their lives that was inexplainable by the chief priests and elders. They were not the learned people of the day, neither from the more influential class, but just common people; yet there was some. thing about their conduct and speech that commanded the attention of all who came in contact with them. Also there was a power that went out from their lives that brought men face to face with God, a power that had to be acknowledged, yet the masses dared not admit it to be the power of God. Those people were looked upon as the off-scouring of the earth, people who rebelled against the traditions of the elders.

  On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out upon this little waiting group, and they were baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire, just as John the Baptist prophesied. They came down into streets of the city (that just a few weeks before had crucified and destroyed the Son of God) to testify of the greatness and power of God to save from sin. This group had been welded together by the fire of the Holy Spirit, which is able to tear down every wall of partition between the souls of men and make of them one. They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and were of one accord. God had really wrought a work in their hearts. Jesus had during his earthly ministry gathered them from the byways of sin and put his Spirit within them on the day of Pentecost and now was manifesting himself in their lives. The life of Christ and the Spirit of God in them was the thing that designated them to be the assembly that had been Òsought out" by God and determined them that had been as the church of God, the church Jesus said he would build.

  We hear Jesus as he prays to his heavenly Father, ÒI pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me... And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name... Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one." In this prayer we readily see the burden on the heart of Jesus. His earthly ministry had been spent gathering disciples from the world of sin, and he had kept them in the Father's name, and now as he prepares to return to heaven he prays that they may be kept in the Father's name and might be one that the world, would believe the Father sent him. The church (assembly) we read about in the book of Acts is the church Jesus built and it was made up of folk who had repented of sin and been born of the Spirit. By virtue of their spiritual relationship with Jesus they were made one, and assembled together with one common purpose in view, separated from all the religious sects of the day, separated unto God and the propagation of his gospel. Unity existed in their midst. They were of one heart and one soul because they all had been baptized into one body by the Spirit. Certainly there were no questions that arose among them, but they went to God in prayer and consulted with one another until they reached the place where they could say, "It seemed good to us and the Holy Ghost." Yes, unity of the faith existed as well as unity of the Spirit. The apostles didn't go out preaching doctrines that conflicted one with another, but contrariwise, they taught we should all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among us, but that we be perfectly joined together. Where unity of the Spirit dwells it will soon produce unity of the faith. This assembly, or church, was not a place where folk could go and still hold on to the doctrines they had among the Sadducees or the Pharical doctrines or of any other sect. They had laid all this aside and had come to Jesus and accepted his doctrine, which they said was a new doctrine, but it was the doctrine of God. The freedom Jesus gives us is not, as some suppose, a freedom to believe whatever we want, but freedom from sin and freedom to believe the truth, the doctrine of God. Upon this foundation the early church was built; therefore it is called throughout the New Testament was called the church of God. It was a body of people ,was fitly framed together and became a habitat God through the Spirit. The church that Jesus built then was the assembly Òsought out" by him and brought together on a common plane which was salvation and standing upon his doctrine.

  God tells us in his word that he never changes. ÒFor I am the Lord, I change notÓ(Mal. 3;6). There is no shadow of turning in God, so we may depend upon him and expect of him that which he has promised. He also expects of us the same he did of his followers when Jesus was on earth. His church is to be the same today as it was in the beginning of dispensation. The church pictured in the Bible is the pattern for us today. God has not lost any of his power to save from sin and destroy the middle wall of partition between the hearts of men. He can still save and make of twain one new man, so if we as a church fail to exemplify the pattern in the Bible, we are falling that much.

  The way into the church today is the same when Jesus taught on earth. He said, "I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." The requirements were to repent and believe on the Son of God, and by doing this they were born of God and became material to fit into the building or church. The requirements for admittance into God's church are the same today. We must forsake sin and repent of it, and by so doing we are born of God. Now the prayer of Jesus as recorded in John 17, "that they all may be one," is still the burden of heart. He still desires that all his children be one and all speak the same thing. His church is pictured in the Bible as a building fitly framed together. "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together for an habitation of God through the Spirit (Eph. 2:19-22). In this quotation we see plainly that Paul understood the church to be a building fitly framed together, or an assembly of people who had believed on Jesus Christ and by virtue of common experience with him were framed together to constitute a building. A building is a structure that has been built; and built is the past tense of the will build. To build means to unite material in order make a structure.

  The Christian world today presents almost anything but a building fitly framed together. Many who say they love God and perhaps have their names on some so-called church record, are strangers and foreigners to each other. They have nothing in common. The different beliefs and creeds and rituals that have been written by men have brought division and sometimes hatred between them. This is all displeasing to God, for he would have us all be one and be fitly framed together. There is only one thing that will accomplish this, and that is the Holy Spirit reigning in every heart. The experience of full salvation will bring men together in one body today in the apostles' day.

Many "born again" people are scattered throughout the different denominations today who need to hear the call of God. He is not pleased with the scattered condition of Christians but desires "that they all be one." In Rev.18:4 we hear God speak: "Come out of her, my people, that ye receive not of her plagues." The thing God is calling his people out of is Babylon. He is calling people out of the babel and confusion that exists in the nominal Christian world (denominationalism). Almost anyone will admit that denominationalism presents a babel state of confusion, and, for the most part, one is about as good as the other, but they are all displeasing to God. Any organization that binds a true saint of God is displeasing to him, and where the real gospel is preached, it is impossible for denominationalism to exist long. The Spirit working as the Word is preached will unite the hearts of "born again Ò people. It is the duty of every God-called minister to preach the message of unity. Jesus is going to come after his waiting bride (the church is called JesusÕ bride) and present her to the Father. He is not a polygamist; he only has one bride, one church, and is coming again to receive her unto himself.

  When Jesus appears the second time to receive his waiting bride, he will not gather all Christians out of every denomination and bring them into one body, constituting his bride. The work of unifying and bringing together is going on now. The true ministers of God are preaching the message of unity as it is taught in the Bible, and the Spirit of God is seeking out the scatter saints and bringing them into the one body, the church God, the bride of Christ. Yes, but how about those "born again" people who remain in denominationalism? Th, who are truly "born again" are God's children (sheep) and Jesus said, "My sheep (children) hear my voice and they follow me" (John 10:27). The call, "Come out of her, my people, Ò will be heard by all the saints in Babylon and they will answer the call or lose their experience with God, for rebellion against him means transgression or sin. Before Jesus returns he will gather every one his true saints out of all the places where they have be scattered, and not one of them will be found in denominationalism. In Rev. 18:23 we read: "And the light of the candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom (Jesus) and of the bride (church) shall be heard no more at all in thee." In this 18th chapter Revelator heard the call of God for his people to come and also saw the utter downfall and destruction of Babylon. The voice of the bridegroom, which is Christ, will not be heard there any more, and where the voice of Jesus is not heard we could not expect to find any true Christians. God is working through his true people and by Holy Spirit, gathering all the saints into one body preparatory to the second advent of Christ and the end of things. A body of people who have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb, and have been all baptized into one body by one Spirit predicated upon the simple teachings of Jesus, separated from all the religious sects of the day. Dear reader, have you been born of the of God and taken your place with the true saints an standing for the wonderful truths in the word of God? Jesus is coming after his waiting bride, will you be a part of her?