Why Does It Matter Which Church You Attend?

Introduction

Sometimes we forget to thank God for answered prayers.

As I look and see Norman Watson sitting here this morning, I’m grateful to God for answered prayers. We prayed a lot for Norman and Cassie’s other children who were over in the Persian Gulf fighting in Iraq. That God would take care of them and bring them safely home. And let’s give him praise and gratitude that he has answered that prayer. Norman, it’s sure good to see you sitting safely with us this morning.

A recent study conducted among our brethren. Ask people to consider this statement and to decide whether they would agree or disagree with it. The statement was something like this. It really does not matter what particular church someone belongs to as long as he or she loves God. Survey said, look over that statement and decide whether you would agree or disagree with it. Where would you be on that statement? Think that’s right? Or does it miss it? This particular survey examined five different groups and asked them to evaluate that statement. They asked preachers, elders, college students, high school students, and junior high school students whether they would agree. Can you anticipate their response? Let me share it with you. None of the preachers agreed with that. Yea, for us.

All the preachers to the last one said, absolutely not, that’s not true. It does matter what church somebody belongs to.

How about elders? They didn’t do so well. Only 13% of the elder, or 13% of the elders, agreed with that statement. I want you to think about that. Among God’s people, there were actually 13% of the shepherds who said ultimately it really doesn’t matter which church you go to.

College students, almost half, agreed with that statement. High school students, more than half. Junior high students, a large majority, more than two thirds, said that sounds right to me. Really doesn’t matter which church you go to. Maybe, maybe that shouldn’t surprise us so much that people have been deluded into feeling that way, because certainly folks in our religious world today largely choose churches like they choose a restaurant, right? Just find one you like and go there. And if you get tired of that one, or if you get poor service, find another one and go there. It doesn’t really matter where you go, just go somewhere, is the sentiment that is largely followed in our religious world today. In fact, the current generation of religious shoppers, if we could use that sort of loosely, really has very little denominational allegiance.

They don’t care what church it is. And in many cases, they’re not really concerned with what stands are taken or what doctrines are taught for the most part. As long as they kind of find their niche and are happy there. In fact, many religious teachers, popular religious teachers, urge people, find a church you like. Doesn’t matter so much which one. Just find some place where you can go and you can serve God. After all, and people say this all the time, aren’t all churches basically the same? So maybe it shouldn’t surprise us to find that, especially among our younger folks, this perception has infiltrated their thinking. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise us, but folks, it should disturb us. It does matter what church one chooses to be a part of.

All churches are not the same, but in reality are different in significant ways. And we can’t just choose any congregation because of the beauty of the architecture, or because we like their choir, or because whatever the reason is, just because that’s the place that best suits us. We can’t just choose any church and serve God faithfully. It does matter where we go. And what I’d like to do in the lesson this morning is to share with you four reasons that it matters which church we choose. And I want to ask our young people. I know you hear that, and you think, oh no, he’s going to get off into that doctrinal stuff, turn off our brains. Don’t do that this morning, would you? Would you stay with me and listen to this?

1. Not All Churches Concerned About the Unity of God’s People

Because the truth is you guys aren’t that far away from when you’re going to be out on your own, and mom and dad aren’t going to be compelling you to go to church with them. You may go off to college somewhere, and you’ll have a whole host of choices. You’ve got to pick one. Which one? And how do you decide? And so we want you to think about these things. And to make some mental notes in your mind about how we choose what church we’re a part of. Let me suggest, folks, that it matters what church we choose, first of all, because not all churches are concerned about the unity of God’s people the way God is concerned about the unity of his people. Many folks look at our religious world today and think, well, it’s okay that we have all the division that’s out there.

In fact, some folks even think it’s good to have a lot of different choices. But I want you to understand, folks, that New Testament Christians didn’t have to wrestle with this question that we have to wrestle with today. We need to appreciate that the religious world of the first century was far different from the picture we see around us today. You didn’t have a different denomination meeting on every corner. You didn’t have different groups who taught different doctrines and worshiped in different ways, and yet all claiming we’re followers of Jesus and we follow what the scriptures say.

I would ask you to note with me, for example, that they were all simply Christians, or disciples, or followers of Jesus. There were no denominational labels, no party names, if you will, that they attached to themselves. They didn’t teach different and conflicting doctrines. They all taught the same thing. In fact, look at this statement of Paul over in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 17. Notice what he says here. He says, For this reason I’ve sent you to Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child of the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways, which are in Christ. Now listen to what he says here. Just as I teach everywhere and in every church. Wherever Paul went, whatever city, whatever church he was preaching in, he taught the same things because there was a unity of message.

Now I don’t mean to suggest by that that they never had anybody that got out of line. They certainly did. They had false teachers in that day. People who came along and tried to corrupt the gospel. I just want you to understand that that kind of thing wasn’t accepted, but was rather rebuked in Galatians chapter 1, verse 6. Paul would write to this region and to the churches in this region, and he would fuss with them because they had endured and accepted false teaching. Galatians 1 and verse 6, he says, I’m amazed that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel. Which is really not another, only there are some who are disturbing you who want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Then listen to his words in verse 8. He says, But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, he is to be accursed.

Paul wasn’t a very broad minded preacher, was he? Wasn’t in the tolerance business. He says, Look, fellows, if there’s somebody coming up there and they’re preaching a message that is different from the gospel delivered to you, what did he say, verse 8? Let him be accursed. Don’t you listen to that teacher? Don’t you accept that doctrine? Don’t you allow yourself to be impressed with your broad-mindedness and tolerance of all kinds of different points of view. There was a unity in how they identified themselves and how they worshiped and what they taught. And there was a reason that that was so, brethren. That was so because it is exactly what Jesus wanted for his followers. John chapter 17 and verse 20, not long before he died, the Lord said, I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in me through their word, that they all may be one.

That’s what he wants for us. Verse 23, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you loved me. Jesus prayed that his followers would be united, that they would be one, perfected in unity, he said. He does not desire the kind of division we see around us today. In fact, the early Christians were concerned about preventing that kind of division. Again, I don’t mean to suggest that they didn’t have any problems with divisiveness. They did. They just didn’t accept it. They dealt with it. Paul got wind from some of his folks that the Corinthian church was having some division. Not like the division we see today. They weren’t breaking off into separate congregations, but within the church, there was some divisions.

He says, Now I exhort you, brethren, verse 10, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this that each one of you is saying, I’m a Paul, and I’m of Apollos, and I am of Cephas, and I am of Christ. They all had their little group.

He says, has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? What are you doing? We’re to be one. That’s what Jesus wanted. That’s Paul’s argument. We’re in Christ, not in Paul, not in Peter. Here is an example of a church that was struggling with division. And yet notice that Paul’s response is not to praise their broad-mindedness or commend them for having options, but to call them to unity. That’s how it was in the first century. There was a remarkable unity because it’s what Jesus wanted. And listen, folks, gospel preachers and Christians of the age to a large measure insisted on it. You won’t see that today. Our religious world is plagued with division. In virtually every town, you can find a host of different denominations on every street corner.

Drive down Bundy. How many churches are there on this road? Different names, different teachings, different ways of worship. Everyone wears their own party name to separate them from each other. Different doctrines are taught, and yet everyone says we’re following Jesus. But what is most disturbing is that largely people aren’t concerned about that. In spite of the prayer of Jesus and the stern response of Paul to the division of Corinth, most people today have largely accepted religious division. Most wear their party names proudly. Ask somebody what they are religiously. And let me tell you something. 98% of the time, nobody will say they’re a Christian. Try it and see. What will they do? They’ll give their party name. They’ll say, I’m a Baptist, I’m a Methodist, I’m a Jehovah’s Witness, I’m a Mormon.

Listen, I’m not picking on any one of those. They’re all the same. They’re party names. They say, hey, we say we’re following Jesus, but we’re not like those folks. What’s that about? Few of concern about the conflicting doctrines. Like the concern Paul manifested when he wrote to the Galatians. In fact, there are a lot of people today who think it’s good that you have churches that teach it so many different ways. It’s good because you can go find one that teaches like you like it. If you don’t like what this church teaches on divorce, don’t worry, there’s another one across town that’ll say it like you want it said. It appears that most have accepted this chaotic condition. As normal, acceptable, maybe even helpful. That’s why it matters what church we go to.

No matter what the religious world has come to accept over the centuries, brethren, bear in mind that the will of Jesus Christ hasn’t changed. When he prayed in John 17 that his followers will be one, that continues to be his desire today. God hates division as much now as he did then. As a person concerned with pleasing him, and I think that’s true of all of us in this crowd. I cannot take part in denominational division. I can have no part of wearing a party name. If someone asks what religion you are, brethren, don’t ever say I’m church of Christ. God forbid we should use that kind of denominational language. We are Christians or disciples. And that’s all. I can’t be part of a group that believes that God will accept and participate in that kind of division.

I need to seek out people who just want to be Christians, who are convicted that denominational division is wrong and must be changed. And I need to be a seek out people who are looking for the unity of all believers based not on some arbitrary law we make up, but based on the word of God, which is the basis of all unity.

2. Not All Churches Accept the Bible as Inspired

And I might add, in the midst of all the denominational chaos that is out there today, brethren, those are the kind of people that that’s the kind of church we need to be. We need to be people concerned about the unity of all believers, building on the foundation of God’s truth. That’s why it matters. Okay, well, there’s a second reason it matters. It matters which church I go to because not all churches believe that the Bible is the word of God and follow it accordingly. Now that may come as a surprise to most folks. I think there are people in the religious world that would be sort of startled by that statement. That not all churches accept the Bible as the inspired word of God and follow it accordingly.

I think many people sort of work on the assumption that virtually all religious groups accept the Bible and basically follow it. And while we may have a few minor differences and how they are interpreted, a passage here or a passage here. Basically, we agree that it’s God’s word and agree that it ought to be followed. I think people assume that’s the way it is largely. It is not.

In fact, I suspect there are a lot of people who would be stunned at the kind of attitudes that people take toward the Word of God. I do not believe it is overgeneralizing to suggest that the vast majority of our religious world either questions the inspiration of the Scripture or has figured out a way to get around its authority and allow them to do what they want to do. Let me give you some examples of what I’m talking about. Some churches teach, for example, that the Bible is not inspired. Do you realize that? You can go to some places, some churches, that will teach the Bible is just another work of literature. That is a purely human product, not inspired by God. You can go to some churches and find preachers who will say, well, some of the Bible is inspired, and yet some of it clearly isn’t.

Now that leaves us in a very convenient position. Have you thought about that? If we say, well, you know, some of the book probably is from God, and yet there are certainly things that probably aren’t from God, where does that leave us? You see it? We get to pick. So if I don’t like what the Bible says about cheating on my wife, well, you know, I don’t really think that came from God anyway. But I like what the Bible says about modest dress, well, you know, Paul was just being kind of arbitrary about that. That was what he was thinking. That really wasn’t what the Holy Spirit was trying to say. And so, really, when you say some but not all, we’re just wide open to do what we want to do to pick and choose.

You can go to churches today and find people who would say, Well, yes, the Bible’s inspired, but they will override what the Bible says with their Holy Spirit experiences. Used to study with a buddy of mine that was charismatic. And we would differ about the Bible teaching on salvation, and I would just say, Well, you know, look at this passage, you know, and what does it say? He believed the sort of God would pick and choose who would be saved, sort of that Calvinistic idea. And I said, But yeah, we know the book. What does the Bible say about that? He said, You know, I’ve read that passage. And that sure seems to be so, but you know, the Holy Spirit has just led me, and then he went on, to completely reach a position that contradicted the Bible.

He chose what he believed was a personal experience with the Spirit over the teaching of the Scripture. You can go to churches today and find that there are people who believe the Bible is inspired. It’s just not complete. Our friends next door. The Mormon church teaches that, well, you know, the Bible is fine and good, it’s just not enough. And you have to have these other revelations from God the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants, and then you’ll understand all of God’s testimony. In fact, a recent survey found, you ready for this? That almost half of all Americans believe that the Bible, the book of Mormon, and the Quran are just different expressions of the same spiritual truth.

You see that? Almost half the people in our culture say they’re all about the Son. And you can go to churches as well that will say, you know, the Bible is the Word of God, it’s just not enough. And what we need are the centuries of church laws and teachings that have been handed down to us by wise men, and so we need the Bible and we need these other teachings so much for the sufficiency of the scripture taught in 2 Timothy 3.16. All scriptures inspired by God and profitable or teaching for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be what? Old King James says, perfect. Completely supplied. Let me tell you what the bottom line is. With all of these things, the bottom line is that men are figuring out a way to substitute their will for God’s.

In one form or another, that practice is permeating the religious scene. And that’s why it matters which church we go to. Folks, the only thing that matters in this life is going to heaven. And to go to heaven, we’ve got to do the will of God. Matthew 7 and verse 21 says, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. I’m going to tell you, folks, this passage. This passage rings loud in our generation. It’s really hitting an area where we’re having problems. It’s not just being religious that’ll get us to heaven. Notice verse 22 says, Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?

And in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles. I want you to notice that they’re describing religious activity. These aren’t people who are out here fornicating. These aren’t people who are out worshiping idols. These aren’t people who are out here gambling or lying or stealing or cheating. These are people who are being religious. What did he say to them in verse 23? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice foul immorality. Is that what he says? He said, You who practice lawlessness. You’re not doing what the law says. You’re not doing the will of the Father. When men begin to add and subtract to what God has given, when they begin to replace God’s will with their own, then my ability to do the will of the Father has been compromised.

3. Not All Churches Teach God’s Plan for Saving Men

And that’s a real danger in a lot of churches today. We need to choose to be part of a church that is committed to do God’s will and only his will as it is revealed in his word. And may I add, brethren, that we need to be that kind of a church. Not set in tradition, not determined to do things the way we’ve always done it because that’s what brethren have always thought or taught. There is a value in tradition. There is a value in what other learned people have discovered and have shared down through the years. But the standard is the book. And that needs to be our standard. But you won’t find that in every church. That’s why it matters what we choose. Well, let me suggest to you thirdly, that it matters what church we choose because not all churches teach God’s plan for saving men.

Isn’t that startling? You would think if religious people could get their act together and unite and say one thing right the same way, it would be this thing, that we would say the same thing about how men are to be saved. And yet that may be the one issue about which there is more division than any other. Go to some churches and you’ll find people who say, well, you know, everybody’s going to go to heaven. No, God’s a big doting grandpa on one day, and you know, when that time comes, he’s just going to let us all in anyway. That in spite of the fact that when Jesus described the judgment scene in Matthew 25 and verse 46, he got to the end and said, Of the wicked, these will go away into eternal punishment.

And the righteous into eternal life. Jesus taught that not everyone will go to heaven. And others say, well, when it comes to salvation, really, God has made that choice. That before any of us were ever born before the world was created, God had already predestined in his mind which specific individuals would go to heaven and which would not. You and I were born into this world, going one place or another, and what we do won’t change it. That, in spite of the fact that passages like John 3.16 said that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And there are religious groups that you could go to today who would say, well, if you’ll just accept Christ in your heart as your personal Savior, you’ll be saved.

Just accept Jesus. That’s all there is to it. Believe in Him, believe He’s as your Savior, accept that, and that’s all that God requires of you. At that moment, you’re saved. And they say that in spite of the fact that passages like Acts 2.38 clearly indicate that believers have to do something to be saved. Acts 2 38 says, on the day of Pentecost, Peter told those believers to repent. And each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. The simple reality is, brethren, that there are a lot of people today marketing a plan of salvation that is not the Lord’s. And that’s a problem. Because if we’re going to be right with God, we’ve got to come to Him on our terms.

It’s not just about sincerely believing that what we did was right. We’ve got to know that what we did is right because we followed what was in the book. We’re talking about people’s salvation that is at question here. Listen, folks, if it really doesn’t matter what plan one obeys, then why did God bother to give a plan? Have you ever thought about that? Why would God lay out a plan in his word and yet at the end say, well, it really doesn’t matter what you want to do. If you kind of want to tweak it here and there and change it a little bit, that’s okay. If the plan didn’t matter, why have one? That God gave one indicates that it is critical. That’s why it matters what church we attend.

Especially on this most crucial of issues. We need to be sure that whatever church we’re a part of teaches that same plan for how man is saved that is revealed in Scripture. Folks, we need to be sure we’ve done that. And we need to be sure that that’s the message that we’re telling and that our congregation is telling to others. There is no way we can jointly participate and work with a group that puts at risk the souls of men by marketing a plan for saving man that is not God’s. I know that some look at that and say, well, that’s just a bunch of theological stuff. Listen, folks, it is the issue of our existence. It’s the thing that matters. Not all churches are teaching that plan.

That’s why it matters where I go. And lastly, I thought I could go a little longer this morning because the air condition is working so well, don’t you think?

4. Not All Churches Teach Bible Morality

Last point I want to make is it does matter which church we choose because not all churches teach Bible morality. And again, I wonder if there might be some who are surprised by that. I wonder if some would assume that all churches basically say the same things about being a good person and living a good, righteous life. And while there may be minor differences, that everyone essentially is on the same page about that. And folks, that’s just not so. In fact, what I’m going to say this morning may surprise some folks in this group. But there are many churches who have turned their backs on basic Bible teachings on issues of morality. For example, there are a lot of churches that have simply abandoned any form of teaching regarding the subject of divorce and the adulterous marriages that it produces.

Many denominations today just look the other way. I’m not saying they advocate divorce. But they just look the other way when it occurs among their members. Not to mention taking a stand about unscriptural marriages that often result in the aftermath of divorce. Many churches are looking the other way when it comes to fornication. Some of the more liberal denominations today allow couples to live together without being married and carried on and don’t say anything. Look the other way. More and more churches are beginning to bend on the issue of homosexuality. I suspect that there are some gray-headed people in this audience that never thought you’d see the day. Aren’t there? I mean, if ever there were an issue where we could stand up and morally agree, it would be this one.

Listen, folks, there are churches today that talk about Jesus and talk about the Bible who have accepted as their leaders practicing homosexuals. Do you realize that? And there are a lot of mainstream denominations that are not far behind. The debates are already raging.

Mark it down, we will see most mainstream denominations gradually accept that. And see, we haven’t even touched on issues like modest dress, like dancing, like filthy entertainment. Folks, there are a lot of places you could go, and you would never hear anything about issues like these. There’s a reason for that. Well, you teach like that, you’re going to drive away some crowds. People are going to be unhappy if you talk about that. I had a good buddy that was church shopping. He said, He went to this church one Sunday morning and he sat down there on the pew, and there was a guy kind of down the way from him a little bit, and when he saw him come in, the guy slid over and got it next to him and said, You knew?

He said, Yeah, I’m first time here. Guy shook his hand and said, You’re going to love this church. He said, Really? Why? He says, No guilt. So you come here every Sunday, no guilt. You know, never leave feeling guilt. Now, listen, folks, I don’t believe in beating up the brethren every time we get together. I think that’s a mistake, too. Paul talked about ballots preaching in 2 Timothy chapter 4. But I’m going to tell you something. If you never go away from here beaten up a little bit, we’re not doing our job.

Guilt is part of growing in Christ. Getting to heaven involves getting right with God and living right before Him. And I am fearful that in the vast majority of churches today, you will not find teaching that calls us to the godly life that God desires. That’s why it matters what church I go to. I need to choose a church that teaches the kind of morality that we find in Scriptures. A church that will teach that whether folks like it or not.

And we need to be that kind of a church. We need to be the kind of church that will keep on preaching about dancing, even when the religious world kind of looks at us and snickers. Who will talk about the sinfulness of playing the lottery, of immodest dress, of filthy movies, who will condemn homosexuality and abortion in unmistakable terms. And brethren, we need to be the kind of people who will hear it. At times who will feel guilty because it indicts our lives. And who will be changed? It matters. Not all churches are the same. And my salvation hangs in the balance with the decision I make. We need to take this seriously. Choice we make about what church we’re part of, being sure that God’s word is what is guiding us in that decision.

Conclusion

Take out your songbooks, please, and turn to the number selected as the invitation song. When you’ve done that, if I could have your attention back just for one more minute, it would be simply to say this. South Bumby does not have a plan of salvation. Jesus Christ does. And this morning what we’d like to ask you is have you obeyed that plan? Jesus calls upon us to believe in him. John 3 16. Believe he is the Savior. Believe he died to rescue us from sin. Jesus calls us to turn from a life of sin and to determine that we’re going to live for him. Those on Pentecost in Acts 2.38 were told to repent. And they were told to be baptized for the remission of their sins.

Jesus said that if we want to be free from sin, we need to be immersed in water in keeping with his instruction. Now that’s not the plan that’s always taught in other places. That’s not our plan. Look in the Bible for yourself. If it’s God’s plan, it’s the one we need to obey. Have you done that? If you haven’t, you can do it today. You can be part of God’s great spiritual family. If you’re subject to his invitation, come to the front right now while we stand and sing together.