The Controversy Over Institutionalism

Text: 1 Timothy 3:15 The church is the pillar and support of the truth. It is fully capable as God designed it to do the work that the Lord gave it to do. Do we believe that? Sixty years ago in this country, brethren fought battles over “institutionalism.” It was not a new issue then. It […]

Apostate churches of Christ

Text: Revelation 2:4-5 As we consider the different churches that exist in the religious world, some of these churches can be classified as “apostate churches of Christ.” They are composed of brethren but have departed from Christ. This lesson will examine these churches. Define “Apostate churches of Christ” Departed from the NT pattern – therefore, […]

How the Church Grew in Ephesus

Text: Acts 19:20 When Paul came to Ephesus, he quickly converted twelve men (Acts 19:1-7). In three years (Acts 20:31), the gospel grew mightily (Acts 19:20) and the church went from just twelve men to “a considerable number” (Acts 19:26). There are challenges that come with being part of a smaller congregation. But we can […]

Everything is Controversial

Jude 3 Jude says we must “contend earnestly for the faith.” Why? It is because “the faith” is controversial. While many want to shy away from controversy, we cannot avoid it – not just because of our obligation, but because of reality. Everything is controversial to someone. In this lesson we will consider why this […]

Radical, Liberal, Institutional

Most of the time we use these terms negatively. Yet in a sense, these terms can also be used to describe the good that God expects of us. Radical The Bible cautions us against radical ideas (Deuteronomy 5:32; Proverbs 24:21) — But… We are to be far different than the norms of the world (Romans […]

Controversies Among Brethren – Historical

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:19 The Missionary Society Organization established to send out men to preach the gospel We already have an organization for preaching the gospel – the local church (1 Timothy 3:15) God used the local church to send out preachers (Acts 13:1-4) Instrumental Music Using instruments of music to accompany singing in worship […]

Who Is My Brother?

What Makes Us Brethren? By faith we have been baptized into Christ (Acts 2:37-38; Galatians 3:26-29; 1 Corinthians 12:13) What if one does this but joins an institutional church or a denomination? Still a brother What if one doesn’t do this, but is religious and claims belief in God/Jesus? Not a brother Be Mindful of […]