WHAT’S IN A NAME?

August 10th, 2012 | By admin

by Katt Anderson

Names are very important to us. Before a child is born, parents think long and hard before they name it. They want the right name for the child. I’ve never heard of a child being named Jezebel, have you? She was a bad woman in the Bible. Other names in the Bible stand out as good names, Joshua, Moses, Jacob, and so on. I don’t think we would name our child Hitler either. So, names are important.

Why, then, are names of churches not important? It distinguishes us from other churches you say. Why? Why do you want to be distinguished from another church if you are all going to the same place in the end? Because there is a lot of difference in what you teach. The denominations do not teach what the Bible teaches. Let me give you a few examples.

Let’s look at the Baptist church. They believe you can say the ‘Sinners Prayer’ and be saved. That is not found in the Bible. In fact the Sinners Prayer was not heard of until 150 years ago and not widely used until 1930. That is not something Christ instituted, and it is wrong. Then you are voted on at a later date, sometimes years, before you are baptized. What if the church does not vote you in? That’s not how the New Testament church did it.

Look at Acts 8:35-38 “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. ³⁶ Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’³⁷ Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’³⁸ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.” As you can see, the eunuch didn’t have to wait a year, or several years to be baptized, he was baptized that hour. That is what the Bible said.

Another example is the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:30-33 “³⁰ And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’³¹ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.” Again they were baptized the same hour of the night.

Churches do not wear the name of Christ. They wear names given to the churches by men. They practice worship ordained by men. They do not practice as the Bible says they should. Why can’t we return to a first century practice? Romans 16:16 says, “Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.” That’s it folks.

As Alexander Campbell said in the 19th century, “We speak where the Bible speaks, and we’re silent where the Bible is silent.” I don’t want to wear another man’s name, only Christ’s. I don’t want to wear the church of God, because God sent His son, Christ, and gave Him the glory. This is Christ’s church, and only Christ’s church.  No other name would be appropriate.