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SIMPLY AND ONLY CHRISTIANS!
Ken Thomas

At a crisis time in her life, an intelligent and honest woman turns to her Bible. She is searching for direction and meaning in a confused existence. She reads the brief Gospel of Mark and is impressed with the dynamic Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man. Then she reads the beautiful Gospel of John. She is convinced that the Son of Man is also the Son of God—the only one who could possibly answer her questions and rescues her life from its emptiness. The woman presses on in her reading to the book of Acts. She reads the sermon of Peter on Pentecost Day in A.D. 33 and is amazed at the great number who were baptized that day. She thrills at the stories of various persons in the book who turn from one situation or another to Christ for salvation and life. She wants to become a follower of Christ and wishes that someone could help her to better understand what to do.

On a billboard along the route to her job, she sees an announcement concerning an “evangelistic crusade” in her city. The sign promises that Christ will be preached in a series of services in a municipal auditorium. She decides to attend.

The woman hears and believes the message of the love of God for her. She accepts the fact of Christ’s atoning death for her. Her heart breaks at the thought that it was her sinfulness which made such a sacrifice necessary. She responds on Friday evening of the crusade and tells someone, “I believe in Jesus Christ and want him to save me. I want to do what those people in the book of Acts did, and be baptized in the name of Jesus.” She asked someone to baptize her for the remission of past sins, her wish is honored by one working in the campaign, and she is immersed into Christ for the remission of her past sins. (See Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:47; Acts 2:47; Romans 6:3-6).

On returning to her home that evening, the woman is thinking about some of the changes that will occur in her life because of what has happened that Friday night. In particular, it dawns on her that Sunday is only two days away; she knows that Christians usually meet together for prayer, instruction in the word of God, and fellowship. But with whom should she meet?

She opened a little packet of information given her that evening. It contains information about the crusade she had attended. It was sponsored jointly by several religious groups in her city, and brochures about some of them are enclosed. Each invites her to become a part of its fellowship. How will she choose? On what will this novice in spiritual things base a decision? It is altogether possible that she will go to bed that evening distraught rather than relieved. “I just want to be a Christian,” she tells herself. “How can I choose among these different denominations? Which should I join?”

Over the next several weeks, she attends each of those churches. They are similar in many respects, but different in several important matters. They have organizational distinctions, different points of doctrinal emphasis, and clearly promote loyalties around their peculiarities. The woman watches and listens. She meets individuals in all those groups who seem quite committed to Jesus and sincere in everything they do. Yet, with the exception of the evangelistic crusade earlier in the year, the groups are clearly going their separate directions and promoting their points of divisive difference. She weeps in frustration. “I just want to be a Christian!” she says over and over again. Finally, confused and knowing no alternative to the situation she has encountered, she simply abandons “organized religion” altogether. She has become another casualty to religious partism.

IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE?
Let’s go back to that Friday evening when the woman was baptized at the crusade. Let’s suppose for a moment that she and five other men and women who were also baptized that night ride back to their homes in the same neighborhood on a bus. They talk and share their excitement and joy. They determine that they will meet together in her home Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm. They meet, study the Bible together, pray and share in the communion of Christ’s body and blood.

What if that little group of six continued to meet together, kept studying the scriptures, and grew in their knowledge and practice of the faith? What if their number grew to 12, or 93, or 140? In the New Testament sense of the word, would it be correct to call that group a “church”? If this same set of events occurred in New York, Los Angeles, Bogota, London, Moscow or in anywhere in the world - What would you call those individuals involved? What would you call their local fellowship? How would you refer to that “movement” collectively?

While God alone is the only one whose judgment about such a situation would count for anything ultimately, would any of us deny that those people were Christians, children of God, members of the body of Christ? Wouldn’t the collective “movement” be called “churches of the saints” (1 Cur. 14:33), or “the church of the Lord” (Acts 20:28), or “the household of God” (Eph. 2:19), or simply “the church” (Acts 8:1)?

If you will notice, not one word has been said about denominational differences. They have not entered the picture in our imaginary situation. Yet, tragically, they have entered the picture of our real world. Sects, parties, personal loyalties around men, and additions to the revealed word of God have divided professed followers of Christ into warring denominations. Such a divided and fragmented state is wrong, and it is the responsibility of those who love Christ to seek to correct it. It is possible for people to be Christians, JUST CHRISTIANS, and to participate in local assemblies which are churches in the New Testament sense of that term. Would you join us in our efforts as we strive to practice and encourage simple New Testament Christianity? We just want to be Christians! That's sufficient in God's (Christ's) eyes (Acts 11:26; 1 Pet. 4:16).