Articles
The Church Of 'Not'
Serious students of God's word will know that when Christ established the church, it was never intended to be a social entity [though there is a social aspect], and was never intended to be an exclusive club where its members come together regularly to just sit around reading their Bibles and discussing the proper meaning and interpretation. Our Lord did not die for us to be, as one preacher used to say it, a bunch of do-nothings sitting on the log of do-little and whittling on the stick of do-less. Our Lord has not only died for us, but has also given us serious charges to fulfill, a gospel message to preach, and a directive to go out into all the world to try to bring lost souls to Him and salvation. He did not die for us so we can sit around and point out the faults of others while boasting about what we do not do.
In His earthly life, Jesus set the standard for all disciples who would follow Him; indeed, Jesus demands every individual who desires to be His disciple to take up their cross and follow Him (Matt. 16:24). Following Jesus means following His example, for “It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master” (Matt. 10:25). And what example did Jesus set for us to follow? Well, He didn't just sit around talking about what God wanted His people to do [though teaching was certainly a part of His earthly life]; no, Jesus went out and did many things that demonstrated (1) He was who He claimed to be, and (2) He was doing the Father's will — the will of God.
Jesus didn't just talk about sin and the hopeless state of man, but went and gave His life to remedy that situation and give us all hope. While on earth, He taught, He healed, He touched, He ate with all classes and backgrounds, He walked, He exposed, He chastised, He rebuked, He showed mercy, He forgave, He died and He saved. The example of Jesus was one of action, and not just words. He was known by what He did, more so than by what He did not do, and for what He did people listened to Him, respected Him, praised Him, believed Him, and followed Him.
Now, we who are His disciples — those who comprise the church belonging to Christ — must follow His example, and should be known by what we do rather than being known for what we do not do. Even if all the things we do not do are exactly all the things God says we should not do, others will still ask, "But what are you doing?" And they would be right in asking that question. It is not the one who says ‘Lord, Lord’ who will enter into the kingdom, but the one who does the will of the Father (Matt. 7:21). Jesus did not say, "But he who does not do all the bad things other people do and does not do the things the denominations do will enter into the kingdom," but “he who does the will of the Father.” We must “be doers of the word” (Jas. 1:22), and known for what we do, rather than by what we do not do.
But not so many years ago, many disciples and entire congregations got caught up in fighting against error, and worked hard to expose the errors that were arising — so much so that these individuals and congregations became known for their opposition to error. They became known for what they did not do, even more so than for what they did. Another generation came along and, seeing what their predecessors had been doing, assumed that this was their main focus and purpose, so they also continued to oppose and expose and make it clear to everyone that they were the ones who did not do what those in error were doing. Is it any wonder some still call certain brethren 'antis'? Much of what they heard was not what God said we were to do, but only what we were not to do. Some congregations had become the church of ‘not’!
Let's consider some of the things we may be doing that causes others to think of the Lord's church as more of a church of ‘not’ than a church of doing, working, and accomplishing.
NOT Users of Instrumental Music In Worship. The reality of the religious landscape is that the vast majority of denominations use instrumental music in their worship, and churches of Christ are known by outsiders as "that church that doesn't use instruments" or, as some have even said, "that church that doesn't believe in music." It seems that we have been so busy telling others what they shouldn't be doing in their musical worship, we haven't made much of an impression on those around us and few really know what we stand for.
Let's spend more time talking about the kind of worship God does want, rather than what He doesn't want. Let's talk about how He has commanded that His people are “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16). Emphasize what God does want.
NOT Using The Treasury For The Support of Human Institutions. More than anything, this is the issue that causes some to see the faithful simply as "antis" They have been misinformed by some disingenuous preachers, and we have not taught enough of God's positive commands, and this has caused some to know us only by what we oppose. Some to this day still use the old, tired accusation, "If a starving orphan came to the church's front steps, you'd let them starve to death before you helped them!" [I have heard this within the last calendar year!] Again, so much teaching has been done on about what not to do, some are apparently not hearing what we should do.
Let's spend more time talking about the individual disciple's responsibility to help those in need (cf. 1 John 3:17; Matt. 5:40-42) and the individual's responsibility to take care of his own that the church may do the things it is authorized to do (1 Tim. 5:8-16). Let us show them, by our example, that we are very much interested in children who do not have a home; let us point out the many brethren who have done just that, sacrificing their time, money, and privacy so that a child can be raised in a nurturing atmosphere and know about their Creator and the One who died for them.
NOT Organized Incorrectly. Many brethren will make it a point to tell all their friends we are not a denomination, that the preacher is not the 'pastor,' that we are to not call any man 'father,' that we do not have annual conferences or synods or councils to determine what we believe, that we do not have a hierarchy that oversees our particular congregation, or a hundred other things we do not do like those in the denominations. Okay. So are we telling them what we do? Are we teaching them about the church as it is seen in the New Testament, so they can do the investigation themselves and then see for themselves how what is seen as 'the church' today has no resemblance to that of the first century? Are we teaching them the standard by which all things must be measured, or are we just telling them, "No, that's the wrong way"?
Yes, there is plenty of wrong and plenty of error that must be exposed. But even as we acknowledge this, let us also acknowledge that without a picture of what the church should look like, and what the church should do, all we are to them is the church of ‘not.’ — Steven Harper
