I HAD NO ILLUSIONS

THE END OF OUR LESSONS TO THE CHURCH

For over 30 years I have taught a series of illustrated lessons on the history of the church. Many of you have begged me to put this material in book form. So 6 months ago my wife and I invested our time and money in this website so each chapter of the book could be available for our brethren to use in leading their friends and family to the non-denominational church of the New Testament. The title will be "Searching For The Church On The Rock." It will be a book you can give to anyone that will 1) Show them why and when their church started, 2) Contrast its basic doctrines with the N.T., 3) Give the identifying features of the church Jesus said he would build and 4) Do so without the standard "my church is right and yours is wrong" attitude that only alienates. It doesn't matter and our friends don't care what "our church" believes. They are interested in knowing more about the history of their church and if it is the one that started on the day of Pentecost. They are willing to listen when it is presented without any denominational prejudice.

However I put the book on hold because most members of the Church of Christ do not understand what it means to be non-denominational. They believe that the Lord's church can only be called the Church of Christ and use the same denominational terminology that the world uses: "I am a member of the Church of Christ" or "We in the Church of Christ believe" or "To be saved you must be in the Church of Christ." Many years ago when I preached that the 1st century church was called by many names, the saved are added to the Lord's church but you have to join a denomination and we could serve God just as well if the sign out in front of the building said "Main Street Church," I will never forget what one sister said: "I am a member of the Church of Christ and my mom and dad were members of the Church of Christ. I wouldn't worship with anyone who is ashamed to put the scriptural name of the true church on their sign." When I asked other brethren what they thought about her statement and these preachers and elders said they saw nothing wrong with it I knew the Church of Christ had become an established denomination in every since of the word. I had to speak up!

Another reason to delay my book on church history is the decline in conversions, knowledge and zeal among brethren today. When one preacher wrote me and said that nothing was wrong with the church today and I was only trying to divide the church I expressed my concerns about the today's church in these words:

"The Lord's church continues to decline in numbers year after year. Each month buildings close forever. Those once housed strong congregations of God's people. When Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons knocked on our door and then found out we were N.T. Christians they got out the door as fast as they could. Our members knew the Bible, but not anymore. Seeking the lost used to be our main focus. Today our funerals out number our baptisms. Our neighbors envied our zeal but now we must be happy if the majority of the congregation at least shows up. These things have worried elders and preachers for many, many years but like the weather we talked about it but didn't do anything. The purpose of my articles is to not only draw attention to these problems but also to search for scriptural solutions."

The important words are "scriptural solutions." Some congregations like the Woodmont Hills Church in Nashville led by Rubel Shelly have attempted to find solutions but without respect for the authority of the scriptures. I have personally heard bro. Shelly preach that immersion for the remission of sins and vocal music are "our tradition." These are not traditions but obedience based on what the Bible teaches. On the other hand it does no good to attack Woodmont Hills if we are not doing our best to restore our congregations to the zeal and obedience that God demands. We are just as wrong to do nothing, as someone else is to do it wrong. If the way they have tried to restore their members zeal and compassion for lost souls is wrong then find a scriptural way to bring your members to faithful service in the Kingdom. If the way they have tried to restore heart felt worship is wrong then find a scriptural way to bring your members back to a close relationship with God. In the past weeks I have received in the mail two different tracts from Churches of Christ in the area inviting people to worship with them. In both they describe in detail the worship you will find in the "Church of Christ." They say that they have "two or three songs, a prayer, another song and then a sermon from the Word of God." Is this the "order of services" that you find in the Bible? Of course not! Then why can't you change it if it will make your worship more spiritual? The answer is simple: This is the way we do it in the Church of Christ! If the exclusive use of the name "Church of Christ" does not prove it is a denomination then this certainly does.

However, I was under no illusions when I decided to spend the last six months writing these articles, no illusions what so ever! History proves that once a denomination becomes established they always go into a defensive posture. The "truth" is what they already have and anyone who suggests change is called an apostate and a false teacher. Whatever they believe and practice will be defended even if they are declining spiritually and numerically. The Catholic Church did not change when Martin Luther challenged them with his 95 theses even though he was only concerned with ending the immoral excesses in his church. Instead they accused him of heresy, excommunicated him and issued a death warrant. When John and Charles Wesley established the "Holy Club" at Oxford University they were only trying to bring the Church of England back to zeal, morality and spiritual service that they knew it should have. The Anglican Church did not change; the world got the Methodist Church. When the Methodist Church devolved into a social and political organization its members failed to reform it but the Holiness, Pentecostal and Apostolic Churches did result. When Thomas and Alexander Campbell tried to reform the Baptist Church so it would be like the 1st century church they were withdrawn from.Only then did they realize that reforming a denomination was impossible.

I have no illusions! It matters not which Church of Christ sect your congregation is part of, the establishment will not tolerate change even if it is needed and scriptural. The sect labeled "anti" or "conservative" (depending on your viewpoint) is championed by Truth Magazine and Florida College. Instead of searching for solutions for their denominationalism and lethargy they accuse those who do so as having departed from the faith. The sect called "liberal" or "progressive" and led by The Gospel Advocate and David Lipscomb University have become so socially and politically powerful in Nashville that even spiritual and numerical death, as reported in front page articles in the Nashville Tennessean, is to be preferred over upsetting the status quo. The same can be said about groups separated by covering, one cup, anti-located preacher or anti-Bible class issues. None of these will accept change even if it is proven to be scriptural.

As I end this series of studies there are two issues we have discussed that I pray that my brethren will prayerfully study:

1) A denomination is "a group distinguished by a specific name." This is what the dictionary says! Brethren who opposed instrumental music did not distinguish themselves with the name "Church of Christ" until 1906. The day they did they became a denomination. If your congregation hopes to lead your neighbors out of denominationalism you must get out yourselves. It will not be easy. The loyalty of many of your members is to the "Church of Christ" and it will take teaching, a lot of teaching, to lead them back to the old paths that our grandfathers preached.

2) Inviting our neighbors to come to church with us has been a failure in leading the lost to Jesus. Why? Because it is not the way Jesus told us to do it and it is not the way the early church spread the Gospel to the entire world in just 30 years. Jesus said we must "go and teach" but never authorized us to ask people to "come and learn." Not only is using the Lord's Day worship an unscriptural and ineffective way to teach the lost it also perverts the worship of God's people. Never forget: "Upon the first day of the week the disciples came together to break bread and Paul preached to them" and "Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching." It does matter that everything we do on the 1st day of the week is by and for Christians because only Christians are called to worship their Father.We must obey God and go, teach and baptize and then invite these new Christians to worship with us so we can "teach them to observe whatsoever" we have been commanded. Only when we respect the authority of the Word of God will our evangelism save the lost and our worship edify the church, as it should.

While I have no illusions that the Church of Christ, in mass, will return to the ancient order, as bro. West so apply called it, change is happening all across this country. It is following in the footsteps of the Restoration Movement and is taking place one individual and one congregation at a time. While some of these are not asking for "book, chapter and verse" for their changes I can only hope that from my simple writings you have learned not only that change is necessary but that it is also possible to do so and stay within the authority of God's Word. Brethren, for over 50 years we have "sowed to the wind" and we are now "reaping the whirlwind." May God be with you and your congregation as you search for the non-denominational church of the N.T. and work to restore its zeal, knowledge and emphasis on saving souls. God Bless You.

Larry A. McKee

"The Parson"

I would be amiss not to give a special thanks to my wife Shirley. She is a faithful Christian who puts me to shame with her dedication to Bible study. It was not only her insistence that I write a book on church history but also her willingness to financially support us that has given me the time to devote to this effort. She asked me today if I would start on the book tomorrow! Yes I will. I have done my humble best for my brethren but they must choose their own path. Now I will turn my efforts to the millions outside of Christ who are searching for "The Church On The Rock."

Larry