Recently I was reading an article and the lesson of the article was dealing with issues in the church.  The question in the article was raised “Should the world know of the church’s problems.”  The author of the article continued to write and imply that the church should keep all issues from non-Christians.  The author took the position that the world should not know that there are false doctrines in the church.  It is sometimes nice to know the opinions of brethren, but along with opinions come false teachings.  This article will examine if the church hid false doctrines from the world in the first century.  Then we as the church today, being the mirror image of the church then, will have to follow the inspired examples we see as authorized by the Lord.

With Jesus being the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23 and Colossians 1:18), it is imperative that we know what His position is on this matter.  After all, it is His authority we need for “whatsoever ye do in word or deed” -(Colossians 3:17).  The question at hand, would Jesus make note of false teachers and false doctrines in a public way?

In Matthew chapter five the scriptures reveal in the first verse that Jesus saw the multitudes.  He then used that opportunity to preach the sermon we know as “The Sermon on the Mount.”  As our English record has it recorded, Jesus only twenty verses into this sermon stated this: “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  There we have the first account of our Lord publicly opposing error.  There are many times that the Lord rebuked and publicly called error just what it was.  Jesus even points out that the Old Testament prophesied of such men who would follow doctrines of men.  (Matthew 15:7-9) “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”  It is obvious the Lord approved of identifying false doctrines to all.  It is also a biblical fact that he is an example for us to follow (I Peter 2:21).

The Apostles as moved by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13), also rebuked and reproved error in the most public of public ways.  We must remember that the written word of God will last forever (Matthew 24:35 and I Peter 1:23).  We will see that they not only exposed error, but also named names of those that taught error.

The Apostle Paul told Timothy in I Timothy 1:20 of two whom he delivered to Satan.  (I Timothy 1:20) “Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”  He called the name of Demas and Alexander (II Timothy 4:10 and 4:14).  In one of the great many examples that could be cited the Apostle Paul rebuked congregations for those there that forsook the truth.  (Galatians 1:6-7) “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”

Jesus and Paul do not stand alone in the New Testament on calling out false teachers and false doctrines in public ways for all to see.  Stephen did so (Acts 7:51-60.), Peter did so (II Peter 2:1-2), and John did as well (III John verse 9 and II John 9-11).  Just as Jesus is an example for us so are the inspired Apostles (II Thessalonians 3:9).

The Lord hates false doctrine.  We should grasp this fact from studying God’s word.  (Psalms 119:104) “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.”  Throughout the Old and New Testaments we see false teachers and false doctrines combated.  These records are everlasting.  The church of today should feel no shame that she too must fight false doctrine.  After all, we do have this example in the New Testament by the Christians in the First Century.

You parents know what I'm talking about: "The place where a kid can be a kid." It's that place where a parent can let their kids run wild (and do they ever) while they watch in relative ease, with no fear of them running off…or at least not very far, anyway. Chuck E. Cheese is a place where the draw is supposed to be pizza, but any parent that has ever been there knows that the kids don't come for the pizza; that's just a bonus added on to the fun and games and the handfuls of tickets to be redeemed for prizes after it's all over. And therein lies the similarities to the religious offerings of many denominational churches today who claim to be a part of the New Testament church. Call it a ‘Chuck E. Cheese’ religion, if you will.

Any parent who has ever been to Chuck E. Cheese knows that you can tell your kids all you want that you're there for lunch (Sure, mom. Whatever you say. If you say we're here for the food, we're here for the food. Yeah, right.), but they know better. They're there for the fun and games and the potential prizes! You can tell the kids that you're going for the food. You can tell your neighborhood moms the same thing. You can even tell yourself that. Hey, you might even begin to believe it yourself after awhile. But it is not reality. If Chuck E. Cheese stopped serving food altogether, those kids might wonder for all of about 5 or 10 seconds — and then go back to playing in the ball pit or go back to those ‘Hungry, Hungry Hippos.’ Chuck E. Cheese would even admit that!

Why is it, then, that these denominations who have the same basic setup keep trying to convince themselves — and others — that such offers of food, fun, and prizes is only a "secondary" offering, trying to get us to believe that the "real" emphasis is Jesus Christ or God's word? Why is it that some so-called "churches" — those that place such a heavy emphasis in all their advertisements on the "youth activities," the "pre-worship dinners," and even the "Christian" awards for the on-site competitions — still make the claim that their primary purpose is bringing Christ to the lost world, when nobody could honestly say that with a straight face? Just like Chuck E. Cheese, if you took away those offerings of fun, food, and prizes, those crowds would dry up even faster than a wet paper towel in the Mojave Desert.

Let us understand one thing: Christ did not die so that His church would be the main source for fried chicken and chocolate pie, "Bible Trivia" competitions, or a chance for attendees to win some kind of gumball machine prize. I just do not see any hint of such activities or emphases anywhere in the New Testament church. What I see is a total emphasis on the death, burial, and resurrection of its Head and Savior, Jesus the Christ, and everything relating to the church somehow spiritually related. Did I miss those passages that spoke about the Ephesian "Family Life Center," the wonderful "Singles' Program" offered by the church in Antioch, or Paul's praise for the great increase in attendance at the Corinthian church because of those unbelievable spaghetti suppers? I don't think so! If so, could you please bring them to my attention?

Let's not get sidetracked into some discussions about what Christ did while on earth, either. I will readily admit that Christ did indeed feed many people while on earth (showing compassion for the true hunger many faced in His time), that He healed many from diseases (showing compassion for their immediate physical needs), and that He responded with compassion to the emotional needs of those who were hurting (the widow at Nain and Mary and Martha at the death of Lazarus). All of those things Jesus did — and more — but why did He come to this earth? What did He say?

To Call Sinners To Repentance. (Mark 2:17) Jesus knew what would draw a crowd, and could have used any method at all to do so. The miracles He performed were undoubtedly unlike anything those people had ever seen, and they certainly drew crowds. But miracles were not to draw crowds, but to give incontrovertible evidence that He was the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:30, 31). Yes, He fed people, but when He saw the crowds following Him after one such occasion, He said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." (John 6:26, 27) After a rebuke for their hard-heartedness, many turned away (v. 66). Jesus came to call them to repentance, not to fill their stomachs. Surely we could do nothing less!

To Seek And Save The Lost. (Luke 19:10) In all of His teaching, acts of compassion, and miracles performed, the point was to lead all men to faith in Him that they might be saved from their sin. John pointed to His manifestation to take away our sins as common knowledge (1 John 3:5), a point that has been lost on those who, it appears, believe that our purpose is to feed, entertain, and soothe the consciences of the masses. The purpose of these churches is not to save the lost at all, no matter how loudly they protest.

A few years back, a preacher friend of mine told of a woman he knew, who argued vehemently for the "coffee and donuts" method of saving souls, pulling him aside one evening to declare, "Brother, I believe we should use every possible method we can to save souls!" Much to her amazement, he replied, "I do, too!" But he went on: "But, donuts and coffee do absolutely nothing towards the salvation of even one single soul." He was right.

Jesus came to call sinners to repentance, to seek and save the lost, to die for our sins. The church that He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28) should be nothing less than a reflection of His very own purpose — not the place where all of our selfish, physical desires are fulfilled. He fed people, shared their emotional pains, and healed their ills, but in the end, He died a cruel death for our spiritual condition. Shame on those who act as if He died that we might stuff our faces, win some chintzy prizes, and have our adrenaline levels elevated as we are entertained and enthralled when we "go to church."

Let's follow the lead of our Master, shall we? Let's save souls.

From: The Burns Park BEACON, a bulletin of the Burns Park church of Christ, North Little Rock, AR.