Spiritual health is to be treasured above all treasures found in this world. Sadly, many preachers and Christian educators no longer believe and teach the healthy and true doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today many in the church have forgotten what it means to a New Testament Christian.
A healthy doctrine may be maintained in the brotherhood only if preachers and teachers stress the fundamental principles of the gospel. The old sermons on the proper division of the Word, the establishment and identity of the church, the Holy Spirit, what one must do to be saved, etc., must be preached over and over again. The errors of sectarianism must be pointed out and answered. There seems to be a strong tendency away from this type of preaching today.
The inspired apostle admonished the church to stand united upon the doctrine of Christ (1 Cor. 1:10). The first doctrinal departure Paul treated at Corinth was the splintering of the body of Christ: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:13). The crucifixion of the sinless lamb entitles men to be baptized in His name, and to wear His name only. The proper concept of biblical baptism is essential to man’s salvation.
People become citizen in God’s kingdom through the exercise of faith in Christ Jesus as Lord, through a devout and genuine repentance of all their sins, through the acknowledgement of the Christ as God’s Son, and through their baptism by immersion for the remission of their sins. There is no other way revealed of God by which they can become naturalized into God’s kingdom. No amount of assumed authority upon the part of religious hierarchies, no amount of combined wisdom among men, and no amount of well-intended charity by sincere individuals can change these laws. They are the laws of Him whose kingdom was to dissolve and consume all the wisdom of men. The world’s religious creeds but add to the long list of ignorance and confusion, and increase the high presumptions of men.
Obviously, there is another famine among God’s people (Hos. 4:6). Like in the days of old, some of God’s people have rejected His infallible Word. Men are needed today to stand in the gap and preach those old gospel sermons, even if some of our brethren are embarrassed by them. God’s Word is needed out of season just as much as it is needed in season (2 Tim. 3:16-4:4). Men will be eternally lost if they fail to believe, love and obey the truth (Mark 16:16; 2 Thes. 2:9-11). Therefore, brethren, preach and teach the word! If men, love the truth they will obey it (Acts 2:41). Yes, some brethren are on a mission to take the church of our Lord into denominational error.
Miami Gardens, just remember that the treasure found in that Old Jerusalem Gospel is worth more than anything this life has to offer.