In Matthew 16:18 Jesus promised to build His church. The church is the “called out” of Christ. A person becomes a part of the “called out” when he or she obeys the gospel. In writing to the brethren at Thessalonica, Paul said, “Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:14). Everyone who becomes a member of the Lord’s church does so the same way, that is, by being called by the gospel of Christ. It is a great privilege and blessing to be a member of the Lord’s church. It is the only place where one can obtain the glory of our Lord. It is hard to imagine a member of the church ever being ashamed of it in any way, but some are. They may not admit to being ashamed of the church, but their lack of willingness to stand up for it reveals the truth. What are some things that we should never be ashamed of when it comes the church? Well, the kind of things that generally make people a little ashamed are things that are different from the norm. For example, the majority of denominational churches deny that baptism is essential for salvation. They refer to the doctrine of baptism as “baptismal regeneration.” The church of Christ is known for believing that baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. Do not ever be ashamed of this doctrine because it is the doctrine of Christ. It was taught by the apostles of Christ who merely spoke and wrote in His name. Jesus once told His apostles, “He that hears you hears me…” (Luke 10:16). Now, what did the apostles teach about baptism? In the first gospel sermon ever preached, Peter told the people who asked what to do to be saved, to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). That should settle the matter. It, in fact, does for faithful members of the Lord’s church. Many think poorly of the church of Christ because of this, but as member of the church, we should stand up and contend for the faith (Jude 1:3), not be ashamed of the church for preaching it. Another area in which the church of Christ differs from the majority is in worship. Rather than tithing, faithful preachers in the church teach that Christians are to lay by in store on the first day of the week as God has caused us to prosper. Why do we teach this? We teach it because Paul taught it (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Why should we, as a church, be ashamed of preaching and practicing that which the apostles of Christ commanded? Nowhere does the New Testament teach that Christians must give a certain percentage like the Old Testament saints did. Nevertheless, most denominational churches today demand tithing. The ones who should be ashamed are those demanding that members do that which God has not commanded. Another act of worship that is practiced by the church of Christ is singing without the accompaniment of musical instruments. Why do we not use musical instruments? There is only one reason for not doing so, and it is that they are not authorized by God. Paul said we must have authority for everything that we do (Colossians 3:17). Why would we ever be ashamed for doing exactly what the Word of God tells us to do? The church of Christ is right when it teaches that it should wear the name of Christ, not the name of men (Acts 4:12; Romans 16:16). The church of Christ is right when it teaches that the local church is made up of elders, deacons and saints (Philippians 1:1), and should have a plurality of elders instead of one pastor (Acts 14:23; 20:17). The church of Christ is right when it teaches that women are to learn in silence and not occupy positions that give them authority over men (1 Timothy 2:11-12). The church of Christ is right when it teaches that we are saved by faith, but not faith alone (James 2:24). All of these things, and many others, are things that cause the Lord’s church to be different from other religious groups. We can either be ashamed of the church because of these differences, or we can unabashedly teach the truth and show people from the scriptures why they should be members of the church of Christ too.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.