In Acts 2, Luke tells us that the Lord added to the church those who were being saved (Acts 2:47).  The church is made up of those who obey the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:14).

If you are saved, you are a Christian and a member of the Lord’s church because being saved, becoming Christians, and being added to the church all happen at the same time.  If you are a member of the Lord’s church, you should not be ashamed of it in any way.

To be a member of the Lord’s church is to be a part of the minority.  The sad truth is most people are lost.  Jesus said that the gate that leads to destruction is wide and entered by many, while that gate that leads to life is narrow and entered by only a few (Matthew 7:13-14).  This is not a pleasant thought, but it is the truth nevertheless.

The result of our Lord’s teaching in Matthew 7 is that most people will oppose what the church practices and preaches.  In the face of such opposition, we must determine to never be ashamed of the church to which we belong.  Let us consider a few things of which we should never be ashamed.

We should not be ashamed of the worship of the church.  The New Testament church worshipped in specific ways, doing all things in the name of the Lord (Colossians 3:17).  Some of these ways of worship have been perverted by man, but the Lord’s church continues to worship the same way.  Faithful churches of Christ continue to observe the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7), give as we have prospered, as opposed to tithing (1 Corinthians 16:1-2), and praise God in song without musical instruments (Ephesians 5:19).  Worshipping God in these ways is different from the majority, but we should never be ashamed of worshipping Him the way that is authorized in His Word, regardless of what everyone else is doing.

Another area in which we should not be ashamed is the work that we do as a New Testament church.  Like worship, the work of the church is specific.  In the New Testament, local churches limited their work to edification, benevolence, and evangelism (Ephesians 4:12).  They did not engage in fun and frolic, or recreation and entertainment, using the Lord’s money for social activities.  We should never be ashamed of limiting our work to the work that the church we read about in the Bible did.  Not getting involved in the social gospel today is unique.  We will be criticized for not doing what the majority are doing, but we must not compromise.

There are other things about the New Testament church that are unique in a world filled with denominational churches started by man.  Wearing the name of Christ and being just Christians is unique (Romans 16:16), but we must never be ashamed.  At a time when most believe that having faith in Jesus is enough to be saved, teaching that we must abide in the doctrine of Christ is different (2 John 1:9-11), but we must never be ashamed.  Having a plurality of elders overseeing only the flock among them (1 Peter 5:1-2) in our local churches, as opposed to the one pastor system, is distinctive, but we must not be ashamed.

The Lord’s church is a unique presence in the world.  It always has been, and always will be.  To be a part of it is to be different.  We must never waiver.  We must be strong in the face of opposition, bold when confronted by the majority, and steadfast in our convictions.  When it comes to the Lord’s church, we must never be ashamed.

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