By Jonathan Mensah-Bonsu

A Catholic scholar concerning the churches of Christ acknowledged: ” People in the Bible belt of the south, already know about the zealous, missionary-minded, scripture-quoting Christians who belong to these congregations and insist that they alone represent the church of Christ as it existed in the first century.” ( Catholic Journal- US Catholic, Volume 41, Number 1, pp 36-38).

Now let’s ask; IS THIS THE SAME ATTITUDE CHURCHES OF CHRIST POSSESS TODAY?

Often we wailed- “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God…” 1 Peter 4:11. Every growing child in our assemblies did well to first memorize this text before reaching adulthood. From the pulpit came these words often; if you don’t have scriptural authority for what you are doing, don’t practice it. Paul taught that when He said- “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” Colossians 3:17.

From whence came the change? As our churches are now heavily infested with Pentecostalism, Charismaticism, and materialism. The landscape of the church which once stood dense and green with Scripture is nothing but a desert now. The men who mount our pulpits are skilled philosophers and politicians than deft preachers. Books like Zephaniah, Micah, Zechariah, Obadiah, and Philemon will demonstrate how far we have moved away from Bible classes. Characteristics of our sermons today are Half-a-verse, 13 illustrations, 9 bedtime stories, and 5 jokes. What do we call that; Preaching?

When you stand up in the pulpit remember God’s charge to a preacher -“Preach the word” 2 Timothy 4:2. Politics, sociology, and psychology are good but not for the pulpit. The pulpit is where the voice of God resonates in a clear tone and any preacher falling short is contributing to Bible deficiency in the diet of the Lord’s flock.

Elders need to realize that elders are not men who sign chequebooks and attend meetings but men who exercise an unerring eye for the flock. Most of our elders hardly know the arrangements of the 66 books not to talk of fulfilling Paul’s charge- ” holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” Titus 1:9.

Wherever this new inventory of ” my preacher says ” came from, we’d be firm enough to discard it and dig our heads in the book. We have a generation that hardly knows what the church of Christ stands for and what makes us distinct from the thousands of denominations that infest our world with a message of Satan. Someone charged us several days ago to preach the gospel and stop preaching the doctrine to the public. Exactly which part of the Bible taught that, we are unaware!

Is speaking against instrumental music, ecstatic utterances, anachronism, and Calvinistic dogma part of the whole counsel of God? Is it to be preached? 

The churches of Christ both in preaching and practice have sought to present the world with a fine blend of pious living and sound doctrine as the bible instructs (1Tim 4:16). This snake talk has infested the minds of preachers and members and those who preach the WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD Acts 20:27 are marked as judgmental and narrow-minded. The gospel is the totality of the New Testament message with the death, burial, and resurrection as the first principles of it (1 Corinthians 15:1-3). When Paul met the Jewish leaders in Rome for the first time he preached the kingdom of God(CHURCH ) as a reality and persuaded them about Jesus Christ (Acts 28:23). Luke closes the inspired history with these lines – ” preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 28:31).

Let us come back to the Bible for it is the only thing that can build us up and give us inheritance among those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32).