At a crisis time in  her  life,  an  intelligent  and  honest woman turns  to her  Bible.  She  is searching for  direction and meaning in  a confused  existence.  She reads the  brief Gospel of Mark and is impressed with the dynamic Jesus of Nazareth,  the Son of Man.  Then  she  reads the  beautiful Gospel  of  John.  She is convinced that the Son of Man is also the Son of God—the only one who could possibly answer her  questions and rescue her life  from its emptiness.  The woman presses on in her reading to the book of Acts.  She reads the sermon of  Peter on  Pentecost Day in A.D.  33 and is amazed at the great number who were baptized that day.  She thrills at the  stories of various  persons in the book  who turn from  one  situation or another to  Christ for salvation and life. She wants to become a follower of Christ and  wishes that someone could help her to better understand what to do.

   On  a  billboard  along  the  route  to  her  job,  she sees an announcement concerning an “evangelistic crusade”  in her city. The sign  promises that Christ will  be preached in  a  series  of services in a municipal auditorium. She decides to attend.

   The  woman hears and  believes the message of the love of God for her.  She accepts the fact of Christ’s atoning death for  her. Her heart breaks at the thought  that it was her sinfulness which made such a sacrifice necessary. She responds on Friday evening of the crusade and tells someone, “I believe in Jesus Christ and want him to save me. I want to do what those people in the book of Acts did, and  be baptized in  the name of Jesus.” She asked someone to baptize her for the remission of past sins, her wish is honored by one working in the campaign, she is immersed into Christ for the remission of her past sins. (See Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:47; Acts 2:47; Romans 6:3-6).

   On returning to her home that evening, the woman is  thinking about some of the changes that will  occur  in  her life  because of what  has happened that Friday night.  In particular,  it dawns on her that Sunday is only two days away;  she knows that Christians usually  meet together for prayer, instruction in the word of God, and fellowship.  But with whom should she meet?

 She  opened  a  little  packet of  information  given  her that evening.  It  contains  information about the  crusade  she  had attended.  It was sponsored jointly by several religious groups in her city,  and brochures about some  of them are enclosed.  Each invites her to  become a  part  of  its fellowship. How  will she choose?  On  what  will  this novice  in  spiritual things  base a decision?  It is altogether possible that she will go to bed  that evening  distraught rather than  relieved.  “I just  want to  be a Christian,”  she  tells  herself.  “How  can I choose  among these different denominations? Which should I join?”

  Over the  next several  weeks,  she  attends  each  of  those churches.  They are similar in  many   respects,  but different  in several important matters.  They have organizational distinctions, different  points  of  doctrinal  emphasis,  and  clearly  promote loyalties  around  their  peculiarities.  The woman  watches  and listens.  She meets individuals in all those groups who seem quite committed to Jesus and sincere in  everything they do.  Yet,  with the exception of the evangelistic crusade earlier in the year, the groups  are clearly going their  separate directions and promoting their points of divisive difference.  She weeps in  frustration.  “I  just  want  to  be   a  Christian!” she says over and over again.  Finally, confused and  knowing  no alternative to  the  situation  she  has  encountered,  she simply abandons “organized religion”  altogether.  She has become another casualty to religious partyism.

 Let’s go back  to  that  Friday  evening  when  the woman was baptized  at the crusade.  Let’s suppose for a moment that she and five  other  men and women who were also  baptized that night ride back to their homes in the same neighborhood on  a bus.  They talk and share their excitement and joy.  They determine that they will meet together  in her home Sunday  afternoon at 2:00 pm. They meet, study the Bible  together,  pray  and  share  in the communion of Christ’s body and blood.

 What if that little group of six  continued to meet together, kept  studying  the scriptures,  and grew  in their knowledge  and practice of the faith?  What if their number grew to 12, or  93, or 140? In the New Testament sense of  the word,  would it be correct to call that  group a  “church”? If  this same set of events occurred  in New York,  Los Angeles,  Bogota,  London,  Moscow or in Pekin, Illinois-  What would you call those individuals involved? What would you call  their  local  fellowship?  How would you refer to that “movement” collectively?

 While  God  alone  is  the  only  one  whose  judgment about such a situation would count for anything ultimately, would any of us deny that those  people  were  Christians,  children  of  God, members of the body of Christ?  Wouldn’t the collective “movement” be called “churches of the saints”  (1 Cor. 14:33),  or “the church of the Lord”  (Acts 20:28),  or “the household of God” (Eph. 2:19), or simply “the church” (Acts 8:1)?

   If  you  will  notice,  not  one  word  has  been said about  denominational  differences.  They have  not  entered  the picture in our imaginary situation.  Yet,  tragically, they  have entered the picture of our real world.  Sects,  parties,  personal loyalties around men,  and additions to  the  revealed word of God have divided professed followers of Christ into warring denominations. Such  a  divided  and  fragmented state is  wrong,  and it  is  the responsibility of those who love Christ  to seek to correct it.  It is possible for people to be Christians, JUST CHRISTIANS, and to participate  in local  assemblies  which are  churches  in the New Testament sense of that term.  Would you join us in  our efforts as we  strive  to  practice  and  encourage  simple  New  Testament Christianity? We just want to be Christians! That's sufficient in God's (Christ's)eyes  (Acts 11:26; 1 Pet. 4:16).

    As is often the case, some thoughts found in this article or tract are borrowed from others. I can't always remember the source of every thought in order to give "credit" to each one. If most are like this scribe, we are honored when something we have written is seen as suitable for others to use to the glory of our Lord Jesus.  Kenneth E. Thomas evangelist with the Pekin Illinois church of Christ. Give us a call for further Bible study absolutely FREE of cost to you. 1 (309) 347-3582 or my home at 347-5645.