Why Be a Member of the Church of Christ

Reason 1
BECAUSE IT WAS STARTED BY JESUS

The existence of a church is proof that someone started it.  In the world today there are hundreds of churches, different in doctrine and practice.  Each one had either a divine or human builder…if by man, that church must be the work of man, not of Christ.

I.  Christ established the true church.  Jesus said, “I will build my church (Mt 16:18).  If a church was founded by Henry VIII, John Calvin, John Wesley, Joseph Smith, or any other human being, it is without doubt of human origin. 

Jesus gave Peter the authority to state the terms of admission into it:  “I will give you the keys of the kingom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:19).  No human being ever had authority to originate God’s church.  

II.  His church was not built by John the Baptist.  The fact that Jesus built the church is proof that John did not build it.  John was dead at the time Jesus said He would build the church (Mt 14:10; Mt 16:18).  “Will build” is future tense.”  John was dead and the establishment of the church was yet in the future.  John was a great man, the forerunner of Jesus, preparing the people to receive him (Isa 40:3; Lk 1:17).  Jesus promised to build the church from the foundation up: “…upon this rock I will build my church.” 

John, the one who immersed people, was never a member of the church, though Jesus said he was the greatest of men born of women, and yet “he that is least  in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Mt 11:11). 

III.  Other plants will be rooted up.  The church of Christ was founded by Chris, not by John or any other man or woman.  All others will be destroyed.  The warning is plain.  The penalty is severe for me to be a member of some church not established by the God of heaven: “Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not will be uprooted” (Mt 15:13). 

Let us heed the warning given by Jesus Christ the Lord

[Synopsis from book by Leroy Brownlow, 1945.  Bible quotes NKJV]