HYPHENATED — CHRISTIANS

God spoke through the prophet  700 years before Christ and said His  people would be called by a “new  name that the mouth of the Lord will  bestow” (Isaiah 62:2). The only new  name for God’s people is Christian.  This name appears 3 times in the  Bible: Acts 11:26; 26:28; I Peter 4:11.  God gave this new name and we must  not add anything to it (I Cor. 4:6; 2  John 9; Rev. 22:18-19).

We violate God’s will when we  add to His perfect Word, when we  call ourselves “this or that kind  of Christian.” A certain method  should be followed, but we must  not be Methodist-Christians. We  baptize believers, but God’s name  is not Baptist-Christians. God’s  church is universal, but we are not  Catholic-Christians. His church leaders  are called presbyters (elders), but we  do not wear the name Presbyterian-  Christians. Since I believe in certain  facts does not justify my being a  “Holiness – Baptist – Episcopalian –  Gateway – Adventist – Congregational  – Jehovah’s Witness – Pentecostal”  kind of a Christian.

Martin Luther said not to wear his  name. Charles Spurgeon said not to  wear the name Baptist. In churches of  Christ, you can be a Christian only!

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