By Brad Harrub, Ph.D
Every few weeks my wife spoils me with homemade pumpkin bread. For those who enjoy things with “pumpkin spice,” this bread is truly amazing. For many years I was the only one in the house who liked it, and so this special treat was “mine.” Now many years later, my daughter and youngest son have upset the balance, and now I have to share—even my wife has developed a taste for it on occasion.
There have been a couple of occasions where my wife did not have every single ingredient as it was called for in the recipe and so she substituted. While the bread may have still tasted good, it just wasn’t quite the same. I could always tell a difference. In those instances I appreciated my wife’s sincerity and desire to spoil me; however, the bread was not the same. Any variation from the original ingredients resulted in a different end product. What you get is dependent on what you put in and how you follow the recipe.
For decades scientists have been trying to find the right ingredients that would explain the origins of the universe, and specifically the recipe that would establish life on earth. Most biology students can recall studying about the Miller-Urey experiment that was performed in 1952. These two men took what they believed were the ingredients of the early evolutionary earth and put them in a glass/flask contraption to see if they could produce life from the simulated conditions they thought were present millions of years ago. This experiment is a staple in biology textbooks.
Did their recipe create life? No, actually it created 85% of a gummy black substance made up of millions of carbon atoms strung together—basically tar. It did result in creating a few amino acids. But the recipe they used did not contain oxygen, as they were afraid the free oxygen would break down any amino acids that were produced. Most scientists agree that the evidence proves oxygen had to be present—for multiple reasons. Ironically, oxygen would break down the desired amino acids, but oxygen is needed for organic molecules. But almost every textbook simply indicates that these two men produced amino acids from their recipe, and that these amino acids are the “building blocks of life.” You then turn the page and read about how this life evolved.
For more than sixty years, scientists have been trying to tweak the recipe to add oxygen without breaking down the amino acids. The bottom line is they don’t have a recipe that creates life from non-life. And without that recipe, their beloved theory doesn’t really have a foundation.
What about the church? Is there a recipe for the church—a recipe that, whether it is followed in 1900 or 2020 will produce the same result? Is there a recipe that can be carried out on any continent and produce the same thing? Is there a recipe you personally could follow to get the church mentioned in the New Testament?
Just as my wife’s pumpkin bread can be affected by altitude, particular brands of sugar or flour, or even what oven it is cooked in, those variations don’t change the recipe and should not have a major affect on the end product and the taste. It is still pumpkin bread. Likewise, there may be minor variations within the church that are unique to a particular culture or city, but as long as the overall recipe is followed, we will still have the New Testament church.
So what is the recipe for the church that Jesus Christ founded? The first thing to consider is that the only place to truly find that recipe is in the Bible—the Bible provides everything we need. Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In the book of Revelation, the admonition is even stronger: “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this Book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this Book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the Book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 21:18-19). Man-written creed books or “books of worship” do not hold the true recipe for the New Testament church—only the Bible.
There is a unique passage in Colossians that discusses the Old Law vs. the New Law. Paul wrote, “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the circumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14). In Romans 7-14, holding to the Old Law is equated with spiritual adultery. When Jesus died, His last will and testament went into effect, and we are now living under the New Testament (2 Corinthians 3:6). Thus, we should be looking for a recipe for the New Testament church, not a church that still follows the Old Law (e.g., animal sacrifices).
Obviously, if we are looking for the “New Testament” church, then we must look in the New Testament for the recipe. In Acts 2, after Jesus’ ascension back into Heaven, we find Peter preaching that first sermon and we learn 3000 souls were baptized and “added to them” (Acts 2:41). This was the beginning of the New Testament church. Later in that same chapter we read: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers…. Now all who believe were together, and had all things in common (Acts 2:42, 44). A little while later we read, “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common” (Acts 4:32).
Ingredient One: They shared a common faith and obedience to that faith.
Ingredient Two: They looked after one another and took care of those in need (see also James 1:27).
Many individuals would argue that there are multiple paths to Heaven, yet Jesus declared that He was the only way (John 14:6). From a purely logical perspective, this makes sense—as multiple recipes containing different ingredients will not produce the same result. Therefore any church that wants to be identified as His church should be teaching New Testament Christianity (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Paul went so far as to say, “But even if we, or an angel from Heaven, preach any other Gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Consider what this means to all of those preachers who get in a pulpit and center their lessons on a Reader’s Digest story, or maybe they teach a lesson based on the “wisdom” of some man. It has often been said that the “creed” of the New Testament church is the New Testament itself! If it really is the church that was purchased by Christ (Acts 20:28), then His body should be making disciples and baptizing people, teaching them to observe the commandments of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20).
Ingredient Three: A New Testament church will be teaching New Testament Christianity (see warning given in 2 Timothy 4:3).
The early New Testament church took time to worship and praise God. There is a strong push today to turn worship into entertainment that is performed to please the listeners. However, the “members” have forgotten who the actual audience is—the real audience is God! Ultimately, worship is not about our desires and entertaining ourselves (or our young people), but rather it is about conducting worship in a way that has been specified as pleasing to Him. We are called to worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). As an example, consider the recipe we have for singing. In Ephesian 5:19 the Bible says, “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (see also Matthew 26:30). Be honest––does this passage say anything about a guitar or drums? Now combine that New Testament Scripture with Colossians 3:16: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Ingredient Four: Admonishing and teaching one another through singing.
The temptation is to say, “But wait, there are musical instruments mentioned in the Old Testament.” But recall: If we cling to the Old Law, we are committing spiritual adultery (Romans 7:1-4). And so some might say, “Organs and pianos sound so wonderful, how could that be wrong?” But wonderful to whom? Is that not acknowledging that we have become the audience rather than God? Someone else might declare, “But still, the Bible doesn’t say we can’t use guitars and drums.” That is correct. But there are a lot of things the Bible doesn’t say. But consider the recipe for just a moment. If my wife adds Brussel sprouts to her pumpkin bread with the excuse that the recipe did not say not to add them, it doesn’t change the reality that she has altered the recipe, and we no longer have the same end product!
We also find the New Testament church engaged in teaching and praying during their worship to God (Acts 2:42). Paul exhorted Timothy, “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:1-4). In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome he said,
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!
If they are truly worshipping God, then a church should be offering up prayers to Him. In the past men were unable to approach God directly, but rather only the high priests could enter the holy of holies (Hebrews 9:7). Today we have a mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) and can boldly enter into God’s presence (Hebrews 6:19-20; see also Hebrews 10:19-22).
Ingredients Five and Six: Teaching and praying during worship (Romans 10:17; see also 10:13-14)
In Acts 20:7 we find the church at Troas coming together on Sunday—the first day of the week to break bread together. It is not a secret that Jesus came forth from the tomb on the first day of the week—thus, it makes logical sense that Christians use this day to remember Him. Some individuals do this quarterly, annually, or semiannually—but the question is where is the recipe for that? In the Scriptures we read of them regularly meeting and eating the Lord’s Supper in communion (1 Corinthians 10:16).
Ingredient Seven: They observed the Lord’s Supper as a memorial (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; see also Luke 22:19-23).
We also have examples of members of His body giving of their own financial means. Often when religious people hear the word giving or collection they immediately think of tithing—but recall this was an Old Testament practice that was nailed to the cross. Sadly, our affluence has often become a hindrance between God and us. We want to keep what we have and collect even more. The reality is that all things belong to God, and members of the church of Christ recognize this. We read in 1 Corinthians 16 that men had purposefully laid aside some of their material goods—as each one had prospered—on the first day of the week (vs. 1-2; see example 2 Corinthians 8:1-7). The Bible records that we are to give liberally with the right heart, and that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). These gifts to the church are to be used to further His kingdom. So the New Testament church will be taking up a collection from the saints on the first day of the week to be used for the Lord’s work.
Ingredient Eight: They supported the church financially in a Scriptural way.
It makes sense then if you have all of the right ingredients, you need the right container to put them in. For instance, you may have all of the correct ingredients for a cheesecake, but if you place those ingredients into a shallow cookie sheet, you will not end up with a real cheesecake. Consider how some churches are organized. Many have central bodies that make decisions for many congregations. How does this compare to organization of the church described in the New Testament? According to the Bible, the head of the church is Christ (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22-23). As we read about the churches described in the New Testament, it becomes quickly apparent that they were autonomous (1 Peter 5:2). There was no central governing agency here on earth. The “headquarters” are in Heaven (1 Peter 3:22; Acts 2:29-36). Since this was the original plan that Jesus gave for His church, should not we as faithful Christians also follow that plan?
Ingredient Nine: The New Testament church is Scripturally organized.
Just like any good recipe there are other ingredients—however, due to space constraints we will not cover all of those. (If you would like the full recipe, please check out Brad Harrub’s new booklet The Intelligent Design of the Church.) When one discovers that the church was planned by God before creation, is owned by Jesus Christ, and there is a recipe in the Bible, tears of joy are occasionally replaced by tears of sadness. For many people, the realization that there is only one true church suddenly places extended family members in a questionable position. Consider the agony of an individual who was reared faithfully in a denomination by loving parents, and yet they come to the realization that this denomination is not the New Testament Church founded by Jesus Christ. What is a person to do? If this person embraces the true New Testament church, then they have immediately acknowledged that their own family members are outside of Christ. But if they do not obey the Gospel, they risk eternal torment. What is the solution?
Jesus touched on this very subject when He proclaimed:
Do not think that I came to bring peace on Earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it (Matthew 10:34-39).
Oftentimes the question can be simplified to this: Who do you love more—God or family? When one recognizes the Truths contained in the New Testament, family ties may have to be broken in order to establish new ties with God. While this step may be hard for those who have several generations of family members actively involved in a denomination, the reward in Heaven will surely be worth the heartache and pain. This does not mean one must be completely cut off from their family members, but rather it means they must place God first in their lives—above everything else. In addition, breaking those familial religious ties may be the one event that causes others in the family to question their own beliefs and practices.
The recipe does exist. If you follow it, you can know you are a part of His body. The question remains––will we follow the recipe precisely and be pleasing to God, or will we seek to alter it—pursuing instead our own desires?
