Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life
Bible Reading Plans
- Plan One: New Testament Only
- Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
- Plan Three: New Testament + History
- Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3
Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.
Extras
Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute
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The One True Church
Chapter 6 – “Houston, We Have a Problem”
When the Apollo 13 astronauts encountered a problem that they could not solve, they appealed to a higher authority than themselves: NASA, the government agency that had sent them on their mission. This is the way I felt when I earnestly began trying to operate a church using the Bible as my only instruction manual – unaided by books or consultants. I needed information from headquarters, because the problem I faced – how to build a biblical church in modern times – was beyond my ability to solve on my own.
Once I adopted this approach, it didn’t take me long to realize that church in modern times was very different from church in New Testament times. Fundamentally and profoundly different.
For one thing, the Bible said that Jesus Himself would build His church.
Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
If Jesus was going to build His church, why was I – and why were other pastors and denominations – trying to take His place?
Jesus’ statement above leads to one of the most obvious differences between the New Testament church and every church since that time: that the 1st-century had apostles and we don’t.
When Moses established Levites and priests in the Old Testament, he included in his instructions a plan for succession. To be specific, these roles would be hereditary. Levites would beget Levite children who would grow up to serve in that role. Likewise, priests – that is, descendants of Moses’ brother Aaron, would grow up to be priests. By contrast, Jesus gave no succession plan for apostles. They were a single-generation phenomenon.
It was during this time of seeking the Lord – my “Houston” – that I began to pay attention to things in the Bible I had previously glossed over. Jesus had promised to return in His kingdom before that generation passed away. Could this be the reason that Jesus established the apostles to need no successors?
During this time, I also began to pay more attention to the apostles’ focus. They were preparing believers for the Second Coming of Christ – in that generation! Any church since then who has taken that posture has gotten egg on its face.
Of course, it was during this time that I first realized that the Second Coming must have already occurred. My “Houston” was responding to my transmissions! For if the Second Coming already occurred, then the church age was over and the kingdom age had begun. (If you’re unsure of this, see my book The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact.)
This was the fundamental flaw of the modern church…and it had nothing to do with the flaws of the people in it. Rather, it was that the structure of church was made obsolete with the coming of the kingdom of God. Therefore, we needed to shift from a focus on church to a focus on the kingdom of God.
In the midst of these biblical revelations, I was also becoming more honest about my own motives. Was I wanting a successful church for peoples’ sake or my sake? I had to admit it was both at best, and mine alone at worst.
Through the biblical revelations and my personal repentance, things about church were starting to make sense.
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