With no religious upbringing, I was baptized in 2008 according to Matthew 28:19 at a conservative evangelical church.  I moved and attended an apostolic church.  I was told I had to be re-baptized in Jesus' name because I was not saved.  And then the whole tongues thing.  I made the decision to leave because I could not embrace their doctrine of Oneness, Jesus' name only, speaking in tongues… forget all the holiness issues. How do you suppose the Lord looks upon me for leaving?  Should I have stayed to be a light of truth?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Fleet Of Foot

Dear Fleet Of Foot,

You can only do so much to help others, but in the end, it is more important that you seek the truth and be part of a faithful congregation than it is that you stay and try and be the lone voice for a church that isn’t interested in changing.  Your own salvation comes first (Php 2:12).  Furthermore, it isn’t like the congregation showed an interest in studying or changing.  In such cases, God tells us not to “cast your pearls before swine” (Matt 7:6).

As far as the doctrinal issues, you may find the articles “Just Gibberish” and “Gifts That Stop Giving” useful for future reference, but you are right to not embrace the doctrines you mentioned.  Christianity is meant to be simple.  If we take what the Bible says and follow its pattern, we will have the truth.  All the religious division is wrong and completely unnecessary.  Read “Down With Denominationalism” for an in-depth look at how denominationalism has strayed from the Bible.  All we have to do is follow the Bible like an instruction manual, and we will be fine.  We congratulate you on your stand for the truth, and we would be happy to help you get in touch with a congregation that has your same love for truth.  We know of many simple, honest, Bible-patterned congregations; e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org if we can be of service.

     Is the church of Christ a denominational church?

Sincerely,
Doing My Research

Dear Doing My Research,

The church of Christ is definitely not a denominational church.  Each congregation is led and guided autonomously by the Scriptures.  Whatever the Scriptures say, that is what we do (Col 3:17).  Denominationalism is wrong – read our article “Down With Denominationalism” for details on how the Lord’s church is being attacked by the religious confusion of the denominational world.

Should a preacher be allowed to be both an elder and preacher in the church?

Sincerely,
Double Duty

Dear Double Duty,

If a preacher also meets the qualifications to be an elder (those qualifications can be found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9), then he can serve as both an elder and a preacher.  In fact, we have an example of this in the apostle Peter.  Peter was an evangelist (we see him preaching boldly in Acts 2), he was an apostle (Matt 10:2), and Peter says that he was also an elder (1 Pet 5:1)!  Peter held all three jobs at once because he was qualified for all three jobs.  It doesn't matter whether someone is a preacher or not, if he is qualified to serve as an elder, the congregation should appoint him.

Are the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Christ the same?

Sincerely,
Drawing Borders

Dear Drawing Borders,

Those two kingdoms are synonymous.  Eph 5:5 states that the kingdom belongs to both Christ and God, and Rev 11:15 points out that the kingdom belongs to the Father and to His Christ.

In an earlier post, you stated that the church of Christ (if following all of the biblical teachings) is the "one true church".  Would that also be true if the church name were to be a different "biblical" name (such as church of God)?

Sincerely,
Teachable Student

Dear Teachable Student,

The name a congregation puts on its door must be a biblical name, but it doesn’t have to be ‘church of Christ’ – it can be any of the names for the church found in the New Testament.  Our congregation here in Monroe goes by the name ‘Monroe Valley church of Christ’ because ‘church of Christ’ is a biblical name for a congregation (Rom 16:16).  There are other congregations like ours scattered across the country and the world.  Most of them use the name ‘church of Christ’.  There are many reasons for this.  One reason is that it makes it easier for brethren across the country to find congregations if they are traveling, moving, etc.  Another practical reason is that many of the other biblical names (such as ‘church of God’ – Gal 1:13) are already used by churches that aren’t following God’s Word, and it gets confusing for people when we use a name that our society has associated with a particular denomination.  It isn’t required that a congregation use the name ‘church of Christ’; what is required is that we always follow the Bible pattern for everything we do, and that includes the name we use.