“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18, KJV).
Loved ones, Satan Spiritual Battle with Christians is also seen in the divisions he sows between us as God's children. In 1977 I was baptized into the body (church) of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27). I knew no difference between an “institutional” and “non-institutional” congregation, so for about 40 years (until 2019) I preached for and worked with “institutional” congregations all over the world.
The term "non-institutional" describes congregations of the church of Christ that believe the local church has no biblical authority to financially support or operate human institutions (such as missionary societies, orphan homes, colleges, or centralized organizations) to carry out its work.
Instead, we believe God assigned the work of the church directly to the local congregation - not to any outside institution.
So, a “non-institutional” church of Christ is a congregation that limits the use of the church treasury strictly to the work God gave the local church in Scripture.
The Three Works Of The Church (Biblical Pattern)
“Non-institutional” congregations teach that the local church is authorized to do only the work God assigned: 1. Evangelism - preaching the gospel (Philippians 4:15-16; 1 Thessalonians 1:8). 2. Edification – worship and building up the saints (Ephesians 4:11-16; Acts 20:32). 3. Benevolence - helping needy saints Christians.
We hold that NO Scripture authorizes the church to: 1. fund human institutions, 2. sponsor another church's work, 3. build or operate social/recreational programs as church work.
Why The Name "Non-Institutional"?
The term arose in the 1950s when many congregations of Christ began sending money from church treasuries to orphan homes, missionary societies, sponsoring churches, colleges. Those who objected did so not because they opposed orphans or education, but because they believed, "Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent." Thus, they were labeled "non-institutional" by others – a descriptive term, not a denominational name.
Core Principles
A “non-institutional” church of Christ emphasizes: 1. Local church autonomy (each congregation answers only to Christ). 2. No church organizations larger than the local congregation. 3. No church treasury for human institutions. 4. Strict adherence to New Testament authority.
In Simple Terms
A “non-institutional” church of Christ is a congregation that believes God authorized the local church – and only the local church – to do His work, and that the church must not delegate its responsibilities to human institutions or organizations.
All Members Of The Church Should Be Bible Students
Every Christian must develop the mind of a Bible student. Practically everyone owns a Bible, even many unbelievers. However, owning a Bible and being a Bible student are not the same thing. Studying the Bible is work. It is important for one to develop the mindset of a student in order to understand what is written in the Bible. Without such a mindset, one will merely read for exercise rather than for understanding. The objective of a Bible student is to mine from the Bible the great truths found on its pages.
Here are some things one must embrace in order to be a good Christian Bible student.
- The Bible is inspired of God. The Bible is the word of God (Jn. 17:17), and it was given to us by inspiration of God. Forty different men penned the various books of the Bible over roughly 1,500 years of history. Every word that they wrote was "God-breathed" (inspired). None of the writers of the Bible made anything up, nor did they just put Bible doctrines in their own words, but they spoke and wrote word-for-word what the Holy Spirit gave them (Read: Jn. 14:26; 15:26; 16:13; Eph. 3:3-5; Gal. 1:11-12; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).
- Faith comes by hearing the Bible (Rom. 10:17). How could anyone believe in anyone in whom they have not heard (Rom. 10:14)?
- Paul the apostle told us that we must "understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17), and that the way we come to know the will of the Lord is by "reading" (Eph. 3:3). Furthermore, Paul said that we Christians must study (give diligence) so that we can "rightly divide the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). God wants us to be exposed to the word of God as children all the way through adulthood (cf. Deut. 6:7-9). Also, parents are supposed to bring their children up in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4).
- Bible study is hard work. Knowledge is not something that one can gain by osmosis. It requires devotion, as well as sweat and tears. Solomon said so: "And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh" (Eccl. 12:12).
- Cultivate a love for the word of God. David the King wrote most of the Psalms, and in this book, He repeatedly magnified God and His laws. One of the most notable chapters is Psalm 119. For one hundred and seventy-six verses David spoke with passion about his overwhelming desire and need for God's teachings. His plainest statement is this one: "Oh, how I love your law, it is my meditation all the day" (v. 97). This is the most vibrant expression of David's passion for the law, but each verse in the chapter is equally clear.
(Vs. 5-6) - "Oh, that my ways were directed to keep your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, when I look into all your commandments."
(V. 11) - "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you!"
(Vs. 14-16) - "I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts, and contemplate your ways. I will delight myself in your statutes; I will not forget your word."
(V. 24) - "Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors."
(V. 28) - "My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to your word."
(Vs. 54-55) - "Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and I keep your law."
- Embrace a love of truth, not merely the act of reading the Bible. There are people who love the academic exercise of reading and mastering the Bible's history and teachings, but they treat the Bible like it is nothing more than a book of history or philosophy. They do not love the truth, and that isn't what they are looking for.
- The truth in the Bible is what saves men (Jn. 8:32). The truth is something that we must buy and not sell (Prov. 23:23). Christians love the truth and error is reprehensible to them. Christians are people who make the truth their goal and they study the Bible to achieve it. They are determined to only speak as God's oracles and only do what he empowers them to do (1 Pet. 4:11). Always strive for mastery of the Bible's meaning.
8 . Obey God’s plan of salvation from sin by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10). Beside faith itself, God requires repentance from sin, confession of faith in Jesus Christ, and scriptural baptism in water, for the remission of sins by the blood of Jesus (Matthew 26:28; Acts 2:38). Now, doing these things does not earn salvation, any more than walking around Jericho earned the Jews the miracle that followed. But, until these terms of pardon are complied with, one will not be saved by faith and the grace of God (Ephesians 2:5). It does absolutely no good for one to believe he could be saved by God's grace if he refuses to obey the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Salvation by faith does not come through a DISOBEDIENT faith!
- Commit yourself to the work of Bible reading and study. Nothing of lasting value is every accomplished without a plan and action. When we do mundane things like plan vacations, we make lists of things we must bring, we carefully pack suitcases, and we review what we have in them, so we don't forget something. When a child grows to adulthood, he is urged to "make a plan" for his life that includes college, the military, marriage, or some other important goal.
Yet most people never put together any plan for going to heaven. They simply assume it will happen. Bible study is not important to those people. The Bible sits on the floorboard of their car between Sunday and Wednesday or it is forgotten under piles of paper on a desk at home. Between services the Bible is rarely touched. As you might expect, these people are the ones who in old age find their storehouse of Bible knowledge nearly empty (Heb. 5:12-6:1). They remain babes in Christ and always need the milk of the word. Their spiritual digestive systems never develop any farther than the milk of the word.
Conclusion:
Friends, why don't you set aside time every single day to read the Bible? You probably daily eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Why not dine on the word of God with equal frequency? Sadly, the best that some people can muster with the Bible is to rush through the assigned Bible reading on Sunday morning in the car on the way to services! What is more important, physical food, or the nourishment we get from the scriptures? (Matthew 4:4). The answer is obvious. We add to our faith the instructions of God so that we are not fruitless (2 Peter 1:5-11).
The God of Heaven and Earth is so good, and His love reaches all. Through the free gift of God’s grace by Jesus’ blood (Ephesians 2:8; Revelation 1:5) and your obedient faith (Romans 1:5; 10:17; 16:26), salvation is offered. If you have Bible questions or wish to comment on this post, please do so. Lord willing, a Bible answer will be provided for every Bible question.
The churches of Christ are neither Catholic, Protestant, nor Jew (Romans 16:16; Matthew 16:18-19). We are the loving suffering body of Christ (Ephesians 1:20-23; 4:4-6) – CHRISTIANS: “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1 Peter 4:16; cf. Acts 11:26; 26:28).
We love you with the love of the Lord (John 13:34-35). Samuel A. Matthews, preaching with the Liberty NW church of Christ, meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA.
