How Many Churches Did God Buy?
If you are like most kids, when you go into a store you see things you want to buy. Many times, parents allow their children to buy something—but only one thing. When you pick out which item you want, then you carry it to the cash register. The cashier behind the counter punches some numbers into the register and tells you how much the item costs. You hand him the proper amount of money and walk out of the store with your purchase. It really is a simple process.
But did you know that God “bought” the church. In Acts 20:28, the Bible talks about the Lord’s church “which He purchased with His own blood.” The church that God bought cost Him much more than a few dollars. It cost Him the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
And much like when a child goes into a store and only picks one item, God bought only one church. In Ephesians 4:4, God tells us that “there is one body.” In that same book, He shows us that the body being discussed is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). There are thousands of churches that God could have bought. Some of those churches worship Satan, some of them worship idols made out of silver or gold, and some of them claim to worship God while teaching false things about Him. But God did not purchase any of those churches. He purchased only one church.
Now we must find out which church God purchased. The apostle Paul wrote in the book of Ephesians that the church God purchased follows the teachings of Christ and obeys Him (Ephesians 5:23-24). Jesus said: “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Only those who are following the teachings of Christ are members of the one church that God purchased with the blood of Jesus.
Jesus knew that many people would misunderstand the idea that there is only one church. That is why He made sure to be clear in telling everyone what group of people God would save. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Only those who do God’s will by obeying and following Jesus are members of God’s one church.
There are many different churches today, and they teach many different things. It is our responsibility to follow the teachings of Christ and His apostles (which are found in the New Testament) so that we will be in the church that God bought with the blood of Jesus.
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