NJR DIGITAL June 2023 MAGAZINE

Church & Giving Up!
Acts 2 records the birthday of the church,
when the Holy Spirit descended upon the
120 believers who were assembled in the
Upper Room. It also records the growth
process of the infant church. On the Day
of Pentecost, about 3000 people believed
the gospel, repented of their sins, and
were baptized as followers of Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:42 (ESV) And they devoted
themselves to the apostles’ teaching and
the fellowship, to the breaking of bread
and the prayers. And the last sentence of
Acts 2:47 says,
praising God and having favor with all the
people. And the Lord added to their
number day by day those who were being
saved.
Notice that God did not add people to the
church without saving them. And God did
not save them without adding them to
the church. This organic union of
personal salvation and church
membership is the unchanging pattern of
the New Testament. And throughout
church history, whenever biblical
Christianity has been practiced, Christians
have had a high view of the church.
Unfortunately, this is not the case in the
day and times in which we live.
There are many today – both unbelievers
and professing Christians – who question
the necessity, relevance, and importance
of the local church. And our generation
has created a new category that biblical
and historical Christianity never
conceived of: UNCHURCHED CHRISTIANS. In
contrast, the position of historic
Christianity can be summarized in the
words of CYPRIAN who said, “Outside the
church there is no salvation.”
In other words, the biblical answer to the
question “Who needs the church?” is this:
Whoever wants to be saved. This does
not mean that church membership,
attendance, and participation can save
you. God forgives our sins by grace alone
through faith alone because of Jesus
Christ alone. But God has made the
church the stewards of the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
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NJR DIGITAL MAGAZINE
Bobby Richardson, Editor