When people believe and obey the Gospel, to which church do they belong? Very definitely, we should never “draw away disciples” after ourselves. People are not converted to us, but to Jesus.
For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake (2 Corinthians 4:5). M
Likewise, we should not “draw away disciples” to any splinter group or denomination. Teaching just the Bible has a wonderful way of keeping us honest. We cannot teach in favor of any denomination, for Scripture never mentions that denomination. Instead, Scripture emphasizes one Head with one body, and flatly forbids the carving up of that body.
Preaching “Jesus as Lord” points to just one church, the one He authorizes, the one He saves and builds, the one He describes in Scripture. God’s plan emphasizes the church, and we should reflect a similar emphasis.17
The question, “Which church should I join?” seems to suggest that we have a choice. In fact, the Lord is the One who chooses. Repentance means surrendering all our choices to His will. He wants us to belong to His church, which is His family. One enters a family by birth or adoption, not by ‘joining’ it like a club. Therefore the Lord answers our question in terms of His own powerful action.
So those who received [Peter’s] word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls….And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:41,47).
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body… (1 Corinthians 12:13).
When the Lord saves us, He adds us to the body of saved people. In family terms, the Father uses the new birth “of water and the Spirit”18 to add us to His royal family. Anyone who believes and confesses the word enters the water to be spiritually washed in divine blood.19 Since all members are cleansed in this way, the entire church is perfectly pure.
…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27). M
This is the church as seen through the eyes of grace. Christ views us this way because His death is so completely effective.
17. Acts 2:41-47; 4:32; 6:2; Ephesians 1:23; 2:16; 3:10,20
18. John 3:5; see Study Note: The Context of John 3
19. Acts 22:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 9:14; 10:22; Revelation 1:5; 7:14
Picture: Christ views His church as His radiant bride (Ephesians 5:23-32; 2 Corinthians 11:2).