Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants ..."(1 Samuel 17:8-9)
David answered that challenge and destroyed Israel's enemy. On the other hand, the great prophet Elijah challenged the people of Israel to make a choice. He cried out: "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him. But the people answered him not a word." (1 Kings 18:21)
In that spirit, I also lay forth some challenges for you, hoping you will not sit by and "answer not a word."
A challenge to investigate God. Please do not misunderstand; this is not a challenge to investigate what men, churches, or some religious leaders may say about God. We challenge you to investigate, with your own eyes, the God of the Bible. Here, and only here, does the original picture of God remain without human distortions. "Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God ..." (Romans 11:22). If you are young, realize there is no better time to investigate God than in your youth before you begin to make decisions that will affect your life. First, learn about Christ, who owns and gives you your life. "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them.'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
A challenge to investigate the one New-Testament faith. Do not accept various world religions, such as Islam, Hindu, and Buddhism, as being from God. Neither accept the divided, contradictory religious world of so-called Christendom as being from God. It didn't exist in the time of Christ. Approximately 2000 years ago, the man named Jesus of Nazareth was put to death as a criminal, though he had done many wonderful deeds. God had predetermined that he should die and be resurrected (Acts 2:23, 24). If Jesus did in fact resurrect from the dead, then He is certainly God. One correctly observed, "For no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." (John 3:2) His resurrected person was seen by many witnesses, even by 500 people at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). At that time, Christ's followers were known only as Christians. Called by one name (Christian), they had only one faith. They were not hyphenated Christians as many suggest they are today. Will you investigate the one faith practiced by first-century Christians (Ephesians 4:5)?
A challenge to investigate the church of Christ. Just as sure as Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He established His one true church. "...I will build My church" (Matthew 16:18). It began in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1ff). He purchased it with His blood (Acts 20:28). Its law came from Jerusalem--not New York, Switzerland, or even Mt. Sinai as some suggest (Isaiah 2:3; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Acts 2). We challenge you to find a Scripture where it wears a name that honors a method (i.e., Methodist), an eldership/presbytery (Presbyterian), a day (Seventh-Day Adventist; Pentecostal), or any other concept, doctrine, or person (Grace Dispensational, Baptist, Free Will, Saint Paul's Catholic, etc.). We challenge you to be content with the designations given in the Bible: church of God (1 Corinthians 1:2); church of Christ (Romans 16:16); church of the firstborn (Hebrews 12:23), etc. Why not investigate the church of Christ? What do you have to lose? Only your soul if you fail to be sure you're a member of the church that Jesus built, and not one erected by men. Every person has free will to make his own life choices. Why not accept this challenge and be sure you're standing on the solid rock of God's truth and not man's?