There has always been a great misunderstanding about the church that Christ built. Many believe that the church is something that it is not. Let us consider a few things that the church is not.

The Church is Not Plan B

Premillennialists believe that the church was never supposed to exist. If the Jews had not rejected Christ, the kingdom would have been established, the thousand-year reign of Christ would have commenced, and Jesus never would have built the church.

There are several problems with this theory, not the least of which is that both the prophets and Jesus tell us that the kingdom would be established in the first century (Daniel 2:44; Mark 9:1). We know from the inspired writings of the New Testament that the kingdom was in existence at that time. Paul told the brethren at Colossae that they had been translated into it (Colossians 1:13). How can someone be translated into something that does not exist? Instead of the church being an afterthought, the Bible teaches that it is a part of God’s eternal plan (Ephesians 3:10-11).

The Church is Not Made Up of Denominations

The word denomination is defined as “a name or designation, especially a general name for a category.” Religiously, a denomination is an “organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices” (Webster). A denomination, then, is something that is set apart into a category, separated from others of its kind. It is a part of the whole.

The church is not a part of anything. It is the whole or entire people of God. It is made up of all the saved. When a person obeys the gospel of Christ, he or she is automatically added to the church (Acts 2:47). What church? The church that Jesus built and that belongs to Him. That is why the church is referred to as the church of Christ in the Bible (Romans 16:16). It is a designation of ownership.

Biblically, the church is made up of individuals, not churches. From an organizational standpoint, a denomination is a church of churches, something never seen in the Bible. The church is simply composed of people - God’s people, wherever they may be found.

This is important to understand because many believe that all denominations make up the church. The problem is the church is never viewed as such in the New Testament. Denominational churches did not even exist in the first century, so how can they be a part of the church you read about in the Bible. The real point is that the New Testament church is composed of people, not denominational churches. The people that make up the church are those who have truly obeyed the gospel. Since denominational churches do not teach the right plan of salvation, they cannot be composed of the saved.

The Church is Not a Social Club

The religious world today leaves the impression that the church is a social club. Denominational churches spend their money on building gymnasiums, fellowship halls, and life centers, where the main emphasis is on physical things. They have basketball and softball teams and classes teaching everything from sewing to aerobics. They teach mechanics and other secular skills, donate blood, and some even have tattoo parlors. Many denominations offer academic classes that can lead to one getting a G.E.D. diploma. The social gospel has become so embedded in the minds of people that most would read this and think that there is nothing wrong with these things. Many would conclude that any church not engaged in these kinds of social programs is not a very good church.

The church you read about in the Bible never used the Lord’s money to finance fun and frolic, recreation, or entertainment. The work of the church, that is, the local church, is limited to benevolence for saints, evangelizing the lost, and spiritual edification. That is the only work the church is authorized to do today (Colossians 3:17).

Are you a member of a church that has the characteristics of the New Testament church, or are you a member of a denominational church that does not look anything like what you read about in the Bible? The choice is up to you. Find the church that is what the Bible says it is - the church that really belongs to Christ, and become a member of it by obeying the gospel.

edited, brownstreetcoc.org