Conley followed calling until the end!!

Conley followed calling until the end

By Tom Heinen
theinen@journalsentinel.com, Journal Sentinel

Source:Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Edition: Final, Section: B News, Page 04

Longtime preacher, who founded own church, collapsed at altar in Chicago

Death was moments away as Elder Tommie Conley Jr., a Milwaukee man who spent his life helping others, stood in front of a packed church and spoke of conversion, sacrifice and new life.

"He took a towel, and put it on the altar, and said, `Once you place your sacrifice on the altar, you can't go back and get it. It belongs to God,' “recalled Deacon Kenneth McIntyre.”In other words, once you repent, you can't go back and get your sacrifice, which is your old life, because once you are in Christ, `Old things are passed away, and, behold, all things are become new.' "

Then Conley turned, walked toward the altar and got down on one knee. People thought he was going to pray.

Perhaps he did. No one knows. He collapsed and died.

That was Oct. 7. Conley, the founder and spiritual leader of Milwaukee's True Church of the First Born, was the guest speaker for a pastor appreciation service at Deliverance Temple Church of the Apostolic Faith in Chicago. He was pronounced dead at a hospital, said McIntyre, one of three deacons who had accompanied Conley to Chicago that day.

Services for Conley, 55, are at 11 a.m. today at Mt. Zion Assembly of the Apostolic Faith; 4300 N. Green Bay Ave. Entombment will be at Graceland Cemetery.

"He was strong in his faith, apostolic faith, very strong," said Cassandra Conley, his wife. "Tommie Conley was a very, very concerned individual for people, very attentive to the needs of others. There was nowhere he wouldn't go, nothing he wouldn't do. He was just a person that people loved because he always had a smile. He always had a kind world. He always had a word from God for them, an encouraging spiritual word.

"The calling that God has given him, he did it with tenacity. His zeal never died down, never weakened, never faltered. He just was ready and willing to do God's will."

Sapphire Conley of Milwaukee, one of his seven daughters, described him as a man full of love.

"He was always known for his smile," she said. "He had a beautiful smile, and he was full of wisdom. He was never a best friend to one person, but he was a best friend to everybody he met."

Especially devoted to prison ministry, he led Bible study for prisoners at the House of Correction every Friday night and at a detention center in downtown Milwaukee on Tuesday nights, McIntyre said.

Tommie Conley came to Milwaukee at about age 18 from Arkansas, where he and other family members had picked cotton, Cassandra Conley said. Over the years, he worked in two foundries, at Rexford Corp., at A.O. Smith Corp. and then Tower Automotive, from which he had been on layoff from a laborer's job for about two years, she said.

But his real loves were people and the church. He founded True Church of the First Born about 18 years ago in a storefront at 915 W. Burleigh St., she said.

Later, it moved into a building at N. Hubbard St. and E. Meinecke Ave. that was constructed in 1893 as a Congregational Church. And the congregation grew to about 170 families, she said.

But structural problems gradually took their toll, including a sagging roof and bulging wall. When the structure suddenly shifted last year, its south face pushing against a neighboring duplex, the city issued an emergency demolition order.

That was painful for Tommie Conley, who did not come to watch the destruction, his wife said. After that, the congregation began sharing worship space with another church at 3410 W. Burleigh St.

But Tommie Conley's spirit did not topple with the old church building.

"Elder Conley was a man that really lived the word of God, and everybody that he touched, he left an impression on," McIntyre said. "He gave everybody hope. He preached a lot of people off of drugs."

Other survivors include a son, Aaron Conley of Milwaukee, and daughters Cassandra Nyasani of Minneapolis and Neva, Ada, Lynell, Colleen and Toni Conley, all of Milwaukee.

I am going to die with the staff in my hand!!

It is another beautiful sunday; and I find myself working again!!. Oh, how I owe the LORD for all my mistakes. How gracious he is to even allow me the breadth of life when I rose out of my bed today. Now, here are my thoughts for today. I have this great burden and angst in my soul about the direction of my life. Not knowing exactly what way I should be going, yet trusting God to lead me. Realizing all the while that his ways are not my ways, and his thoughts are so far from my thoughts. Yet, frustrated like the weeping prophet (Jeremiah), I find myself uttering the same words that he uttered in frustration for the lot given unto him by the LORD; the burden of the LORD in his life - In the depth of my soul, oooooooh LORD, save me please, because if you don't do it I won't make it, for I feel like Ezra now too ....

"And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage - Ezra 9:8.

In my heart my cry is - "Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth - Jeremiah 15:10"

Today, I truly feel like Job when he uttered these words...Job Chapter 4

"Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it. Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom".

At the beggining of Job chapter 4 Eliphaz starts by reminding "weary Job", who he really is despite all the tribulation that he is in at the momment. He reminds him of a few things that he used to do in verse 3 and 4 - "Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees". But, because of the things fiery trials he is experiencing he is getting a little impatient, and starting to forget for in verse 5 it says that he has started getting 'impatient and dismayed' by all the loss and pain - "But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled". Sounds so familiar to me. Of late, it has been so easy to feel just like Job. I have had to have a very tough talk with one of my closest brothers about his household, and his relationship with his wife. While talking to him, God was also talking to me like Eliphaz was talking to Job reminding me of the same things that Eliphaz was talking to Job about. My weariness and impatience. Seeing so much pain and the hopelessness of my brothers situation, I got dispondent like Job in this chapter.

But, today I ran across an article that was printed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about my father-in-laws death on a church alter while preaching his last message as it would be in a church in Chicago, IL. It's title says..."Conley followed calling until the end". Good Lord!, if that doesn't prick a young man's heart;who has a love for the ministry and a heart for souls, I don't know what does then. That sentence was shouting in my heart today, and took me to Job chapter 4. In verse 6 Job is reminded by Eliphaz what was once his anchor in the LORD, that he seems to have forgotten so quickly - "Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?". You see Eliphaz was reminding Job that it was his - "fear of God, his confidence in the power of God,And the integrity of his ways that were his hope?". He further asks him a very sobering question that I had to ask myself today while contemplating on my father-in-laws death - "Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?. You see he was reminding Job that the INNOCENT never perished, nor the righteous were ever cutoff. Job had started to doubt and forget that reality you see, just like I have been for sometime now because of the trials in my life. But, am thankful for the HolyGhost, he knows the things in our hearts and brings comfort, reprove, rebuke and correction so that we can set our affections again on this above, not below!!. Glory be go my God, forever and evermore!!. What a wonderful saviour!!.

Eliphaz goes a little further and says this to job about the alternative that he can't entertain, going the way of evil. He says to Job in verse 8,9 - "According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity And those who sow trouble harvest it. By the breath of God they perish,And by the blast of His anger they come to an end". In otherwords, Job, you don't want to drawback because the LORD has no pleasure in them that have a spirit to drawback. The scripture says that

- "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul - Hebrews 10:37-39.

Basically verses 8 and 9 of Job chapter 4, the warnings given by Eliphaz (Who was a very young man I might add) to Job was that he should not be weary and defeated, he should not be thinking of drawing back, but rather with "Fear and trembling" (Job 4:12-17)he should make sure that if he dies, "HE DIES WITH THE STAFF IN HIS HAND". You see, this is the 'staff of the LORD", And the staff of the lord is that very thing which King David reminded us that comforts us even though we walk in the valley of the shadow of death as it were....Oh!, what encouraging words, What wonderful a blessed assurance, and a foretaste of heaven devine...Thank you LORD!!

- "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me - Psalm 23:4.

I just want to thank My father-in-law today in the presence of the LORD for the example that he left for me. That I should fight the good fight of faith amidst all the trials and tribulations and see to it that If I die, that "I die with the staff of the LORD in my hand". I want to thank him like Eliphaz speaking to Job, for the HolyGhost which spoke to me today and encouraged me so. Reminding me in the words of that wonderful song by Dorothy Coates...."I am going to die with the staff in my hand" - The Best Of Dorothy Love Coates & The Original Gospel Harmonettes, Vol 1 & 2.

Daddy, You are missed. Men with a heart for the kingdom of God, and souls salvation are a rare thing to find in today's carnal church. All the years I knew you, you exhibited to me what it means to go "fully after the LORD". Something that even the wisest man on earth did not consider to do, which caused him to do evil as did David his father;the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded - 1 Kings 11:5-10".

I pray my eulogy and epitaph to say these words - "I died with the staff of the LORD in my hand". Like Elisha when Elijah was leaving him, I am asking that the LORD, as Elisha did that - "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me" even if I was not there to see you when you were taken as was the case of Elijah and Elisha. Like Elisha, I am crying "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.." grant me the wish though am so unworthy of it. I desire the mantle of the power of the HolyGhost to fall on me so when the people see me, they can say, surely "The spirit of Elder Conley doth rest on John his son in the gospel..."."For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make us his people; Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for others: but I will teach them the good and the right way: Only to fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all our heart: for consider how great things he hath done for us - 1 Samuel 12:22-25. I want to die with the staff of the LORD in my hand. Help me LORD!!

I miss you daddy, I love you so much daddy!!

The Need for Fathers

Jesus Christ demonstrated throughout His earthly ministry that there is a clear line of command in place within the God Family—which our families are to emulate. The family government was very much alive between His Father and Him. He was very clear on who was in charge. He did exactly what the Father asked Him to do.

Coming to better understand fatherhood as God does gives us incredible insight into the way He thinks. God commands us to see this from His perspective, and make this a habitual way of thinking that ingrains this spiritual lesson in our minds.

What makes a dedicated study into this subject so critical is how decidedly different God’s view is from the common view in society. Satan has inspired a general conspiracy against fatherhood. The role of the father is his biggest target in bringing down family life.

It is common to recognize the mother’s role as nurturer, carer and emotional support. She provides the meals, does the housework and in many cases earns a good portion of the family income. But what is Dad supposed to do? In the minds of many, this is far hazier. Maybe he is the provider, although in more and more homes Mom works, and often makes more money than Dad.

In the minds of most people, the God-ordained role for the father in the family has been obscured completely. Society in general paints that leadership position as being unnecessary.

As the first four verses of Isaiah 3 prophesy, God has removed the strong men as a curse on the disobedient nations of modern Israel, which has created a tremendous leadership vacuum. And what has filled the gap? “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them …” (verse 12). Families are upside-down: Women and children are at the top—and the men aren’t even mentioned!

This is a tremendous problem. And families are devastated when that role of the father is neglected. Studies prove that when the father fails, everyone suffers. Why? Because the whole structure of the family falls apart.

God designed human beings—physically, emotionally, spiritually—to need fathers.

One author states this need thus: “If children fail to receive enough love from their fathers, they carry the painful effects for a long time to come—usually for the rest of their lives” (Robert S. McGee, Father Hunger). They experience a variety of problems in their lives “including depression, lack of self-esteem, an inability to express genuine love toward a spouse. But in interviewing these people, one common element keeps coming up in almost every case: an unfulfilled desire, a gnawing deep in their spirits, a continual craving to experience love from their fathers. The longer this need goes unfulfilled, the more the person suffers.”

In the book Fatherless America: Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem is this assessment: “There are exceptions, of course, but here is the rule: Boys raised by traditionally masculine fathers do not commit crimes. Fatherless boys commit crimes.” In fact, fatherlessness has been proven to be the number-one factor predisposing someone to criminal activity—more than poverty, iq, race, culture or education.

Girls who lack the strong influence of a father are much more prone to get involved sexually before they should. They are looking for a male to fulfill that need in their life that their father failed to fulfill. “Many studies confirm that girls who grow up without fathers are at much greater risk for early sexual activity, adolescent childbearing, divorce and lack of sexual confidence” (ibid.).

The vast majority of fatherless children are prone to emotional imbalances, motivation problems (especially boys), anger, instability, vulnerability, insecurity and feelings of rejection—a sense of being unloved and unlovable. These same problems tend to crop up where a father is present, but is perhaps abusive, a workaholic, passive and unmasculine, sickly, manipulative or a perfectionist. Sadly, the children of such men can be just as much “fatherless” as those whose father completely abandoned the family, or died!

If you want to know how important the father’s role is, just look at what happens when it is neglected.

God created humans to be born into the God Family. The way He made us, it is absolutely imperative that we have a family, and that we have a father!

As the book Father Hunger brings out, you can compare this to our need for good nutrition. For example, you could completely eliminate vegetables from your diet and substitute chocolate milk instead. While that wouldn’t kill you right away, your health would go bad quickly.

Given the God-designed need for a father, it is interesting how protective God is of two groups of people in particular: the fatherless, and the widows. The Bible contains over 40 references to these two groups! It doesn’t specifically mention the motherless and widowers, but rather those who have been deprived of that male influence of a father and a husband—those for whom that family role isn’t being filled.

One of God’s major condemnations of today’s society is that we neglect the fatherless and widows. “Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge [defend or vindicate] not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them” (Isaiah 1:23). God instructs these rebels, “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (verses 16-17). This is how to become right with God! These people need help—there is a void that God intended be filled in their lives. “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

It is true that, because Satan has worked so hard to attack the role of the father, probably a majority of people have had poor relationships with their fathers. But the inspiring and hope-filled truth is, for those lacking a strong physical father and physical family, God seeks to step in and fill that role—both personally, and through strong males who are practicing the pure religion James spoke of. •

TheTrumpet.com - Why God designed human beings with this need By - Joel Hilliker

Your Family’s Most Important Textbook

June 18, 2010 From theTrumpet.comGod commands you to use it! Here is some practical help for conquering life’s obstacles in order to reap the rich rewards of regular family Bible study. By Joel Hilliker

If you are a parent with children living under your roof, then you are responsible before God for their spiritual education. That responsibility comes with the opportunity to instruct from Scripture.
If you study the book of Deuteronomy, you can see that Moses felt a similar responsibility to build the families of Israel. In this, his final instruction to God’s people just before he died and they entered the Promised Land, Moses repeatedly emphasized parents’ duty to pass their spiritual wisdom to their children and grandchildren.
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, New King James Version). The phrase “teach them diligently” means to repeat intensively, to do something again and again—like sharpening a blade through repetitious grinding or friction. Surely Moses had witnessed a lot of failure among Israel’s families. You can sense his urgency: Commit these words to heart—then teach them diligently to your children, and discuss them at every opportunity! This is how to survive as a nation!
Moses did more than command family Bible studies: He emphasized the importance of reinforcing those biblical lessons throughout the day, both at home (“in your house”) and away (“by the way”). He expected parents and children to be interacting often, and for the Bible to be a regular topic of discussion. He stressed the need for instructing each night before bedtime (“when you lie down”), and again each morning (“when you rise up”).
Moses followed up with a very practical instruction: He advocated writing certain scriptures and principles down and posting them in the house to help internalize them (verse 9; see also Deuteronomy 11:18-20).
Spend some time taking these scriptures to heart—even committing yourself to them in prayer before God. Life can be a jungle of duties and distractions. We may agree with Moses’s statements in principle but then struggle to implement them. We may make an effort but lack the consistency these scriptures demand. The mention of diligence and repetition are aimed directly at countering our natural tendency to allow this duty to slip.
Generation to Generation
Consider the rewards of making family Bible instruction the priority God intends. Moses himself described the rich blessings these studies and discussions would bring, including a better relationship with God, stronger families, and longer and more abundant life for ourselves and our children and grandchildren (Deuteronomy 11:21; 4:9-10; 6:2).
Every parent desires a close bond with his children. Quality family Bible study and discussion is a key to achieving that. Parent-to-child and grandparent-to-child spiritual instruction is the glue that binds generation to generation. “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4). This is a powerful antidote to the poisonous influences of the world that aim to tear children away from their parents.
Even more: Obedience to this command welds individual families into a single nation under God. Moses showed that it does nothing less than ensure long-lasting national stability and guarantees a future as a godly nation! Meditate on those promises in conjunction with Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Consider the principle, and the incredible promise, in these scriptures. If parents in Israel had diligently followed the command to teach their children, the nation never would have departed from God’s way!
Let’s learn from this failure and heed the urgent plea from this great God-inspired man and make sure we’re rearing our children to know and love the Bible.
How to Go About It
The idea of expounding on the Scriptures for your family may seem daunting. Here are a few simple points that will help you move from agreeing in principle with this biblical command to actually making it a part of your family’s regular routine.
First, you yourself must be excited about the Bible. Look again at the passage in Deuteronomy 6. The two verses that precede the main instruction on teaching your children read, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart” (verses 5-6). You have to love God, and love His Word—to be stirred and moved and excited about your own Bible study. If you struggle with your own studies, then you won’t be motivated to teach; naturally, your children will struggle as well.
How much do you know about the Bible? Are you accustomed to searching the Scriptures for answers to the problems you face? Are you comfortable with using Bible helps like concordances, lexicons and alternate translations? Can you read a passage and expound on it? Can you relate Bible verses to real-life situations? These are skills we must continually develop and refine throughout our Christian lives (Luke 12:42-43; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:15-17; read also Hebrews 5:12-14).
As you build excitement in your personal Bible study, your eagerness to pass it on to your children will increase. Cultivate that enthusiasm by acting upon it.
Your aim is to build a regular habit of instructing your children from God’s Word and talking about the things of God. Until you are in the habit, it may feel awkward and forced—but keep at it. Over time, it will become easier for you, and your children will grow more receptive and accustomed to it. Have a set time each morning and each evening before bedtime to at least talk about God, His truth and way of life.
At least a few times a week, this time should include reading straight from the Bible. It is certainly fine to read high-quality youth Bible-based books to your children. But your main habit in family Bible study should involve the Bible itself. You may want to go somewhat methodically through a portion of the Bible such as the Proverbs or the Gospels. It would be wise to adapt your study at times according to your family’s specific needs at that time. You may want to choose a particular theme each week and give several related studies hitting that topic from various angles—law, history, proverbs, examples, prophecy.
Try to make God real to your children. Talk about His qualities of character. Show them what He looks like, and what His throne room is like. Give them a sense of His mightiness. Get into the details of His miracles; read to them about His mighty acts.
Each specific study may only involve a single verse, or perhaps two to three related verses. In a two-parent household, the father should read the scripture, then rephrase it in plain terms and explain it, making it very practical. Show how the scripture links to real-life examples. Be creative in getting the concepts across. Make it fun, exciting. Be sure the children understand. The mother should also add to the discussion. Ask them questions; have them think of examples of their own; encourage them to link the principles to their own daily lives. The more practical and understandable this teaching is, the easier it will be to reinforce it in discussion during the day.
Don’t go on for too long. Depending on your children’s age and attention span, you might go for 5 to 20 minutes. Work to hold their interest and keep it a positive experience. Praise your children as they progress. Don’t discourage them about things they forget—heap praise on them for what they remember. Take advantage of the fact that they want to please you. Ensure they have the overall feeling that studying the Bible is enjoyable, and that God’s way is great!
What a positive command it is that we share our spiritual riches with our children! Deuteronomy 6:7 and related scriptures embody a way of life. A way pulsating with life, with robust interactions between generations. A way where God’s government is firmly in place, with God at the top and every last member of the household experiencing the joy and stability that come as a result.
Family Bible studies require diligent effort—but the blessings they produce are well worth it. •


Copyright © 2010 Philadelphia Church of God, All Rights Reserved.

My family and some of my friends

This is a new addition to our family, our new puppy choppa!

God is the best father of them all!!

Happy Fathers Day too all the fathers out there!!!

As I sit here today, being that it is "fathers day", I am happy yet sad at the same time. You see, I have a dad according to the flesh, but I have ONLY ONE father - JEHOVAH. I don't have two fathers, for God ONLY can be my father. You see he knew me even before I appeared into this world, even in my mother's womb - Hallelujah!!. Sad to say I had to work on this very special day. Oh, well, such is life...... You see, I am finding myself struggling to find a "church of christ" where my family can call home. Just any kind of church just won't do!. As the old Negro spiritual says..."99 and a half just wont do, got to have 100%%.

One reason is because of what the prophet Amos declared would happen in our day when he said these words – “Amos 8:11-13 - Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

But the main reason is because of all the sects/denominations that have gone are claiming to preach and teach “THE TRUTH”. The Apostle Paul asked a very sobering, yet very fitting question for the day we are living in today - “1 Corinthians 1:10-13 - Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?. He follows this with an admonition for the unity of the churches of God – “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

Cled Wallace once said, “Any man who can prove the righteousness of denominationalism by the New Testament is capable of proving that Peter was a Papist, Paul a Baptist, James an Episcopalian, Luke a Methodist...” The point that Wallace makes is one seldom addressed, but worthy of our consideration: do the Scriptures support the idea of denominationalism?

Some of us who reject denominationalism insist at the other end of the spectrum that the New Testament church that existed while the apostles walked the earth can be found today.

We want to explore, on the one hand, the meaning of denominationalism and examine this religious philosophy in light of the Scriptures. Can this approach to Christianity be defended with a “Thus saith the Lord?” On the other hand, is it possible that the church of the Bible can be reproduced today? If the church of the Bible does exist today, how can we find it? We pray you will join us in examining these questions with an open Bible, but first enjoy our song…

Denominationalism: should you be in favor of it? Well, first we need to figure out what denominationalism is. Any seventeen letter word with eight syllables is bound to defy understanding, but in a few minutes of careful reflection I believe we can get a handle on it.

Consider the definition of denomination in general:

“Appellation: identifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others…”

In the monetary system, a denomination indicates “different values of money. U.S. coins…are made in the following denominations: cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar.”

In a religious context, a denomination is “a group of religious congregations having its own organization and a distinctive faith.” “Denominationalism is the division of one religion into separate groups, sects, schools of thought or denominations...” The American Heritage Dictionary has "The tendency to separate into religious denominations." The Dictionary of Religious Terms defines "denominationalism" as "a term for the continuation of organizations, and emphasis on the divisions and distinctions, of Protestantism.” Did you notice what words that keep coming up - different, distinguish, separation and division? Not good!

We should receive Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees in Matthew 15:13-14 as a caution against being a part of the denominational system, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." J. W. McGarvey says of this passage in the Fourfold Gospel, “The words of Jesus are full of encouragement to those who adhere to the simple teachings of God; for they show that God guarantees that every error shall be uprooted, and that every teacher of error or false religion shall participate in the judgment which uproots, and shall fall into the pit of ruin; and his disciples, no matter how numerous, shall share his fate.”

DENOMINATIONAL LEADERS SPEAK OUT

Reflective leaders within the denominational world even recognize that the denominational scheme is undesirable. Billy Graham wrote in his book, Facing Death and the Life After, "In heaven there will be no sectarian worship, no denominational differences, no church creeds...I was brought up a Presbyterian and later became a Baptist. But in later years I have felt that I belong to ALL churches...God did not invent denominations, man did."

The late Yale Divinity Professor, Richard Niebuhr, zeroed in on the fundamental problem with the denominational approach to Christianity when he wrote, "Denominationalism thus represents the moral failure of Christianity. . . . Before the church can hope to overcome its fatal division it must learn to recognize and to acknowledge the secular character of its denominationalism."

Denominationalism sanctions and promotes division and, in so doing, as one man puts it, “Denominationalism mocks Jesus' prayer for unity.” Bold statement? Yes, but listen for yourself as Jesus pours out his heart in prayer right before His betrayal in John 17:20-21, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You…that the world may believe that You sent Me.” Did you hear what Jesus said? Division produces disbelief. Jesus prayed that we “all be one…that the world may believe…”

Paul is more direct in I Corinthians 1:10, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” While the emphasis here is on congregational division certainly it applies to all believers.

ONE FAMILY OF BROTHERS

The Holy Ghost tells us in I Peter 2:17 to “Love the brotherhood” not “love the brotherhoods.” Thayer says in his lexicon this word brotherhood can also be translated “family of brothers” (singular). In a similar vein in Ephesians 4:5, the apostle says there is “one faith” and “one body,” not the “many faiths” and “many bodies” perpetuated by denominationalism. Contrast the chaos and confusion created by the contradictory teaching of denominational creeds with the practice of the apostle Paul. He tells the church at Corinth that “Timothy…will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in EVERY church.” To be accepted within the denominational framework today, the apostle would be compelled to teach DIFFERENTLY in every “church” or to abandon his commitment, voiced in Acts 20:27, “to declare…the whole counsel of God.”

Later, Paul tells the church at Corinth where division comes from in I Corinthians 3:3: “For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” Then, in Galatians 5:20, Paul lists “factions, dissensions and schisms” among the works of the flesh in. In the next verse he says, those who practice such “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Do we really want to support denominationalism with our time and money?

Then, in Romans 16:17, we see how Christians are to respond to he who and, by extension, that which causes division, “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.”

HOW DO WE FIX THE PROBLEM?

Three approaches to addressing the disease of division within the denominations are: 1) Becoming Roman Catholic, 2) promoting ecumenism and 3) restoring the first century church.

SUBMIT TO THE POPE

The Roman Catholic formula is simple. Agree to submit to the authority of the popes and councils over your creeds, confessions of faith and the Scriptures. Of course, the existence of the most historic and entrenched denominations is based primarily on their refusal to submit to the pope. The very word Protestant represents the primary protest against papal authority that ignited the Reformation. So, for conscientious denominational people this is a non-starter. Anyone who believes that the word of God is the ultimate standard of truth is duty-bound to reject the pope as its replacement.

ECUMENISM

What about ecumenism? The movement claims to work toward bringing about unity among believers, but the ecumenical boondoggle hardly deserves this classification as it continues to drain valuable resources with nothing meaningful to show for it. The Roman Catholic Church ignited the ecumenical movement with Vatican II in 1962. The World Council of Churches and other groups promote it. The problem with ecumenism is that the solution to division is tolerance which is merely a euphemism for ignoring all the religious error that may exist in other groups - “Your okay, I’m okay.”

In the subtitle to his book, A Generous Orthodoxy, Brian McLaren is typical of those within the movement when he describes himself as “a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-yet-Hopeful, Emergent, Unfinished CHRISTIAN.” If nothing else you have to admire this man’s forthrightness. He does not even attempt to provide doctrinal soundness and clarity. The truth voiced in a country song indicts this misguided attempt at unity:

You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.

You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string.

Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name

You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.

UNION vs. UNITY

You see, the idea behind ecumenism is really not true unity, but a forced union. Union is not unity. The Soviet Union did not have unity, but compulsory union. The satellite states within the Soviet Union only said, “Yes, sir!” because there was a proverbial gun pointed at their head. Listen, you can tie the tails of two tomcats together and hang them over a clothesline and have union, but you won’t have unity.

The ecumenical movement is not really undenominational, but all-denominational. It’s compromise instead of conviction. That’s why popular mega church preachers preach so many sweet nothing sermons. They must coo and cluck to keep the crowds coming. Folks, isn’t this what the Holy Spirit warned about in 2 Timothy 4:3-4? The Spirit said through the apostle, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

In the same prayer where Jesus prayed for unity, He prayed a few verses earlier, “Sanctify them by thy truth; thy word is truth.” Truth comes before unity in this passage. There can be no real unity without truth. In fact, the apostle John tells his brethren in 3 John 4 that he has “no greater joy than to hear that they walk in the truth.” In Jude 3, doctrinal compromise receives a more direct hit: “Earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.” The ecumenical movement fails to pass the biblical test of unity.

Restoring the New Testament Church

What about the third option for establishing unity by restoring the New Testament church? Can that really be done? Allow me to illustrate how it can. Understand, first of all, that the word of God is the seed of the kingdom according to Luke 8:11. When you plant the same seed, you get the same fruit. When you plant Granny Smith apple seeds you always get Granny Smith apples. It doesn’t matter if you plant them in AD 33, AD 333 or AD 1833. It doesn’t matter if you plant the seed in Jerusalem, Moscow, London or the Ozarks. In the same way, when you plant only the gospel seed - the word of God - the fruit will always be the kingdom of God – the church you read about in the New Testament. The problem today is that religious leaders have been planting "hybrid seed" – mixing the word of God with word of men.

The fundamental flaw with denominationalism is the sanctioning of many different hybrid seeds being sown.

Consider the inspired words of I Peter 1:22-25: “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever…Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”

The corruptible seed planted by men must be replaced with the incorruptible seed of the pure gospel. We are talking about restoration, not reformation. Leaders of the Reformation must be commended for recognizing the contradictions between Roman Catholicism and the Scriptures. They knew that changes had to be made. But their approach was to reform or correct the errors as they saw them instead of scrapping that faulty system and starting all over with the New Testament. This was inadequate for such a rats nest.

Thankfully, several groups of men realized this beginning in the late 1700’s in America and started all over with the pure seed of the gospel. Religious leaders from several denominations started dropping their denominational names, abandoned their creeds and confessions of faith and started living by the plea, “Speak where the Bible speaks; be silent where the Bible is silent.” This was not some man-made sentiment. Instead, it was a paraphrase of I Peter 4:11, “If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.”

If you’d like a copy of “Denominationalism,” please write us at - contactus@letthebiblespeak.com - and we’ll be glad to get it out to you. You may also request a free booklet by Ronny Wade entitled “Twelve Reasons to Investigate the Church of Christ” to look at this topic more closely. We also offer our Bible study course you can complete at home. Viewers say that they have learned more in these six lessons than they learned in a lifetime of attending Sunday school. This too is free of charge. We welcome your comments and questions. Please visit LetTheBibleSpeak.com and watch videos of the program.

Finally, we echo the sentiment of the apostle Paul when he wrote in Romans 16:16, “the churches of Christ salute you.” Until next week, goodbye and God bless.