I happened to land on station where a Church of Christ preacher was trying to convince us that The Church of Christ is the only true church. He said it is only logical as it is named The Church of Christ. Better for him to teach about Jesus and salvation than to take such pride in his church. I mean, he has the attention of people for 15 to 20 minutes. Is it more important to speak on the Church of Christ or about Christ and salvation in that short time.

I listened to him for a while. I found it rather interesting the mental gymnastics he was going through to prove his point. The thing is, it had no standings. There is nowhere in the Bible that says that only the church named, Church of Christ is the real church. On the contrary. In the one place where people were trying to do anything like that, Paul scolded them. He said that some were saying that they they only believed Jesus, and some only Peter. (I Cor. 1:12…)

The only real important thing was what they taught. If they taught the word of God accurately, then they were part of the church of Christ. For years, the Catholics tried to claim they were the only Church. Today, there are still some that believe it. The hitch is that many of the things they teach are not biblical.

The way I judge a Church is very simple. If they teach the word of God accurately; if the church, especially the leadership practices what they preach, then I will give that church at least part of my approval. However, to give it my full approval, I have to see evidence that the Holy Spirit is moving in the church. If the Spirit of God approves of the church, who am I to say any different.

How do I know if the Holy Spirit is moving in the Church? It’s easy. If you have seen the Holy Spirit move in a church, you’d never again ask that question.

How-some-ever, here are some hints. The Holy Spirit always points to Jesus. It is part of his mission. If the preacher tries to claim the glory, he is not working under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If he says, his church is the only church, it is time to get highly suspicious. I believe there are likely 4 or 5 major denominations are valid representatives of God, though there may be more.

I am Southern Baptist. However, I have listened to several Presbyterian preachers that I respect very much. I have heard some non-denominational preachers too that I believe teach the word accurately. I have heard a few, not many, Lutheran preachers who knew of what they spoke. And, yes I have heard a few Church of Christ preachers who I respected. Strange as it may seem, I have even heard a few Catholic preachers who seemed to have it right.

The thing this. We really need to be careful about who we say are not of Jesus Christ. If the church is teaching good sound doctrine and the Holy Spirit is on them, maybe we should just hold our tongue.

If they are teaching unbiblical doctrine, yeah, then it is open season on them. However, take care. Before you open your mouth, open the Bible and make sure of your position.

Finally, one more thing. I have noticed that preachers of different faiths do have discussions with each other from time to time. This, believe it or not, without throwing bookends at each other. The good thing about that, each preacher will go away better for it. They will both understand the Bible better after when their ideology is challenged.