Turn please to Acts 15. Acts chapter 15. And we want to read this verses one through four. Acts 15, one through four. And certain men came down from Judea. Certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren and said, except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved. Now they came down from Judea and they were where? They were at Antioch where Paul and Silas were at that point in time. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Pharnacia and Samaria declaring the conversion of the Gentiles and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them." Here's an illustration of one church asking for an opinion about what they should do from another church. Let's remember that in these days, this was the first century, the New Testament was being written. It was not yet completed. So they had the Old Testament scriptures, and a lot of the things that had to do with church truth and church procedure was not yet written down as it is in our New Testament. They were following what they call the Apostle's Doctrine. The Apostle's Doctrine is no different than what is written in the New Testament, but they didn't have it in their hands to read. The second passage I want to read is from Matthew chapter 18. And this is, we wanna look especially at verse 20. And I'll read verse 18 through 20. The context is those who offend and will not forgive their brother. Verse 17, I beg your pardon, verse 18 says, Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven, for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. A church is complete in that when it disciplines a member, that whatever they do, whether it's to bind or loose, is bound or loose in heaven, So the power of a church is pretty strong, especially when it comes to their own members. This is number 48 in our Confession of Faith. I'll read it to you and we'll address the scriptures that are listed under this article. titled Every Church is Complete under Christ. Although the particular congregations are distinct, individual bodies, every one complete within itself, yet they are all to walk by one rule of faith. Also, they should have the counsel and help of one another. if necessity requires it, though every church is under Christ, her head. That's a mouthful. When a church begins, it may begin with just two or three, but those two or three are sufficient to carry out the work of the Lord as far as they're able. Every church has a great commission. Every church is to keep the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Every church is to receive members or remove members and any other thing that comes up within the purview of scripture. Now let's read, please, 1 Corinthians 4, 17. 1 Corinthians 4, 17. Paul writes, for this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church." You see how they're distinct. Paul had been to Ephesus, to Corinth, to Thessalonica, to all of these various churches. And they were all churches, not branches of one big church. If a church could join something bigger, it would lose its identity. That's why it's wrong for a church to join itself to an association or a convention that has officers and rules. It's a bad, bad thing. We've been there. We know how that works. Now, although particular congregations are distinct—they are individual bodies—everyone is complete in itself. The expression, every church, tells us that all churches are distinct and equal. They are completing themselves with Christ as their head. Let's notice the expression, the whole church, in these next few verses. And may I say that if these individual churches were whole churches, how could they be part of a larger entity? For example, part of a universal church, either physical or spiritual. Look at Acts 15.22. Acts 15.22. Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas, namely Judas, surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren." Notice the expression, the apostles and elders with the whole church, that is the church which was at Jerusalem, chose some to go back to Antioch and address these things they talked about to the other church. Romans 16.23. Paul writing to the Roman church from Corinth says this in 16.23, Gaius, mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus, the chamberlain of the city, saluteth you, and Quartus, a brother." So we have the whole church at Corinth, the whole church at Jerusalem. Then 1 Corinthians 14, 23. 1 Corinthians 14, 23. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that your man speaks again of the whole church? Now, this is so interesting and such a profound truth. None of the Lord's churches that I know anything about have a source document that tells them what they must believe and how they must act. But they all have this. And it's amazing to me to see how that all those who interpret the Bible literally as it comes, are almost always in total agreement. There may be some small things here and there that they can be most understood about in their different periods of growth, but they have God's word. It's amazing to me how that these men who never know others come to the same conclusions by studying the word of God. That's so important. They walk by one rule. Now, notice 1 Corinthians 14, 33. 1 Corinthians 14, 33. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. as in all churches of the saints. Every church ought to be at peace. We're taught that from this and other scriptures. Then, same chapter, verse 36, Paul asks the question, what? Came the word of God out from you or came it unto you only? So, God's word was not originated in a church, though the church became the pillar and ground of the truth. It was originated as holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. And all of that then was put together by the Lord's churches. And I want you to remember this, please. Don't ever think that your Bible came from the Roman Catholic system. It didn't. It did not come from the Protestants. It was the Lord's churches who had the underlying manuscript for this Bible all through the centuries. They were never Catholic churches. They were never Protestant churches. They may have been called by many names, but they were churches like this church who took care of this. It's a reason the church is called the pillar and the ground of the truth. Men like Wycliffe, Coverdale, others who were very instrumental in translating the scriptures. These men were Baptists. They were not Catholics. They were not Protestants. So I don't care who tries to say that that's true. It's just a lie. The Lord's churches kept the faith. Now in 1 Corinthians 16, we see how Paul has given instructions to one church as well as another. He was the apostle to the Gentile churches. Now concerning the collection for the saints, As I have given order to the churches, notice that, of Galatia, there were several of them, even so do ye. Just like they did, you do. All keeping the same order of faith. Now, Ephesians chapter two, verse 19, shows how we are connected together. yet distinct in our own church. Now, therefore, you're no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. You see, when we're born again, we're born into the family of God. When we're baptized and received into a congregation, then we're in the church, which is called the house of God. So here it speaks about the household of God. Look at 1 Timothy 3, verse 15. 1 Timothy 3, verse 15. Paul said to Timothy, but if I tarry long, thou mayest know how thou ought to behave thyself in the house of God. which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. God's house is his church. And there are things, way that we ought to conduct ourselves in God's house. And that's what Paul was saying to Timothy in these letters to Timothy. Brother Craig done a great job going through that book again, telling him how to behave in the church. how to carry out things. Then, 1 Timothy 6, 13, and 14. This is closing remarks in his first letter to Timothy. He said, I give charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession. that thou keep this commandment. Things he'd been saying to Timothy without spot, unrebukable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the churches were to walk in one order. And yet, often there's no communication between them. But thank God for the touchstone. It's so wonderful to me to talk to preachers all over the world, and they see the same things in the scripture that I see. How is that? Because the Holy Spirit, who is the author of this book, enlightens them as well as myself and others. Notice that our confession said also, they should have the counsel and help of one another if necessity requires it. Though every church is under Christ, her head. Now, we had read Acts 15, one through four, where they didn't know what to do about this question. The men came from Judea. They came from Jerusalem and said, you gotta be circumcised to be saved. And they said, wow, we don't believe that. They disputed about it. But let's go to the apostles in the church. And they did. They needed counsel, especially at this time, since they did not have the full revelation of scripture. So they went to the source. Now, we're going to see an occasion here where churches influence other churches toward good things. Let's read 2 Corinthians 8, verses 1 through 4. 2 Corinthians 8, verses 1 through 4. Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia. How then in the great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded under the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. What was going on here? There was a drought in Judea. The saints in Judea were suffering and word came to the churches way up in Macedonia. And now here in Corinth, we need to help the saints. So Paul reflects about how these churches who were very poor, they didn't have much in terms of material wealth, yet they gave to their ability and beyond as a means of encouragement to other churches. It would have been an encouragement to the Corinthian church to hear what they did in Macedonia. And it would be to us to hear of what others had done in helping. So it's always an encouragement to see the Lord work in other churches to His glory. And this is the case here with Corinth and Macedonia. As Paul closes 2 Corinthians, look at chapter 13, verse 14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen. Blessed words of encouragement from the Apostle to the church where he'd spent many months serving in their midst. Churches need encouragement. They don't always need just rebuke. and exhortation, but they need encouragement. And such words of comfort are always inappropriate. Now, please turn with me to Jude, verse three. We'll discuss this and it will close our lesson tonight. Beloved, when I gave all the diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Here is a very serious exhortation to all the saints in the churches everywhere. Near the end of the New Testament, it's a startling statement to us all. Jude said he gave diligence to write of the common salvation. It's wonderful always to read about what Christ has done for us. and how we were brought out of a mowery pit and our feet set upon a rock, how that God established our going, how that we were delivered from horrible things and brought to the Lord's presence by His grace. It's always good to talk about our salvation, which is common to us all. And that's what Jude was saying. I gave diligence to write to you about the common salvation. I wanted to talk about Jesus. I wanted to talk about him dying and was buried and rose again and how he is now there at the right hand of the Father. But he said, It was needful for me to write to you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. I talked to a group of brethren that some people call hard-shelled. They are predestinarian Baptists. They are primitive Baptists. They are known by other names. And they are famous for talking about our common salvation, but you hardly ever read anything that they write about contending for the faith, the whole body of revealed truth that has been given to the Lord's churches. Every church has a responsibility to contend, earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. What does earnest mean? It means serious, important, ardent in the pursuit, eager to obtain it, jealous with sincerity, heartfelt. It's an adverb that modifies the verb contend. What does contend mean? Webster says it's to strive in opposition. What? Strive in opposition, to contest, to dispute, to buy, to quarrel, to fight. What are we earnestly contending for? For the faith. the whole body of revealed truth, which was once for all delivered unto the saints. Who are the saints? They're the members of the Lord's churches. The faith once delivered unto the saints includes everything that's written in the scriptures, especially in the New Testament concerning the church. I'll just name some of these things and you'll recognize it and understand that we have to beat back the opposition. We have to contend for the plenary verbal inspiration of the scriptures in 66 books of the Bible. It's part of the faith. the existence of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, yet one God, the Genesis account of creation in seven 24-hour days consisting of an evening and a morning, or where a wide flood in the days of Noah in which eight persons were saved in the ark while all Every creature that had the breath of life in his nostrils died. A worldwide flood. I guarantee you that somewhere along the way in life, somebody is going to accost you about these things. I remember being in a college class, and the professor got up and said, there was no such thing as a worldwide flood. I said, I have a comment. That's a lie. The Bible said there was a worldwide flood and every living thing that had the breath of life died. Do we agonize for these things? Yes, sir. We ought to be able to say God chose Israel as his covenant nation to the exclusion of all other nations. He gave them all of his services, his word, and he brought the Savior into the world through that nation. And everything that has to do with Christ. His eternal sonship. His virgin birth, His absolutely sinless impeccable life, His substitutionary death, His burial, His resurrection after three days and three nights, His ascension back to the Father, and His coming again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Somebody's gonna say to you, it ain't so. And I'm gonna say, tis so. Even if they get to poochie lips, say it. They get cross-eyed with you and shout at you, say it, and just stand on it. Jude said, I had to write to you and tell you that you need to earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. Every church is complete. Every church has this, every church. Praise his name. If you get to the place where it's just you and your wife and a couple of kids, why not have a church in your house? Philemon did, Ananias and Sapphira. Not Ananias and Sapphira, that's what I'm thinking about, the wrong one. Who was that couple that instructed Apollos and took him aside? Had a church in their house. So if it comes to that, do it. It's still a church. Amen. I'm through, Brother Craig.