Who's on the team?

“We are on the same team”. I heard this statement recently and it really caught my attention. It was made after a person said “Christianity in this country is disintegrating before our eyes.” As I pondered the comment I began to realize maybe that is the very reason why Christianity is disintegrating. Perhaps the assumption that everyone is on the same team is what is causing the issues.

Imagine if you will the US military. If the supposition was made that everyone who lives in America was on their side and they all went into battle together what would be the outcome? It would be utter defeat by the enemy. Some soldiers would probably even be shot by “friendly fire.” What makes the military strong is unity in purpose, unity under authority and unity in understanding of the objectives and the means to accomplish them. Christianity is absolutely no different.

What we have today is a cancerous ecumenicalism that says as long as you believe in some sort of Jesus it doesn’t matter what your objective is, what your purpose is, whether you submit to the authority of the Bible or are even obeying what it teaches. All that matters is that we get along. “Just go and do your own thing” is the cry. What difference does it make?.......look around, the consequences are tragically evident.

In an effort to bring some clarity here let me bring the scripture into the discussion. In order to be “on the same team” one must first be a Christian. I do not mean one in name but a biblical one as described for us in the word of God. A Christian is a born-again believer by the Spirit of the living God. A Christian is not someone who says they believe in some sort of Jesus and does whatever they want.

Saving faith is not mere assent to truths, even the demons believe and tremble, much less blind submission to a church or a man-made Christ. Faith is trust in the Christ of the Bible. To trust in someone, you have to know something about them and have some confidence that they can do what they promise. The question really is what are the essentials of understanding that a believer should have. In other words, what must I know to be saved? Albert Martin wrote a fantastic piece called “What is a biblical Christian”. I attach a link here for your edification. I would agree with this wholeheartedly. As a matter of fact, I would say if a person does not agree with this then they might not even be “on the team”. https://www.crichbaptist.org/articles/biblical-christian/

Jesus called his disciples to go to the whole world preaching the gospel, baptizing, and teaching them to obey “everything” he had commanded. Please watch this carefully. Jesus mentions things in a certain order: faith comes by hearing the preached gospel (a body of doctrines and truths about who we are, who he is and what he has done). You are not on the team if you reject this or preach something other than this. As a matter of fact, the military would call that person a traitor. The great theologian John Owen said, regarding the content of the gospel: “The clearer the knowledge of the truth and the deeper the denial, the less assurance one can have that the God of truth will save him.” Someone may ask: "Can a person be saved who denies the resurrection"? I've never even seen such a person. The thing to remember is the Holy Spirit does not give defective faith that denies the gospel.

The next step, according to Jesus, is the believing converts are then baptized, and then there is a life of learning “obedience to everything he commanded”. The “learning everything” part of it is not the condition for salvation, but the privilege of unpacking the gifts we’ve been given for the rest of our life.

Once a person is saved there are many exhortations in scripture to go on to maturity, to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ etc. Discipleship is first and foremost a humble eagerness to hear, learn and obey every word that comes from the mouth of God. However untaught, and even confused, people have been, all believers are called to grow up by instruction and participation in God’s means of grace. Jesus commands this in the great commission and Paul exhorts us to it everywhere. It is unity to that and submission to his word, as sole authority, that makes true unity and puts us on the same team.

What the church is to be, focus on and do all fall under the “teach and obey everything” command of scripture. Jesus gives the example that we should pray to the Lord of the harvest (that is him) that he would send laborers into his fields because the fields are ripe unto harvest. What if some went into the field and bulldozed down the crops? What if some went in there and built a rec center for the Philistines? Clearly that would be absurd and those would not be considered by Jesus to be faithful servants and would be condemned.

If one wants to do their own thing and call it Christian, again, that is not fruit of being on the team. That is called insubordination by the commanding officer. To teach others to do that is called rebellion. Jesus has told us what we are to be about and do.
How are we to view differences in doctrine? We are to sit down and reason together and come to consensus. The early church had no doctrinal differences at all because they loved and respected the word of God, as do those who are truly saved. They would not tolerate “new” ideas or interpretations. They would not deviate from the mission. They knew that it was the truth that made them one. How far we have fallen in our day where everyone has their own "truth".

Paul warns us of that attitude very clearly in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Notice it is “love” for the truth, not simply rejection of what we do not approve of, that determines who is saved. People on the same team look for unity in the truth they love.

Today there is a seeking of false love and carnal unity that sacrifices truth. I have said for many years, the issue in the church is that people love relationships more than they love the truth of God. Time and time again I have seen people stand with a person instead of standing with God. Even when shown the word of God they simply ignore it and persist in sin.

So, what makes a team of Christian soldiers? What makes a person a co-laborer? Well, it is not a church or religion, but being born again. That is person is described above. Any person that is born-again by the Spirit of God, who knows the Lord’s purposes for the church universal, who is willing to obey and submit to God’s word, who is on board with the objective and means given, who is willing to obey and repent when they fall short, that person I will go into battle with all day, every day………. That person is on the team and that team will never collapse because God will strengthen and uphold them by the word of his power. Their love for him is evidenced by their love and obedience to his word.

So, what are we to make of the many public leaders and dozens who have denied the faith recently? Are they on the team? Not at all. They were never on the team. None of the above was ever true of them. They made up a god they were comfortable with and used the name of our King for their own advantage. John said in 1 John 2:19 “they went out from us because they were not of us”. Solomon said this in Proverbs 22:12 “The eyes of the Lord keep watch over (His) knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor.” A true believer can stumble and fall but the Lord will always bring them back into the ranks. Who is on the Lord’s team? The one who when the Bible is open says; “Here I am to do your will. Speak for your servant is listening.” That soldier will never be lost or ultimately fail.

What about those who claim to be on the team but teach things that are not from scripture? Jesus, the apostles Paul, Peter, and John all repeatedly warned that false teachers would rise up among us, and lead many astray, even within the visible church. They warned that not only would there be many false teachers, there would be many followers of them as well ...people "to suit their own desires ...will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Tim 4:3). Sadly, very few people do their homework when considering who they listen to, so the wolves have taken advantage of this fact to keep multitudes in their blinded condition. Obviously, we should not easily call other people a heretic, but if they publicly teach doctrine long recognized by the church as false and dangerous, then we are commanded to call it out.

John the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees (the religious leaders of his day) "a generation of snakes" (Matt. 3:7). Today, he would be accused of being unloving, unkind, and unchristian. Jesus said to the religious Pharisees, "O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34). To many, this would be unacceptable language, but it is biblical language and it came from the mouth of the Son of God.

So what are we to do with false teachers who are not on the team?

We are to “try or test” them. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4: 1). All doctrine and teachers are to be tried according to the Word of God. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). Every message, messenger, and method is to be judged according to the Word of God. The church at Ephesus was commended because they had "tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them liars " (Rev. 2:2). The church at Pergamos was rebuked because they tolerated those that held "the doctrine of Balaam, " and "the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which I hate" (Rev. 2:14,15). It is never right to tolerate false teachers, but they are to be tried by the Word of God, and exposed. Of course those who want to disobey the Word of God under a false understanding of “unity” will seek by every means to avoid and deny this teaching.

We are to “mark” them and “avoid” them. "Now I beseech you, brothers mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them " (Rom. 16:17). Those whose conduct and teaching contradicts the Word of God are to be marked and to be avoided. This requires discernment and judgment in the light of the Bible. Once again, the ecumenical unity lover of our day will reject this scripture and undermine the commands of our Lord Jesus. They cannot be marked and avoided, unless they are judged according to the Word of God.

We are to rebuke them (Titus 1:13), have no fellowship with them (Eph 5:11), withdraw from them (2 Thes 3:6), turn away from them (2 Tim 3:5,7), not receive them into our homes (2 John 10-11) and reject them (Titus 3:10). As for warning about their errors by calling them out by name: Paul did this constantly. He called out Peter by name (Gal 2:11-14), Demas in (2 Tim 4:10), Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim 1:18-20), Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Tim 2:15-18) and Alexander the coppersmith (2 Tim 4:14-15). John named Diotrephes (3 John 9-11). In fact, the whole Bible abounds in examples of false prophets being named and exposed. All this modem day talk about “love”, used as an excuse for not exposing error, is not really biblical love at all but is simply disobedience.

Ultimately, we want all these false teachers to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We seek that by wielding the sword of the Spirit and prayer. Unfortunately, many of them never do. Perhaps it is the fulfilment of what Moses spoke concerning them: Ex 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” This often misunderstood statement does not refer to saying O.M.G. for many reasons. 1st “God” is not God’s name. Most importantly the term “take” means "carry". This means “do not carry the Lord’s name in vain.” Misrepresenting God, and undermining his truth, while carrying his name (saying this is God’s truth) is exactly what this text is about. Notice God says he will not hold those guiltless that do that…. that means he will not forgive. That is the destiny of the false teacher.

Brother and sister, let us consider these things and remember that being on the same team really means being in the same family (God’s) and Jesus says you will know those of the family because they “love one another.” John tells us in 1 John 5:2-3 that what that looks like is not a false unity based on our own ideas but obedience to the commands of God. In other words, make sure the ones you are standing by are standing with God.

The true Christians described above are our brothers and sisters regardless of the sign on the door where they fellowship. Wherever they gather the church is there in all her glory. However, if the building they attend stops abiding by the above they should work to change it or go to another fellowship that does.

What if the church does not do what I want? Check the Bible and see if they are even supposed to and if they aren't then drop it. If they are then praise God that he has called you into the ministry! The evangelism, outreach and discipleship program of any church is given to each member. Matt 28:16-20 are your marching orders private.

Christianity is not disintegrating; God is simply separating the sheep from the goats in anticipation of
the return of Jesus Christ. Look up church for your redemption draws nigh! Go team Jesus!