What would the church be like today with no denominations ?

I find it interesting every time I see a thread that espouses the virtues of having the church be like the early first century church and not having denominations. Have you ever really considered what the church would look like and be like to attend without denominations?

Can you imagine OSAS and non-OSAS Christians in the same church together with the same pastor?

Can you imagine spirit-filled and cessationists in the same church with the same pastor?

Can you imagine Catholics and protestants in the same church with the same priest/pastor?

I don't see a peaceful church without denominations? What say you?

ToBeBlessed said:

I find it interesting every time I see a thread that espouses the virtues of having the church be like the early first century church and not having denominations. Have you ever really considered what the church would look like and be like to attend without denominations?

Can you imagine OSAS and non-OSAS Christians in the same church together with the same pastor?

Can you imagine spirit-filled and cessationists in the same church with the same pastor?

Can you imagine Catholics and protestants in the same church with the same priest/pastor?

I don't see a peaceful church without denominations? What say you?

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It would be one church for a little bit, but without apostles of authority to scold them for being childish . the denominations would form again .. perhaps under another name .

There's been "denominations" since the beginning. If you want to call them that. Remember when the Corinthian church has problems and Paul talks to them about people who are of Paul, people who are of Peter, etc? It's just human nature to gravitate towards certain shepherds and themes I guess.

ToBeBlessed said:

I find it interesting every time I see a thread that espouses the virtues of having the church be like the early first century church and not having denominations. Have you ever really considered what the church would look like and be like to attend without denominations?

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We've had it before and it became greatly corrupted. Terrible idea.

In heaven, there will be no denomination.
Every denomination will simply come together and worship Jesus.

ToBeBlessed said:

I don't see a peaceful church without denominations? What say you?

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Easy question to answer ...

Answer: the devil would only have to lie to one church in order to mess with the body of Christ.

We need the swinging of the pendulum. We need the yea's and the nay's. We need the conflict.

The church has been under attack since the days of John the Baptist said Jesus when he said the Kingdom of heaven has been under attack since the days of John the Baptist ... he meant himself. He was the kingdom on earth from heaven.

Why would Jesus say love one another and even went so far as t osay love your neighbor as yourself and then went a step farther and said love your enemy too?

and then turn right around and say hate your mother and father and yes even your own family, because he knew the Jewish roots would rebel against him and keep the people that were being called to fall by the way side.

So without conflict we have no Jesus and without conflict we have no church.

The Lord told me a long time ago that the goal of the devil is unity in the church so he be the leader.

Thank you Lord for denominations ...

I'm glad there are denominations, each one highlights a unique aspect of faith in God I reckon.

I grew up in one denomination which was full of Gods grace and love.
Got baptised in a Baptist church.
Found out about good and bad spirits and good/bad teaching in a charismatic church.
Found out in a real way about other belief systms outside of church for a decade.
Found some healing in an Open Brethren church through good solid Bible preaching.
Found freedom in a different way in an Anglican one in the middle there somewhere.
Saw practical love during time in the Salvation.Army.
Saw God's love and life and got ministered to in my soul in an international church mostly Chinese people who had an english service and great hospitality to all.
Without denominations in my search for God I dont think I would have experienced the diversity and all encompassing love that He has for us as humanity.
As an individual He ministered to me a different aspect of His grace in each of those denominations.
I settled in one after all that journeying
But for me perhaps God needed me to see and experience Him in each one because He was in each one in a different but consistent way.

If there was only one denomination, then a peace treaty with Israel was signed, I'd be looking at getting a 4x4.

FoundInGrace said:

I'm glad there are denominations, each one highlights a unique aspect of faith in God I reckon.

I grew up in one denomination which was full of Gods grace and love.
Got baptised in a Baptist church.
Found out about good and bad spirits and good/bad teaching in a charismatic church.
Found out in a real way about other belief systms outside of church for a decade.
Found some healing in an Open Brethren church through good solid Bible preaching.
Found freedom in a different way in an Anglican one in the middle there somewhere.
Saw practical love during time in the Salvation.Army.
Saw God's love and life and got ministered to in my soul in an international church mostly Chinese people who had an english service and great hospitality to all.
Without denominations in my search for God I dont think I would have experienced the diversity and all encompassing love that He has for us as humanity.
As an individual He ministered to me a different aspect of His grace in each of those denominations.
I settled in one after all that journeying
But for me perhaps God needed me to see and experience Him in each one because He was in each one in a different but consistent way.

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That's a really good way to look at it. I can tell your a cup's half full kind of person.

geetrue said:

The Lord told me a long time ago that the goal of the devil is unity in the church so he be the leader.

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Did the Lord tell you anything more about that? I'm curious.

Hishandmaiden said:

In heaven, there will be no denomination.
Every denomination will simply come together and worship Jesus.

Click to expand...

Yes, but this is only because there will be no theology differences in heaven. We will have all knowledge, therefore we won't question the acts of others.

Right now, though, we don't know everything. We know close to nothing about who God is in His fullness. How could one book, even if it is the Holy Scriptures, contain all the mysteries of God? Never! He is indescribably vast. Its great, but at the same time, there are a lot of questions unclear by the Bible.

Thus, denominations.

For me, it has always been an avenue of understanding. I understand God through a Pentecostal lens. When I read the Bible, I take comfort in Pentecostal theology from it. I don't insist that Pentecostal beliefs are the only right ones. Hey, if you don't understand God within Pentecost theology, then go check out Baptists. If that doesn't add up, try out the Salvation Army. I see denominations as different ways to understand God. Just because we understand God in different lenses doesn't mean we can't get along.

What would the church be like today with no denominations ?

Without denom., I think that we would all be clones.

If the church had no denominations, it would not be much like the early church...

There were 'ebionites' in the early church who wanted to use only Hebrew writings, the Hebrew gospel of Matthew, and the Hebrew O.T.... They wanted to keep Jewish laws and traditions as also mandatory for salvation.

There was the church that rejected the law, circumcision, meat laws, and attendance to Jewish traditions as mandatory for salvation.

There were some who wanted to keep those in their worship, but saw them as only significant as types of what Jesus came to do.

There were denominations that met in prison, for they could not get out...
there were hill side denominations that worshipped in mass, not able to worship in houses too small.. They were unashamed, braver, risking even arrest and death, but proud of their Lord so they risked all...

There were small home churches, not wanting to be out on hillsides where they could be seen to be Christians, and endanger themselves and family to arrest and death for their faith.

There was a denomination of synagogue worshippers, who went to the synagogue to proclaim to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus...

The Corinthian church had denominations of followers of Peter, of Paul, of Apollos, like we have churches of followers of Martin Luther, of John Wesley, of Jimmy Swaggart, of Kenneth Hagin...

So... denominations are not new... we have organized them by 'statements of faith, by doctrinal differences, by kind of worship centers, by different names on the portal...

It was not a whole lot different in the early church... just a bit less organized...
they were far from being in agreement on rules, on worship places, on who to admire as instigator of their branch...

JimB said:

What would the church be like today with no denominations ?

Without denom., I think that we would all be clones.

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and... maybe a little arguing too. Can you imagine everyone in the same church with the same pastor?

JimB said:

What would the church be like today with no denominations ?

Without denom., I think that we would all be clones.

Click to expand...

without demon .. hahhaa kidding .

Well . it's just a matter of being carnal . the church is carnal having many divisions . the fullness of the the heart of the father has not reached the prodigals and elder sons of all stripes . so more division is inevitable .

Svt4Him said:

If there was only one denomination, then a peace treaty with Israel was signed, I'd be looking at getting a 4x4.

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What does that mean?

ToBeBlessed said:

I find it interesting every time I see a thread that espouses the virtues of having the church be like the early first century church and not having denominations. Have you ever really considered what the church would look like and be like to attend without denominations?

Can you imagine OSAS and non-OSAS Christians in the same church together with the same pastor?

Can you imagine spirit-filled and cessationists in the same church with the same pastor?

Can you imagine Catholics and protestants in the same church with the same priest/pastor?

I don't see a peaceful church without denominations? What say you?

Click to expand...

I think denominations are the natural process of a growing organization. I believe there in one invisible church, with Jesus as the head, knit together in the Holy Spirit.
Denominations help us come together peaceably and practically. With 6 billion people in the world, and any number of languages and cultures, denominations help us to gather and learn.
If we were all for example Anglican, and we all followed one Bishop... think of the power wielded by that one man and how much of a demonic attack he/she would be under. I specifically didn't use the RCC bc we have seen both good and bad but as mostly Protestants here, we have seen the horrible things man is capable of in the name of religion. The authority to deny people marriage or comfort when someone dies. Because they were not allowed communion or burial in consecrated ground and were threatened with years of purgatory. There in includes horrible things done by Protestants to Catholics and peoples of other faiths and differing beliefs about things such as communion or baptism.
Again, I mention with each schism, church split or move, another church springs forward and with it the gospel from town to town, or country to country. Sometimes it has been persecution of Christian on Christian that sent Christians around the world carrying the gospel message where ever we go. God uses what we offer, and sometimes all we offer is our own desire to be "right' or at peace.
We serve a gracious and loving Lord who understands our weaknesses and takes into account our sinful nature.
God help us, forgive us and use us, andrea

FoundInGrace said:

I'm glad there are denominations, each one highlights a unique aspect of faith in God I reckon.

I grew up in one denomination which was full of Gods grace and love.
Got baptised in a Baptist church.
Found out about good and bad spirits and good/bad teaching in a charismatic church.
Found out in a real way about other belief systms outside of church for a decade.
Found some healing in an Open Brethren church through good solid Bible preaching.
Found freedom in a different way in an Anglican one in the middle there somewhere.
Saw practical love during time in the Salvation.Army.
Saw God's love and life and got ministered to in my soul in an international church mostly Chinese people who had an english service and great hospitality to all.
Without denominations in my search for God I dont think I would have experienced the diversity and all encompassing love that He has for us as humanity.
As an individual He ministered to me a different aspect of His grace in each of those denominations.
I settled in one after all that journeying
But for me perhaps God needed me to see and experience Him in each one because He was in each one in a different but consistent way.

Click to expand...

Great testimony of the way the Lord ministers to each of us as individuals. Sometimes through many peoples.

God bless, andrea