Many of the names of modern churches and congregations amuse me a lot.
As a hobby, just take a cursory survey of the array of churches’ names in this country and enjoy the amusement with me.
The fun is in the sheer variety of the names and the fascination they convey.
Just close your eyes and string a few virtues together at random. What you get would most likely be the name of a church somewhere!
The names incorporate some of the following: Salvation, Jesus, Miracle, Holy, Gospel, God, Peace, Unity, Prince, Fire, Rock, Light, Divine, Faith, Heaven, Love, Saint, Revival, Paradise, Peace, Glory, Word, Christ, Victory, Family . . . endless!
John received the Revelation for the Seven Churches in the Province of Asia that represent Christendom.
These churches were located in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
Hence, they assumed the locations’ names.
What is in a name?
Certainly, founders of denominations have their reasons for the names they choose for their worship places.
Those names reflect the character, beliefs, mission and vision of the church.
But some founders have stretched the matter too far to include shrouding their denominations in divinity and a superiority complex.
To them, their churches are not only supreme but the only ones that offer salvation!
Surely, that cannot be! There is only one universal church to which every believer belongs, the Lord Jesus Christ being the founder and head.
Just because a church is called “The Church of Heaven” does not mean the members have already arrived there simply by its name.
World statistics
Christianity began with one Man—the Lord Jesus Christ, by whose death and resurrection he established his church.
Jesus recruited 12 disciples.
At the time of his ascension, the number of believers had enlarged to about 120 according to Acts 1:15.
On the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came mightily upon them and Peter preached, 3,000 people joined the church.
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).
It is recorded in Acts 4:4 that as the apostles continued to preach and teach, “the number of men who believed grew to about 5,000.”
Add women and children, and that number could be doubled.
This rapid growth of Christianity continued through the early church during the persecution and thereafter throughout the centuries.
Today, the global Christian population is estimated at 2.4 billion.
This represents approximately 31.5 per cent of the world’s population, making Christianity the largest religious group worldwide.
Associations
Therefore, with the rapid growth of Christianity, the believers were bound to form groups for practical purposes while existing under the one umbrella name “Christian”.
Human beings are naturally prone to forming associations under different names. From two people, Adam and Eve, humanity grew into nations; nations gave birth to tribes; tribes brought forth clans and clans begot families.
Even in the same denomination, we have different groups, such as shepherds, society, prayer groups, singing bands, the choir, welfare groups, youth guilds, women and men fellowships, and so on.
It is a natural human phenomenon that should not place divine value on any entity besides simply being a group.
To promote unity and cohesion, we vehemently condemn tribalism, ethnocentrism and racism.
Those who think they belong to a superior race, tribe or ethnic group are mistaken, for all human beings are one.
When praying for his church, the Lord Jesus requested that “all may be one” (John 17:21).
This must be the mind of every believer, no matter the denomination we belong to.
Therefore, it is misleading for anybody to claim that only their church, denomination, movement or founder are the only ones recognised and approved by God.
For, "there is (only) one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
Deception
It is heartbreaking to hear leaders of churches substitute the complete and finished work of Christ with their denominations and doctrines.
To say that unless a person belongs to a particular denomination and abides by the doctrines of that denomination they are lost is not supported by scripture and is deceptive.
Jesus addressed this issue in Mark 7:8, where he criticised the Pharisees for "disregarding the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men."
Church doctrines that are not supported by scripture are “traditions of men.”
The new birth that delivers a living hope and the inheritance that is kept in heaven for us are found only in Christ Jesus.
It is not the name or even doctrine of a church that guarantees salvation, but faith in Christ Jesus who died and rose for us.
The writer is a publisher, author, writer-trainer and CEO of Step Publishers.
E-mail: lawrence.darmani@gmail.com
