Sincere men in the past have set out in noble pursuit of the way it was immediately after Pentecost. Brave men have brooked the tide of denominational fervor and called for a restoration of the church along New Testament lines. These noble efforts, almost without exception, have ended dismally. These noble efforts, almost without exception, have ended in the formation of new denominated religious organizations each of which was as bad, or worse, than the ones they purported to replace. There are definite reasons for these failures.

The most prominent reason is the drowning weight of our pre-conceived notions. That is to say that men carry old baggage into their search. If we are ever going to get a handle on this problem we must discard our sectarian baggage. We must be hungering and thirsting for righteousness. We must be earnestly praying for the Lord's will to be done. We must cast off the denominational scale from our eyes so that we may see, and we must remove the hardened wax of tradition from our ears that we may hear. We must renew our minds. Romans l2:2. We must let Christ live in our hearts. Ephesians 3:l7-l9 and 1'st Peter 3:l5. A conversion of the heart is prerequisite to understanding God's will. We must recognize that it is what God wants that is important, and not what we want. 1'st John 2:l7.

In an effort to make practical application of these Bible principles, I would like for us to consider a few basic questions:

I. Is God impressed with our massive and very expensive cathedrals? Does He dwell in them? Does He need them? Did the early Christians erect them? Is there any evidence of them in the ancient writings? Did the early Christians think that they were necessarily implied for them? Then, what makes us think that they are necessarily implied for us? Was the Gospel spread without the use of them? Where did the first Christians assemble?

II. Was a denominated religious organization instituted at Pentecost?

III. Was the paid pulpit minister (pastor-feeder), clergy system an integral part of the ancient order? Did the first Christians hire and fire pulpit ministers? Was any distinction made between the clergy and ordinary Christians? Was the Gospel spread without a clergy system? Do we believe in the universal priesthood of all believers? If so, why do we think that the clergy system is necessary today?

If we are not willing to face up to these questions, and if we are not willing to let what God wants dominate our thinking, our quest for the ancient order will continue to erupt into more schisms. Are we sincerely searching for the ancient order? Our cathedrals, denominated religious organizations, and our pastor-clergy system are glaring testimonials to the fact that we are not in the least bit interested in what God wants. But, identifying a problem is only the first step in solving it. What then should we do?

Meeting in homes without a denominating banner and without paid clergy would be a step in the right direction. If we would be willing to step out in faith, the Holy Spirit would direct us the rest of the way. Assemblies are authorized for the purpose of building up one another to love and good works. Assemblies held for this purpose are under the protective guarantee of the Holy Spirit if we will but use our minds to accomplish them. Hebrews l0:25.

This is not a glamorous solution. It makes no provision for the glorification of paid pulpit ministers. It makes no provision for us to build huge monuments to our own pride (cathedrals). And it does not allow for us to be an exclusive denominated religious organization. It will, however, result in our being what the early Christians were-Christians only. It will also indicate that we trust in God's way of doing things.

Since we have been meeting in homes we have become truly acquainted with one another. We know when a fellow member of Christ is hurting and we can render personalized care. We are involved with one another. And not being burdened with the expense of supporting a clergy system with its massive cathedral, we have money to help our brethren and our neighbors. What a pleasure it is to breathe the fresh air of Christianity without party affiliation. What a pleasure it is to be a generic Christian without belonging to a denominated religious organization of any kind.

Please consider these thoughts. I believe them to be true to the Word.

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