Re: Always in the Church, but not always in fellowship with the brethren
Nee positively defines what the church is in his book "Normal Christian Church Life".
The ground of locality is what the Bible reveals - assemblies or churches (however you want to call them), are referred to by their city/locality name.
It is important to realize that the ground of locality in no way implies a perfect church. The churches mentioned in Revelation were genuine local churches but all but one had problems.
"there is no such thing as a perfect church" is true, but an imperfect local church (a true church) is better than an imperfect local division which is a false church.
Within a city are not merely "multiple assemblies" as some here claim. Christians don't just "go to a building" they go to a building with a name, that was founded by a particular organization, there are often two or more buildings on the same street, and they don't talk to or coordinate with each other (as if they are completely different religions). It is as if they do not have the same Father, Christ and Spirit.
The situation is different from the "multiple assemblies" of the Bible.
Furthermore, is the situation of degraded Christianity. The book "Pagan Christianity" by Frank Viola Author and George Barna reveals how much of what is accepted as Christianity today is actually paganism.
It was the degraded Catholic church that caused Luther and others to separate from her, and so on and so forth until Christ returns.
|