2. Over the next few sermons: Church basics
Name, Membership and Attendance
Evangelists, Elders, Deacons
When the church comes together: Worship
When the church doesn’t come together: Work

3. TRADITIONS CONCERNING THE CHURCH
We love the traditions we believe/practice because:
We want to speak where the Bible speaks…
We want it to practice Christianity as closely to how the first century church lived.
When we become so entrenched in a tradition… it is hard to distinguish between it and the truth as revealed in God’s word.

4. NOTE ABOUT SOME TRADITIONS
Some traditions are based upon principles (coupled with logic and wisdom to support a given tradition) extracted from scripture(s) to uphold a given belief/practice.
But, that does not mean such is equal to a commandment from God.

5. CHURCH NAME

6. Naming of Sects
First century: “Christian” was given to believers, not by believers. Acts 11:26
Similarly: Names were given to distinct sects of Christ believers based upon someone’s name (Lutheran, Campbellite) or practice (Baptist, Methodist).
Over time these distinctive names crystalized (based upon distinctive beliefs or practices).

7. “The ‘churches of Christ’ greet you” Romans 16:16
TRADITION: quoting this passage to teach the necessity of “church of Christ” as THE scriptural name of Christ’s church.
TRUTH: This was a descriptive phrase of brethren from other area churches greeting the church at Rome.
It is no more scriptural than “the church of God” (Acts 20:28) or “household of faith” (Gal. 6:10) or “the Way” (Acts 9:2)

8. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

9. “Saul… tried to join the disciples” Acts 9:26
TRADITION: quoting this verse regarding the necessity of “placing membership”.
Brethren must be under a given eldership.
Brethren must be accountable to a given congregation: financially, spiritually.
TRUTH: Saul had wreaked havoc on the Lord’s church, of whom he was now a part of and was seeking fellowship with these very same saints.

10. CHURCH ATTENDANCE

11. “Not forsaking the assembling…” Hebrews 10:25
TRADITION: quoting this verse regarding the necessity of church attendance.
TRUTH: This passage is teaching about Christians who – in time of great persecution – were abandoning, deserting the church.

12. Discerning Tradition from Truth
“Traditions” – in how the term is contrasted from “biblical truth” – are good and often come from good or wise reasoning.
That said, traditions do not always come from sound exegesis but are believed, taught, and bound as commandments from God. Matt. 15:9
We need to discern between traditions and truth.