The Kingdom, The Church

In Matthew 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

There are pearls of great value, pearls of little value, and pearls of no value. Would you know a real pearl from a simulated pearl? Most people cannot tell the difference. A string of real pearls is of great value, but a string of fake pearls is of little or no value.

The Kingdom is the Church

Jesus here is teaching a lesson on the kingdom of God or the church. The kingdom is the church; the church is the kingdom. How many kingdoms does the Lord have? How many churches did Christ build?

There are no substitutes for Christ’s church. There are many substitutes for many things, but there is no substitute for the Lord’s church, which is the kingdom of Christ. Read Matthew 16:18,19 “I will build my church, and I will give to you Peter, the keys of the kingdom.” Peter used these keys on the day of Pentecost and preached Jesus Christ, and told them to “Repent and be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sins.” Those who were obedient to those commands were added to the church. Acts 2:47.

Christ’s Church is the Only Church

Jesus did build His church. It belongs to Him. The church is His body, Ephesians 1:22,23 and there is one body. Ephesians 4:4.

Don’t be deceived by fake pearls and don’t be deceived into believing that churches “Of men” are just as good as the one TRUE CHURCH that Jesus paid for with His own blood. It was Paul that wrote in Romans 16:16, “The churches of Christ salute you.”

Study this carefully, our soul is at stake.

See Also: Saved-Becoming a Christian | No Substitute for God

In Christian Love,
Bill Arnold, Minister
Ridgeway Church of Christ
Harrison Arkansas

YOU MUST DO THESE THINGS to Become a Christian

Becoming a Christian, Saved, Born Again, In Christ, or becoming a new creature all talk about salvation.

1) You must believe and confess that Jesus is the son of God. John 8:24 Jesus said you must believe that He is the Christ the Son of the living God. Matthew 10:32-33, Acts 8:36-37 further tells us to confess that Jesus is God’s son.

2) Luke 13:3 Jesus said you must repent of your sins.

3) Mark 16:16 Jesus said you must be baptized.

4) Live faithfully unto death. 1 John 1:2

As a new creature, a Christian, we will live faithfully unto death and then arise to live forever with God. This is the God who loves you, who wants you to be his child. You can become the child of a King!

Won’t you heed His word?