So many Denominations, which one is true? - Tim Conway

This one comes from Matthew.

"Denominations.

There's lots of them today.

It's frustrating finding the truth.

Is everyone wrong?

There's only one truth.

One interpretation.

One right answer.

How on earth do you find it?"

Think that's a good question?

The thing I would say to Matthew,

is Matthew, for one, I'll tell you this,

you don't find it in denominations,

and you don't find it in men.

Basically,

what is the source of truth?

Jesus Christ says, "Sanctify them...

by Your truth.

Your Word is truth."

That's where we have to go.

John 8:31, "Jesus said
to the Jews who had

believed in Him,

'If you abide in My Word,

you are truly My disciples.

And you will know the truth,

and the truth will set you free.'"

How does anybody come
to know the truth?

I mean, if you don't
know what the truth is,

how do you come to know it?

You go to God's Word.

What happened?

You go to Acts 17.

Who was noble?

You know what I would have

Connie put on the calendar?

That this is called the
Berean Bible Study.

You know why I wanted
it to be called that?

Basically people that searched
the Word of God;

they were noble and they
searched the Word of God

to see if these things were true.

That's how we're going
to find truth.

Listen,

the reality is that you can come across

Methodists, Lutherans,

you can come across Presbyterians,

you can come across Brethren,

you can come across Congregationalists,

EV Free people

that have truth.

And you can come across a lot

of Baptists who don't
have much truth.

You know, we can get all
hung up with denominations.

And of course, the Catholic church

likes to say, "Well, they
all broke away from us.

That's why there's
so many of them.

We were the true church
in the beginning

And there's all this multiplicity
of denominations.

We're only one.

And then you have all
these denominations

because they broke off from us."

That's not true.

And basically what
all the denominations

prove to us, is that you've got

a lot of different people

interpreting a lot of different things

in the Bible, in a whole lot
of different ways.

And you say,

well, how am I supposed to know?

If you've got these
people over here

that interpret it that way;

and these people over here,
that interpret it that way.

These people over here,
interpret it that way.

Well, I can tell you this.

There are some basic essentials

to the Gospel that if you believe,
you'll be saved.

Even if you're off on other parts.

Folks, wouldn't we agree,

there are Presbyterians in heaven

that got it wrong on baptism.

Right?

Congregationalists.

We might say there that
they got it wrong over here.

But there are those that
got it right enough.

Folks, I'm reading right now

about some Lutherans that
had a whole lot right.

And I've read before about

some Methodists that have
a whole lot right.

And bottom line,

how do we determine right and wrong?

It's not by the denominational label

that somebody holds.

It certainly isn't,

you drive down the road
and you see a sign

that says "Baptist"
and you can say,

"Oh, well, they've
got the truth."

How do you know?

The Apostle John said this,

he says "test the spirits."

How in the world do you test the spirits?

Paul speaking to the Thessalonians
said the same thing.

Test everything.

Hold fast to what's good.

Or, hold fast to what's true.

How do you know?

How do you know
what to hold fast to?

You've got to be like the Bereans.

What happened?

What was it that the Bereans did?

They searched the Scriptures.

But what did they search the
Scriptures to do?

What in the world even possessed
them to search the Scriptures?

Well, they had heard teaching, right?

They sat under teaching.

They'd heard somebody preach,

and then they went
to the Word of God

to see if it was true.

You know what?

I call this Berean Bible Study,

because I hope that you folks

are going to be folks that
are going to know the Bible much.

Jesus Christ said,

"You will know the truth, and
the truth will set you free."

How do people know the truth?

They know the truth when
they're taught of the Spirit.

They know the truth when
God opens their eyes to realize

that certain things are true.

I suspect that God gave us

enough difference

to test our love.

To test our graciousness.

You know what Jesus Christ said?

You know, some of the disciples
came to Him one day

and said, "Lord, we told these people
over there to stop."

Why?

Because they weren't with us.

In other words, another denomination.

Right?

It's just like that.

They went, Lord, they weren't with us.

We're the in group.
We're the in crowd.

And see, we tend to think that.

Most people think,

we've got the truth.

Very few others do.

And what did Jesus say?

He said look, if they're not against Me,

then what?

If they're not against us,

they're with us.

It is a sad fact

of those who do bear witness to the truth,

now that's not to say there's a whole lot,

but it's interesting how we
write certain things up.

Can I tell you something?

When George Whitefield preached,

anybody know what denomination

he was affiliated with?

Whitefield never sought to start

a denomination.

He pretty much pledged himself

to the Anglican movement

Whitefield and Wesley

came out of Anglicanism.

Now Wesley made definitely

more of a concerted effort.

And you know we have
the Wesleyan Methodists,

the Arminian Methodists that came

more out of Wesley's efforts;

and then more of the Calvinistic

Methodist movement came out of

those that God raised up in Wales,

like the Daniel Roland's,

the Howell Harris's.

And then also the George Whitefield's.

You know, Anglicans. Anglicans!

Do you know that the Baptists

would discipline their members

if they went to hear Whitefield preach?

I had a man that I highly respect

tell me he would not allow

George Whitefield in his pulpit.

Why?

You know what?

Can I tell you something?

In the first and second
Great Awakenings,

the Calvinistic Baptists were

largely passed over.

It's historical.

You can read about it.

Why?

For that very reason right there.

They would discipline their members

if they'd go listen to Whitefield preach.

The Spirit of God rested upon Whitefield.

Multitudes were being converted.

The Spirit of God rested upon John Wesley,

as much as a lot of Calvinists
don't want to admit it.

And the Baptist churches
were disciplining

members if they'd go.

By and large,

in the first and second Great Awakenings,

the Spirit of God passed
over the Baptists.

Isn't that shameful?

And you know what's likely to
happen today?

If revival breaks out in this land,

I'm not going to say it might not happen

among Calvinistic Bapists,

but what if it broke out among Lutherans?

What if it broke out with Methodists?

Would we even know?

What if true revival broke out

among the charismatics?

Would we even know?

I just watched a video -

just a little part of it last night,

like the first five minutes.

Some guy did a message on

charismatic Calvinists.

Just bitter and hateful.

You can see it.

It's one of the most popular videos

on sermonaudio.com right now.

You see that kind of thing.

If revival broke out among charismatics,

I can tell you that guy
preaching that message

wouldn't even know.

Brethren, bottom line,

if we see something that seems to be

a move of God;

we see something preached out there,

we need to test the spirits.

Not by the denominational label,

but by "thus sayeth the Lord."

Go to the Word of God.

You know what, if they love Christ,

I think we should be stand,

I think we should be willing
to spill our blood for

our convictions regarding baptism

and the Lord's Supper.

We ought to be willing
to die for our convictions.

But the fact is,

we'd have to admit,

that people have
had different ideas

about the Lord's Supper

and about baptism

that are in heaven now.

And I know there
are some Baptists

that don't like to admit that.

Folks, look, there are a lot

of different ideas out there,

but I'll tell you this,

who's the pillar and ground of truth?

The church is.

And so you know what?

Even though there's
a lot of differences,

there are good churches out there,

and they are
few and far between,

as I've told people lately

that I've counseled to,

and people over the Internet and by phone.

Look, I think behind
any decisions you make

about receiving Christ,

I think next to choosing
the right spouse in life,

the third most important decision

you can make in life

has to do with what church you go to.

I believe that you should choose

where you live, where you work,

based on what church
you're going to go to.

Where you're going
to raise your children,

based on where a good church is.

Because I'll tell you what,

it will have a lot to do with your life.

It will have a lot to do
with your fruitfulness.

But we need to be testing them.

Listen to this,

you know this - Revelation 2:2

Jesus said this of the Ephesian church,

"I know your works; your toil,
your patient endurance;

how you cannot bear with those
who are evil,

but have tested..."
Look at that.

"...but have tested those who
call themselves apostles

and are not, and found them
to be false."

How do you test?

How do you test somebody and
find them to be false?

I'll tell you what Jesus said

about false prophets.

You've got false churches;
you've got bad doctrine.

Jesus says this,

"Beware of false prophets.

They come in sheep's clothing,

but inwardly are ravenous wolves."

How did He say we'll recognize them?

By their fruits.

I'll tell you this,

where you find unholy living,

you've got bad doctrine.

Guarantee you.

You want to know what's
most important?

What are the doctrines that
are really essential?

Let me just throw some off the top.

Listen, the devil attacks
primarily in two places:

The person of Christ.

And the work of Christ.

Guarantee it.

And it's Christ.
He is always the issue.

So you want to look for good doctrine.

You want to look for good church.

I don't care what the denomination is.

You're looking for a church that

is really a pillar, a ground,

a buttress of truth.

You're going to go in there,

and you're going to look at
these two things.

What do they do with Christ?
His person?

What do they do with Christ - His work?

Guarantee - the devil
attacks in both places.

You've got false doctrine?

What are they doing?

Oneness doctrine:

The Father is the Son.

Rejection of the deity - the JW's.

He's not God.

There will be some rejection
in His person.

The devil always goes after
the glory of Christ.

He wants to chop it down somehow.

And then the work.

What about the work?

Anywhere where there's works?

Run for your life!

Because it's damnable.

Because the only Gospel that saves,

is the Gospel that is 100%

based on the merits of Jesus Christ.

That doctrine of justification
is essential.

We are justified by faith

aside from any works of the law.

And anytime people want to add to it,

whether it's - you've got to be baptized;

you've got to speak in tongues;

they add anything whatsover,

no matter how pretty it might sound,

if they're adding anything

to the merits of Jesus Christ,

run from it like the plague.

But I'll tell you this,

where they make much of Christ,

and much of the work of Christ,

though they may go
wrong in many things;

they're with us.

They're with us, folks.

Where Christ is the sole basis

of our acceptance with God.

Where Christ is made much of,

where He's exalted,

and where what's said of Him
in the Scriptures

is said of Him by that church

or by that preacher,

they may go wrong in things like baptism;

they may go wrong in things like
the Lord's Supper;

they may go wrong

and their ecclesiology may be off

and they may have problems

with regards to their cessationist views

or non-cessationist or various
works of the Spirit...

Test the spirits, brethren.