Just a few minutes on the internet or in a phone book and one can get quite overwhelmed with all the “Christian” churches that exist. How does one choose from such a selection? Well, let’s ask another question that might help. Have you ever stopped to think about what church Paul belonged to?

Did Paul belong to the Baptist Church? How about the Methodist Church? Was Paul a member of the Episcopalian Church? Perhaps Paul was a member of the Catholic Church? Some might argue he was part of the Lutheran Church or even a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Maybe the Lord added him to the Mormon Church (The Church of Latter Day Saints)? Was it the Christian Church that Paul was a member of? Maybe he was “Church of Christ” (for those who treat the church of Christ as a denomination)?

“Paul belonged to the ‘___________ Church’.” Fill in the blank with whatever church you like, say it out loud and then honestly ask yourself, can you imagine the apostle Paul saying he belonged to that church? Remember all of these man-made institutions were formed long after Paul died.

This is why I would suggest that Paul thought of himself as a member of the church that belonged to Christ. In Romans 16:16, he wrote, “The churches of Christ greet you.” The phrase, “The churches of Christ” should not be thought of as a title, so much as it should be thought of as a description. Paul belonged to Christ’s church. That is the church Jesus Christ said He would build (Matt. 16:18). That is what the Lord added Paul to when he was baptized (Acts 2:47, 22:16). It really is that simple.

So the next time someone asks you what church you belong to you ought to think twice before you answer. If the church you currently belong to is describing itself as belonging to someone else, maybe it is time to ask “Why?”

“There is one body” (Eph. 4:4) … and that body is the church that belongs to Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). That’s the church I belong to. How about you?

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