The People Had a Mind to Work- part 1

God's people have often thrived under adverse conditions. God made the Israelites a great nation while in the bonds of Egyptian slavery, "the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew" (Ex. 1:12). Despite the persecution and treachery of Sanballat and Tobiah, Nehemiah and his Jewish brethren rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days, "for the people had a mind to work" (Neh. 4:6). Within a few years following the establishment of the Lord's church, "a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. . . .therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:1, 4). The result of this scattering and preaching was the hearing of the gospel by all men in every nation under heaven (Rom. 10:17-18; Col. 1:6, 23).

This has been the case in more modern times as well. In the late 1700's - mid 1800's a number of men sought to break down the man-made barriers of denominationalism by heralding the cry, "Back to the Bible!" These men were met by great resistance by those who preferred the teachings and creeds of men to those of simple New Testament Christianity. Nevertheless, the growth of the restoration movement was phenomenal. The church in Indiana serves as a great example of the explosive growth. In 1839, there were 7700 Christians in the state. Four years later the number exceeded 20,000. This, in spite of deep-rooted denominational prejudice and opposition. Unfortunately, the tremendous growth of the Lord's church was short-lived.

Many Christians sought to introduce denominational practices into the church of the New Testament. Among these included instrumental music in worship and the establishment of missionary societies. Those who idolized these unscriptural innovations led more than 85% of the church into apostasy, eventually becoming known as the Christian Church. This separation was "officially" noted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1906. At the time of the split, the Lord's church numbered around 1.2 million members. The liberals took over one million members and 35 colleges and universities with them, leaving the faithful few numbering about 135,000 with a dozen or so small struggling colleges.

After 1906, the Lord's church was "on the grow" again, numbering one million members by 1971 and 1.6 million in 1980. Today's membership is approximately two million. Most recent growth has been realized overseas among less affluent nations, much like those responsible for the growth of the church in the last two centuries.

The church is again threatened with division by those who would repeat the errors of the late 1800's - early 1900's. The instrument is being introduced and now choirs, soloists, and special groups are being introduced into the worship. Biblical prohibitions against women in leadership roles are being ignored and/or explained away. A spirit of pluralism ("I'm ok; you're ok.") has led to unscriptural fellowship with those in denominations and religious error. This is in violation of Ephesians 5:11 and 2 John 9-11.

I believe the church can still grow in the U.S. if Christians will have a mind to work. There are many people, especially in this area, who are earnestly and sincerely seeking a religion that is faithful and true to the book. These can be taught, but only if they see true Christianity being practiced by members of the Lord's church. We must also protect ourselves against error by teaching the pure, unadulterated truth of God's word. Finally, we must protect our children, allowing neither those in the world nor those entangled in religious error to steal their souls. TC