When we witness the gospel to people we will most often hear from those who practice Sunday religion (denominational/evangelicals) that they are proudly Baptists or Methodists or Lutherans not that they are blood bought Christians. They boldly make this declaration to us usually saying "I have been a member of "(place any denominational/evangelical name here) for many years!" They point to a building and they give money to prop up what man has made; that often is not God! They also do not boldly proclaim that they are born from above obedient Christ followers or that they are part of the biblical New Testament church as followers of Jesus Christ. Sadly they most often lift up their denominational/evangelical name as if it were the standard for God and His Holy church. Is this true? The answer is no, it is not. It may be man's created standard but it is not of a Holy God. You must know that God's standards/ways for His true body are far different and above that of the many groups and different named organizations that man has created causing much confusion and unbiblical people all around America. What seems to be even more unbiblical and very prideful is if you dare, in love, to test their beloved evangelical denomination to the bible they will defend it with great fervor but with no biblical scripture. They refuse to go to ALL of God's Word and lift it up above their man made traditions they do weekly, perhaps in vain. This is not God honoring at all! This is evangelical denominational pride and clinging to what man has done, so it is sin before a Holy God and most just ignore this fact to their own peril. We in love must speak out against it every chance we get and call others out of their false ways for God's glory.
What should we be calling ourselves then if we are truly His holy set apart people?
In the Holy Word of God we see that in Antioch the early believers first called themselves Christian's.
And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Acts 11:26
There was no use of religious names for various bodies that are of men in the bible times. (Baptist, Lutheran Nazerine, Methodist etc) It was all about Christ and His true body not a bunch of twisted ways and rituals that many men have invented over the past many centuries. Please think about it will you? If you claim Jesus Christ and His truth you must make sure your faith practices are Apostolic (meaning that it matches the first century church that Jesus ordained) If just being called a Christian was good enough for the disciples why is it not good enough for today? The truth is that man has perverted, added to and changed God's design for His true body to make it more palatable, acceptable, likeable and more popular for those they to aim to seat in their pews via evangelical denominationalism/modern religion. It is indeed sinful to take pride in these systems and to hold to mans ways as you disregard the Lord's design for His true NT body.
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 1 Corinthians 1:12-17
Here we see that the Apostle Paul condemned in 1 Corinthians 1 any division and Christ divided. But today people are willingly celebrating( in their religious buildings on Sunday) by practicing man made divisive and false religious ways far outside of God's Word. You cannot claim God and then follow man's ways. That is total hypocrisy, you are deceiving yourself and we love you enough to say it just as it is here. Have you in fact even tested your own body to see if you're in line with God's Word? Most people just accept what feels good to them but we are to follow God's Word and not our own feelings. If you have not tested your faith/body please go to our 10 point biblical test and see how far man made religion is today from the Lord's truth for His pure body: http://nopews.blogspot.com/p/test-your-faith-here.html
Another important point is that if you do some history study you will quickly find NO evangelical denominational names/bodies until the 1500-1600's and before that the false pagan roman catholic faith ruled with a heavy murderous sword over most people at that time. So the question remains why are so many people still willing to lift up, proudly claim, support and practice as a ritual the denominational/man made systems every single week? We must ask you 'is it the Lord's truth you desire and to bear His Mighty name alone? Or is it the ways of a compromised emotional easy believe-ism man made system that most really love and desire to practice weekly in great error?'
In love we have to tell you if you still hold fast to man's ways (mainstream/denominational/evangelical religion) and not God's full Word for His body (in obedience); you may be who Jesus Christ talking about in Matthew 7 when He said:
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
(to work iniquity is to be lawless or outside of God's law/ways)
Or was Jesus talking about someone like you in Mark 7?
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men
In closing ask yourself will you; do you walk in the truth fully or are you sitting in error via man made religion? Do you have denominational pride today and are you thus lawless and holding to man's ways? Or are you striving to be obedient and to enter through the narrow gate of eternal life through spirit and truth worship that Jesus commanded His true people will have? (John 4:24) This can only be done when you model and practice His New Testament church as shown in the bible.
See these links for a example of what the first century church was like:
Does your body look, live like or practice its gathering anything near that of God's True saints of the first century that we are told to model?
Do you have denominational evangelical pride?
We would warn you in love that God's Word speaks of pride and it is NEVER a good thing to carry with you.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Proverbs 8:13
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1 John 2:16
1 John 2:16
Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. Prov. 16:5
The fact is that if you name yourself by it you're practicing it, your money pays for it and you are defending it; denominational / modern religious ways are indeed prideful. It really thumbs its nose into God's face through disobedience and it is a terrible place to be. We pray that you repent and come out of man's ill religious ways and into the light of His full Word.