The Church – Dr. Jack Hyles
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The Church by Dr. Jack Hyles In a time of error and confusion, discover the Biblical and historical truth about the Church. One of the saddest things about our generation is that Baptists are quitting being Baptists and becoming inter-denominational. I believe we should treasure our Baptist heritage. Few preachers today mention anything about the church. It is almost unheard of. They may preach on being faithful to church and attending church, but not on the doctrines of the church. There are some things about the church that I believe should be taught in every Baptist church in America. I am a Baptist. I have no animosity towards anybody else. They are saved people in many different groups. I have dear friends who are fine Christian people, yet are not members of Baptist churches. But, I do thank God that I am a Baptist, and I love my Baptist heritage. There are some things going on in Baptist circles that most people do not understand. There are things going on because God is purging in order for the New Testament churches to be perpetuated. That happens in every generation. Every generation has to be willing to stand alone. What this nation needs is more soul-winning New Testament churches in every neighborhood. We need men of God to start New Testament churches all across this nation. The Devil does not want New Testament churches. That is why he attacks them so viciously. May God in Heaven bring us back to the old-fashioned doctrine of the true church. Dr. Jack Hyles addresses controversial and surprising issues as he attempts to help fundamentalists return to the Biblical and historical truths about the church. Why have we allowed ourselves to be influenced by those who do not believe in the local New Testament church? How have fundamental churches been unknowingly influenced by the Catholic church? How does Satan infiltrate a church and take away its soul winning, separation and independence? Is education a responsibility of the church or of the state? What causes a church to become charismatic? Why have we adopted so many unscriptural beliefs and practices about the church? Why do denominations lead churches into the sin of idolatry? Dr. Jack Hyles is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, which is the home of America’s largest Sunday School. Every year this great church baptizes over 8,000 converts. He is the founder of Hyles-Anderson College, an institution dedicated to training local church pastors and workers. His annual Pastors’ School attracts several thousand preachers and Christian workers from all across the nation. Dr. Hyles has authored over forty books and is in great demand as a conference speaker. Table of Contents 1. Have Mercy On Me 2. What Is a Church? 3. Church Perpetuity 4. Where We Are In Fundamentalism 5. The Autonomy of the Church 6. A Church Losing Its Independence and Not Knowing It 7. Where Most False Churches Lost Their Charter and Franchise 8. The Church As a Family 9. The Substitutes for the Church 10. The Church, the Body of Christ 11. Why Jesus Started Churches and Not the Church 12. The Purpose of Going to Church 13. The History of the Church 14. The Price for the Church 15. The Fives Churches 16. The Church and the World 17. Jesus and the Church 18. The Church and the State 19. What changes a Church 20. Outside Interference - the Enemy of the Church 21. The Church As the Bride of Christ 22. The Catholic Influence on Baptist Churches and How It Got There 23. What Is a Fundamental Baptist Church? 24. How the Wall of Separation Is Broken Down 25. The Sin of Denominations 26. How the Devil Removes Some Landmarks 27. The Financing of the Church 28. The Task of the Church 29. A Shrewd Way the Devil Takes Over a Church 30. When the New Testament Church Started 31. The Church and Education According to the Bible 32. Why Biblically the State Cannot Control the Church 33. The Church and the Government Chapter One Have Mercy On Me A young man had committed a misdemeanor and was appearing before a judge for the first time. He was fidgety and nervous. The judge, in an effort to settle him down, said, “Son, don’t be nervous. I’ll see to it that you get justice.” The young man nervously replied, “Yes, sir, Mr. Judge. That’s what I’m afraid of, please could you throw in a little mercy on the side.” This author pleads with the reader to please throw a little mercy in on the side as you read this book. Why do I plead for your mercy? Because this book is different. This, like my books on prayer, the Holy Spirit and others, come from a series of Bible studies that I have taught to the membership of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, on Wednesday nights. My custom has been to take the outlines from which I taught and spend many hours dictating them for transcription and publication. Such is not the case in this book. I simply did not have the time, for many reasons. There were more demands on my time than ever. Because of that, I have simply had the Bible studies on Wednesday night transcribed, edited, proofread and prepared for publication. As you read, please consider yourself sitting in the auditorium of our church, listening to a Bible study. I think you will find it easier to forgive me for the repetition of statements and even illustrations. I do not claim to be an author; I simply want to leave all that I can for the following generation. At this printing, I am 44 years of age, which means that I’m old enough for Social Security. I have been preaching for over 47 years and pastoring for 45 of those years. During these years I have pastored hundreds for thousands of people, preached over 52,000 sermons and had a personal acquaintance with thousands of preachers. Please be lenient with me as you read. Have mercy on me by avoiding the position of critique, and as you give me justice, throw a little mercy in on the side. Chapter Two What Is a Church? Wherefore I also, after hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. - Ephesians 1:15-22 One of the saddest things about our generation is that Baptists are quitting being Baptists. They are becoming too inter-denominational. I believe we should treasure our Baptist heritage. Few preachers today mention anything about the church. It is almost unheard of. They may preach on being faithful to church and attending church, but not on the doctrines of the church. I am going to cover some things that I believe should be taught in every Baptist church in America. I am a Baptist. I have no animosity towards anybody else. They are saved people in many different groups. I have dear friends who are fine Christian people, yet are not members of Baptist churches. But, I do thank God that I am a Baptist, and I love my Baptist heritage. The word church comes from two words. One word is ek which means out, and the other word is kaleo which means to call. The word is ekklosea and it means a called-out group. This is the word for church in the New Testament. It is a called-out group. When I refer to the church, I am referring to a called-out group. In the Bible it is often called an assembly, but it is not just an assembly. It is a called-out assembly. Let me explain further. 1. In order to be a church, the people called-out must have been a part of another group. 2. They must have been called out of that group. 3. They must have formed another group. The church is a called-out assembly because they were called out from the world to assemble. So, they must have been in the world, they must have been called out from the world, and they must have formed a new group in order for them to be a called-out assembly. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us.