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“They're Too Late”

When we read the book of Acts, we see this pattern: From the second chapter of the book onward, we see the word of God being proclaimed, people hearing the word, believing in Christ, and responding to His gospel in obedient faith (Acts 8:25-40). We see churches being established in Jerusalem, in Samaria, in Antioch, in Thessalonica, in Berea, and numerous other locations. We see the number of disciples swell from 120 (Acts 1:15), to about five thousand in Acts 4:4), to multiplied thousands (Acts 9:31 ; Romans 10:16-18; Colossians 1:3-6 – NKJV; Colossians 1:23 ; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-8).

However, there are some interesting things not seen in the Acts record. Let us consider the following observations:

Although we see the conversions of numerous disciples to Christ, we do not see a single person “joining” the Roman Catholic church, or the Greek Orthodox church, or any other denominated entity.  Although we are told that the disciples were first called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts 11:26), we are never told that they were called Episcopalians, or Methodists, or Lutherans, or any of the hundreds of names commonly assumed by religious folks today.

When the church began on the day of Pentecost following the ascension of Christ (Acts 1:9-11; Acts 2:1), we are never told that those whom the Lord added to the church on that day (Acts 2:47) were called Pentecostals. Although three thousand people were baptized into Christ on that day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41), and countless others after that day (Acts 8:12-13; Acts 8:36-38; Acts 9:18; Acts 10:47-48; Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33; Acts 18:8; Acts 19:3-5; Acts 22:16), we do not see where any of them were ever called Baptists.

The story is told of the late gospel preacher Marshall Keeble, who was once preaching in a certain place when he was confronted by a young man who asked him, “What do you think about the church I belong to?” “Which church?” asked brother Keeble. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,” the young man answered. “They’re too late,” replied brother Keeble. He was referring to the fact that any church established after the 33 A.D. date on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47) was indeed “too late” to be a viable church in the Lord’s eyes.

It’s not only our Mormon friends who are “too late.” All of those well-meaning individuals who attach themselves to churches and names and doctrines and practices that postdate the New Testament period are likewise “too late.” They are too late because the one and only “body” (Ephesians 4:4; Romans 12:5) or “church” established by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:17-23) , through the agency of His chosen apostles (Matthew 16:18-19), is the church we read about in Acts. The only kind of disciples Christ ever gathered to Himself through the proclamation of His gospel, are the kind who were first called “Christians” in Acts 11:26, and who were never called by any of the myriad appellations developed by religionists in the ensuing generations between then (33 A.D.) and now.

Any other denominations or types of church, and any other sects or splinter groups of purported disciples, are thus “too late” to be recognized by the Lord (cf. Matthew 3:10; Matthew 7:19; Matthew 15:13-14; Luke 13:6-9; John 15:6; 1 Corinthians 3:10-13).

However, it’s not too late to be added to the Lord’s church — the one of which we read in Acts — to become one of those disciples who are simply called “Christians” (Acts 11:26) without any humanly devised “brand” name.

The way to become a member of the Lord’s church is to do exactly what folks did in the Acts account in response to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:37-47). In fact, if we simply obey the gospel and do only what it directs us to do, we can’t become anything else but a Christian, or become a member of any church other than the one to which the apostles and their converts were members of — the one Jesus built and bought with His own blood (Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28).