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"The final thrust of this book will show that a church is mainly for the purpose of propagating and interpreting the saving message of God to a lost world. It is a preaching institution. It has something to say as well as something to experience, and what it says must be what the Word of God teaches. It must have unity in its interpretation of its experience as well as in the experience itself." [p. 21]

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THE CHURCH AND THE ORDINANCES

By Buell H. Kazee

Table of Contents

Author's Preface					            
 
Chapter 						              Page 
I. CONCEPTS AND USES OF THE WORD "CHURCH" 			1 

II. THE UNIVERSAL-INVISIBLE CHURCH THEORY EXAMINED 	       5 
	1. Nobody seems to know for certain what it is. 
	Representative views presented. 
	Representative opposing views. 
	2. The theory is lacking in scriptural support. 
	3. The origin of the universal-invisible church concept 
	is not apostolic. 
	4. The universal-invisible church cannot possibly be 
        a reality. 
	5. The concept does not fit the figures used in Scripture 
        to represent a church. 
	6. The concept lends itself to abuse and deception. 

III. A CHURCH OF POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION			      28 

IV. THE ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH 				      35 
	A Backward Glance. 
	The Kingdom Episode. 
	Was the Kingdom Postponed? 
	The Church and the Kingdom. 
	The Question of John's Baptism. 

V; THE CHURCH DEVELOPING 					     46
	The Commission. 
	Pentecost. 

VI. THE CHURCH DEVELOPING (Continued) 			   58 
	Progressive Manifestation of the Spirit.  

VII. THE CHURCH MATURING  					   66 
	Prophets. 
	Teachers. 
	Elders. 

VIII. THE CHURCH AND ITS MISSION 				78 
	A Church Is a Preaching Institution. 
	The Work of a Church Defined. 
	The Message of the Churches. 

IX. "PICTURE PREACHING AND TABLE TALKING"  		89 
	What Is a Scriptural Church? 
	The Purpose of the Ordinances. 

X. THE PROBLEM OF BAPTISM IN HISTORY			97 
	The Problem of History. 
	The Bible and Denominational Divisions. 
	Baptismal Succession. 

XI. THE QUESTION WHICH DIVIDES US 		            l08 
	The Divisions Literalized. 
	The Separation. 
	Who Shall Judge the Validity of the Ordinances? 

XII. THE TEST OF CHURCH FELLOWSHIP 	           116
	The Test of Fellowship and "Alien Baptism." 
	The Test of Fellowship and "Open or Closed Com1nunion." 
	"Close Communion." 
	Summary Statement. 

Chapter 1

[Buell H. Kazee, The Church and the Ordinances, The Little Baptist Press, Lexington, KY, 1965.]

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