Article Written by Eng Kim Leng
How do we know that the Kota Kemuning church of Christ is the same as the church which started in the 1st Century? It is a good question, one that we must ask and sincerely seek to find the answer.
The Bereans in Acts 17:11, were said to be more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. The way to ascertain is to search the scripture to find out whether the doctrines preached and practiced by KK church are found in the pages of the Bible. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus explained that the seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11). When the word of God is sown (i.e. preached and practised), the church that grows from it would be the offshoot of this seed.
To illustrate this concept more simply, an apple seed will grow into an apple tree that bears apple fruits (not another fruit like coconut or mango). We may think that this is rather straight forward, a statement of fact. Actually, it was God who ruled it so in His creation. God in Gen 1:11-12, commanded, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”
A church rooted in God’s word will reflect and embody those specific teachings in God’s word. The nature and composition of the ‘seed’ determines the nature and outcome of what grows from it, whether in agriculture or in spiritual growth. The seed has the DNA, the ‘gene’, an inbuilt-design or genome pattern for reproduction (scripture uses the words, in itself), and will ensure that it reproduces after its own kind.
Take for example, if a corn seed is discovered in a 2,000-year-old chamber and it successfully germinates, the plant that grows would be one that is genetically identical to its ancient ancestor. The resulting crop would possess the same characteristics and yield corn kernels similar to those harvested two millennia ago. The seed can be passed on from one generation to another, and the same crop will produce the same corn.
In like manner, if someone who does not know Christianity discovers a bible, teaches and practices fully, according to the words therein, the church which the words produce will be the same as that which God originally designed to grow from it. Similarly, if a church teaches doctrines based on Biblical seed (the bible), then the church which grows from such teachings will be approved of God. On the other hand, if the doctrines taught are not found in the Scriptures, then the church which the false doctrines produce will not be the church that God approves.
In John 15:4-5, Jesus states, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” If we teach the unadulterated doctrine of Christ, then Jesus abides in us, and we will bear fruit of Christ.
Which brings us back to the question:
Can KK church be part of the New Testament (NT) church that we read about in the book of Acts?
The answer is Yes, if we follow the NT pattern of sound words. Yes, if we obey the gospel of the NT. Yes, if we worship according to the NT. Yes, if church leadership complies with the NT. Yes, if we live according to the NT.
And yes, KK church is founded and grounded in the pattern set forth in the Bible and conforms to the seed, the word of God, dating back all the way to 1st Century. We, the members of the church will ensure that it remains so.