What comes to mind when ‘church’ is mentioned? Do you first think of people or the buildings? If you think of a building, then you need to change your perspective of what a church is. Others, who think of church as people, imagine a crowd of people clapping and dancing to the tune of blaring music, with a group of young people leading in singing from the platform. What attracted you to your current church? Music? Physical facilities? The popularity of the pastor? The promise of healing and prosperity? Have you bothered to find out how biblical is your church?
The church is not an institution of men by men. Rather, it is a family, belonging to God to showcase God and His glory on earth. God describes it this way:
“... so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 3:10)The church is a people called out by Christ through the Holy Spirit to worship God the Father in spirit and truth, with reverence and awe. He calls them to gather many more for the same purpose of rightly worshipping God. Christians as a body – the church, reveal the manifold wisdom of God to both the world and the spiritual realm!
“... if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15, all emphasis added)
The church is a family that belongs to the Living God. This means that God owns the church and is actively involved in its life so that the church remains His possession. It is His family for His glory. The church is the God-appointed instrument of upholding the truth on earth. Many mistakenly think that it is the Supreme Court or the state that upholds the truth! No! It is the church, which is the “pillar and buttress of the truth”. The church is built upon the Gospel truth from God, and exists to uphold this truth, as revealed by God through the Scriptures, which are able to make people wise for salvation. The Christian living ought to be a mirror of the truth that the church lives to showcase. This way God is honoured and glorified as the Great God and Saviour.
The church consists of all those who believe in Christ who have ever lived or will live. This is called the universal church. These are men and women boys and girls who have repented of their sins, trusting in Christ as their Lord and Saviour. They have experienced the saving mercy and grace of God in Christ. As a result, Christ adds them to a local church.
How do people become part of a local church? Many think that it is simply by attendance of a church. No! It is by being placed by Christ Himself by salvation. Then one is baptized both by the Spirit and in water. If one is transferring membership to another church, he/she has to obtain a recommendation from his previous church to the new church.
What is the primary task of the church on earth?
1) Worship: To offer acceptable worship to God as prescribed in His word (John
4:23-24; Ephesians 3:10; Hebrews 12:28).
Worship means that the church is fully devoted to God, as He has revealed Himself in the Bible – this is worship in truth. The church is to be led only by the Spirit of God not an individuals’ own senses! Worship also involves fellowship with one another, to share the bread and cup in the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. They also share whatever material blessings God has given each one of them. This is what we see when the first church was constituted by Christ in Acts 2:42-47. Such worship by and large will remain in eternity, although a few elements of the present earthly worship might either be removed or changed. No wonder all the heavenly hosts described in the Bible are revealed to be fully immersed in the worship of God.
2) Gospel mission: To gather a community of those who will worship God (Matthew 28:18-20)
The church is required to make disciples for Christ from all nations. It invites sinners by the gospel; calling, inviting and drawing them by the power of the Spirit using the Word, to come to worship God. The great commission in Matthew 28:18-20, Christ especially commissioned His disciples to make disciples of all the nations, until He comes. They are not just to make converts and stop at that. They are to make disciples-making disciples until Christ comes for His church. This way the full number of both Jews and Gentiles – from every nation, language, tribe and race will ultimately bow before Him in worship for all eternity.
Are you actively involved in this work of testifying about the free salvation that there is in Christ? Are you inviting your spouse, your children, your relatives, your neighbours, your colleagues at school and at work to come by faith to Christ?
v What are the marks of a true church of God?
There are at least 5 marks of a genuine church:
1. The pure preaching of the word of God (Acts 2:42, 20:20,27, 1 Timothy 1:3-7,18-20, 4:16, 6:3-5,20, 2 Timothy 1:13, 2:1- 2,15, 3:14-17, 4:1-5).
What is preached must be the Christ-centred gospel. Pure preaching has to humble the pride of man by showing man to be a needy and helpless, poor and wretched sinner who needs God’s mercy and the grace of Christ to be saved. Pure preaching has to exalt the glory of God in Christ by showing Jesus to be the one and only hope for sinners from whom there is full pardon for sins and eternal life.
2. Biblical leadership (Acts 6:1-6; 1& 2Timothy and Titus)
There are only two officers prescribed in the bible for each church – the elders and the deacons (Philippians 1:1; 1Timothy 3:1-13). Elders also called pastors or overseers/bishops provide spiritual oversight to the church (preaching & prayer). Each church is also to appoint men who cater for their material needs called deacons. Both officers must be blameless in their character, family life and ministry, to qualify to serve in the church of Christ (1 Timothy 3:2, 10; Titus 1:7).
1) Worship: To offer acceptable worship to God as prescribed in His word (John
4:23-24; Ephesians 3:10; Hebrews 12:28).
Worship means that the church is fully devoted to God, as He has revealed Himself in the Bible – this is worship in truth. The church is to be led only by the Spirit of God not an individuals’ own senses! Worship also involves fellowship with one another, to share the bread and cup in the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. They also share whatever material blessings God has given each one of them. This is what we see when the first church was constituted by Christ in Acts 2:42-47. Such worship by and large will remain in eternity, although a few elements of the present earthly worship might either be removed or changed. No wonder all the heavenly hosts described in the Bible are revealed to be fully immersed in the worship of God.
2) Gospel mission: To gather a community of those who will worship God (Matthew 28:18-20)
The church is required to make disciples for Christ from all nations. It invites sinners by the gospel; calling, inviting and drawing them by the power of the Spirit using the Word, to come to worship God. The great commission in Matthew 28:18-20, Christ especially commissioned His disciples to make disciples of all the nations, until He comes. They are not just to make converts and stop at that. They are to make disciples-making disciples until Christ comes for His church. This way the full number of both Jews and Gentiles – from every nation, language, tribe and race will ultimately bow before Him in worship for all eternity.
Are you actively involved in this work of testifying about the free salvation that there is in Christ? Are you inviting your spouse, your children, your relatives, your neighbours, your colleagues at school and at work to come by faith to Christ?
v What are the marks of a true church of God?
There are at least 5 marks of a genuine church:
1. The pure preaching of the word of God (Acts 2:42, 20:20,27, 1 Timothy 1:3-7,18-20, 4:16, 6:3-5,20, 2 Timothy 1:13, 2:1- 2,15, 3:14-17, 4:1-5).
What is preached must be the Christ-centred gospel. Pure preaching has to humble the pride of man by showing man to be a needy and helpless, poor and wretched sinner who needs God’s mercy and the grace of Christ to be saved. Pure preaching has to exalt the glory of God in Christ by showing Jesus to be the one and only hope for sinners from whom there is full pardon for sins and eternal life.
2. Biblical leadership (Acts 6:1-6; 1& 2Timothy and Titus)
There are only two officers prescribed in the bible for each church – the elders and the deacons (Philippians 1:1; 1Timothy 3:1-13). Elders also called pastors or overseers/bishops provide spiritual oversight to the church (preaching & prayer). Each church is also to appoint men who cater for their material needs called deacons. Both officers must be blameless in their character, family life and ministry, to qualify to serve in the church of Christ (1 Timothy 3:2, 10; Titus 1:7).
3. Genuine membership:
While everyone is welcome to attend church, only genuine Christians form the membership of the church. As Christians we are to be a family, committed to each other; to love, accept, and forgive each other until death or God’s call causes us to part.
We are to live in Jesus Christ and take his commands seriously. We are to help one another grow toward Christian maturity by: bearing one another’s burdens, encouraging one another, exhorting one another, praying for one another, confessing our sins to one another, speaking the truth in love to one another, admonishing one another, building up one another, teaching one another, comforting one another, submitting to one another, serving one another, patiently bearing with one another, being hospitable to one another, living in peace with one another, regarding one another as more significant than ourselves, caring for one another, exercising our spiritual gifts to serve one another, being kind and tender-hearted to one another, being devoted to one another, accepting one another, forgiving one another, loving one another and greeting one another.
4. Right administration of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is only for true believers of any age. Whoever shows his/her faith by desiring to be fully committed to Christ and to the local church (Acts 2:41-42). Baptism must not be administered to a person because they were born of believing parents or went through a Bible class (therefore infant baptism is unacceptable). Baptism should be in the name of the Triune God (Matthew 28:19). Baptism should be performed by immersion in water because:
5. Right application of church discipline according to the word of God.
Church discipline is corrective and intended to keep members in the church. God’s church is holy and must be preserved as such, since a little leaven (sin) left undealt with in one person will affect the whole church (1 Corinthians 5:6). Therefore, those who indulge in sin must be purged from the church so that the church can remain in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or blemish (Ephesians 5:27). Christ is coming to His church as a bride that is holy in His own sight (not in the sight of men). The church prepares for His coming by rejecting sin and excommunicating unrepentant members.
When evaluating your church, please consider that your feelings must be subjugated to conform to the truth of God’s Word. You must not evaluate any church based on your feelings, tastes and preference.
While everyone is welcome to attend church, only genuine Christians form the membership of the church. As Christians we are to be a family, committed to each other; to love, accept, and forgive each other until death or God’s call causes us to part.
We are to live in Jesus Christ and take his commands seriously. We are to help one another grow toward Christian maturity by: bearing one another’s burdens, encouraging one another, exhorting one another, praying for one another, confessing our sins to one another, speaking the truth in love to one another, admonishing one another, building up one another, teaching one another, comforting one another, submitting to one another, serving one another, patiently bearing with one another, being hospitable to one another, living in peace with one another, regarding one another as more significant than ourselves, caring for one another, exercising our spiritual gifts to serve one another, being kind and tender-hearted to one another, being devoted to one another, accepting one another, forgiving one another, loving one another and greeting one another.
4. Right administration of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is only for true believers of any age. Whoever shows his/her faith by desiring to be fully committed to Christ and to the local church (Acts 2:41-42). Baptism must not be administered to a person because they were born of believing parents or went through a Bible class (therefore infant baptism is unacceptable). Baptism should be in the name of the Triune God (Matthew 28:19). Baptism should be performed by immersion in water because:
-
1) The Greek word for baptism means ‘plunge, dip, immerse’;
-
2) All the examples of baptism in the Bible show that it was by immersion (Mark 1:5
“in”, 1:10 “out of”, John 3:23 “much water”, Acts 8:38-39 “down into” and ‘up
out of”);
-
3) It is a symbolism of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4,
Colossians 2:12).
5. Right application of church discipline according to the word of God.
Church discipline is corrective and intended to keep members in the church. God’s church is holy and must be preserved as such, since a little leaven (sin) left undealt with in one person will affect the whole church (1 Corinthians 5:6). Therefore, those who indulge in sin must be purged from the church so that the church can remain in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or blemish (Ephesians 5:27). Christ is coming to His church as a bride that is holy in His own sight (not in the sight of men). The church prepares for His coming by rejecting sin and excommunicating unrepentant members.
When evaluating your church, please consider that your feelings must be subjugated to conform to the truth of God’s Word. You must not evaluate any church based on your feelings, tastes and preference.
What are the modern trends and deviations witnessed in the church?
The situation right now in the church is appalling. Many churches are men-centred instead of being Christocentric. They pursue the pleasure of men rather than the glory of God. Their leaders are preoccupied with meeting people’s felt needs such as health and wealth, deviating from the task of the church. On the other hand many Christians go to churches where they will hear music that will make them feel ‘good.’ They hear preachers who will address their concerns, so that in effect they gather for themselves preachers who will tell them what they want to hear. Many have itching ears, but only few would admit it!
The following are characteristic of many churches:
The situation right now in the church is appalling. Many churches are men-centred instead of being Christocentric. They pursue the pleasure of men rather than the glory of God. Their leaders are preoccupied with meeting people’s felt needs such as health and wealth, deviating from the task of the church. On the other hand many Christians go to churches where they will hear music that will make them feel ‘good.’ They hear preachers who will address their concerns, so that in effect they gather for themselves preachers who will tell them what they want to hear. Many have itching ears, but only few would admit it!
The following are characteristic of many churches:
A. Lack of truth
No genuine interest in the means of grace like:
-
They do not preach the whole Bible (they preach only a few verses here and
there)
-
Unbiblical leadership (The Bible is not applied when appointing leaders)
-
Unbiblical membership (all who attend are considered to be members!)
-
Over-emphasis on money and material prosperity instead of Christ
-
Devoting most of the church’s time to singing and physical healing
No genuine interest in the means of grace like:
-
Genuine desire for the knowledge of God in His Word
-
Sincere and biblical prayer (especially public prayer)
-
Fellowship of Christians
-
Right administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper
-
Lack of correct application of church discipline
Conclusion
Not every assembly that has a signboard by its gates reading ‘.... Church’ is a true church of God. The Bible says that there are those, although they look like churches are synagogues of Satan (Revelation 2:9)! Engage in a church that is committed to Christ and his Word.
Consequently you should find out whether your current church is truly biblical. What are its priorities – is the worship offered according to the Word of God or is it based upon pleasing men? Is your church gospel-centred and mission oriented? What are the distinguishing marks of your church? Is Christ central in the preaching, music, and lifestyle of the people?
You may check more on the subject at the author’s blog: www.pastormurungi.blogspot.com
Not every assembly that has a signboard by its gates reading ‘.... Church’ is a true church of God. The Bible says that there are those, although they look like churches are synagogues of Satan (Revelation 2:9)! Engage in a church that is committed to Christ and his Word.
Consequently you should find out whether your current church is truly biblical. What are its priorities – is the worship offered according to the Word of God or is it based upon pleasing men? Is your church gospel-centred and mission oriented? What are the distinguishing marks of your church? Is Christ central in the preaching, music, and lifestyle of the people?
You may check more on the subject at the author’s blog: www.pastormurungi.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment