Episode 3
The New Christian Podcast
Title: How to Recognize a Good Church
Link to the article I mentioned: https://albertmohler.com/2005/07/12/a-call-for-theological-triage-and-christian-maturity/
1.
Greetings
First, I have to clarify what I mean when I say
recognizing a “good” Church.
I’m not
saying that churches are good are sinless, what I am saying is that we must
Search for a good Bible-based church that preaching the Bible effectively and
never tries to water down the message or add something that isn’t in Scripture
to apices the people.
Paul tells us in 1
Corinthians 15:1-8; Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the
gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your
stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved if you hold firmly to the word I
preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I
passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and
then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the
brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though
some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
What church should you attend? Sometimes Christians
spend a lot of time trying to find just the "right" church.
Unfortunately, this method is rarely successful. (Church hop - Music,
Preaching, the atmosphere). Some say I can be a Christian and not go to church.
(Church people are hypocrites, or someone was hurt by a church or the people in
it).
Hebrews 10:24-25 reads, “And let us consider how we
may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another
…”
Although the word “church” is not in the verses
quoted, the context of the passage indicates the writer is indeed making a
reference to the church.
In the early days of Christianity, believers met in
homes. The Greek word used to describe these meetings is ekklesia, which, when
used of the church, simply means to assemble, meet, gather together or
congregate (from which we get the word congregation).
Today the landscape of Christian churches has changed
dramatically. For Christians in the United States, for instance, there are
literally hundreds of Christian denominations and traditions to choose from,
with some cities home to numerous Christian churches.
While the book of Hebrews passage reminds Christians
to make sure they gather together regularly, new Christians and even longtime
believers may find themselves confused about finding the “right” church.
What is the Church?
Before we get into specific suggestions for finding a
church, it will help to look at two common Christian distinctions of the word.
The Christian church is both visible (local) and invisible (universal). The
visible church consists of physical gatherings, usually in church buildings,
while the invisible church consists of Christians throughout the ages. The
invisible or universal church is one, while visible local churches are many.
Every Christian is a member of the universal church
because by definition Christians are believers in Christ. Therefore, they are
members of His body – the church. The Bible, in fact, offers a number of images
of the church such as calling it the “body of Christ”: “Now you are the body of
Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). The church
is also called “the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9; 1 Peter 2:10). Christ is the
head of the church (Ephesians 4:15; 5:23).
While the visible and local church consists of
organizations or institutions, the invisible and universal church consists of
all Christians united under Christ.
The Purposes of the Church
God’s church has many purposes such as evangelism,
edification, worship and social concern. To evangelize means to tell others the
Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ and what He has done. Matthew 28:19 provides
the mandate to spread the gospel. This means that every church needs to be
involved in some form of evangelism, reaching out to non-Christians with the
truth of Christ.
The church is also to edify Christians. To edify means
to build up, equip, improve, encourage or support. Gathering together with
other believers, as in attending church, is one important way to be edified as
a Christian.
The Perfect Church?
If you haven’t found the perfect church? You won’t.
Every visible and local church consists of a mixture of members, all of whom
are flawed to one extent or another. Even though you will not find a perfect
church, do your best to find a solid church that honors the Bible and the
essential beliefs of Christianity. As you search for a church, remember to pray
for God’s guidance, too.
What are the essential beliefs of Christianity? First,
we believe in the authority of Scripture, which is another way of saying that
the Bible is God's inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word. It's the ultimate
source for knowledge about God, as well as the definitive guide for our daily
lives.
Next, we affirm the existence of a triune God or one
God in three distinct persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This God is self-existent, eternal,
unchanging, omnipotent, omnipresent, holy, righteous, and loving. God created the universe from nothing and He
rules sovereign over His creation, including both human and angelic beings.
We also hold that man & woman are a physical and
spiritual being who is created in God's image. But because of his sin or
transgression, man has lost his fellowship with God. The extent of sin is so great that its
effects continue to this very day in the form of cruelty, sickness, suffering,
and death.
By God's grace, Jesus Christ - Who is fully God and
fully man - was sent to save us from our bondage to sin. We believe that Christ
was born of a virgin, died for our sins, physically rose from the dead, and
will one day return to judge the world and deliver His people. Faith in Christ
alone (not faith + works) is the only means by which an individual can escape
eternal damnation and judgment.
Finally, we recognize the church as God's ordained
institution headed by Christ. (And Christ alone). The church is composed of all
believers and is organized for teaching, worship, fellowship, for the
administration of communion and baptism, for spiritual growth and support, and
for evangelizing the world. True believers seek to be part of local church
assemblies where the Word of God is taught accurately.
Lastly, as I close I will attach an article to my blog
of this podcast where you can find a great article that addresses Primary
issues of belief and what are secondary issues. I encourage you to give that a
read.
Next week’s episode will be on How to Deal with
Non-Christians.
May the Lord bless you,
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