Originally published on James and Dave’s Bible Page
“Those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the
courts of our God”-Psalm 92:13
“He cannot have God for his Father who does not have the church for his
Mother.”-Augustine
Have you ever held an acorn in your hand? Then you’ve held an oak tree in
your hand. What it will take for that acorn to grow into an oak tree is
being planted in the right environment and being fed the proper food. Our
spiritual lives are very similar .If we are to grow properly, we must be
planted in the right environment and be fed the proper food.
This is why one of the most significant decisions you will ever make in
your walk with God is the church you choose to join with. The church is
the functional body of Jesus Christ in the earth (Ephesians 1:22-23). God
wants every Christian to be united with a dynamic, Bible believing
church. Unfortunately we do not take our relationship with the Body of
Christ seriously enough. Often,the choice of a church is based on things
such as “My grandparents were members there.” “It is conveniently
located. “”I’m a die-hard [insert denomination name.]”
Growing up in small southern town, a popular slogan was”Attend the church
of your choice this Sunday.” While the people saying this no doubt meant
well, there is much more to it than that. It isn’t just a matter of our
choice, but of His choice. We must base our choice of a church on what the
Bible says about the church, its mission and its function.
This, like any other worthwhile thing, will often involve stepping out of
our comfort zone . Keep in mind that if a church is just like you, then you will never grow there. We all need to be challenged and drawn to higher levels
spiritually. This can’t happen unless we are willing to put ourselves in
an atmosphere where this can happen.
The first step in finding a church is, of course, to pray for the Holy
Spirit’s guidance, but remember, the Spirit and the Word agree (1 John
5:7). Any church that God leads you to will be conducive to what His Word
teaches about the church.
I have been asked “Would God not call someone to an unhealthy church,so
they can help change it from the inside?”While those asking this question
are undoubtedly sincere, God never calls on us to compromise His Word and
our own spiritual growth. On the contrary, several times in the Bible God
commands us not to join with certain kinds of churches (see 1 Timothy
6:3-5;2 Thessalonians 3:6;2 Timothy 3:5).
Keep in mind that no church is perfect. That’s because they are made up
of imperfect people. Yet ,a healthy, Biblically sound church will
invariably display the following characteristics;
1. SOUND DOCTRINE-The Word of God is to be preached as the final authority
in all things (1 Corinthians 4:6;Ephesians 4:14;2 Timothy 3:16;2 Peter
1:16-19). Every book in the New Testament, except for Philemon, contains at
least some exhortation in this area. We learn how to relate to God by
studying and obeying the doctrines of the Bible.
2. TRUSTWORTHY LEADERSHIP-The church’s leaders,the pastor,elders,and
deacons,are required by God to model Christian excellence and
faithfulness (1 Timothy 3,Titus 1). In addition,the church should be
committed to cooperating with their church’s leaders in accomplishing the
vision God has given the church. Without a vision, the people
perish(Proverbs 29:18) so a church’s leadership should have a clear
understanding of what God has called the church to do and to be,and the
congregation should be ready and willing to lock arms and work with the
leadership in accomplishing God’s plan (Habakkuk 2:2).
3. GENUINE WORSHIP-God is actively seeking people to worship Him in Spirit
and Truth (John 4:24). If it is possible to worship God in Truth ,then it
is also possible to worship Him in error. His Word IS Truth (John 17:17).
He will only accept worship when it is done in line with His Word (Mark
7:7). Worship is much more than going through religious ceremonies. True
worship is a dynamic, life changing experience. It is responding to God’s
love and goodness from the depths of our being.
4. GENUINE LOVE FOR GOD AND EACH OTHER-True devotion to God should be
evident in the lives of the people,in addition to love and devotion to
one another.Genuine love doesn’t gossip,slander,or backbite,it reaches
out,builds up,and edifies (see 1 Corinthians 13). Remember,the church is
a family!
5.OPENNESS TO THE GIFTS AND LEADINGS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT-Jesus said that
where two or more are gathered in His name, He would be there in their
midst (Matthew 18:20). Think about that. Why does He come? Does He just want
to look at us? No, He wants to minister to us! Jesus, who is the same
yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), wants to do the same miracles
we see Him doing in the New Testament! If the Holy Spirit is
quenched, stifled or not allowed to have His way in the church, then the
church will miss out on a great deal of God’s healing and delivering
power. God’s presence must be honored in a worship service and He must be
given an opportunity to manifest His presence as He desires. Some of the
ways He does this are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. Everything must be done
in proper order, of course, and all manifestations must be judged in light
of Scripture. God wants to reveal Himself to us. When He is properly
honored, miracles happen!
6. STRONG COMMITMENT TO EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS-A healthy church will take
the Great Commission seriously. Jesus entrusted us with the awesome
responsibility to preach the Gospel to every creature (Matthew 28
19-20). He will also hold us responsible for failure to do this (Ezekiel
3:18). Bringing people to Jesus is one of the most fundamental duties of
the church.
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