Fall 2000

Page 3

Your spiritual well-being is largely dependent on regular public worship, preaching and teaching, fellowship and accountability, and practicing mercy and outreach.

No believer will grow to maturity in faith apart from commitment to the local church. We are admonished, "Stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together." (Hebrews 10:24, 25)

When evaluating a church we often use the wrong criteria – My friends go there, I grew up there, I feel comfortable there, I am entertained there, I like the programs there.

Worship. First and foremost, a church is a place of public worship. The Lord must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. "For such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers." (John 4:23)

Don’t ask, what does the church do for me? Ask, what does it do for Him? Jesus reminds us, "You shall worship the Lord your God." (Matthew 4:10) A church must proclaim the praises of Jesus Christ who was sent to save His people from their sins.

Worship in spirit and in truth requires that both the truth of God’s word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit point the people to Jesus. The word and the Spirit work together to glorify Christ.

All things must be done properly and in an orderly manner. The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper must be administered as described in the Bible.

Authority. The church leaders must mutually submit to the authority of God’s word and to the headship of Christ over His church. Is Jesus the acknowledged Head of the church, and is this borne out in practice?

The Scripture must be the final rule of faith and practice. Disagreements should be resolved by asking, what does the Bible say about this subject? Is it commanded, is it forbidden, or are there biblical principles which apply?

Preaching. The preaching and teaching of the church must conform to the word of God. There must be application of the Bible to daily living, with admonition and encouragement.

We are warned about false teaching. Cashiers are trained to spot counterfeit money by studying the true currency, not by spending time with all the fake bills.

You must read the Bible yourself in order to discern false teaching. Godly church leaders will delight in a flock which spends time reading God’s word.

The Apostles considered the Berean Christians more noble because they searched the Scriptures daily, to find out whether their teaching was true. The Apostles were not offended because their teaching was faithful to God’s word.

Accountability. The church must not condone the practice of sin, especially by church leaders. To ignore public sin, when the sinner refuses to repent, harms the testimony of the church.

Loving discipline promotes the purity of the church. There should be an atmosphere of loving admonition and confession among believers.

If your brother sins against you tell him his fault privately. If he will not listen take one or two brothers with you. If he still will not listen tell the church leaders. And if he will not hear them then treat him as an unbeliever, removed from membership in the church. (Matthew 18)

Mercy. Outreach toward the lost and mercy toward the needy should be vital in the church ministry. The sin of partiality (discrimination) must not be allowed to confine church membership to one social group.

Compassion must be shown to all who seek God, that they may repent and trust in Christ.

Liberty. The church must distinguish between things required or forbidden by God’s word, and things which are matters of liberty - personal style and preference.

Is it prescribed by biblical principles? Or, are we given liberty to choose a practice for this church (such as the style of music)?

The local church is your spiritual family. Find a church home where you will grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.