THE "RIGHT" CHURCH - PART 1

A friend recently sent this writer an email in which inquiry was made as to how an individual may know whether or not they are attending the right church. There are as many opinions as there are churches with respect to which church is "right," but one must ultimately look to the Bible to ascertain the correct answer to this important and perhaps often controversial question.

The aforementioned question is, in fact, an extremely vital one and particularly pertinent in this end-time age in which we live. Though sincere, many unsuspecting individuals will undoubtedly arrive at the tragic realization that their lives were wasted and their souls lost after being duped into joining affinity with a "church" or "religion" which propagated teachings contrary to the Word of God. To be sure, salvation is not obtained by joining any church or adopting any religion, but finding the right church in which to serve the Lord is nonetheless a matter of critical importance.

Speaking to Peter in Matthew 16:18 Jesus stated that "...upon this rock [Himself] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The Greek word for church in this verse is "ecclesia" which means "to call out" and may also be defined as an assembly of "called out ones." A true church is a called out assembly consisting of born-again believers who prescribe to the doctrine and teachings of the Rock, our chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ.

With that in mind, let us attempt to answer from the Scriptures the question of how one may know they are attending the right church by offering several biblical principles for the reader to consider. First of all, we see that the "right" church is an assembly of which Christ is the Head. Ephesians 5:22-27 reads:

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

As noted earlier in the Lord's proclamation to Peter the church belongs to Jesus Christ. The church was established by Him. Therefore, having loved to the point of shedding His blood for the church, Jesus Christ may properly lay claim as her rightful Owner.

This writer realizes the above verses from Ephesians are speaking of the church in its entirety, the body of Christ, of which the local New Testament church is a member. The pastor of a local church is God's appointed under-shepherd to lead as the Lord directs, but he is not to take upon himself the role of a dictator. This writer does not believe the Scriptures teach a plurality of leadership within the local church though he once belonged to an assembly where that line of thinking seemed to rule. The pastor, and he alone, is to lead the church. However, no church should exist for the sole purpose of fulfilling the whims, wishes and selfish desires of its pastor, its deacons, the pastor's family or any influential members of notoriety. If the previous sentence describes the church you now attend, the reader would be better served to find another place of worship.

A congregation's duty is to submit to the God-given authority of the pastor who himself diligently follows the leading of the Holy Spirit in guiding the congregation entrusted to his care. However, may it be said again that exclusive ownership of the local church belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the right kind of church and pastor will indubitably have Christ enthroned as its Head.

Secondly, one may know they are on the right track to locating the "right" church if the church in question preaches Christ from the pulpit rather than the doctrines, opinions and ideas of men. The great Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:23, "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness." In his second epistle to those in Corinth the apostle to the Gentiles penned the following words: "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5).

Paul was not interested in preaching anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The church has no other message but that of the risen Christ. The late evangelist Oliver B. Greene gave good advice when he warned his listeners to beware of a ministry that promotes anyone above Jesus Christ. Paul so passionately preached Christ and His Cross that others thought him to be mad. Paul's passion may be found in Romans 1:16 where he penned, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

A true church will not present multiple roads to Heaven to its congregation. Any church or preacher who teaches there are numerous ways to Heaven may be correctly and unapologetically labeled a false church and a false preacher! A true church will preach Jesus Christ as "...the way, the truth, and the life..." (John 14:6), and will not compromise its message for the sake of a larger audience of a more affluent crowd. A true preacher of the gospel will proclaim, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

What was the modus operandi of the first century church? "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ" (Acts 5:42). Surely one piece of the puzzle for deciphering if a church is "right" is to determine whether the message of that church is centered upon none other than the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation only He can provide.

Thirdly, may this writer suggest that the "right" church is a called out assembly that seeks to edify, equip, strengthen, mature and encourage the saints. To bolster the point let us return to the Book of Ephesians. With pen of inspiration Paul writes,

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ; From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love" (Ephesians 4:11-16).

In other words, is your faith being strengthened where you attend church? Are you being grounded in and girded with the truth of the gospel? Are you maturing in the Word or is your spiritual life as stagnant as the filthy waters of a shallow pond in the throes of a summer drought? Do you leave the services of your church well-fed, praising God for the Word preached, or do you exit the building with spiritual hunger pangs which reveal spiritual malnutrition.

One may safely conclude he or she is in the "right" church if they are being consistently presented a diet of the pure Word of God prepared in the oven of prayer and Bible study and preached with evangelistic fervor. Away with passionless preaching which births dead churches! I had just as soon watch paint dry as to hear a man preach who has no fire in his bones! One is on the right path when they discover themselves, as Peter admonished, growing "...in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ..." (2 Peter 3:18).

Fourthly, this writer submits that the "right" church is a place where soul winning and discipleship is given a high priority. Someone has rightly stated that the only alternative to soul winning is disobedience to Christ. A true church is a missionary-minded church. Any church that is not actively pursuing the salvation of sinners at home and abroad or takes a dim view of soul winning cannot rightly identify itself as a New Testament assembly. Any Christian who is not consistently seeking to win the lost in the community in which he or she lives is living in disobedience to the clear commands of Jesus Christ.

For example, in Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Again in Mark 16:15 Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Is the church you now attend on the "go" with respect to reaching the lost?

A familiar passage of Scripture is found in Acts 1:8 where just prior to His ascension Jesus gave the command, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Is it not clear that the Lord Jesus Christ left His church with very distinct marching orders to carry the gospel to the lost far and near? The "right" church will be one that aggressively seeks to implement (not manipulate) our Lord's mandate to preach the gospel to every creature.