The Church

Churches . . .

Small churches, medium churches, large churches; white churches, black churches, Hispanic churches; wood churches, brick churches, metal churches; Baptist churches, Methodist churches, Lutheran churches; Protestant churches, Catholic churches, Orthodox churches; healthy churches, lukewarm churches, sick churches; rich churches, poor churches and the list goes on and on . . .

So, with all this diversity and in the simplest of terms, how does one describe a true church?  What is a church and what is a church to be about?  The real and pressing question is to ask, “What does a biblical church look like?”

First, the Bible calls the church the “ekklesia,” which literally means “an assembly or gathering” or “the called-out ones.”  In everyday words, the church is the people of God who have been “called out” from the ways of wickedness and darkness into God’s marvelous light, people “called out” of the ways of the world and “assembled” to embrace and reflect the righteous things of God.  Humans bought with the very blood of Jesus Christ Himself on a hill in Jerusalem called “Golgotha,” i.e., “place of a skull.”

Second, the Bible says that the church is built upon the profession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  Therefore, where there is no profession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, there is NO church—regardless of buildings, ministries, or gathered individuals!

Third, the Bible shows us a vivid picture of the very first church, the mother church, gathered in Jerusalem shortly after Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of God the Father (Acts 2:41-47).  It is a church that is vibrant and thriving—a church that has a deep conviction upon the awesome power of prayer, upon sharing the “good news” of Jesus Christ with the lost and dying, upon worshiping the one true and living God, upon studying and learning the word of God and living in obedience to His ways, upon walking in fellowship, love, and unity with one another, and upon giving sacrificially to meet the needs of others in the name of Jesus Christ.

So, find yourself a congregation of genuine believers who love the Lord Jesus Christ, His word, and His local church . . .  and then invest your life wholeheartedly, by the Spirit of God, into the glory and advancement of the kingdom of God!

You will never live to regret this decision for Him . . . NEVER.

In Joy—Dennis