Many, perhaps even you, have become disillusioned with churches and religious leaders. They wonder what they should do and where they should turn. What does God say?
by Wilbur Berg
Under normal circumstances, most people who believe in God and the Bible want to attend church services because they wish to worship God together. But we live in a distrustful age that has created suspicion about religion and religious bodies-sadly, much of it well earned.
Scandals revealing the bad moral examples of church leaders have made many wary. If that weren't enough, many people are confused about which doctrines and practices are truly biblical.
They are also uncertain about which, if any, church organizations are truly of God. Many are turned off by the lack of spiritual nourishment—or even outright disbelief in the Bible—they encounter in some denominations.
Consequently, a growing number of people are becoming disillusioned with their church but don't know where to turn. Others simply try to worship God by themselves, apart from any group affiliation or fellowship.
What would God have us do? Should we stay where we know things are not right, or take the path of spiritual isolation, or have confidence that there is a better alternative? Could there be dangers—possibly even unrecognized—in some of the courses of action we might choose? How does the Bible answer these important questions?
God established and preserves His Church
The first question we need answered is, what does the word church actually mean? Throughout the Scriptures church and congregation refer to people, never to a building. God's Church is made up of people called to follow Jesus Christ. It is composed of disciples or students of Jesus Christ who convene to receive God's instruction.
Both Jesus Christ and His apostles, however, repeatedly warned us not to be deceived by a false Christianity-a religious deception that was well under way even in the first century (Matthew 24:5, 11, 24; 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-15; Galatians 1:6-9). God's true Church is composed of those who have been called out of this satanically influenced world (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; 1 Peter 2:9) to become a spiritually converted group dedicated to following God's ways as taught in the Bible. The Bible is the standard by which all religious bodies are to be measured.
Jesus Himself stated that He would build His Church and that it would never die out (Matthew 16:18). Several decades later the apostle Paul referred to this spiritual body of people as "the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground [foundation] of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15).
God's Church has never been a large, popular body. While many traditional Christian denominations today are large and powerful, the Bible reveals that God's true Church always would be small in numbers, somewhat scattered and often persecuted. Due to their small numbers, many of the early congregations met in private homes rather than in large halls or buildings (Luke 12:32; Romans 16:5; Colossians 4:15).
Nevertheless, though scattered and few in number, God has always cared for and spiritually nourished those He has called (2 Timothy 2:19; Hebrews 13:5).
A safe refuge
The Bible also describes God's Church as a source of strength, safety and refuge for its members. The Bible refers to it as Christ's spiritual body (Colossians 1:18, 24). Further, Jesus promised that the onslaughts of Satan would not be able to overwhelm God's protection and defenses of it.
However, this does not mean that God's people are immune to satanic attacks. Anytime a Christian lowers his spiritual defenses, he places himself in grave danger of being subverted and even "devoured" by mankind's spiritual enemy, the devil (1 Peter 5:8). But if he utilizes the protection God offers, he is able to discern truth from error and can successfully withstand the spiritual trials and tests Satan instigates (Ephesians 6:10-18).
In contrast, a person who does not seek the fellowship of God's Church denies himself the sheltering bulwark and safety that God intends. If he chooses to be alone, such an individual may miss out on the protective instruction and reminders that are part of God's reason for establishing His Church.
God knows how spiritually weak and vulnerable we human beings can sometimes become, which is why He established a loving membership and ordained ministry for the encouragement and instruction of His Church. Such assistance is not available if a person chooses to worship alone or attends with a group that does not attempt to draw its teachings from the Bible.
Notice how important these aids and supports are, and how God placed them in His Church. Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-13 outline the biblical qualifications for elders and deacons. They are given so appropriate leaders can be chosen to take care of the Church. The rest of the membership will then benefit from their talents and abilities, further strengthening the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:11-16). Within the Church, each member is encouraged to contribute and do his share in showing godly love for the growth and spiritual development of all (Ephesians 4:16).
In a stable spiritual environment new and inexperienced people, as well as longtime members, can find a safe haven for fellowship and spiritual growth. God knows that all His called-out ones need the protection, care and instruction that only a loving group of dedicated people can provide, which is a major reason for His giving us guidelines for an organized Church body. Many spiritual benefits are inaccessible to those who choose to seek God alone.
A classroom for spiritual development
The Church of God serves many important needs. In addition to supplying uplifting, encouraging and educational sermons, there also can be instructive Bible classes for children, teens and adults, news about the work of the Church, focused instruction and training and a host of other benefits-all to create an atmosphere where spiritual concerns are addressed and the big questions answered. And while all these things are enormously beneficial, there is yet another extremely important reason for assembling that is often overlooked.
Notice Hebrews 10:24-25: "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day [of Christ's coming and intervention] approaching" (emphasis added). This principle finds its roots in the Old Testament. God instructed that "the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest," but it is also a time for "a holy convocation"—a commanded assembly—a time for believers to gather with others of like mind (Leviticus 23:3).
In addition to participating in worship services at the times God commands-and receiving edifying spiritual nourishment from attending services as part of His Church-God also asks us to give of ourselves to others (Acts 20:35).
Life is often difficult. And Christians, like everyone else, have trials and burdens (John 16:33). At such times it is easy to become discouraged and get derailed to the point of losing one's spiritual focus. Clearly Christians need to strengthen and give support to each other, and have an outgoing sense of responsibility toward other members. As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 10:24, "Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being." This outgoing, unselfish concern for one another is what godly love is all about.
This does not mean that we should be meddling in others' private business (Proverbs 26:17; 1 Peter 4:15). But it does mean that we should have a discreet, wise and watchful concern for each other's welfare, and help in whatever way we can whether by encouragement, friendliness or other needed assistance.
The fellowshipping and sharing of ourselves with other people is how God develops His love in us. It is a power that needs to be exercised to grow. The person who chooses to not interact with others, perhaps without realizing it, cuts himself off from this vital and necessary spiritual development.
Each of us needs to realize that forsaking God's specific instruction to assemble for worship and fellowship with God's people courts serious spiritual dangers.
Remember that even in the physical human body, muscles deteriorate if they are not used. In much the same way, without exercising contact with other members of God's Church, one runs the risk of slow spiritual deterioration, perhaps even of endangering his or her salvation.
Consider this vital instruction from the apostle Paul: "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many" (1 Corinthians 12:12-14).
Paul's emphasis is on the importance of the group-not on the individual (although each member is certainly important to God). Paul goes on to liken the members of the Church to the various parts of the human physical body (which in both instances must work together so we can function properly for the accomplishment of our responsibilities).
The implications are obvious. How can individual members of God's Church work together to fulfill the goals of the Church unless they assemble regularly to worship God together?
Without the help and general guidance of and interaction with others, we can easily become unbalanced and self-centered. We need each other!
A sanctuary for truth and justice
Deceit, misrepresentation and falsification permeate religion as much as any other area of our societies. Perhaps most important of all, God's Church is where we receive biblical truth, godly instruction and discernment. As noted earlier, God's Word reveals the Church to be "the pillar and ground [foundation or mainstay] of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15).
Paul tells us that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Through His Church God provides to His true servants that needed reproof, correction, instruction and, not least, encouragement. It is the responsibility of the Church to defend God's Word—"rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15)—by using the Bible as the foundation of true knowledge.
It is easy to delude ourselves into thinking that we can stand alone—either by ourselves or in a church that teaches doctrines we know are not found in the Bible—and through our own abilities rightly interpret and understand Scripture. But because of the many complexities in the Bible and the many erroneous interpretations that can snare and mislead, we all must beware lest we be misled into accepting and believing false doctrines. Satan, as Paul warns us, appears as "an angel [messenger] of light" and he has his own ministers, many themselves deceived, who may appear to be "ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
In terms of sheer numbers Satan has been remarkably successful. The apostle John tells us that he "deceives the whole world" and that the entire world has come under his corrupting influence (Revelation 12:9; 1 John 5:19).
God's true Church is one of the few safe bulwarks against Satan's deception. While the Church doesn't have perfect knowledge and is not always free of mistakes, it continues to seek truth and understanding. Its members are encouraged to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). Each individual needs to follow the examples of the Bereans (Acts 17:11) and Ephesians (Revelation 2:2) to test and determine where and through whom God is working today.
If a religious organization is not upholding God's laws and the Bible He inspired, and if there is no spiritual light in it, then it cannot truthfully claim to be God's Church (compare Isaiah 8:20). Such a body cannot effectively carry out the work of spreading the true gospel of Jesus Christ, one of the hallmarks of God's true Church (Matthew 24:14; 28:18-20).
How much are you missing?
Christians attending such a religious body, or striving on their own without active church affiliation, miss many benefits resident in the spiritual body where God is working. Consider all the important knowledge available and the marvelous opportunities to grow in godly love and character. The personal interaction, service, offerings and prayers of God's true people demonstrate a level of godly concern that we all need, especially in times of difficulty and personal trials.
Finally, God is still instructing and adding to His spiritual body, following the example of the early New Testament Church (Acts 2:47; 11:24-26). God still works through a dedicated and properly organized group of people, just as He did even in Old Testament times (Acts 7:38).
For those who are wondering what to do, please consider carefully the matters presented in this article and set your heart to seek out God's Church and His people. Such affiliation and fellowship is commanded by God, who blesses and rewards those who respond to His instructions.
Remember too the passage, "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6). How can you do this? Seek Him the way He intended—in fellowship with His Church. GN
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
How Can You Find the Right Church?
Whether to attend church, and which one, are among the most important decisions we can make. What are key factors we should consider?
by John Ross Schroeder
The choice of churches and denominations of churches has never been greater. A dizzying supermarket of brands awaits the potential churchgoer, particularly in the United States.
To put the puzzling choices in secular terminology, supply and demand drives the religious marketplace. According to The Southern California Christian Times, "more than one out of seven adults change[s] their church each year, and another one out of six attends a carefully chosen handful of selected churches on a rotating basis rather than sticking with the same church week after week" (December 1998). Brand loyalty doesn't carry much weight.
If you were looking for a church, what would you look for? In America, where churchgoers are more fickle about their affiliation than in any other country, what do people look for in a place of worship?
Last year the George Barna research company surveyed American churchgoers about their preferences in a church. In the resulting report the top three factors were:
• Beliefs and doctrines.
• Mutual comfort and care among the members.
• The quality of the sermons.
Mentioned first were beliefs and doctrines. That is a good place to begin. From a biblical standpoint, certainly few if any other points could be as important. But we are getting a little ahead of ourselves. The first question to ask is, Should we attend church at all?
What the Bible Says
Most of our readers presumably have a great deal of respect for the Scriptures or they wouldn't be reading this magazine. But, if you are not yet quite sure about the authority of the Bible over our individual and collective lives, we invite you to request our two free booklets Is the Bible True? and How to Understand the Bible.
The New Testament admonishes Christians to assemble together regularly. One epistle specifically tells us: "... Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25).
The Old Testament expresses the same thought in the form of a command: "Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation [or 'commanded assembly,' New International Version]. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings" (Leviticus 23:3; emphasis added throughout).
In terms of choosing a church based on fundamental beliefs, observing God's Sabbath is one of the most basic—so basic that it is enshrined as one of the Ten Commandments. (If you do not understand which day is the Christian Sabbath or are unclear on its purpose and intent, please call or write for our free booklet Sunset to Sunset: God's Sabbath Rest.)
To sum up the importance of beliefs and doctrines, the Bible makes it clear that God's Church keeps His law. It is described prophetically as a group of people "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17).
Its members do not try to get around or do away with the requirements of the biblical way of life. They follow the difficult, narrow and often unpopular way mentioned by Jesus Christ, not the broad, easy path that eventually leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). Those who really want eternal life are pictured as living God's way (verse 14).
What is the Church?
Early in our study we should understand what the Church is and is not. We must first understand that the church is not a building. The glossary of the Translator's New Testament plainly tells us: " 'Church' in NT never means 'building.' It always represents either a group of committed Christians in any given locality [who] met to practice their religion, or the totality of these groups scattered throughout the world" (pp. 557-558).
The apostle Paul defines the Church as simply "the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12, 27). It is a spiritual organism, not a physical edifice or organization. Members of the Church go to the building where they meet, or a congregation meets in someone's house if the numbers are small (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 1:19), but the Church is still the spiritual Body of Christ.
By way of an analogy, Paul likens the Church to the parts of the human body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). He shows how each part is dependent on the others. Yet "by one Spirit [the Holy Spirit] we were all baptized into one body ... and have been made to drink into one Spirit" (verse 13). It doesn't make much sense for some of the membership to be separated from the rest of the Body, sitting alone at home while the rest of the Body worships together with other members of the Body.
The Same Care One for Another
The apostle Paul urged the Corinthian members to "have the same care one for another" (1 Corinthians 12:25). This is the second point mentioned by the Barna survey: mutual comfort and care.
This mutual care for one another is biblical. But it should always be remembered that our relationships with other members of the Church begin and end in our fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3, 7).
We have fellowship with each other only in and through our spiritual relationship with the Father and Jesus Christ. The first four of the Ten Commandments express our love for God, the last six our love for humankind. The apostle John points out the folly of trying to have one without the other (1 John 4:20).
The Ten Commandments embody a basic spiritual law. If you break one, spiritually speaking you have broken them all (James 2:10). We express the love of God by keeping every one of the Ten Commandments (1 John 5:3).
Expressing proper love for the membership of the Church is an awesome responsibility on the shoulders of each member. After all, Jesus Christ, the founder of the Christian Church (Matthew 16:18), did say, "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, that you have love one for another" (John 13:35). It is of utmost importance that we extend warmth and friendliness to other members of the spiritual Body that is the Church, especially to visitors and new members.
Quality of the Sermons
The quality of the sermons is mentioned as the third most-looked-for quality in the George Barna survey.
In the broadest sense this is also a supremely important point. The membership of the Church has a right to expect certain fundamental qualities from the elders' leadership. First and foremost is loyalty to the Bible and to the teachings and practices of Jesus that He taught the apostles—"the apostles' doctrine and fellowship" (Acts 2:42).
In his preaching each elder must be "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Most other versions say "rightly handling" or "rightly explaining," which is a better rendering, but perhaps the Revised English Bible has best grasped the basic sense of this passage when it expresses the need to "keep strictly to the true gospel."
The world's teachers expound many false gospels (Galatians 1:6-7; 2 Corinthians 11:4; Matthew 24:4-5). A British novelist made this comment about many 20th-century clerics: "The modern clergyman has acquired in his study of the science which I believe is called exegesis an astonishing facility for explaining things away."
Explaining things away is not a part of the preaching of a true servant of God. The ministry of the Word and prayer are his true priorities (Acts 6:4).
The apostle Paul urged Timothy: "Preach the Word; ... correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction." Why? "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear" (2 Timothy 4:2-3, New International Version).
A faithful pastor will preach the truth of God's Word, not his own ideas. A true servant of God and His people "has a boundary set for him," explained one long-time teacher. "When he enters the pulpit, he is not an entirely free man ... He is not at liberty to invent or choose his message: it has been committed to him, and it is for him to declare, expound and commend it to his hearers."
The importance of faithfulness to the Word of God cannot be overemphasized. Much less important is the preacher's particular style of speaking or even his basic ability as an orator or teacher. Most who have received a genuine call to the ministry strive to improve their effectiveness as the years go by.
Yet Another Important Factor
One more factor is simply the ability of one's church to make a difference. Said George Barna: "They want substance from their church; they want to make a difference in the world through their church."
Broadly speaking, this is another way of saying the Church is commissioned to take the good news of the Kingdom of God to the world and faithfully teach others God's way of life as Jesus commanded (Matthew 24:14; 28:18-20). Any church that is not dedicated to performing this task is seriously falling down on the job. Jesus Christ said, "You shall know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:20).
According to Mr. Barna, the sad truth is that "the Christian Church has stagnated, largely due to its comfort with routines and rituals that are neither challenging nor relevant for millions of people."
Many prospective churchgoers do desire to do a work in the world. They would like to find a church actively fulfilling Christ's command to spread the gospel in our age. But they may need some vital background knowledge to rightly evaluate which groups and organizations are obediently following Christ's command.
Of course, there is a great deal more to the overall story. The Church is a big subject well worth studying in much greater detail than can be done in any single Good News article. That is why the United Church of God has published an extensively researched booklet simply titled The Church Jesus Built. This is one of the most important booklets we have ever published.
Also, to understand the message Jesus taught, and which He commanded His Church to proclaim, please request your free copy of The Gospel of the Kingdom. Both booklets are available free of charge by contacting our office nearest you or through the literature library of our Web site at http://www.ucg.org/.
How to find the right church will entail some serious Bible study on your part. It is not a decision you should make quickly or lightly. You should search out a church that fits the true biblical model. GN
by John Ross Schroeder
The choice of churches and denominations of churches has never been greater. A dizzying supermarket of brands awaits the potential churchgoer, particularly in the United States.
To put the puzzling choices in secular terminology, supply and demand drives the religious marketplace. According to The Southern California Christian Times, "more than one out of seven adults change[s] their church each year, and another one out of six attends a carefully chosen handful of selected churches on a rotating basis rather than sticking with the same church week after week" (December 1998). Brand loyalty doesn't carry much weight.
If you were looking for a church, what would you look for? In America, where churchgoers are more fickle about their affiliation than in any other country, what do people look for in a place of worship?
Last year the George Barna research company surveyed American churchgoers about their preferences in a church. In the resulting report the top three factors were:
• Beliefs and doctrines.
• Mutual comfort and care among the members.
• The quality of the sermons.
Mentioned first were beliefs and doctrines. That is a good place to begin. From a biblical standpoint, certainly few if any other points could be as important. But we are getting a little ahead of ourselves. The first question to ask is, Should we attend church at all?
What the Bible Says
Most of our readers presumably have a great deal of respect for the Scriptures or they wouldn't be reading this magazine. But, if you are not yet quite sure about the authority of the Bible over our individual and collective lives, we invite you to request our two free booklets Is the Bible True? and How to Understand the Bible.
The New Testament admonishes Christians to assemble together regularly. One epistle specifically tells us: "... Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25).
The Old Testament expresses the same thought in the form of a command: "Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation [or 'commanded assembly,' New International Version]. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings" (Leviticus 23:3; emphasis added throughout).
In terms of choosing a church based on fundamental beliefs, observing God's Sabbath is one of the most basic—so basic that it is enshrined as one of the Ten Commandments. (If you do not understand which day is the Christian Sabbath or are unclear on its purpose and intent, please call or write for our free booklet Sunset to Sunset: God's Sabbath Rest.)
To sum up the importance of beliefs and doctrines, the Bible makes it clear that God's Church keeps His law. It is described prophetically as a group of people "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17).
Its members do not try to get around or do away with the requirements of the biblical way of life. They follow the difficult, narrow and often unpopular way mentioned by Jesus Christ, not the broad, easy path that eventually leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). Those who really want eternal life are pictured as living God's way (verse 14).
What is the Church?
Early in our study we should understand what the Church is and is not. We must first understand that the church is not a building. The glossary of the Translator's New Testament plainly tells us: " 'Church' in NT never means 'building.' It always represents either a group of committed Christians in any given locality [who] met to practice their religion, or the totality of these groups scattered throughout the world" (pp. 557-558).
The apostle Paul defines the Church as simply "the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12, 27). It is a spiritual organism, not a physical edifice or organization. Members of the Church go to the building where they meet, or a congregation meets in someone's house if the numbers are small (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 1:19), but the Church is still the spiritual Body of Christ.
By way of an analogy, Paul likens the Church to the parts of the human body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). He shows how each part is dependent on the others. Yet "by one Spirit [the Holy Spirit] we were all baptized into one body ... and have been made to drink into one Spirit" (verse 13). It doesn't make much sense for some of the membership to be separated from the rest of the Body, sitting alone at home while the rest of the Body worships together with other members of the Body.
The Same Care One for Another
The apostle Paul urged the Corinthian members to "have the same care one for another" (1 Corinthians 12:25). This is the second point mentioned by the Barna survey: mutual comfort and care.
This mutual care for one another is biblical. But it should always be remembered that our relationships with other members of the Church begin and end in our fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3, 7).
We have fellowship with each other only in and through our spiritual relationship with the Father and Jesus Christ. The first four of the Ten Commandments express our love for God, the last six our love for humankind. The apostle John points out the folly of trying to have one without the other (1 John 4:20).
The Ten Commandments embody a basic spiritual law. If you break one, spiritually speaking you have broken them all (James 2:10). We express the love of God by keeping every one of the Ten Commandments (1 John 5:3).
Expressing proper love for the membership of the Church is an awesome responsibility on the shoulders of each member. After all, Jesus Christ, the founder of the Christian Church (Matthew 16:18), did say, "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, that you have love one for another" (John 13:35). It is of utmost importance that we extend warmth and friendliness to other members of the spiritual Body that is the Church, especially to visitors and new members.
Quality of the Sermons
The quality of the sermons is mentioned as the third most-looked-for quality in the George Barna survey.
In the broadest sense this is also a supremely important point. The membership of the Church has a right to expect certain fundamental qualities from the elders' leadership. First and foremost is loyalty to the Bible and to the teachings and practices of Jesus that He taught the apostles—"the apostles' doctrine and fellowship" (Acts 2:42).
In his preaching each elder must be "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Most other versions say "rightly handling" or "rightly explaining," which is a better rendering, but perhaps the Revised English Bible has best grasped the basic sense of this passage when it expresses the need to "keep strictly to the true gospel."
The world's teachers expound many false gospels (Galatians 1:6-7; 2 Corinthians 11:4; Matthew 24:4-5). A British novelist made this comment about many 20th-century clerics: "The modern clergyman has acquired in his study of the science which I believe is called exegesis an astonishing facility for explaining things away."
Explaining things away is not a part of the preaching of a true servant of God. The ministry of the Word and prayer are his true priorities (Acts 6:4).
The apostle Paul urged Timothy: "Preach the Word; ... correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction." Why? "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear" (2 Timothy 4:2-3, New International Version).
A faithful pastor will preach the truth of God's Word, not his own ideas. A true servant of God and His people "has a boundary set for him," explained one long-time teacher. "When he enters the pulpit, he is not an entirely free man ... He is not at liberty to invent or choose his message: it has been committed to him, and it is for him to declare, expound and commend it to his hearers."
The importance of faithfulness to the Word of God cannot be overemphasized. Much less important is the preacher's particular style of speaking or even his basic ability as an orator or teacher. Most who have received a genuine call to the ministry strive to improve their effectiveness as the years go by.
Yet Another Important Factor
One more factor is simply the ability of one's church to make a difference. Said George Barna: "They want substance from their church; they want to make a difference in the world through their church."
Broadly speaking, this is another way of saying the Church is commissioned to take the good news of the Kingdom of God to the world and faithfully teach others God's way of life as Jesus commanded (Matthew 24:14; 28:18-20). Any church that is not dedicated to performing this task is seriously falling down on the job. Jesus Christ said, "You shall know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:20).
According to Mr. Barna, the sad truth is that "the Christian Church has stagnated, largely due to its comfort with routines and rituals that are neither challenging nor relevant for millions of people."
Many prospective churchgoers do desire to do a work in the world. They would like to find a church actively fulfilling Christ's command to spread the gospel in our age. But they may need some vital background knowledge to rightly evaluate which groups and organizations are obediently following Christ's command.
Of course, there is a great deal more to the overall story. The Church is a big subject well worth studying in much greater detail than can be done in any single Good News article. That is why the United Church of God has published an extensively researched booklet simply titled The Church Jesus Built. This is one of the most important booklets we have ever published.
Also, to understand the message Jesus taught, and which He commanded His Church to proclaim, please request your free copy of The Gospel of the Kingdom. Both booklets are available free of charge by contacting our office nearest you or through the literature library of our Web site at http://www.ucg.org/.
How to find the right church will entail some serious Bible study on your part. It is not a decision you should make quickly or lightly. You should search out a church that fits the true biblical model. GN
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