“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers... And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:41-42, 47, NKJV)
“Let us not neglect our church meetings as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25, TLB)
God’s plan for your life includes the Church! With all the criticism hurled against it—and some of it is deserved—the Church is still God’s organization for accomplishing His will on earth. Persons who oppose the Church make themselves enemies of God. The professing Christian who neglects the Church is guilty of holding God in contempt.
What Is the Church?
The Church is the Building of God. (Ephesians 2:21; I Corinthians 3:9) God’s main business in history is that of building His Church. In the ancient times He called out a people in whom He might manifest His glory and through whom He might speak to the world. In these times He has a covenant sealed in the Blood of His own Son with a people in whom He would put His Spirit and Life and Power.
The Church is the Body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12; Colossians 1:18) He is the Head of the Body, and with each believing and obeying member He shares His Life. Through the Church our Risen Lord works out His redemptive and eternal purposes.
The Church is the Bride of Christ. (Ephesians 5:25; II Corinthians 11:2) He gave Himself for His Church. Like a Bridegroom toward his Bride, Christ has pledged to love and protect His beloved. He demands faithfulness on the part of each follower. He has promised to come again for those who prove true and catch them away to The Marriage Supper of the Lamb!
But His spiritual body must take visible form. The Church must be organized. Whether it belongs to a national, independent, or denominational organization, the local Christian cell or congregation is the most vital body for the individual Christian.
God has called you to be a part of the Building, the Body, and the Bridehood of Christ. The Church was purchased by the Blood of Christ and brought to birth by the Holy Spirit, and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against” it. So, do not allow the critics on the outside nor the hypocrites on the inside to keep you from becoming a member of the congregation that represents the Body of Christ!
Which Church is Right?
What Church should I join? Well, the Bible is not going to tell you what denomination to affiliate with, but the Holy Spirit will lead you in your selection of a Church. The Bible does show us an example in the Early Church as pictured in the Book of Acts.
Join a Church where the Word is preached! Social action groups and studies in psychology and intellectual calisthenics all have their place, but if these form the big show where you are trying to find spiritual food, move on fast! Go where the minister preaches the Bible with his or her soul as well as his or her mind. Only the person of God whose heart, mind, and life are judged by the Word can feed your soul.
Join a Church where Bible doctrines are taught without apology! Don’t get trapped in a faithless environment where good men and women apologize for the directness of such Christian doctrines as God, Sin, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the New Birth, Sanctification, the Second Coming, Death, Hell, and the Judgment.
Join a Church where Christian love and fellowship find warm expression. You need to be loved, and you must give love. You must have a sense of belonging. Christians must accept you as you are, and you must accept your fellow members as they are. If you cannot feel strongly that mutual acceptance, then you are trying to adopt the wrong family.
Join a Church that requires something of you! There are plenty of religious clubs around that will let you off easy, if that is what you want. They will let you enroll and then let you alone. But a Bible-centered, Christ-worshiping, Spirit-filled Church will make some demands of its members. From the pulpit, by its discipline and through the programs introduced, the Church must expect discipline, devotion, loyalty, time, regularity, creativity, and finances from its members.
Join a Church that really makes an event of its services! If you are going to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, you need to belong to a Church that makes its services the most important hours of the week in the lives of its people. The pastor and staff must pray, plan, and present the entire order under the leadership of the Spirit. Every portion must be put to the test of prayer beforehand and surrendered to the Holy Spirit during the service itself. You will be able to look forward to such an event with joy and bring your guests with delight.
Join a Church that believes in the leadership of the Holy Spirit! Who seems to be sovereign? –-The pastor? The Church Board? A few influential laymen? Or the Holy Spirit? If the Holy Spirit is allowed freedom, then the Church will be free. The atmosphere will be spiritual. There will be love. There will be power. There will be an element of the supernatural. You can make it in such a fellowship.
Join a Church that is strong in evangelism! If you were not already a Christian, could you get saved in that Church? Can you bring men and women to Jesus Christ in the Church where you are trying to worship? The Church must employ many methods of evangelism, for example, pulpit evangelism, personal evangelism, group evangelism, and fellowship evangelism.
Join a Church that invests in world missions! It must be interested in the person next door, but it must also give financially to evangelize the underprivileged continents and areas of the world. Do not hold out on world missions.
Yes, Join the Church! Do not be a spiritual orphan or a religious vagabond. Join the family of God. Belong! Get registered in officially. Take on both the opportunities and the blessings of a Church home. Of course, you are going to be disappointed with some of your new brothers and sisters. You will probably be shocked to learn that the Lord does not seem to have complete control of a few of them. You have started to follow Jesus. Launch out into the deep. Fellowship with those members who have depth, balance, and complete commitment to Christ.
Yes, Join the Church, anyway! You cannot afford to waste your time and wear yourself out in a futile search for the perfect Church. In spite of the fact that the Church is called unto Holiness, you will discover that every believer has his or her imperfections—and this includes you. But we can remember and remind each other, “God isn’t through with us yet!” So, pray for the Spirit to do His cleansing and polishing in your Christian life.
And, Yes, Stay in the Church! You have been accepted into the family of God. You have adopted the membership, and they are your brothers and sisters. You have adopted the Pastor and he or she is your shepherd. You have adopted the doctrines of the Word, and they have formed your way. You have adopted the programs of the Church, and they become your ministry. For all of this life and throughout eternity, you will rejoice that you are part of the family of God!
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