Have you been looking for the true church? Have you searched for the perfect church? Are you trying to restore the New Testament church? For me years it was these things that drove me until God revealed to me that all churches are messed up therefore you couldn’t find a perfect one, even in history. It was a special experience of revelation. He had been saying it all along in His word. It just took me a long time to realize it. Here are a few observations about this that have been rattling around in my brain and heart lately.
Nowhere in God’s word is the ideal (complete, perfect, etc.) church ever mentioned except in the universal sense like in Matthew 16:18 , Ephesians 1:22-23 etc.). Every local church mentioned in scripture had serious problems. Every leader had serious flaws. Check it out for yourself. Maybe I missed something.
I have concluded that all churches are messed up in some way. This truth is really important in coming to understand the kingdom of God and our part in it. All churches are messed up. 1st century churches, churches in the middle ages and 21st century churches are all messed up to some degree.
No, this is not about church bashing. It’s about understanding who and what we are.
Christ’s churches in the first century had all sorts of problems. When you list them this really does hit you. And yet they were all still Christ’s church. Problems with ……
Toleration of sexual immorality (1 Cor 5:1-6) – they were even proud of it!
Holding to false teachings (Rev 2:14)
Divisive behaviour (1 Cor 1:10-13)
False beliefs about the future resurrection of our bodies (1 Cor 15:12 ff)
Taking believers to court (1 Cor 6:1-9)
Marriage and divorce (1 Cor 7)
Luke warm attitude to Christ (Rev 3:14-22)
And these are only a few of the many that are mentioned. Yet, in all this the message of Jesus was for each person in these churches to turn back to Jesus and to do what He wants them to do.
He never treated them as anything other than His family, His church, His kingdom.
Our fellowship in Christ is based upon our relationship with Jesus. It is in that relationship with Jesus that we get our relationship to each other. The foundational common bond we have is between each of us and Jesus. We may not agree of everything (or even many things) but we do agree on who is the king, who is our saviour. Because of this, we share some common things. We don’t have to figure out what those things are. God already has and here is His list.
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:3-6, NIV.
Often, I am asked, “What does your church believe?” My answer varies. Sometimes I say, “My church is not my church. It is Jesus’ church. We believe what Jesus says.” Other times I say, “We do not have a creed or list of beliefs. We just believe what the Bible teaches.” At another time I might inform the questioner of the fact that churches do not believe. Individuals believe. “I can tell you what I believe or what the leaders believe, but I would encourage you to read the Bible for yourself and believe what God says in that.
At other times I turn to the Ephesians 4 passage about and say, “Here are the foundational beliefs of God’s Kingdom.”
Here is another list of things. These are things that are never mentioned in God’s word as being foundational for a church to be Christ’s church or are mentioned as specifically having nothing to do with it.
Worship style – old songs, new songs, upbeat songs, praise songs. Never spoken of as key to our being Christ’s church.
Use of instruments – I advocate acapella singing but I have got to have enough humility and submission to God’s word to recognize that use or non use was never taught to be a barrier to fellowship in Christ’s church.
Organizational pattern.
Which hymnal or songbook a churches uses.
Signing a human written document to establish unity.
What you eat or drink.
Drinking of alcohol, although drunkenness is forbidden.
Doctrines outside those mentioned in Ephesians 4. This doesn’t mean that we don’t strive to learn all the teachings of God, but that we have a lot of grace as we all search for those truths.
Which movement within the kingdom you subscribe to.
Politics of the day.
Owning a church building.
Having a kitchen in the church building. If you don’t know about this one, be glad that you don’t.
Methods of evangelism and discipleship.
Yet, in the history of believers in Jesus, all these things (and many others) have been used as the criteria to say that a particular church is not faithful, which is often a euphemism for “not being a true church of Jesus”.
I am not advocating or denying any of these things (although I have opinions of each of them). I am just saying that these things are not meant by God to be the basis for our place in the kingdom, the family of God. How can I be so sure? Because God’s word never uses them that way.
Each person has the opportunity to enter the kingdom of God. This entry is made possible by two things.
1. God absolute power to forgive all our sins (past, present and future) based on the punishment Jesus suffered for all these sins in His death on the cross. Don’t believe me. Read it for yourself. “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:22-26, NIV.
2. Our faith response in choosing to be born again. Again, read it for yourself. “In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”” John 3:3, NIV. “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” John 3:5, NIV. “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” Acts 2:38, 39, NIV.
At its core, church isn’t about you or me. It’s about Jesus and you. Jesus first and you and I second. Church isn’t about loyalty to leaders or faithfulness to traditions. Church is about each of us being born again and helping as many others to experience that rebirth. Church is about discovering what part of the body of Christ, the kingdom of God you are and fulfilling God’s plan for you.
The question we are really trying to answer is framed a different way when the religious leaders of the day tried to trap Jesus in a doctrinal question. What is the most important thing? Jesus is very clear. He doesn’t say all commands of God are equally important. He says there are two. Love God and love people. This is what defines God’s people. Again, this is my particular focus. It is the focus of Christ as expressed clearly in Matthew 22:34-40.
No local church will ever fulfill our desire to be in the perfect one here on earth. That’s okay. That’s the way God planned it. Don’t you think God knew that the Corinthian church was going to have all those problems? Don’t you think Jesus knew that the local church you are a part of was going to have the problems it has? Yes, He did.
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