Gaging health in the local church is one of the favorite chatters of our culture. Sadly, because the word of God has fallen to a guide or tool rather than the authority, anyone can search and find plenty of pundits giving measurable scales to health. The difference in my thoughts today is that I want so submit to scripture, not culture, not tradition (beware of people who use this word for anything), not history, but the immutable word that demands our time. (Sadly, I won’t exhaust the text either… for fear or perfection will tarry the completion of these thoughts and render them silent.) This will not be exhaustive nor will it be inclusive of all areas and it should clearly be understood that a healthy church is wrought with problems, trials, complaints, pain and failure because people are the church. The gospel overcomes these things. So, any church that is so perfect is no church at all.
PEOPLE
Is your church comprised of people? Are you able to see that the very blood flow of your congregation is the people? Remember, any church that is not people is not a church. The term church means called out ones, not place people go. Your church should emphasize the family of God ALL THE TIME and when it appears that programs and property are the point, your church is not just unhealthy but dead.
Are people cared for, prayed for, lived with? Do you find that you are drawn to individuals who give up their time and passions for you? Are you doing the same? Is the culture of your church able to continue doing all it does if everything stops but life? The point of the Cross was to purchase a people and sadly we have lost sight of that. Are you just a leader investing in some portion of something that you are told to “plug” people in?
Paul prays for the people, never what the church is doing. The point of being the church is for the church to grow up in Christ and in love with each other as the LEARN Christ so that they may be filled with all the fullness of God. “[17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, [18] may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, [19] and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19 ESV)
PREACHING
Is the preaching teaching you things? Are you learning scripture? Test your doctrine for a minute. What is the meaning of justification? How has Christ propitiated your sin? Describe the eternal nature of Jesus Christ and how all the New Testament letters reveal it. What attribute of God is most dear to you in worship?
Having problems? Then you have never been taught scripture because all scripture in its context reveals these things at its core. Does your pastor preach the text or does he use the text to provide answers to his outline? Are you in AWE of the God of Heaven and His glory? Are you more moved by the special music than the word of God? Is Scripture utilized to make the preacher’s point but cannot be found in the context of the passage? Are you equipped to LOVE CHRIST, LOVE HIS CHURCH and throw this world away after the sermon is done? Now don’t shoot me because I am appealing to “feeling” or outcome? A good biblical sermon could be given and the heart of the hearer could be cold. The point? Is the preaching pointing to Christ’s WORD or the preacher’s word?
Is your church centered on understanding scripture, being trained in righteousness, learning to APPLY the Gospel among the life of the church? Is the only time you hear any Good News is at the end of service followed by some human condition to salvation or a heart-tugged missionary story? Do visual aids, skits, object lessons or stories make the points that Scripture should? What do you remember about God and His infinite glory? Do you know the God of the bible? After all, knowing God and His Son IS ETERNAL LIFE! (John 17) Run from such so-called preaching that rings anything but Scriptural power and glory. Run.
PURPOSE
What does your church exist? Do you know? Is it the primary focus of all things that happen among you? Are programs done in the name of “reaching” the lost but no lost are reached? Are you busy busy busy with everything to the point of being tired and then told to not grow weary in the Lord’s work? Are you able to really see the Gospel foundation as the walls and trusses of all that is done in the name of Christ? Will the work done in the lives of people effectively result in ETERNAL FRUIT? Look at these two texts and see what you think:
[10] According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. [11] For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—[13] each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. [14] If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. [15] If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ESV)
[1] Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. [2] But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. [3] And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. [4] In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [5] For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. [6] For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:1-6 ESV)
Is GOD’S GLORY the ultimate purpose of all things? Are you SHOWN God’s ineffable majesty and does the life of your church REVEAL Him? Some gathered people say that every engagement is for the sake of pointing people to Christ or creating a relationship with Christ. This purpose, while honorable on the exterior is usually void of any solid preaching of God’s word thus removing any possibility of salvation from any participant. People are saved ONLY by the word of God being given to their ears when the mercy of God gives them hearing. (Romans 10:17)
The church exists for the purpose of God’s glory. Period.
PLANNING
What is your church known for? Asking anyone in the community will reveal the planning of ministry that will birth from the purpose. So, is your congregation known for having cool events? A school? A wonderful children’s ministry? A great music program? How is it that the body of the Risen Christ are to be about HIS business but very few professing churches are actually in the business of Christ at all? For many, the calendar will prove whose they are. If a church takes more time to administrate events that in preparation for learning Christ together it may be a very clear sign that the church is dead.
POWER
In reality, is your church powerful? Are those who are your family among you enable to live with power, joy, exultation, satisfaction and grace? The power of God is ALWAYS evident among His people who are healthy. The power of God in JOY is visible. The POWER of God is effectual and the church that is His will have AFFECTION for Him through His Spirit given through HIS WORD ALONE! If a church is powerless and is easily identified as successful by the work of men and human invention, then not only is the church you attend very very ill, it is not a church at all. May the Lord grant you power to know and see and understand the vastness of His merciful affection toward His people in Jesus Christ! May you run to the the Lord Jesus and escape all traditions that encapsulate the essence of humanism including those so-called Evangelical and Protestant gatherings who are nothing more than liberal Romans.
Mercy,
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