Ten Marks Of A Biblical Church: Part 2

Ten Marks Of A Biblical Church
PART 2

Last month, we considered the first three marks of a biblical church – anointed teaching, concern for the lost, and cultural relevance. In this issue we conclude by looking at the remaining seven marks.

4. Authentic
We need to commit ourselves to a church that is authentic. Jesus Christ told His followers, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Mt. 26:38). We have to be amazed at the vulnerability of Jesus. It’s one thing to swallow our pride and tell someone things aren’t so good in our lives, but here’s the sinless Son of God telling His closest companions He’s grieved “to the point of death.”

Our Savior set the standard for authenticity. When we’re gathered together there shouldn’t be any pretense or hypocrisy. We need to be real and honest. How can we care for each other when we’re pretending to be something we’re not, or that we’ve got our whole life in order?

Paul wrote, “Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Eph. 4:25). There is so much pretense in the world; they’re even painting grandstand seats so that on TV they look like people are sitting in them. Who can we trust? People looking for authenticity should be able to find it in the Church.

5. Servant-Oriented
We need to commit to a church that operates as a community of servants using their spiritual gifts. When we become Christians we become part of the worldwide Church (Acts 2:47) made up of every Christian since Pentecost. This is our positional membership. But Acts and the Epistles tell us how to be an active member of a local church. This is our participating membership. There’s nothing in the Bible about being a positional member only.

The Bible verses on spiritual gifts tell us that every Christian has a ministry, a calling to do something in the Church (Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4). Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be great must be your servant” (Mk. 10:43). He demonstrated this when He washed the disciples’ feet: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example” (Jn. 13:14-15). In an achievement-oriented world – where success means recognition, power and perks – Jesus redefined greatness. It’s servanthood!

When all of us in a local church use our spiritual gifts, have a servant mind-set, and “live together in unity” (Ps. 133:1), that’s when a diverse group becomes a powerful unit for God, for His kingdom and for His glory.

6. Loving Relationships
We need to commit to a church where loving relationships permeate every aspect of life. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn. 13:34-35). Paul said serving is useless if we don’t serve in love (1 Cor. 13:1-3).

It is reported that the leading cause of divorce is not sex, but boredom. And by age 35 over 80% say that they hate their jobs. Life for many people is not only sinful, it’s also dead. But the message for Christians is, “When you were dead ... God made you alive” (Col. 2:13). And “the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead ... will also give life to your mortal bodies” (Rom. 8:11). We have been made alive to love – to feel the suffering and joy of those around us. When we love like that we’re alive.

The Good News is that our Savior not only forgives our sins but presents us before the Father, “without blemish and free from accusation” (Col. 1:22). When He does this, He gets rid of the junk in our lives so we can really care about others. When God is in our lives He enables us to touch others. God came to create a kingdom of people equipped to love. And the love He equips us with will change lives. A local church that knows how to love will have an enormous impact on the world around it.

7. Small Groups
We also need to commit ourselves to a church that realizes that life-change happens in small groups. At Pentecost, “those who accepted the message were baptized and about 3000 were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:41). Can you imagine the excitement, emotion and joy! They were saved, but now they needed discipling. So did they do it in one large group? No! “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer ... in the temple courts ... and in their homes” (Acts 2:42,46). Small groups were an integral part of life in the early church.

Those in a small group not only keep each other accountable, but also care for, help, support and encourage each other. When some church planters were asked what they would do differently, they all said they “would start small groups earlier.” Life change and spiritual growth happen best in small groups of people who care for and help each other. That’s discipleship.

8. Striving For Excellence
We need to commit to a church which honors God and inspires people by striving for excellence. Paul wrote, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord” (Col. 3:17). And God warned, “I am not pleased with you ... you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals ... as sacrifices” (Mal. 1:10,14). God wants our best.

When someone asked a mother in India why she was sacrificing her child to be drowned in the Ganges River, she replied, “My god deserves my best.” Our God deserves our best because it honors Him. No one likes to be part of something that fails, is mediocre or embarrassing. But people love to be part of that which seeks to be excellent because striving for excellence is inspiring. Strive for excellence, not perfection. Give God your best.

9. Recognizing Leadership
We also need to commit to a church that recognizes and uses those with leadership gifts: “If a man’s gift is ... leadership, let him govern diligently” (Rom. 12:6,8). God’s people should be led by those gifted in leadership; and taught by gifted teachers; and encouraged in prayer by those with the gift of intercession; and cared for in small groups by those with the gifts of mercy and encouragement; and inspired to reach out to others by those with the gift of evangelism. The Bible refers to the local church as a body, and if every part of the body is active in doing what it does best, the body will be healthy.

10. Devoted To Christ
Finally, we need to commit to a church where full devotion to Christ and His cause is the desire of every member. Solomon was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father was King David and his mother was the beautiful Bathsheba. He took over the kingdom when it was most powerful and most peaceful. On top of this, God gave him great wisdom and wealth. He owed everything to God. Yet Solomon died a miserable old man, far away from living for and serving the God who gave him so much. He ended up worshiping false gods, and eventually his entire kingdom was torn apart.

What went wrong? What was at the root of Solomon’s collapse? The Bible says that “his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been” (1 Ki. 11:4). What does “not fully devoted” mean? Does it mean only 50%, 75% or 95%? Reading about Solomon’s life we discover that it was probably more like 95% devoted to God. But that’s still 5% short.

It ought to be the desire in any church that all members would be fully devoted to Christ, committing themselves totally to Him. And this isn’t a one-time commitment, but a daily surrender in every area of life.

Catch The Vision
If we can envision a church with these ten marks, then we’ll be better able to carry out the Great Commission God has given us: to reach the unchurched with His unconditional love and forgiveness, and turn them into disciples (Mt. 28:19-20). Let God excite you with a vision of such a church.

We all need to commit to God’s plan for us, to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and spirit – to let His love, compassion and care flow from us to lost and searching people. We need to commit to purity. We need to commit to the long haul – even when there are obstacles, opposition and rejection – but know that this will be balanced by times when God blesses us so much that we’ll be overcome with emotion.

We won’t be perfect. There will be pendulum swings. The truth of God’s love must be taught against the backdrop of His justice and holiness. There will be mistakes. There will be people who reject our help and leave us disillusioned and hurt. As with anything touched by human hands, there will be a downside. But we’ll also see a significant movement of God.

There is nothing like the local church when it’s working well. (See Rom. 12:9-18 below.) When churches are fully engaged in fulfilling their redemptive potential, the lost get found, the confused find truth, and lives are changed for eternity. What other endeavor is worthy of our effort?

By Colin Tizzard

Next month look for a new Series entitled, “What Happens If We Reject The Creator?”