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The Nuts and Bolts #
How can we tell whether it is time to quit our church and look for a scriptural one as more and more congregations become apostates?
From what we can learn from church history, there are three things any church should have. These are expository sermons on the Bible as God’s inspired Word to train the believers and equip them. Secondly, the discipline in the church must be realised with love, care and truth. Finally, every church must include the sacraments, which include the Lord’s Supper or Communion.
Matthew 28:18-20 — Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Apart from the teaching of God’s Word, church discipline, and the Lord’s Supper (regularly), the church must also include baptism and the laying of hands. This is because even Jesus was baptised, though He was sinless and it was to complete all righteousness. Any church that recognises Jesus as its leader needs to have these basics. If your church is lacking any of these characteristics, you may want to look elsewhere.
There Will Be No Expositional Sermons #
In the event that the Word of God is not spoken or taught from the pulpit, then the flock will perish from lack of food. Believers are like sheep that require access to fresh grass and water, and they must regularly consume God’s Word in order to thrive.
We must grow in grace, wisdom and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:18 — But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on that eternal day.
And, God’s Word has power:
Romans 1:16 — For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Many have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God which proves the saving power of God’s Word.
1 Peter 1:23 — You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.
The Scriptures also tell us that God has even declared that we are protected by the power of God.
1 Peter 1:5 — who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
2 Timothy 3:16 — All Scripture is breathed forth by God and useful for teaching, reproof, correcting, and training in righteousness; the Spirit is the Author of the Word, and together they work for our salvation.
Rather than relying on the opinions of others, we are to teach and preach the Word itself. It is time to leave the church if the teachings and sermons are not based on biblical doctrine.
2 Timothy 4:2 — Preach the message, be ready whether it is convenient or not, reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and instruction.
Lack of Authority #
If your brother has wronged you, “go and tell him his fault,” Jesus said.
Jesus has a deep understanding of us since He made us. He foresees the necessity for discipline in all of us and therefore instituted church discipline. Then, find a quiet moment with the individual and discuss the gravity of their sin with them (like adultery, public drunkenness, abuse charges, etc.).
Matthew 18:15-16 — “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.
If your first approach does not work, you should bring along two or three witnesses to substantiate your case according to the Scriptures.
Deuteronomy 19:15 — A single witness may not testify against another person for any trespass or sin that he commits. A matter may be legally established only on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
2 Corinthians 13:1 — This is the third time I am coming to visit you. By the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter will be established.
Two or three, and not a gang.
Paul’s teaching on church discipline is consistent with what Jesus taught. As an example, we are to “tell it to the church” if the sinful church member does not repent after hearing the evidence from two or three witnesses. Let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector if he will not listen to the church.
Matthew 18:17 — If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.
If the church agrees, then God must also approve.
Matthew 18:18-20 — “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
Disconnecting the fellowship with them is necessary because Jesus is seeking to present His bride to the groom in the best possible light, and sexual immorality in particular disgraces the Bride of Christ. In fact, God wants the offending member to repent for their own welfare. They will never repent if they are permitted to continue worshipping in their sinful state, and the Bride of Christ will never be brought to the Lamb in her purity. This solution benefits the church and the offending member equally. Going to your brother or sister in their time of need is the ultimate gesture of brotherly or sisterly love.
The Absence of Doctrinal Institutions #
In other words, “Take; this is my body… This is the New Covenant Blood that I have shed.
Every biblical church should observe Communion on a regular basis, as we are taught to “Do this in memory of Him.”
1 Corinthians 11:24 — and after he had given thanks he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Each time we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we announce His death until He returns in glory by remembering His broken body and shedding His blood. Those who partake “in an unworthy way” will be “guilty concerning the flesh and blood of the Lord,” as the commandment warns us.
1 Corinthians 11:27 — For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord i n an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
First, let him examine himself; then let him partake of the bread and the cup. A person who consumes food and drink without considering their physical condition passes moral judgement on themselves.
1 Corinthians 11:28-29 — A person should examine himself first, and in this way let him eat the bread and drink of the cup. For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and drinks judgment against himself.
Evidently, some people who accepted it in an unworthy way and failed to properly observe His great sacrifice perished.
1 Corinthians 11:30 — That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead.
To this list, I would add baptism, which is mandated by God not as a means to salvation but as a testimony that one has already attained salvation.
In Closing #
It is time to go elsewhere for spiritual nourishment if your local church does not have regular preaching from the Bible, any kind of church discipline, or the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism. Jesus, not we, is the Head of the Church, thus we must live in accord with His design for the Church as seen in the Bible.
Colossians 1:17-18 — He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him. He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.
Let us warn the world of God’s love, sacrifice, and impending judgement and get on with our Father’s work. We have a responsibility to share the good news that Jesus Christ is able to save sinners and give them everlasting life.
Acts 4:12 — And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.”
I mean, if not us, then who?
Blessings,
Shaliach.
