Have we made church more complicated than it needs to be?
On one hand, we want a church full of life, one where the people are authentic and genuinely love each other. But “life” and “authenticity” are vague terms when talking about church.
Is “life” determined by the music, how peppy it is? Is it determined by the teaching, how convicting it is? And “authenticity”—how do you know people in a church are being authentic? When they tell stories about their struggles, or when they share testimonies of what they are doing for God?
On the other hand, there are plenty of things we don’t want in a church, such as external rules, competition, and controlling leadership.
But what if none of this is what matters when it comes to knowing you are in a good church?
I am not saying it’s wrong to want life, authenticity and genuine love. Neither am I saying we should be okay with external rules, competition and controlling leadership.
What I am saying is, as I look at Scripture I see church as a movement of people all across the world being created new in Christ to shine God’s glory and push forward His purposes on earth. I see an assembly of diverse background, race, and culture totally dependent on God, interdependent on each other, independent from their past and their sin, living in the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
I see struggle and the call to unity. I see vision and the call to missions. And I see failure and the call to growth. In other words, you can know you are in a good church when church is a place you can grow, fill a need, and remain in hardship.
A Place You Can Grow
Can you grow in your church? Some of us may need to ask the question, “Am I encouraged to grow in my church?”
If a body of believers is stagnant and resistant to change, it may be difficult to grow. In the same way, if a church is comfortable and seems to have things together, it may also be difficult to grow.
Growth demands a certain level of friction. Not necessarily conflict, although because we are a broken people there will be conflict. But are the people in your church so desperate for God, freedom from sin, and harmony among each other that there is a sense of uneasiness with where things are at? This doesn’t have to be bad. I am not talking about complaining, I am talking about longing for more.
Paul wrote the book of Ephesians to a group of people struggling for oneness in a time full of racial and religious animosity. For the first time, ever, Gentiles were able to receive the same inheritance, be welcomed into the same family, and gain the same blessing as Jews. This made for plenty of friction, as you can imagine.
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So, Paul begins the letter by taking a look back at where everyone started: dead in Christ (Eph. 2:1). He reminds both groups of their origin. Then he recounts how God, while they were dead, made them alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:5). He goes on to explain how, as a body, they make up a temple for God’s presence to dwell in (Eph. 2:21-22).
In chapter three, Paul begins turning a corner from explaining where humanity came from and what God is doing to showing how God has planned for the untied body of believers to reveal to spiritual authorities the wisdom of God (Eph. 3:10). The Gospel (that Christ unites all of humanity and makes it new and able to receive the same blessing from God) is made known through the church.
“For this reason,” Paul says, “[I pray that God] may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19)
Church needs to be a place of growth, strengthening with power through the Holy Spirit in our inner being so that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. And as we grow, we make known the wisdom of God.
A Place You Can Fill a Need
Can you fill a need in your church? Some of us may need to ask the question, “Am I trying to fill a need in my church?”
Paul goes on to explain how God has given everyone gifts “to equip the saints for the work of ministry and building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:7, 11-12). God is creating a new humanity in Christ, not just to enjoy and bask in His pleasure, but to shine His glory and push forward His purposes on earth.
Are you participating in the movement? Are you actively serving the movement by helping to equip the saints for the work of ministry? Are you able to serve if you wanted to?
Following are just a few ways believers could fill a need in their local church:
- See a bunch of youth standing around after church? Engage them, get to know them, and start a Bible study with them.
- Has God laid a burden on your heart for a particular people or area of town (country) that doesn’t have a Gospel presence? Round up some friends and take it there.
- Do you see a lack of organization, important pieces (or people) falling through the cracks because the leadership is too busy (or perhaps because nobody else sees it)? Get to know the leadership and ask if you can help in any way.
Remember that others may not see the same needs you do, and it’s not because people are dead and uninterested in outreach. It is simply because God has chosen you to be a part of the movement and to serve by filling the needs He opens your eyes to.
A Place You Can Remain in Hardship
Can you remain at your church in hardship? Some of us may need to ask the question, “Am I okay with people remaining who I may not agree with?”
Paul emphasizes in Ephesians that there is one body, one Spirit (Eph. 4:4). His point was there is not a Jewish body and a Gentile body. There is not those who receive all of God’s blessing and then those who receive some of God’s blessing. It is all one in Christ.
Therefore, having been made one in Christ, put away falsehood, do not sin in your anger, don’t give the devil an opportunity, don’t steal, don’t slander each other. Instead, speak truth to one another, share with those in need, and build each other up (Eph. 4:25-29). Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit by fighting and bickering with each other. Instead, let bitterness, anger, slander and hatred be put away. Be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving (Eph. 4:30-32).
The Gospel is not revealed through church splits and people leaving in the middle of conflict. Neither is it revealed in just hanging out with our best friends.
If you cannot remain (and sometimes you truly can’t), then you have not found a good church. At the same time, remaining in hardship is a hard thing to do, indeed. But that’s when the Gospel is made known to the world around us.
When people who groan inwardly, even though they have the “first fruits of the Spirit” (Ro. 8:23), stick together and glorify God in the process of reconciliation (2Co. 5:21), the spiritual authorities of this world see the “manifold wisdom of God” (Eph. 3:10).
The Church is a movement of people all across the world being created new in Christ to shine God’s glory and push forward His purposes on earth. Being a part of a local body is the initial expression of our involvement in this worldwide movement. We can know we have found (or are a part of) a good church when it is a place we can grow, fill a need, and remain in hardship.
Have you found a good church? If these guiding principles have helped bring clarity in knowing what a good church looks like, I invite you to share this post with your friends. (You can use the buttons on the bottom of your screen to share it.) Also, feel free to leave a comment and tell your story of church so far. God bless!
