What To Look For In A Church

What should we look for in a church, is the right question. And, being the right question, it deserves a right answer. To go to the “court of public opinion”, will produce such a variety of opinions, so as to make a right answer obscure. But to get the right answer, we must not look to man, but rather seek unto God.

The rightness of a church is not found in that which man approves of, but in that which God is the author of. In almost every case, what pleases men will be the opposite of that which is right with God. For example, Jesus Christ is the Founder, Builder, and Head of the New Testament Church, yet the Jesus Christ of the Bible…“He is despised and rejected of men.” Isaiah 53:3

The concern of a New Testament Church is not with pleasing man, but in being approved of by God: “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

The ministry of the New Testament Church is not to entice people through attractions, but is to preach the Word: “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The mainstay of the New Testament Church is sound doctrine, not self-gratification: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” SO, “Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:3,2

The beauty of a New Testament Church is seen in her spiritual and moral purity, according to the standards of God’s Word: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27

“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets.” Luke 6:26

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The Covenant Of Love

The Church Covenant of the Faith Baptist Church is a covenant of true Christian love:

“…we do now, in the presence of God and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.”
–Thus the basic element of church membership is to be bonded to the Body (each other and the whole assembly), allied to each other, jealous for and loyal to the promotion of the church. The fundamental of church membership is to think and do what is expedient for the church, to glorify God by not giving any offense to the church, 1 Corinthians 10:31-32.

“…We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Ghost, to walk together in Christian love…”
–Thus the maintenance of our relationship with the Body in the warmth and care of Christian love, is to supersede all other interests and concerns: “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.” “And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” 1 Corinthians 12:25,21 It is just basic understanding to realize that the Lord’s work in and through His Body, is done through promoting each other in Christian love.

“We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love…”
–This is to exclude contempt and arouse concern. Parents watch over their children in selfless love. The emphasis of real love is endearment to the extent that alienation cannot gain control, for if alienation enters in, the caring will cease. Real love is fed more by a personal sense of responsibility than by appealing passion. Church members are debtors to watch over one another in brotherly love.

“…to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech..”
–The grassroots level of church membership requires the elimination of high-mindedness and conceit. A person must perceive others as being more worthy than themselves. “…in honor preferring one another; Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.” Romans 12:10,16 “…in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3

“…to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Saviour to secure it without delay”
–Church membership must be cherished to the extent one does not allow resentments, offenses and indifferences of any sort to set in. We must remain committed to the covenant of love. “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17

Only by embracing the covenant of love do we remain. Otherwise, it is like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. BE WISE!

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Are You Going To Heaven?

“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Luke 13:24

STRAIT (not the word “straight”) = restricted, confined, to God’s way.

THE ANSWER: “Jesus saith unto him, I AM the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

You may say, “But surely everyone understands this, don’t they?” WRONG!!

On the matter of going to heaven, people are still relying on things such as: “Well, I try to be a good neighbor and help out where I can; I try to make a difference with what I have to do with.” And “Well, I believe there are good people in all religions – and as long as we are sincere and do the best we can, what else is there?”

But none of these and many other ideas even acknowledge that there is such a thing as a strait gate. Rather, it is as if no gate is needed to get into heaven, but that it lies before all of us, and all we have to do is just walk our own way right into heaven!

Let us consider the possibilities of any going to heaven apart from the strait gate.

The access to heaven is only by the strait gate, or it isn’t. That gate is either strait, or it isn’t. Christ either told the truth, or He lied. This writer is going to say, let Christ be true and all who do not accept His message are the liars. The fact is, no one is in heaven, is going to heaven, or will go to heaven except by the strait gate.

God’s Word is clear – “There is none righteous, no, not one. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10, 23) “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:50) Thus, we see that the strait gate is not any of the ways of man, because no man has the righteousness or the means to make the strait gate. If man could make it, it would not be strait (only available by God’s means.)

Even before sin entered the human race, mankind was not an heir of God’s heaven and there was no possibility of any man going there by any right or means of his own. Since man had no way to go to heaven before sin, how much less after he sinned and came under the condemnation of sin!

So, God provided the strait gate. God was not willing that sinful man perish, so HE SENT HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON to earth to not only die for our sins that we perish not, but to also offer Himself to God for us to be made acceptable to God by His Divine righteousness and person. Thus the strait gate, man going to heaven, by way of God having accepted Christ’s offering for him – a joint heir with Christ! This is unto all, but only upon them that believe in this way.

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Railers

Since the purpose of those who follow Christ is: “…that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3) Those who promote conflict and strife are railers, not disciples.

The railer is proud, self-exalted and self-justified, declaring that his difference of opinion is the road to greater insight. But to think that diversity of opinion and challenging sound doctrine is the pathway of enlightenment, is in itself an admission that one knows not the truth of God.

When it comes to right and wrong, it is not debate that settles the question, but de-BIBLE! It is not private interpretation(s) (2 Peter 1:19-21), but repentance unto the acknowledging of God’s truth (2 Timothy 2:23-26). It is not self-assertion, but self-denial, that enables discipleship (Luke 9:23-24). Jesus Christ affirmed, “Not my will, but thine be done.”

Each person contending for their own opinion, rather than forsaking their thoughts and their ways in repentance, to come to God’s thoughts and God’s ways, is on the broad road to destruction: Proverbs 16:25 – “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Jeremiah 10:23, Romans 3:11)

When man brings forward his own contentions, rather than repenting unto being converted to child like faith in God’s Word:
–this manifests the enmity of the natural mind against God: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7
–this demonstrates the inability of sinful nature to discern spiritual things: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

In the Garden of Eden, Satan presented himself as “the angel of light” to inform Eve that she would have to look beyond what God’s Word said to find what was best for her. “…if any man…is a railer…with such an one no not to eat.” 1 Corinthians 5:11

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No Double Standard, Please!

“The law made nothing perfect” (Hebrews 7:19), but pointed all to the need to be made righteous by faith in the merits of the substitution offering (which was a type of Christ to come.) The law was not the means of righteousness, but by the law was the knowledge of sin, Romans 7:7.

The detail of the law got into every person’s life. The letter of the law exposed impurities and sin in everyone. It required them to offer a sacrifice in order to be justified before God.

The whole system of the Old Testament taught the fact that all have sin, none are without sin, and the only way to be made acceptable to God was through the merits of the substitution offering, which was a type of Christ.

The detail of the law demonstrated man’s sinful state before God. The sacrificial offering demonstrated that acceptance with God was only possible through Christ’s offering of Himself for man.

The detail of the law set forth the principles of what sin is. The sacrifical lamb set forth the principles of what Christ’s offering is. BOTH of these ceremonial types set forth that which is principally true, regarding both sin and the Saviour.

When Christ died on the cross, all the ceremonial types were done away with, NOT by declaring them to be incorrect, but by fulfilling that which they represented, Matthew 5:17-19.

So, we preach Christ, as the apostles did, who only had the Old Testament scritpures that declared the truth concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ, by both typology and prophecy, Acts 28:23. The gospel of Jesus Christ is “…the gospel according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), which is directly referring to what the Old Testament scriptures set forth in typology and prophecy concerning Christ’s work of redemption, that was foreordained before the foundation of the world.

Since we declare that the principles set forth in the Old Testament ceremonial law all convey important truth regarding Christ’s sacrificial offering, we must also then declare that the principles that the Old Testament laws set forth regarding sin, right and wrong, also convey important knowledge as to what is to be considered right and wrong today. We must not apply a double standard by saying the ceremonial laws correctly identify the truth concerning Christ, but are incorrect standards by which to determine right and wrong concerning other matters.

To be consistent in our theology, if we say that since Christ died on the cross, and we are no longer under the law, that it means we are now free to violate the principles set forth by the law, then we must also say it would be proper to deny and violate the principles of truth that the Old Testament system set forth concerning Christ’s sacrificial death. So if we should disregard the principles set forth through the teachings and examples of the Old Testament laws, then we should also disregard the gospel according to the scriptures, as both are from the same system.

The Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17) declares that “all scripture” is to be regarded as being profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Just as we study the Old Testament types for a greater understanding of Christ and His sacrificial offering for our righteousness, we are to study the Old Testament laws for a greater understanding of God’s principles concerning what is right and wrong for doctrine and what is to be regarded as sin: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4 God did not say that the transgression of the law is no longer sin!

It is not doctrinal soundness to profess to accept what the Old Testament teaches concerning Christ, while at the same time denying what the Old Testament sets forth as being correct principles for New Testament doctrine. The detail of the Old Testament law is no longer to be observed, just as the animal sacrifice is no longer to be offered. But the principles that are set forth in the Old Testament law and typologies are still correct and are not to be violated or contradicted.

It is more presumptuous than it is faith, to want to claim the benefits of what is declared in the Old Testament regarding the salvation that Christ’s offering affords, while at the same time wanting to reject, deny and live contrary to the principles that God’s laws set forth in the Old Testament. Balaam wanted to die the death of the righteous, but he lacked the faith to live unto God’s principles.

How can one’s belief be correct concerning the Christ that the “schoolmaster” (the law) sets forth, if at the same time they are rejecting what the “schoolmaster” (the law) sets forth, as being correct regarding what is right and what is wrong? See Galatians 3:24

It appears that one must agree with the scripture conclusion of what sin is, in order to see the provision for that sin, which is Christ, Galatians 3:22.

To deny that the principles set forth in Old Testament laws are the right principles, is to thus deny the righteousness of Christ in having died for the transgression of those principles. If the principles set forth in the laws of the Old Testament are incorrect, then there would have been no sin committed for the transgression of those incorrect principles. If it is okay to live in violation of the principles God set forth in His laws, God sure messed up, the people were placed under unjust oppression under these laws, and Christ died in vain for the transgression of those laws. WHAT CONFUSION!

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