What is the Church? Nine Key Characteristics

For the past year or so, I've been preaching through the gospel of Matthew during our church gatherings. Last week, we studied Matthew 16:18-20. Since this is the first time Jesus deals specifically with the church, I thought it would be a good time to look more closely at what the church is. This coming Sunday, I'm preaching on the subject, "What is the Church?"

Unlike what the picture to the left suggests, the scriptures make it clear that the church is an assembly or community of people. But what are key characteristics of the church that make it unique?

The following are the nine characteristics I am going to emphasize. What do you think? Have I left any out that should be added? Are any of the nine unnecessary? Please tell me what you think and why.


1. The church falls under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

2. The church is guided by the Holy Spirit.

3. The church is built upon the scriptures.

4. The church is made up of followers of the triune God.

5. The church pursues holy, self-sacrificial living.

6. The church practices the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper.

7. The church is committed to unity and edification of the body.

8. The church is on mission to make disciples of all nations.

9. The church strives to do all for the glory of God.

My 15 Seconds of Fame

A few days ago I spent some time walking around several of Savannah's beautiful parks. At one point, a young lady approached me. She was a reporter for the Savannah Morning News (the primary local newspaper). She asked me if she could record me discussing my favorite attraction in Savannah. I answered by blathering on for several seconds about various things I like. Anyway, to see my 15 seconds of fame, click here and then click on the video that says, "What is Your Favorite Attraction in Savannah?" FYI - I'm the first one speaking (and the last).

I Would Certainly Hope So

According to this story, "top home-school texts dismiss Darwin and evolution." I would certainly hope they do. After all, both the biblical account and the scientific data show that God created this world in an orderly manner. Although Darwinian evolution is promoted by materialists, the reality is that true science does not support it.

Please Be Wise When Watching or Reading FOX News

As far as I can tell, most Christians are wise when watching news broadcasts from ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, BBC, etc. Christians rightly understand that these are secular networks that show the news through a secular lens. In most cases, some facts will be presented along with some bias. Therefore, we must wear a "mental filter" of sorts.

My great concern is with FOX News. Specifically, I'm scared that far too many Christians are watching FOX with no mental filter. For some reason unknown to me, many followers of Christ act as if FOX News is a Christian channel. It is not! FOX is just as secular as the other networks.

Several years ago, FOX News correctly discerned that many conservative Americans (some Christian and some not), were disgusted with the news presented by the other major networks. FOX, then, made an obvious decision to cater to conservatives. While the other networks lean to the left politically, FOX leans to the right. No doubt there.

FOX also understands that there is a large audience of evangelical Christians in this country. Therefore, FOX presents at least some news that will make Christians watch. FOX wants ratings.

I'm not disgusted with FOX. I'm disgusted with Christians who act like FOX is trying to advance the Kingdom of God.

This problem is a symptom of the larger problem within evangelical Christianity today. That problem is the old "God and country!" problem. It is the problem of the cross wrapped in the American flag. It is the problem that is the gospel of the Republican party. And let's be fair: it's obvious that while the other networks cater to the Democratic party line, FOX spews forth the Republican line.

As followers of Christ, we must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. No matter what news program we are watching, we must remember that the great agenda and goal of the networks is ratings. FOX wins all the time because while the other networks split the liberal watchers, FOX takes all the conservatives.

We are followers of Jesus alone. He alone must have our allegiance. And, He was not a Republican.

That said, let's think smartly no matter what we are watching. Use your mental filter, which should be based on scripture, no matter the channel. If you are reading news on-line, do the same.

FOX News is not the bible. FOX News is not Christian.

Watcher and reader: be wise.

Ouch!

I've certainly felt this way before:

Reading Scripture Together

Tonight during our prayer meeting, we read scripture together. I simply told our church family that I would like to hear them read aloud passages that held meaning for them, had been encouraging lately for them, had placed them under conviction, etc. We weren't all going to read them together; rather, we would listen as one person read, and then another, and so on.

It was beautiful to see what happened after I said this. People began looking into their bibles. It got fairly quiet as people flipped between pages trying to find particular passages. I could see that they were engaged in what we were doing. They were involved! Different people read from Isaiah 53, Psalm 42, James 1. I read from Leviticus 9-10.

The fascinating thing about this is that our folks seemed more involved than when I simply ask them to turn to a specific passage. When I do all the choosing, our people are less engaged. When they have more responsibility, they are far more involved.

It reminds me of I Corinthians 14:26, which says, "How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."

It is clear that more involvement means more edification.

Earth's True Colours

Click here to see a couple of beautiful photos of the earth. God truly is the Master-Creator!

What Paul Didn't Write...

Paul did write I Corinthians 15:3-4. It says, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

Paul didn't write, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: (insert all kinds of other stuff that isn't all that important here).

When a Dumpster is Appropriate

Last weekend I had the wonderful chance to spend some time walking around the historic district in Savannah. If you have never visited this city, you must come.

As I was strolling along, looking at parks, old houses, and church buildings, I once again came to this sign, which I have posted about previously. Arrgh. Why must a senior pastor have a special parking space reserved for only him? Doesn't he know that Jesus is the only real senior pastor of the church?


To make matters worse, I realized that this parking space is located immediately in front of a wheel-chair entrance to the building. This means that the disabled folks of the church have to travel farther to the door than does the "senior pastor"!


After seeing the entrance, I was disgusted. That's when I turned and was pleased to see this dumpster. Some construction is going on across the street, so a large dumpster has been placed right next to the "senior pastor's" parking space. In light of the fact that A) he shouldn't have a special spot, and B) he's making wheel-chair bound people move farther than he does, I'm glad to see that he at least has to park next to a massive garbage container. This is appropriate because garbage is the best way to describe treating a pastor as if he is more important than anyone else in the church.

Serving Isn't Easy When the Cat is in the Tree

Sometimes service isn't easy, but it is always rewarding. I was reminded again of that last night.

At around 7:00 PM, I was completing a sermon for today. This is when I heard some noise from outside. Our neighbor's cat was stuck in a tree. Under normal circumstances, few people would have cared. However, several factors made this situation problematic. First, this is the one nice cat in the neighborhood. Everyone loves "Missy-Lea." Second, she is overweight and would have a difficult time getting down. Third, she was about 35 feet up a tree. And fourth, her owner said he thinks she had been up in the tree for about 24 hours. It was getting dark and cold.

My neighbor managed to get Home Depot to loan a 40 foot long ladder. The problem was how to get it to the tree. After pondering this for a while, I remembered that our church has a couple of old vans that might be long enough to transport the ladder.

Several of us piled into my car and drove to the church building. We jumped into the van and drove to Home Depot. I was pleased to find out that the ladder did, in fact, fit in the van (we did have to leave the van's back door open as the ladder stuck out the back about seven feet). It was interesting to drive through Savannah traffic in this situation. I was just hoping that no over-zealous cop would pull us over. I think we were legal, but I'm not certain.

We made it back to the house. At this point the scary part began. FYI - I don't like heights. Alice, my neighbor's mother, and I all held the ladder as he climbed about 35 feet into the air. I couldn't look. I was praying silently while my wife was praying aloud. Although the whole process of getting the cat down actually only took a minute or so, it seemed like a lot longer. I'm pleased to say that God blessed the entire situation. Missy-Lea is fine and so is my neighbor.

Then it was time to reverse our steps. First we had to put the ladder back in the church van. Then we traveled back into Savannah to return the ladder to Home Depot. Then it was back to the church building. Then, finally, we made it home - at around 9:00.

I'm glad I could help my neighbor, but it was not easy. Service has a tendency to be difficult and dirty. It is also often inconvenient. Despite this, it is certainly worthwhile.

My neighbor is not a Christian. I'm hoping that this act of service will give me the opportunity to share the gospel with him. At least he knows we care.

I thank the Lord for this unexpected opportunity. I'm glad that God sees fit to scare cats up trees.

"The Glorious Cause"

I recently enjoyed reading The Glorious Cause, a historic novel about the American revolutionary war.

Author Jeff Shaara begins just after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and tells the story of the war through the end at Yorktown. I've read several of Shaara's books; he is a master storyteller. Although the book is over 600 pages long, it is an easy and enjoyable read.

Shaara focuses primarily on the actions of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Nathanael Greene, and Charles Cornwallis. It is interesting to get inside the minds of these men.

If you enjoy history, this book will not disappoint.

A Reminder of the Holiness of God

Leviticus 9:22-10:2 is an interesting bible passage to read without the chapter break. Twice we read of fire coming out from the Lord. These were for two very different reasons, but both are directly related to the holiness of God.

"Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD."

This is a good reminder to us that we serve a holy God. Maybe we should spend more time on our faces.

How Millennial Are You? Take the Quiz

Weird. I came out as a Millennial and not a Gen-Xer. My score was a 69 out of 100.

Take the quiz here. After you take it, tell me what you get.

The Church Should Look Like an Emergency Room

Over the past couple of days I have spent several hours visiting folks in an emergency room (ER) at a local hospital in Savannah.

ERs strike me as leveling places. No matter how much money you have, what your educational level is, what your skin color is, etc., you still have to visit the ER once in a while. While I was visiting, I saw people of all ages, sizes, colors, economic levels, etc.

After looking around for a while, I was struck by the thought that churches should be like ERs. Two ways jumped out at me:

First, ERs serve, as I mentioned above, people of all kinds. Everybody comes to the ER. No one is turned away. The ER is probably one of the most multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-educational places in the country. Everyone gets sick, so everyone needs the ER once in a while. Churches should be this way. Churches ought to be places where people of all backgrounds, colors, ethnicities, occupations, and educations feel welcome. In fact, churches should be the most multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-educational places in the country. Alas, churches continue to be just about the most segregated places in America. This should not be.

Second, ERs don't turn people away. They don't tell people to get their acts together and then come back. ERs take people as they are, with all their pains, and treat them. They do all they can to comfort them and make them feel better. This is how churches should be. Churches ought to welcome everyone and help them no matter what their hurts. Churches can and ought to act as healing places - both physically and spiritually. However, we far too often give off the message (intentionally or not) that people need to "shape up and start living right" before they can enter our lofty doors.

What would we do if Jesus had come to save only certain people? What would we do if Jesus told us to get it together and then He would save us? We would have no hope.

Let us all be part of a people who act like an ER. Let us lead hurting people to the Great Physician.

My Parents' Excellent African Adventure Continues...

My parents have now spent about six months in Africa serving at Rift Valley Academy. Their adventure continues. Click here to see the latest about their recent trip across the equator.

Olympic Crashes and Wipeouts

Just in case we needed a reminder that mankind is not perfect, the Olympics are here to help us. While many of the athletes are championed by the press as being god-like, the crashes and wipeouts of others show that they are all human.

In particular, I like the photo to the left. Yes, that is a two-man bobsled sliding along upside down. I'm glad they wear helmets.

Click here to view more royal mess ups.

On Learning From a Goose

Canadian Geese regularly visit our backyard. The reason for this is that our property backs up to a pond. We put a lot of birdseed in feeders and on the ground. We have squirrels, Muscovy ducks, and all kinds of song birds. These all stuff themselves as if in a race to see who can get the fattest. It is everyone for himself.

Not so with the Canadian Geese. They come into our yard in pairs. They eat the same way every time. One eats while the other stands and keeps guard. The one who is eating has nothing to worry about because the other is constantly looking around for possible threats. When the first one concludes eating, the other feeds. The full one then takes its turn standing guard.

Simply put, the Canadian Geese act as a team. They take care of their own needs and the needs of the other. Unlike the other animals, they don't focus only on self.

This could be a bit of a reach, but I think we could learn a great deal from these geese. Far too often we Christians focus on our own needs before the needs of others. This happens both inside and outside the church gathering. We are often only happy if we like all that is happening.

Wouldn't the church function much better if we acted like Canadian Geese? It would be wonderful if we all focused on the needs of others along with our own. Even better, what if we looked out for the needs of others before our own? What if we focused on looking out for and keeping watch over others? This would cause the church to be a truly united group of people living like the Lord Jesus wants us to.

I think Paul had something to say about this. Philippians 2:3-4 says, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

On Reading Blogs I Don't Agree With...

I am constantly adjusting my blogroll. The reason for this is that I'm torn between A) wanting to read many blogs and B) desiring to use my time wisely. The danger is that I'll end up only reading blogs I agree with.

When we only read people we agree with, we fall into the trap of only seeing a small part of the world. We are never challenged. We are left feeling comfortable. What good is this?

I would much rather read a variety of blogs that cause me to think about why I believe what I believe and why I live the way I live. If reading blogs causes me to be more biblical, then all the better.

If you read this blog regularly, you know the things I believe. You will get a healthy dose of bible, church, and family discussion. I lean toward the Reformed view of salvation and the Baptistic view of the church. As for family education, I'm an ardent supporter of homeschooling. Regarding politics, I'm an independent/conservative/Constitutionalist. Wouldn't it be dull to only read bloggers who believed exactly these same things?

So, I encourage you to read a wide range of blogs. Even read some folks who make you uncomfortable.

Knowing the Will of God for Your Life: It's Pretty Simple

Many Christians struggle with knowing God's will for their lives. I've got great news - the answer is simple. In fact, it's right here:

"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another." John 13:34

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification..." I Thessalonians 4:3

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..." Matthew 28:19

As Christians, we often make things far too complicated. We act as if God is hiding his will from us and we have to find it. That mindset is simply unbiblical.

God is clear. He expects us to love Him, love our neighbor, lead holy lives, and make disciples.

Let's do it.

When Wealth Impairs Delight in Answered Prayer

We all know that our culture seeks ease and comfort. The assumption is that this comes through wealth.

However, wealth brings various complications and problems. Not the least of these is this: wealth impairs delight in answered prayer.

The wealthy, if they are not foolish with their money, always have enough money (at least for their needs, if not their wants). They are not put in a position where they have to pray for God to provide. They have enough on their own, so they do not need God to step in and take care of their needs. Because of this, they lose out on delight that comes when God provides in a mighty way.

For those who are not wealthy (by American standards), there will come various times in life when we have to rely on God to provide. Now, we should of course always rely on God's provision. I'm talking here, however, about those times when we pray to God to meet our needs or they will simply not be met. It is at these times that we tend to pray most fervently. This is also when God is set up to receive the greatest glory.

God provides. God gets the glory and honor. We get to take delight in this.

Alice and I live off of my pastor's salary plus tutoring that she does. We almost always have enough money, but we don't have extra. When there are months when a large need arises (van breaking down, new glasses needed, etc.), we sometimes just plain cannot pay it. When we pray at these times we know that God is going to have to make it happen. He always does. He always comes through.

When God does this, we get the thrill of taking delight in His provision.

The wealthy don't get to do this because they always have enough.