Choosing a Church:
Which
Church Is The
With all the different churches and denominations
from which to choose, how can one ever know which is the right church in which
to worship, hear God’s Word, and participate in ministry? The answer to this
question may seem difficult and out of reach, but it is really quite simple.
Jesus said to those who believed in Him, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my
disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free” (John
Should this surprise us? After all, Jesus is
God the Son in human flesh; and He is the one who suffered and died for our
sins and then rose again (cf. John 1:1-18; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4). He has
ascended to the right hand of God the Father. He is the Head of the Church (cf.
Ephesians
When Jesus was transfigured on the mount
before Peter, James, and John, God the Father spoke from the cloud and said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5). Ought we not then continue in His
Word?
After His death and resurrection, and before
His ascension, Jesus gave to His disciples what we call “The Great Commission.” Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world” (Matthew 28:18-20). In the original Greek, the main verb is to “teach” or “make disciples.” There are three participles in which Jesus tells
us how this making of disciples is to be done: that is, by “going,” “baptizing” in
the name of the Triune God, and by “teaching”
them to observe all that Jesus has commanded. There are many who go out in an
attempt to make disciples. Fewer are truly baptizing in the name of the Father
and the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And, even less are teaching all that Jesus
commanded and taught. But, if you want to be a true disciple of Jesus, not only
will you want to be baptized in His name according to His command, you will
also want to continue and abide in His Word and hear and learn all that He has
taught.
Now, lest some would say that abiding in
Jesus’ Word is somehow different than continuing in all that the Bible teaches,
we must remember that Jesus used and quoted the Scriptures continually (cf.
Matthew 4:1-11; John 10:35). Jesus also said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets [names
for the parts of Old Testament Scriptures]:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven
and earth pass, one jot [the smallest Hebrew letter] or one tittle [the smallest part of a Hebrew letter] shall in no wise pass from the law, till all
be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:
but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-19).
Jesus urges us to continue and remain in His
Word and doctrine, but He also warns us to beware of the many false prophets
and teachers who have gone out into the world to gain a following for
themselves. Jesus warns: “Beware of false
prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or
figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a
corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil
fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew
The fruit of a prophet is his teaching and
message. We are to compare and judge their words against the Word of God.
Isaiah writes: “To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no
light in them” (Isaiah
Jesus also says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or
figs of thistles?” (Matthew 7:16). The point is, once you see that a pastor
or teacher is not speaking according to God’s Word, should you go to him and
expect to learn the truth? Obviously not! Unless and until he repents and
teaches in accord with the Bible, he is to be avoided as a false prophet. Jesus
says, “Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will
of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
Should it then surprise us that the Apostle
Paul, when writing to Timothy, says: “If
any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he
is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words,
whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of
men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is
godliness: from such withdraw thyself” (1 Timothy 6:3-5). Note that those
who do not continue in and consent to Jesus’ words and to the teaching with is
in agreement with godliness are to be avoided. When human pride and reason get
in the way and keep a man from humbly submitting to God’s Word and teaching
what Jesus taught, no more and no less, it causes disputes and divisions in the
church and leads people away from the truth. From such teachers, we are to
withdraw ourselves!
In his
second epistle, Paul also reminds Timothy: “But
continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of,
knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known
the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through
faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works” (2 Timothy 3:14-17).
Thus we see again that we are to continue in the Scriptures and use the Holy
Scriptures as the source and judge for all Christian teaching. The Scriptures
reveal our utter sinfulness in God’s eyes and also reveal to us salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus. The Scriptures are to be used for teaching,
reproving, correcting, and instructing in righteousness. Through the right use
of the Scriptures, we are made complete and thoroughly equipped to live for our
Lord and Savior. No other book is required; God’s Word tells us all that we
need to know in regard to our salvation and godly living!
To Titus,
Paul writes: “A man that is an heretick
after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is
subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself” (Titus 3:10-11). To the
believers in
Now, who is
it that causes divisions in the church? Some would say that it is the pastor or
church member who insists on faithfulness to the Scriptures and rejects all
that is not in accord with God’s Word. However, this is what God Himself
requires of us. Ministers are stewards of God’s Word, and “it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1
Corinthians 4:2). God says, “He that hath
my word, let him speak my word faithfully” (Jeremiah
It is
sometimes amazing to see how the Scriptures can, in a few words, clearly state
God’s will and direction. Yet men, through councils, commissions, and theological
studies, can write and speak volumes of “good
words and fair speeches” to get around or explain away what God has said.
Now, some
might still think it is alright to be a part of a church or congregation which
is unfaithful in only a few small points of doctrine. But again the Scripture
answers: “A little leaven leaveneth the
whole lump”; and, “Have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (1
Corinthians 5:6; Ephesians
How many of
you, if you were offered a glass of water with only one drop of a deadly poison
added to it, would be ready to drink it? Why then would you want to partake of
teaching which is less than faithful to God’s pure Word? In time, the poison
will have its effect and your faith in Christ may well be weakened or
destroyed!
Indeed, how
can a Christian join together with a church or church body which is in some
part or parts unfaithful to Christ and His Word? When he listens to what is
preached and taught, he exposes himself to error and lies of the devil. When he
joins in worship, prayer, and the Lord’s Supper, he in effect states that it is
not all that important to remain faithful to the truth, thus causing and
furthering division. When he contributes to the support of such a church, he
supports not only the truth proclaimed there but also the error.
John, in
his second epistle, writes: “Whosoever
transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that
abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If
there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your
house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker
of his evil deeds” (2 John 1:9-11). If we help and aid one in who is not
continuing in the teaching of Jesus Christ, even if it is only by giving a
well-wishing greeting, we become partakers in his evil deeds. Thus, why would a
Christian knowingly participate in and support ministries which are not holding
fast to the teaching of Jesus and are less than faithful to the Word of God? It
can’t be done without sin!
As
Christians, our faith rests upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets;
and their teaching is recorded for us in the inspired Scriptures. Jesus Christ
Himself is the chief cornerstone. Our faith depends entirely upon Jesus Christ,
God’s only begotten Son, and the redemption He has provided for us by His
innocent sufferings and death upon the cross. Cf. Ephesians 2:19-22. Therefore,
as Christians, we will want to choose a church which faithfully teaches all
that the Bible teaches, no more and no less. We will want to participate in a
church that abides in Jesus’ word and teaching, holding fast to Him as God’s
Son and the Savior of the world.
We have the
example of the believers in
Randy Moll