The Bible Way for the Church

a church checklist...

Are you looking for a church-home?  Are you looking for a place where Jesus Christ is exalted and praised?  Are you looking for a place that encourages family worship and development?  Are you looking for a place where the Bible is explained and not explained away?  I hope you understand how valuable the church is and I hope you know what a difference the church will make in your life.

My relationship with Jesus and His church are a big part of my life.  When I visit a church there are things I look for to know if I’d be happy, fulfilled and pleasing to God by being there.  I bet you’re looking for similar things.  Allow me to offer you some criteria for examining a religious group when searching for a spiritual home.

1. Is Jesus Christ exalted and remembered? Jesus bought the church and built the church on a firm foundation, namely, that He is who He said He is: the Savior, the son of the Living God (Matt. 16:16-18; Acts 20:28).  When I go to a church, I better see evidence that they believe, teach and practice this simple principle.  Show me that this church is Christ’s in both name and deed.  I want to hear Christ exalted and see Him remembered because the church is His!  Practically, I want to hear Christ preached, praised, His authority respected and His sacrifice remembered.  I want to take communion.  Christians in the first century took it every week, I want too also (Acts.20:7).

2. Is God worshiped by all? God is awesome and is deserving of all praise, glory and honor.  The Bible tells me that I’m supposed to sing praises to Him (Col.3:16).  When I’ve visited some churches, mainly the choir sings.  I see that they are singing praises to God but I’m just listening.  The Bible never said anything about worshipping by proxy!   I want to worship by singing to God.  I want to thank God in genuine prayers as well.  There are so many places where prayers are already written and everybody just repeats them over and over, week after week.  Jesus told us that’s not how we’re to pray (Matt.6:7-9).  True worship will be in genuine prayer and participation in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

3. Is this a sound family? The Bible describes the church as the family of God (Gal.4:4-7).  I expect to worship in a church where I feel and see the love of a family.  When no one talks to each other or they race to the door after the last “Amen”, I wonder if I’m in some kind of dysfunctional family with poor communication.

I hope to see families worshipping together as well.  In so many places, there’s “children’s church” or “youth worship” in another location, away from parents.  I don’t get it.  If a family cannot learn to pray together and worship together on Sunday morning when all is right with the world, how will they be able to pray and worship together when there are troubles or divisions in the family?  It seems like “youth church” just exploits some perceived spiritual generation gap.  That cannot possibly be healthy for a church-family or individual households.

4. Is there relevant biblical preaching? I believe the Bible just like any Christian does but I don’t perfectly understand all of it and sometimes I have a real problem seeing how it applies to me today.  I need a preacher that can meet my needs with the power of the Word of God (Phil.4:19).  I’m looking for a preacher that cares enough about my life and family that he will tell me the truth but tell it gently, out of love (Eph.4:15).  There are plenty of entertaining speakers that spin yarns about the good old days or preach positive thinking and pop psychology.  I need timeless truths from the Word of God and I need to be encouraged and motivated to do something with those truths.

As for my checklist, I have found that the Jackson Heights church of Christ has passed with flying colors.  This is my church-home and I’m proud to be a part of it.  I hope you’ll worship with us one Lord’s Day soon.  If you’re spiritually seeking, I hope you seriously consider Jackson Heights for your church-home.