As with marriage, it is essential that we Christians grasp which things are non-negotiable and which things are preferential. For example, in dating or in courtship it may not be wrong to wait for a blonde haired, blue eyed, single Christian to providentially come your way; but you better not settle for a lukewarm believer simply because they enjoy the same hobbies you do and are physically attractive. If you have lived long enough you know exactly what I mean. The Scriptures informs us in Proverbs 31 that "charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the LORD shall be praised." A spouse with noble character and who possesses an undying love for Christ is worth more than great wealth.
The same principle is true in regards to choosing a local church. If we place finding a church that offers a certain musical style, or one with a certain size children's or youth ministry, on par with finding a fellowship with a Word-dominated/full counsel of God pulpit with Trinity-centered worship we have obviously missed the biblical mark; (note Eph. 4:11-16; Acts 2:42; Heb. 5:12-14; Matt. 28:18-20; 2 Tim. 3:15-4:5).
In order to solidify our core ecclesiastical convictions the first mini-series I preached in my new church (Lake Country Bible, WI) was on us maintaining "a (thoroughly) Biblical Philosophy of Ministry." In Colossians 1:28-29 Scripture provides us with the Apostle Paul's inspired mission statement. Wherein Paul writes, and thus we (continually) proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. I believe that no less than four essential components of a biblical philosophy of ministry are given to us in this amazing text. (I thank God that my former mentors Drs. Rick Holland and Jerry Wragg helped show me the importance of these essential ministry components).
Having inherited a spiritually healthy congregation from my now "retired" predecessor (Pastor Sal Massa) I told Lake Country Bible Church that by the grace of God, we must continue to:
1. Keep the Right Emphasis- ("CHRIST we continually proclaim!") A Christ-centered focus is not optional, it's essential. This Christ-centered emphasis ought to be the focus of every single ministry in the church from top to bottom (music, discipleship, counseling, ladies ministry, etc).
2. Employ the Right Methodology-("admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom"). We must remain a preaching and teaching central church understanding that the pulpit is the rudder of the church. "As the pulpit goes, so goes the pew." I have posted many articles over the years in effort to drive home this critically important "means" to a God-ordained "end."
We must 3. Aim at the Right Objective- (...that we may present every believer mature in Christ). The overarching mission of the church is not numbers (large crowds, multi-site campuses, etc) but spiritual maturity in the lives of Jesus' redeemed people; (see esp. Hebrews 5:12-14).
Spurgeon noted a troubling trend in his day that is sadly even more widespread in ours today; in part, due to the Church Growth/Willow Creek/Saddleback movement. Spurgeon wisely noted that “I do not think the
devil cares how many churches you build, if
only you have lukewarm preachers
and people in them... Alas! Much has been done of late to promote the
production of dwarfish Christians. Poor, sickly believers turn the
church into a hospital, rather than an army. Oh, to have a church built up
with the deep godliness of people who know the Lord in their very hearts, and
will seek to follow the Lamb wherever he goes!” See also Hebrews 5:12-14, Ephesians 4:11-16, and Revelation 2-5.
We must keep these three commitments, while 4. Maintain(ing) the Right Balance- ("And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me").
Each of these four components is worthy of a stand alone message, which is exactly what I attempted to do, a few weeks ago; (These sermon records have been archived at www.lakecountrybible.org)
Suffice it to say, it's not God's will for every Christian to attend the church I happen to pastor (thank goodness). It is to say that every church that is under the Lordship of King Jesus ought to be working towards the same chief goals, following the blueprints that are so clearly laid out in Holy Scripture.
In the next few blog posts I will include a list of 10 things that matter most when choosing a local church (from a Scriptural perspective). This particular list comes from a fellow pastor who included this chapter in his helpful book, "Stop Dating the Church: Falling In Love With the People of God."
-To Be Continued
