What The Church Must Be, Round 2

The church must be committed to God and united around what matters to Him; an age-integrated, united, worshipping, growing community that honors it's Lord.

Alistair Begg of Parkside Church in Ohio outlines 7 marks of an effective church; Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist in DC has come up with 9 Marks. Someone else has identified 10 marks. I have come up with my own version: 8 Marks of a God-pleasing Church. I realize that as a church you have to land somewhere and at Grace we have stated our mission, vision and values very clearly. When it comes to these things I am very wary of superimposing things onto the Biblical text. I am also aware it is often a matter of restating similar ideas. I see these 8 in the Word of God. The shape it takes here and elsewhere we leave in the hands of God. Each leadership team in each local church must wrestle with and be convinced of what they see to be the priority of the church. Praise God He is big enough to handle the many shapes and varieties His church takes – for His glory.

So we have our stated mission, vision and values but can we get a bit more specific? Does God’s Word get more specific? I believe it does. Acts 2:42-47 is not the only place the church is addressed or described – but it is the starting point. We also can gain some significant insights on the church many other places in the New Testament but I want to focus on Acts 2 for now.

My ideas have been shaped primarily by Scripture but also by the writings and teachings of other believers. I have relied heavily upon and am indebted to the following (in no particular order) – Alistair Begg, Mark Dever, John MacArthur, John Piper, Chuck Colson, Dallas Willard, C.S. Lewis, Eugene Peterson, Dietrich Bonheoffer, Steve Lawson and others whose names escape me right now.

As I look at Acts 2:42-47 as well as the immediate context, I can’t help but notice things that Christ’s church in its local visible manifestations must be committed to and united around. I’ll give the first 4 today.

God-centered Worship – For God’s glory (Ps. 48:1) and our growth. Worship is the highest activity of a God-oriented soul; the moment by moment aspiration of the God-entranced person who according to God’s great mercy has been “born again to a living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)
Christ-centered Preaching – “Preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2). We engage in expositional preaching and teaching that reaches hearts and is used by God to change lives. We begin by reading, then explaining, as well as illustrating and applying the text.
Bible-centered Beliefs – doctrine matters because our practice is built upon it. Those who think Biblically, live Biblically. We must agree on core doctrine, agreeing to disagree on peripheral teachings. Always learning, always growing, and always evaluating things by the Word of God – our only rule for faith and practice.
God-Dependent Prayer – We must daily be coming to God knowing He is able to do whatever He wills; communicating with God with a heavenly-minded perspective, believing that He can and will do “exceeding abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think” (Eph. 3:20).