Four Marks of a Biblical Church
[image error]With the easing of the Covid-19 shutdown, we have an opportunity to re-gather as disciples. But the pandemic has given us a chance to re-think our priorities. So let’s return to square one; Pentecost and the birth of the Church. In Acts 2, we discover four basic marks inspired by the descent of the Holy Spirit. We see this new-born church was devoted to apostolic teaching, to fellowship, to breaking of bread and to prayer.
The first mark of an authentic church is a commitment to apostolic teaching. (See Acts 2:42) Peter’s sermon at Pentecost explained the redemption story from both Testaments with an emphasis on the historic reality of the risen Christ and the giving of the Spirit. This then leads to a call to repent and believe. Clearly, the gospel of Jesus Christ is central in the preaching and teaching of any true church. But all Scripture—law, prophets, psalms, gospels, epistles, revelation—is part of apostolic teaching. As Paul reminds Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16,17). Christ left instructions to make disciples of [image error]all nations. Disciples are not merely those who believe or “make a decision for Christ.” Disciples need equipping as godly servants of Christ through absorbing apostolic teaching, and through rebuke, correction and training in spiritual gifts. A biblical church is a Bible-centred church; a disciple-making church, a church committed to the “whole counsel of God.”
Remember the Boston bar in CHEERS, “the place where everyone knows your name?” Actually, aside from knowing each others’ names, those who visit their local bar have very little besides beer and conversation in common. But in an authentic church, believers share an eternal bond. We are blood-bought brothers and sisters in the family of God. The second mark of a biblical church is FELLOWSHIP, in Greek, koinonia. In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (Rom 12:5) Fellowship is the visible evidence of the invisible but eternal DNA we share. After Peter’s sermon on Pentecost during which the Church was born, “about 3000 were added to their [image error]number that day,”…and they devoted themselves to the …fellowship…all the believers were together…every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” (See Acts 2:41-47.) We demonstrate FELLOWSHIP by meeting together for worship and encouragement. Assembly is important. No wonder this time of Covid-19, which keeps us from meeting together, is so difficult for genuine believers. Zoom worship is connection but not community. Let’s pray for the return of believers assembling together.
Someone remarked that there is often more genuine community in a Zoom meeting than in a typical church service where only an usher may greet you. Sadly, there’s a lot of truth there. Clearly, we have a long way to go to implement genuine community, KOINONIA. That we must develop fellowship is clear in Scripture from Jesus’ new commandment, “Love one another” (John 13:34,35) and through Jesus repetition of this command in John 14 through 17. The apostle John got the message. “Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God…if we love one another God lives in us (1 John 4:7,8, 12). Love for brothers and sisters leads to a desire to fellowship with them. As the Psalmist said, ‘I was glad when they said onto me let us go to the house of God.” Loving Christians are drawn to other believers like iron to a magnet. Assembling together is important. About the first church we read, “all the believers were together…they continued to meet together” (Acts 2:44,45). A lone, independent Christian is an oxymoron, unless it is for brief periods of prayer and refreshment. Why? “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. And let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24,25). Living in a godless world that seeks to drag us down, we desperately need encouragement to keep on living lives of love and doing good. Seeing that the day is approaching Satan redoubles his effort to destroy us.
Jesus reminds us through John that if we don’t love brothers and sisters, we don’t know God for God is love. Now, love means more than merely sitting in the same worship service. Love means being interested in other Christians. We want to know about their lives. We listen to them when they express themselves. We ask them about their lives. You cannot love someone if you are not interested in knowing them. As in the early church, that will often mean having a meal with them, taking them out for coffee, or helping them with a need. Love will lead us to pray for them. Fellowship is much more than, “Hi, how are you?” As Hebrews 10:24,25 reminds us, that will mean being intentional about getting to know other believers. “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…let us encourage one another.” We can’t know everyone in this way. But if we are intentional, we can get to know a reasonable number of those in our congregation on level that is not superficial. Well run small groups may promote fellowship. And if multiple disciples in a church are intentional, genuine fellowship will result. That church may even become known as a loving, friendly church.
Why do many people wear crosses, even some rock groups? I hope it’s more than mere jewelry and not a superstition. On the other hand, why does China tear down crosses? Certainly, it is a powerful symbol of what is central in the Christian faith. The THIRD MARK of a genuine church, is not about having a cross on a building but being devoted to two ordinances, “the breaking of bread” and baptism. [See Acts 2:36,41,42] The early church was devoted to the breaking[image error] of bread in memory of the first Lord’s supper. Of the bread, Jesus said, “take eat; this is my body” (Matt. 26:26). Some hours later he bore our sins on the agonizing cross. Jesus also said of the cup, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). He shed his blood on the cross for you and me. It is vital that every believer regularly celebrate the Lord’s supper to be reminded of the death upon the cross of our Saviour. We need repeated remembrances of the source of our forgiveness, our regeneration, our justification, and our adoption into God’s family. No wonder Paul wrote, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2).
Christ himself instituted the Lord’s Supper. Christ also modeled baptism by submitting to baptism in the Jordan river by John, the baptizer. At Pentecost after Peter’s sermon, baptism was the first mark required for entrance into the new-born church. When the people heard Peter’s message that “God hath made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ…they were cut to the heart [convicted of sin and asked] what shall we do? Peter replied, ‘repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins…those who accepted his message [believed in Jesus as Lord and Christ] were baptized, and about 3000 were added to their number” (Acts. 2:36, 37, 38,41). Baptism is believers’ baptism. It is preceded by conviction of sin, repentance for sin, and faith in Christ as Saviour.
What has been disappearing all over the western world? The corporate prayer meeting. The FOURTH MARK of a BIBLICAL CHURCH is a commitment to prayer. On the day of Pentecost, the new-born church “devoted themselves to …. prayer. Everyone was filled with awe…Every day they continued to meet together…praising God…and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42, 46,47). This was corporate or congregational prayer. Individual devotion of prayer is also meant to be part of our daily life. Jesus modeled it. So did the apostles. But we cannot escape the teaching throughout the Bible that believers need to meet together for worship, testimony, confession, affirmation, [image error]intercession and mutual encouragement through prayer. We see this from Sinai to the return from the captivity, and from Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray to Pentecost and beyond. No wonder those in the early church were filled with awe. No wonder the Lord saved lost men and women. No wonder the church expanded from 12 to 300 to 3000 to 5000 and took over the Roman Empire. And this lack is a main reason why the Western Church is hanging on by its fingernails!. True, we cannot meet together every day, but surely every local church should meet once a week for corporate prayer. For this we need committed leaders to show us a way out of a wilderness of repetitious, droning prayers into Spirit-led prayer.
Let’s make sure we think beyond programs to these four essential marks of a Spirit-led church.
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