The Biblical Church, Part II

Acts 2:42-47 presents the model church. It is unique among Christian churches. Indeed, it was one of a kind.

First of all, the Acts 2:42-47 church is the first church ever. But its “firstness” is less important for us than the acts of the folks who guided it.

This was the only time in the New Testament in which all 12 apostles ministered as a team. That team was important because Christ had just taught them what he wanted for his church (Luke 24:45-49. Note: Acts 1:1-11). That suggests that what they did in Jerusalem is Christ’s model for us today, in our case, The Internet Church. In addition, Christ ordained Peter to be the apostles’ leader (John 21:15-20). That suggests that Peter’s philosophy for the church is important for us to consider as we organize our church. What was his philosophy?

We find it in I Peter 2:4-12. He focuses there on two issues: the “living stones” and the “priesthood of believers.” Both are essential building blocks for Christ’s church and our Internet Church as well.

Judging from the rest of the New Testament, I have concluded that the “living stones” remark concerns gifted people serving in the areas of their giftedness. Paul fleshes this out in Ephesians 4:1-16, Romans 12:1-8, and I Corinthians 12 & 13. In other words, God has graced each believer with a variety of spiritual gifts (graces) that he wants them to use in improving their own lives and in ministering to the Christian body to which they belong (the church). That is one way in which Christ shapes each church. He shapes it through the gifts he has given its people. That means no two churches will necessarily be the same.

But each church will be similar because of the doctrine it proclaims. The “priesthood of believers” remark concerns the fact that each believer has a personal ministry, not one that comes from God’s unique grace to each believer, but one that comes from sharing the gospel of Christ. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) applies not just to the church but to each believer individually. Each believer has a mandate from God to spread the gospel message and to minister to those within his or her spheres of influence (Note: I Corinthians 7:24). Each believer is an ambassador from God (II Corinthians 5:16-21) and a living illustration of God’s plan for man (II Corinthians 2:14-17).

So that becomes our initial model. That’s what I bring to this endeavor. But your contribution is vital. Your insights need to be examined and considered. I only know what I know, and I don’t know it all. But together we can build a great church.

The Biblical Church, Part I

Every Christian church is supposed to be a biblical church, founded on Christ and Scripture; but while most modern churches aim for biblical accuracy, they are also profoundly influenced by (1) their denominational heritages, (2) the men and women who govern each local congregation, (3) the needs of their people, and (4) the culture in which they find themselves. If every modern church suffers from this, where can we find the pure church, the church that Christ himself endorses, the biblical church, the model church?

Not surprisingly we find it in the New Testament. But wait! The New Testament epistles are generally written to churches with problems. We can interpolate Christ’s model by examining their problems, but does the New Testament anywhere depict the perfect church, the fresh church, the model for any church, and in our case, The Internet Church?

We see that church, in two places:

Its first occurrence is in Acts 2:42-47, the first church. More on that in my next post. Its second occurrence is in Christ’s letters to the churches in Revelation.

Of the seven churches Christ addresses there, only Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) escapes his criticism. His criticism of the other six concern either false doctrine or accurate doctrine inaccurately applied. This is not the only place in which the New Testament stresses the need for sound doctrine. I conclude from this that the church Christ wants teaches sound doctrine and urges its people to understand what it is and apply it in their lives.

All we can construe from the church at Smyrna is that it was about to experience a world of hurt. Christ urges its congregants to be faithful. If they are, they will overcome their trials and prove themselves in the process. This faithfulness to God (Christ) is a common theme in Scripture, faithfulness to Christ in spite of what you see going on around you. Peter tells us that this perseverance is a test of faith (I Peter 1:3-9 key verse 7. Note: James 5:7-11; Hebrews 10:19-39; James 1:13-18), not for God’s benefit because he already knows the truth about each of our benefit, but for us so we can know our faith is pure.

The Biblical versus the Traditional Church

Over some 2,000 years of denominational turmoil and cultural stress, the modern institutional (traditional) church has evolved into some 200 different Christian sects and denominations in the United States alone. The state of the modern church has little to do with answering Christ’s first-century prayer for a witnessing unity in John 17:20-26. The unity for which Christ prayed then is one that shows the world that God loves it with the save fervor with which he loves Christ. But that witnessing unity is clearly not what’s going on, and it prompts my Big Question: After 2,000 years, why hasn’t God answered his own Son’s prayer?

I believe the answer lies in the fact that God allows even the best of his people to “do their own thing” even when their “own thing” mediates against God’s will (Note: Romans 1:18-32). In other words, for some reason (to be developed in later posts), God allows us to fail at even the things he wants.

Too many modern churches have obviously missed the mark. Studies show that most pew Christians are biblically illiterate. In his book, "Boiling Point", Christian statistician George Barna talks about the current state of Christian education: “Our studies show that few churches use their teaching times to intentionally and relentlessly communicate a coherent and cohesive world view in a systematic fashion. [The teaching] tends to be random in its context and delivery.”

Thus, I conclude, the traditional church, the cultural church most believers have experienced today, is not necessarily the church Christ had in mind in the beginning. Christ wants the biblical church to be consistent with the New Testament model.

My goal with The Internet Church is to found such a church, a biblical church; and judging from Scripture (Romans 12:1-8; Ephesians 4:1-16; I Corinthians 12 & 13; I Peter 2:4-12) you—yes, you—have an important role to play in that establishment. You’re not here now reading these words without reason. You’re here because you have an important role to play in the unfolding of this Internet-wide ministry. As a skeptic or a believer, you have a card to play and many joys to receive as a result.