How to Recognize a Real Church, Part 1

Summary

In this transcript, the speaker emphasizes the true essence of a church, focusing on the importance of scripture and a correct understanding of Jesus Christ. He discusses the confusion caused by various church options today and outlines the biblical criteria for a legitimate church. The core message is that a church should be defined by its adherence to the Word of God, proper teaching, and a Christ-centered confession, rather than superficial factors like parking or social activities. The church's mission is to faithfully proclaim the gospel and live under the authority of scripture.

Takeaways

• 📖 The gospel should not be an embarrassment; it is essential to focus on Jesus Christ and His crucifixion.
• 🏛️ Finding a true church has become increasingly difficult due to the numerous options available.
• ⚠️ Many gatherings called churches are not true churches by biblical standards.
• 🌟 A true church is a gathering of those called by God to salvation, not a building or institution.
• 📝 The primary criterion for a true church is how it handles scripture and its adherence to biblical truth.
• 📚 Sound theology, doctrine, and biblical truth should inform all aspects of church life and ministry.
• 👑 The church belongs to Christ and operates under His rule; leaders must be faithful to His commands.
• 🗝️ The church's mandate is to proclaim the gospel and open the door to the kingdom of heaven.
• 🔑 True churches are defined by their confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and adherence to divine revelation.
• 🌍 The church's mission is not to alter earthly kingdoms but to proclaim the gospel to individuals.

Q & A

What is the main issue people face when trying to find a church, according to the speaker?

The main issue is the confusion and paralysis caused by the numerous options and the presence of places and events that call themselves churches but are not truly churches.

What does the speaker identify as the most important aspect to look for in a church?

The most important aspect is how the people who gather together handle scripture, including their beliefs about the Bible and how it informs their living, preaching, and teaching.

What does the speaker say about the church's relation to cultural expectations and pragmatic strategies?

The speaker is completely indifferent to cultural expectations and pragmatic strategies. He emphasizes that the only reality that compels him is what the king (Jesus) commands him to do.

According to the speaker, what defines a true church?

A true church is defined by its biblical view of Jesus Christ, the great confession of faith in Him, and living under the authority of the Word of God.

What is the 'great confession' that the speaker mentions?

The 'great confession' is the affirmation that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

What role does the Bible play in the life of the church, according to the speaker?

The Bible exercises all controls over the life of the church, including ministry, preaching, discipleship, evangelism, and mission efforts. It is the church's great communication from God.

How does the speaker describe the church's authority in terms of binding and loosing?

The church's authority in binding and loosing is based on the scripture. When the church declares someone bound in sin or loosed from sin, it does so in agreement with heaven, as long as it is faithful to the Word of God.

Why does the speaker say Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ?

Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone because the Jewish people's definition of Messiah was inaccurate. He wanted to avoid confusion regarding His mission and the nature of His kingdom.

What is the church's primary role in influencing the world, according to the speaker?

The church's primary role in influencing the world is through the preaching and proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, rather than attempting to change social structures or manipulate the kingdom of darkness.

What does the speaker mean by saying the church is 'an isolated island'?

The speaker means that the church is distinct and separate from the world, focusing on individual transformation through the gospel rather than conforming to or trying to reform the world's social and political systems.

Outlines

00:00

🙏 Understanding the Real Church

The church is not a building or an institution but a gathering of those called by God. Many places call themselves churches but do not meet the biblical criteria. The true church is defined by its adherence to scripture and sound theology, prioritizing the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bible above all else.

05:03

👑 The Authority of King Jesus

The church is the spiritual kingdom ruled by Jesus Christ. It operates under the authority of the Bible, and church leaders must faithfully adhere to biblical teachings. Cultural expectations and pragmatic strategies are irrelevant; the focus is solely on obeying the commands of Christ as outlined in scripture.

10:03

📜 The Great Confession

A true church is defined by its correct understanding of Jesus Christ. Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, is foundational. This belief sets the true church apart from superficial or incorrect views of Jesus. The church is built on the revelation of Christ's true identity.

15:04

🗝️ The Great Communication

The church is guided by divine revelation from God, primarily through the scriptures. Jesus' declaration to Peter about building His church on this revelation emphasizes the authority of the Bible. The keys to the kingdom involve the truth of the scripture, which opens the door to salvation.

20:06

🏛️ The Foundation of the Church

The church is built on the divine revelation of Jesus Christ's identity, not on human authority or traditions. This revelation carries immense authority, enabling the church to declare the binding and loosing of sins in alignment with heavenly authority. The church's mission is to proclaim this truth.

25:06

⚖️ The Great Contrast

The church stands in contrast to worldly systems. Jesus instructed His disciples not to announce Him as the Messiah prematurely to avoid confusion with political or social expectations. The true church focuses on the spiritual kingdom and the proclamation of the gospel, not on altering worldly systems.

Keywords

💡Church

In the video, the term 'church' is defined not as a building or institution, but as a gathering of people called by God to salvation, redemption, and other spiritual transformations. The concept emphasizes the church as a community of believers who live under the authority of God's word and teaching.

💡Biblical Pattern

A 'biblical pattern' refers to the criteria or model outlined in the Bible for what constitutes a true church. The video discusses how a real church must adhere to scriptural teachings and doctrines, emphasizing that the authenticity of a church is measured by its faithfulness to the Bible.

💡Scripture

Scripture is highlighted as the ultimate authority for the church. The video's message centers on the idea that a true church's teaching, preaching, and living must be based on and conform to biblical truth, rejecting cultural expectations and pragmatic strategies in favor of divine revelation.

💡The Great Confession

This concept refers to the fundamental declaration of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The video explains that this confession is essential for defining a true church, as it establishes the church's Christology and separates it from other gatherings or associations.

💡Christology

Christology is the study of the nature and work of Jesus Christ. In the video, a true church is characterized by its correct understanding and teaching about Jesus' divinity, incarnation, and role as the foundation of the church. It stresses that the right view of Jesus is central to the church's identity.

💡Revelation

Revelation in this context refers to the divine truth disclosed by God through scripture. The video emphasizes that the church operates under the authority of this divine revelation, which guides its doctrine, teaching, and practice. It is through this revelation that the church understands its mission and identity.

💡Kingdom of Heaven

The 'kingdom of heaven' is described as the spiritual realm ruled by Jesus Christ. The church is part of this kingdom, and its members are those who have been given eternal life by the Holy Spirit. The video portrays the church as living under Christ's rule and the authority of scripture.

💡Authority of Scripture

This concept underscores that all aspects of church life, including ministry, preaching, and teaching, must be governed by the Bible. The video stresses that a true church must align itself with scriptural teachings, and any deviation from this authority is seen as a departure from true faithfulness.

💡Supremacy of Preaching

The video highlights the 'supremacy of preaching' as central to the life of the church. It explains that teaching and proclaiming the word of God are the core activities of a true church, emphasizing that faithful preaching is essential for the spiritual growth and edification of the congregation.

💡The Great Communication

This term refers to the divine revelation communicated through scripture. The video explains that the church's mission is to proclaim this revelation faithfully, and its authority comes from adherence to the word of God. This communication is what defines and sustains the church's spiritual life.

Highlights

The church is not a building or institution but a gathering of those called by God to salvation, redemption, and adoption.

A church should be defined by how it handles scripture and its belief in biblical truth.

The life of the church is under the rule of King Jesus, and everything must conform to sound theology and New Testament truth.

Cultural expectations, pragmatic strategies, and the desires of unregenerate people should not influence the church's mission.

The church's ministry is driven by the supremacy of preaching and teaching the word of God.

The first mention of the church in the New Testament is in Matthew 16, where Jesus states, 'I will build my church.'

A true church is characterized by a great confession of faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

The church is built on the revelation from God and not on the supremacy of any human, including Peter.

The authority of the church comes from divine revelation, and it is invincible against all challenges, including death.

The church has the keys to the kingdom of heaven, which is the scripture that opens the door to salvation.

The church operates with the full authority of heaven when it faithfully adheres to the word of God.

A true church is not defined by political, sociological, or economic agendas but by its proclamation of the gospel.

The solution to societal sins like abortion, homosexuality, and immorality is not changing social structures but proclaiming the gospel.

The church must live with a great confession, under the authority of divine revelation, and in contrast to the society around it.

A true church's focus is on individual transformation through the gospel, not on manipulating societal structures.

Transcripts

[Music]

what in the world makes us so

embarrassed about

the gospel

i determined to know nothing among you

except jesus christ and him crucified

[Music]

[Music]

you know we are constantly asked at

grace to you about

churches people writing us calling us

emailing us and saying i need

help finding a church i don't think this

has ever been this

difficult in the past certainly not in

my lifetime

there are so many options in

churches today that people are really

confused if not paralyzed by the choices

and there are many places and repeated

events that call themselves churches

but aren't really churches at all is

there a

criteria is there a biblical pattern to

look for

and if so what is that how can you

find a real church

there are some foundational things that

have to be there

for it to call itself legitimately a

real church

we're excited to be able to help you to

understand those things

the church is not a building the church

is not

an institution or an association when we

talk about the church we're

going to use that word etc the the

called out

ones a church is a gathering of those

who have been

called by god to salvation to redemption

to adoption two conversion two

justification

and ultimately to glorification so when

i talk about the church

i'm talking about the people who make up

the church not the building

not the the institution of the church

not a denomination

not a particular theology not a

particular style

i'm talking about the living breathing

people who are the church

how are we to understand the church

i was listening to a radio program years

ago christian radio station and

somebody called in it was one of those

talk programs and said what do i look

for in a church

what do i look for in a church and i

turned up the volume because i wanted to

hear

the answer and the answer was and i

wrote it down

you look for fellowship caring and

sharing that's most important

fellowship caring and sharing that's

most

important um you might find that in a

bar

you you might find that in a club

you might find that in a thousand

sociological associations and events

that's not the right answer

how do you choose a church some people

would be pretty superficial about it

there was a study done a number of years

ago that said the

most important thing that a church

does to attract people is to provide

parking parking was number one

number two was nursery

and i kept reading looking for pastor

but he didn't appear until number six or

so

there were all these things that people

assumed were the important

aspects style comfort

music air conditioning

friendliness what are you looking for in

a church and what should a church

be well that is a question that has

very clear biblical answers but just to

give you sort of a basic answer and this

would be

ecclesiology 101

there's really only one issue

how do those people who gather together

handle scripture

that's the issue how do they handle

the word of god what do they believe

about the bible what do they believe the

bible teaches

how does the bible inform their living

and their preaching and their teaching

everything in the life of the church

must conform to sound theology sound

doctrine

and biblical truth new testament truth

frames the church as it does every other

area of theology

it eliminates these identity crises it

eliminates all these

novel substitute answers that

demonstrate no real

competency and no real

bowing to authority the church is the

kingdom of heaven

the church is the spiritual realm ruled

by king

jesus the the church is the

fellowship the communion of all the

souls to whom the holy spirit has given

eternal life the church belongs to

christ the life of the church is under

the rule of

king jesus he is the head of the church

so as a pastor i am compelled

and confined by the theology of the

church by what the bible

says about the church the bible

exercises all

controls over the life of the church

the bible has all authority over all

ministry

all preaching all discipleship all

evangelism

all mission efforts and to be honest

with you i am

completely indifferent to cultural

expectations i am totally indifferent

i am disinterested in cultural

expectations

i am indifferent to pragmatic strategies

i

i have no interest in surveys polls

uh i'm not curious uh about the desires

of unregenerate people as to what they

would like the church to be

and nor am i particularly interested in

the whims of the carnal and the immature

who would want to define the church in a

way that entertains

them there's really only one reality

that compels me

and compels any faithful leader in the

church

and that is what does the king command

me

as his slave to do on his behalf

in his kingdom because this is his

kingdom

paul says it is required of stewards and

this is a stewardship

that a man be found faithful faithful

faithful assumes simply being compliant

submissive and obedient to what i have

been given

from god to do i'm

both afraid not to be faithful to my

king

to my lord to the head of the church

and at the same time i am delighted and

glad to be faithful i'm afraid not to be

faithful and i'm

i'm joyful to be faithful and this

ministry in the church is

driven by the supremacy of preaching

and teaching that's

the heart of it all preach the word

teach the word

you have given to the church evangelists

teaching pastors in either case they are

proclaiming the truth

they are teaching the gospel the truth

teachers preachers feed the flock of god

feed them the word of god preach the

word in season out of season you know

all of those injunctions

so when we think about the church and

i'm just giving you sort of a broad look

at it

when we think about the church this is

what we're talking about

we're talking about that assembly of

people who live

under the authority of the word of god

who live under a clear

understanding of the word of god brought

to them by faithful leaders and teachers

who proclaim these truths and who

support their claims

and their proclamation by the way they

live now if we want to get a biblical

definition to start with

let me take you to matthew 16 because

this is the first place in the new

testament where

church is mentioned and in verse 18

you have this statement by our lord i

will build my church

i will build my church that's the first

time in the new testament we come to the

word

church i will build my

church he's not talking about buildings

he's not talking about organizations

institutions programs strategies he's

talking about

people people i will

build my church i will build my church

the possessive pronoun

my church is a reminder that church does

not belong to us

it is his church it belongs to him

in acts 20 we are reminded that god

purchased the church with his own

blood we have been redeemed peter says

not with corruptable things like silver

and gold but with the precious blood

of the lord jesus christ a lamb without

blemish and without

spot so at immense cost the lord has

paid the price for his church and he is

building his

church the only question that i ever ask

is what does the lord of the church

ask of me to serve him in the building

of his church

here are the essentials that define

a church number one a church is a

collection

of redeemed people who make a great

confession

just put down a great confession a great

confession

let's pick it up at verse 13. jesus came

into the district

of caesarea philippi and he was asking

his disciples who do people say that the

son of man

is and they said some say john the

baptist

and others elijah still others jeremiah

or one of the prophets

but he said to them who do you say

that i am that is

the question that the church the true

church

answers correctly okay

the church is first and foremost defined

by its christology

by its christology

who do you say that i am

peter answers and he answered not only

for himself but the rest of those

believing disciples you're the christ

the messiah

the son of the living god

that's who you are

now we know from scripture that jesus

also is presented as the cornerstone

paul says that first corinthians 3 jesus

is the foundation

peter says he's the cornerstone the

church is built on him

he is the foundation first corinthians 3

no one can build on any

other foundation again ephesians 2

christ is the foundation stone the

cornerstone so the first

and essential and definitive

characteristic

of the true church is that it has a

biblical view of jesus christ

it has the right view of jesus christ

it is not a superficial view it is not a

sentimental view of jesus it is not a

view of jesus that he is some

prophet and nothing more it is the true

view

of christ if anybody preaches another

christ let him be anathema let him be

cursed if anybody preaches another

gospel let him be cursed

it's this is paul if anybody comes to

you

with anything other than than the true

christ second john

don't even listen to him he is in

grave error everything starts at

christology now let me back up a little

bit in verse 13.

caesarea philippi is a town

on the north border the lebanese border

of the land of israel

it originally was known as paneas it was

changed to caesarea

philippi to honor caesar

penaeus was its original name from the

greek god

pan you've heard of pan flutes the the

little god who placed the flute was the

god

pen it was a center actually of greek

and uh

and roman life it was a center of

idolatry

there were idols all over the place from

the greek era

and uh with the arrival of caesar there

was a temple built there

to the god augustus caesar and the town

was renamed in honor

of caesar it was the place in israel

where the cultures

of the non-jewish religions of the world

had come to meet

there were jews there but it was on the

northern border and so it had absorbed

all the paganism of past generations it

was the right place

to clarify the nature of salvation

the nature of the church and the truth

about

the lord jesus christ it is in that

environment an environment of idolatry

that our lord asks the question who do

people say the son of man is

and to that there are answers john the

baptist elijah

jeremiah one of the prophets that would

be coming from the jewish people

who do you say that i am and they affirm

in verse 16 that he is the messiah

the son of the living god

the anointed one the promised redeemer

that he is deity

that he is humanity this is

the confession that establishes the true

church if that confession is not made

then you don't have a true church you

don't have true believing

people the church is not a group of

people who need emotion motivational

talk

it is not a group of unbelievers who

like the music

it is not a collection of unsaved people

who need help for their addictions

it is not people who want to feel

spirituality who want to experience

spirituality

it is not a collection of people who

want to go through mindless

rituals and traditions it is

it is an assembly of those who make this

great confession of faith in the lord

jesus christ to spread it a little bit

romans 10

who believe in him who believe

god raised him from the dead and who

confess

jesus as lord it is that assembly of

people

who believe in his name john 20 31 and

therefore have

eternal life this is the common

confession

we believe in christ as god

revealed in human flesh as demonstrably

righteous

through the holy spirit as attended by

angels

throughout his life from his birth to

his resurrection

as the one proclaimed in the gospel

among the nations

and for salvation believed on in the

world

the one taken up to glory this is our

confession

his deity his incarnation his virgin

birth

his holiness the

affirmation and approval of god is

attested by angels

preached by the apostles preached by the

prophets

believed on by sinners taken to glory to

be placed at the father's

right hand this is not a sentimental

view of jesus

this is not the jesus of the

sentimentalists this is not the jesus of

the prosperity preachers

this is not the jesus of uh of the um

the mystics this is not the jesus of

those who say

jesus is your genie and you can call on

him to create your world any way you

want it

this is the jesus of scripture

a church is a gathering of people who

believe in him and say with peter you

are the christ

and with thomas my lord and my god and

again with peter to whom shall we go you

and you alone have the words of eternal

life

there are people today who do everything

they can to to gather unbelievers

and they call it a church somebody said

to me one of those kinds of places

is called grace church does it bother

you that they call it grace i said no it

bothers me that they call it church

it's not a church i'm not against having

an

outreach to unbelievers i'm certainly

for that but that's not

the church you need to be part of the

church

that's where you live your life that's

where you find your accountability your

strength that's where you minister and

are ministered to

that's where you grow that's where you

serve

that's where you find comfort that's

where you

share joy now secondly and there's

another foundation here in this passage

back to matthew 16.

there's another foundational reality

here let's call it the great

communication the great communication

there is the great confession which

defines the church and there is the

great

communication i'm trying to do a little

alliteration so you kind of have

something to hang on to

verse 17. jesus said to him peter after

his confession

on behalf of all the other believing

disciples he said you're the christ the

son of the living god

jesus said to him blessed are you simon

barjonas i mean son of john

or son of jonas his father's name

because flesh and blood did not reveal

this to you

but my father who is in heaven

flesh and blood didn't reveal this to

you

but my father who is in heaven

what is the great communication that

defines the church

we go back to kind of where we started

the church has

communication from god

and what is that communication and is

none other than holy scripture

none other than holy scripture

peter's confession came because god

had revealed the truth in fact that's

exactly what it says here

flesh and blood did not apocalypto

disclose uncover make known reveal this

to you this

you know we don't get our orders from

man

true church is not led by any human it's

not

flesh and blood ours is a revelation

from our father who is

in heaven the church

requires the word to come down

from heaven the blessed word of god

this is the great communication it's all

we have

that's all we need it's all we want

verse 18 says i also say to you that you

are peter

and upon this rock i'll build my church

and the gates of hades will not

overpower it

this is a very familiar statement that

has long been a staple in the roman

catholic system

they say this is where the lord made

peter the first pope

of course that's not at all what it says

you are peter and there there's a

kind of a tone of you you're not really

very important

you're just peter you're not holy father

peter you're just

peter but upon this

rock i will build my church you are

peter

stone but upon this rock bed

different word i will build my church

well what is the rock bed

upon which he will build his church i

believe it is the affirmation of peter

that you are the christ the son of the

living god the church is not built on

the supremacy of peter

it is not built on peter it is built on

the revelation

from god which peter believed okay

it is built on the revelation from god

which peter

believed the church is the gathering of

people who are subject to the power

and authority of the revelation of god

we are the people who are subject to the

power and authority

of the revelation of god the lord builds

his church

on the authority of his divine

revelation and there is so much

authority in that revelation

verse 19 says that i'll give you the

keys of the kingdom of heaven

and whatever you bind on earth shall

have been bound in heaven and whatever

you loose on earth shall have been

loosed in heaven

now just exactly what is that saying

i'll give you the keys to the kingdom

what do keys do

they open what is the ministry of the

church what is the mandate of the church

the the mandate of the church

is to to open the door to the kingdom

and invite sinners in

i'm going to give you the key to open

the door to the kingdom what is the key

the key is the scripture the scripture

gives all necessary truth about entrance

into the kingdom

i'm going to give you the truth that

opens the door

of the kingdom and you then

can go out and whatever you bind on

earth shall have been bound in heaven

and whatever you loose on earth shall

have been loosed in heaven

now does that give does that give some

kind of

some kind of independent authority to us

to pastors

did it to peter no

no he's saying this

whenever you function with the word of

god

you function in harmony with heaven

that's the point whenever you say to

someone and this is rabbinic language

you're bound in your sins

because they have rejected the gospel

heaven agrees

when you say to someone you're loosed

from your sins because they've received

the gospel

heaven agrees as long as you are

faithful to the word of god you

operate with the full authority of

heaven

if a person comes up and says to me

i don't believe your message i don't

believe the gospel you preach i can say

to that person with full authority

you are bound in your sin

and you will perish if someone comes to

me and says i

believe with all my heart i have turned

from my sin and fully embraced christ

i don't know the divine transaction i

can't read minds

but on the basis of that testimony and

evidence of a transformed life such as

we heard in baptism i can say to that

person you are loosed from

your sins i have

the right to affirm the authority

of scripture this is our great

communication

this is all we have this is all we need

and this is all we want

when anybody departs from the great

communication the divine revelation

he's in trouble verse 23

peter suggested that this was a bad plan

jesus dying

no no lord this isn't going to happen to

you that's a departure from scripture

he turned and said to peter get behind

me what satan when you deviate from

scripture

you have just landed in satan's domain

you've just taken up his cause when

anybody departs from the revelation

which is the will of god he takes the

side of the enemy of god the side of

satan but the church

making a great confession and the church

coming under the authority of the great

communication the revelation of god

is invincible go back

verse 18. i will build my church in the

gates of hades will not overpower it

death itself can't stop it nothing can

stop it

thirdly there's a great contrast there's

a great contrast

in verse 20 then he warned the disciples

they should tell no one that he was the

christ

this is so strange he warned

the disciples that they should tell no

one that he was the messiah

having acknowledged the great confession

and the great revelation

that he is lord and god and

that god has spoken in his word you

would think

that he would say now go tell everybody

this is counter-intuitive they are

warned the word

warned is there serious prohibition tell

nobody

is this anti-evangelism is this sort of

um

is this sort of a momentary kind of

instruction that is overruled by the

great commission what is this

here's the problem if they had gone out

to tell

everyone that jesus was the messiah

this would have been terribly confusing

why

because their definition of messiah was

wrong

was wrong their

definition of messiah that is the jewish

people was not

accurate jesus then is saying

do not give any impression

that i am here to alter human

life on this planet politically

sociologically militarily

economically i'm not

my kingdom has no connection to earthly

kingdoms

it is irrelevant to the kingdom of

salvation

what happens politically militarily

economically nationally

the church has no direct role in

rearranging

sinners into more acceptable life

patterns

into better economics better social

structures

that is not what the true church does it

amazes me on the basis of that how much

time and money professing christians and

so-called churches have

spent trying to manipulate the kingdom

of darkness

into a more acceptable form

we have no connection with the kingdoms

of this world a true church

is an isolated island we

influence the world one person at a time

we influence the world by the preaching

the proclamation of the gospel of jesus

christ

there are times when we speak against

the things the world does we speak

against a criminal behavior we speak

against abortion we speak against

homosexuality

against sexual immorality we speak

against the

parental abuse we speak against the

delinquency of

children we speak against all those

things that the bible defines as sin

we will always do that but we understand

that the solution to all those things

is not to change the social structure

the solution to all those things is to

proclaim the gospel

individually and through the the pulpits

and the means that are given to us

so a true church then lives

with a great confession under the

authority of a great

communication and in great contrast

to the society around it if you have any

questions about the ministry of

john macarthur or grace to you our

operators would be happy to assist you

and are available by calling

888 57 grace that's 888

57 grace