How to Recognize a Real Church, Part 1
Summary
TLDRIn 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
🙏 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.
👑 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.
📜 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.
🗝️ 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.
🏛️ 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.
⚖️ 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Church
💡Biblical Pattern
💡Scripture
💡The Great Confession
💡Christology
💡Revelation
💡Kingdom of Heaven
💡Authority of Scripture
💡Supremacy of Preaching
💡The Great Communication
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
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