Is Your Church Doing This?
The Lord's Own Checklist
Every church has a to-do list, whether it is written down or not. The rota for the welcome team, the songs for Sunday, the notices, the coffee, the building fund. But the Lord Jesus has His own list for His church, and it is the only one that counts. In the book of Revelation He is seen as the One who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks [Revelation 2:1 KJV] — the churches — and to the church at Ephesus He says, I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience [Revelation 2:2 KJV]. Here was a busy church, a careful church, a church that would not put up with false apostles. And still He said, Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love [Revelation 2:4 KJV]. He saw what they were doing, and He saw what they had stopped doing. He still sees. So let me ask you plainly: is your church doing what the Word says? Not what is popular, not what fills seats, not what the church down the road is trying — what the Word says. The good news is that we don't have to guess. Scripture has already written the list, and it is shorter and plainer than most of us think.
Christ at the Head, the Word at the Centre
The first thing on the list is who is in charge. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence [Colossians 1:18 KJV]. Not the pastor. Not the platform. Not the personality. Yet in many churches today the man at the front has quietly become the head, and people follow him rather than Christ. The second thing follows straight on: the church is to teach the Word. Paul's charge to Timothy was simple — Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine [2 Timothy 4:2 KJV]. When Ezra stood before the people, they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading [Nehemiah 8:8 KJV]. That is teaching. What many get instead is talking — a verse read at the start, then thirty minutes of stories, advice and motivation that could have been given without a Bible at all.
And alongside teaching comes the truth that stings. God commandeth all men every where to repent [Acts 17:30 KJV], yet repentance has become an awkward word in a lot of pulpits, and the commands of Scripture have been sanded down into suggestions. Paul saw it coming: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears [2 Timothy 4:3 KJV]. A church that only ever comforts and never convicts isn't being kind. It is leaving people exactly where they are.
A Body, Not an Audience
Next, the church is meant to work like a body. The Lord gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ [Ephesians 4:11-12 KJV]. Did you catch that? The teachers equip the saints, and the saints do the work. The body grows by that which every joint supplieth [Ephesians 4:16 KJV] — every joint, not a paid few. But walk into many churches and you'll find the opposite: a handful of professionals doing everything while the rest sit, watch and go home. That is an audience, not a body. And it shows most clearly in worship. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth [John 4:24 KJV]. Worship is for Him. Yet the lights go up, the smoke goes on, the band plays, and somewhere along the way the congregation becomes the audience and God becomes an afterthought.
The early church had no stage and no sound desk, and look at what they gave themselves to: And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers [Acts 2:42 KJV]. Doctrine, fellowship, the Lord's table, prayer. Four plain things. How many churches today could say the prayer meeting is the busiest night of the week? In most it is the emptiest, if it exists at all. And real fellowship is more than a cup of coffee after the service. It is Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ [Galatians 6:2 KJV] — knowing each other well enough to carry the weight when it comes.
Doers, Not Hearers — Starting With You
Last on the list is what all of this is for. The church isn't a place to be topped up once a week; it is the body of Christ sent out into the world. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature [Mark 16:15 KJV]. Many churches have swapped that for events designed to bring people in — a better coffee shop, a better show, a better programme — and then wonder why so few are ever changed. The Lord didn't tell us to entertain the world into the kingdom. He told us to go, to preach, and to live differently: Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy [1 Peter 1:16 KJV]. Yet many churches have worked hard to blend in, softening anything that might set them apart in case it puts someone off — and a church that looks just like the world has nothing to offer it. And He gave each of us the job of checking what we hear. The Bereans received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so [Acts 17:11 KJV]. Daily. For themselves. You can't blame the pulpit for a Bible you never open.
That brings it right back to you, because the church isn't the building or the man at the front — it is you and me. So hold your church up to the list, yes, but hold yourself up to it first. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves [James 1:22 KJV]. If your church is doing these things, thank God and get stuck in. If it isn't, don't walk out in a huff. Pray, open the Word, ask honest questions, and start being the joint that supplies. The Lord said, upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it [Matthew 16:18 KJV]. He is still building. Our part is to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work [Colossians 1:10 KJV].
Key Takeaways:
- Christ is the Head of the church — not the pastor, the platform or the personality — [Colossians 1:18 KJV]
- The church is called to teach the Word plainly, not talk around it — [Nehemiah 8:8 KJV]
- Truth that convicts is mercy; repentance belongs in the pulpit — [2 Timothy 4:2 KJV]
- Leaders equip the saints; every member does the work — [Ephesians 4:11-12 KJV]
- Worship is for God, in spirit and in truth — [John 4:24 KJV]
- Doctrine, fellowship, the Lord's table and prayer are the church's daily bread — [Acts 2:42 KJV]
- The church is sent out with the gospel, not built to entertain — [Mark 16:15 KJV]
- Check your church against the Word, but check yourself first — [James 1:22 KJV]
Where to go from here:
Read Acts 2:42-47 and Ephesians 4:11-16 side by side, and hold your own walk up against them before you hold up anyone else's. Then take the step above — one plain act of obedience, before Sunday.
📽️ Watch this teaching 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I8JzbBaJQw&list=PLhtPbQ4aPQH5L9BycdIkD1Cmh288M1oaK
🧭 Start Here — Who We Are in Christ! — the teachings to read first 👉 https://back-to-basics-christian-living.ghost.io/start-here/
🎥 The playlist to watch alongside them 👉 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEPKdqB9RuLI
➡️ Next — Wednesday: Write this Down — Oil and Water: Mixing What God Never Mixed!
Begin there — who we are in Christ, in order. Then, Monday to Thursday, each day has its own job: Monday, Something to Think About? — a question for the church and for us in it; Tuesday and Thursday, Messages from the Outpost — house fellowship teaching round the table; Wednesday, Write this Down — one truth to keep for the walk. Fridays bring a series, at present Ephesians: The Letter Written to You, and one email on Sunday, The Christian Compass, closes the week and opens the next.
🙏 Write and tell us what God has done 👉 backtobasicschristianliving@gmail.com, and let us know if we're free to share it in The Christian Compass on Sundays, to encourage someone else. And if this helped you, send it to one person who needs it this week.
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