Is the True Church Emerging?
There are many churches in our day and age that are trying to be really creative. Some are even outright rejecting virtually every aspect of the historical church for what they believe is a better version. It would seem a bit audacious to so boldly blaze a trail such as this. However, is there reason to believe it is the right trail to blaze? Are they, perhaps, the new reformers? Or are they only pretenders who want to have their cake and eat it too? Are they dedicated to the Lord in what they are doing or are they merely calling on His name in vain? Further, is it fair to judge them this way? Is it possible that instead of studying the theology of the Word, they are instead living it out? But, if that be the case, how does one live out the theology, the truth, if they do not know what that is – if they have not studied it? I have asked a lot of questions, so let me see if I can answer some of them.
First and foremost, I would like to address one particular aspect of this growing trend. There is a claim by at least some of these churches to be going back to the early church found in the book of Acts. And while if that is true – that they are returning to that church – then it is a good thing, but we have to be clear about what that means. To replicate the church found in the book of Acts, we cannot mimic merely in form and function – a chess club full of raving heathens could do that quite successfully. No, if we are to be that church, we must be that by also laying claim to the truth of Christ. We cannot divide the truth of Christ into parts and then apply only those that hit our ears just right. Again, no, we must seek to know the God revealed in scripture and follow Him no matter who that is. If we do not do that, then we have set in front of ourselves a graven image that will bring forth our condemnation.
So, to be certain that I am clear in what I am saying, we must know who the church really is. Is it the building we see when we drive down the street? Is it the people within and the actions they perform on behalf of that church? Is it the theology that comes out of the church? Is it a combination? It is actually none of these things, unless we can establish that the church is a Biblical church made up of true believers in Christ – is the true Word of God preached? Is there evidence that the people within the church have come to know the savior? If a church, for instance Jehovah’s Witnesses, have perverted the gospel of Jesus Christ, have perverted the text of scripture, and do not practice the theology of the Bible, then no matter how much they practice in the same form and fashion of the early church, they are not a true church. They are actually worse than that chess club of raving heathens. There will be greater condemnation waiting for them at the judgment. In the end, the building is irrelevant. They could worship on the beach and still be a Biblical church. The question is whether they are a Biblical church.
And so, priority number one in evaluating a church is to understand the theology that is being taught. If that teaching is not in accordance with what we find in the Bible, the church should be rejected. That being said, there is a reason that the churches that I am evaluating here have grown in popularity. We, who are in a church that does practice the right theology, must learn that reason and put it into practice. As much as I believe many of these churches have only recognized part of Christ, and are most assuredly not a new reformation, I would also argue that the true church has to recognize that we in many ways have to look at what we have lost from that early church. While our theology may be right, perhaps the outflow of that theology is not what it once was. Perhaps we have abandoned the love we had at first as the Church at Ephesus found in Revelation 2. Again, it is important that we learn from these movements and make sure that our knowledge of God results in our seeking to imitate God in the form of Christ.
Finally, let me make painfully obvious that many of these church movements are nothing more than an attempt to have church be a comfort measure that does not worship the true God, but instead, a mere shadow of Him that is easier on our flesh. In Matthew 7, Christ makes clear that many of the people who call on him, “Lord, Lord” will be rejected and he will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Jesus did not mince words. He was clear and concise. There are many who claim to follow Christ, but only a small few of them are true followers. We, if we have been truly redeemed by the savior, must evaluate these churches shrewdly and if they are found to be outside of the Word of God, outside of a true understanding of Christ, we must reject them boldly and clearly and do what we can to ensure that the true church is not only in sharp contrast to them, we must make sure the true church is following the path of Christ so clearly that there be no question that we are a Biblical church.
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