A Biblical Vision for the Church
“An indispensable gathering of professing believers in Christ, who, under leadership willing to accept all biblically affirmed responsibilities, are organized to pursue Jesus’ Great Commission and Great Commandment.”
“An indispensable gathering…”
The first aspect of a biblical vision for the Church is the assumption that Christians will gather with other believers. We see in Hebrews 10:24-25 that the believer is instructed to encourage other Christians to love and good deeds. The assumption here is that this occurs within the context of an assembled community.
“…of professing believers…”
Any group can gather around a common cause. That group may even gather for an altruistic purpose that meets real and pressing needs. What makes the Church unique is that it is comprised of believers who profess to be followers of Christ. Their identity is both corporate and individual and is centered and built upon the foundation of Christ (Eph. 2:20-22).
“…in Christ…”
Professing believers have a common bond rooted in Christ. It is the Lord Jesus Christ that is the head of the Church (Eph. 5:23). It is Christ that has the authority (Matt. 28:18) to hand his kingdom over to God (1 Cor. 15:24). It is Christ who mediates between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). And it is also Christ who will return to claim His bride and exact judgment on the unbelieving (Rev. 19:7-16).
“…who, under leadership willing to accept all biblically affirmed responsibilities…”
One of the key aspects that makes a church biblical is that it is led by individuals who accept their biblically affirmed leadership responsibilities as outlined by the apostle Paul in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3. These are the qualifications and the standards for the shepherds and servants of the church.
“…are organized…”
Organization is not bad. On the other hand, organizational-ism hamstrings even the most well-intentioned groups. While organization defines, describes, aligns, and holds accountable, organizational-ism places, promotes, and positions. Leaders under organizational-ism-type churches have figure heads and emperors with no clothes. Organizational-ism advances charisma instead of character. The difference couldn’t be more apparent. Organization follows a pattern of order as God has set forth patterns of order (Gen. 8:22).
“…to pursue Jesus’ Great Commission…and Great Commandment.”
The Great Commission is the charge Christ gave to His disciples and all who would follow them as disciples of Christ. In essence, Christ’s followers are to make disciples by baptizing (new disciples) in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teaching (new disciples) to observe all that Christ commanded the first disciples (Matt. 28:18-20). The Great Commandment is also given by Christ and teaches followers of Christ to love God and love others. It is not just a friendly love for God and others, but a sacrificial love modeled after Christ’s sacrificial love toward His followers. It is a love outlined in the Sermon on the Mount and the apostles Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 13.
What is the purpose of the Church? We’ll explore that, as well as the practical implications in the next installment of the GAP Book.
— January 5, 2022