I’m so grateful that Jesus promised to build his church rather than ask me to do it! I’m also grateful that he’s invited us to be a part of what he builds and to be the agency through which he does the building.
That Jesus builds his church is made clear from Luke’s introduction to Acts and to the story of the early church as it unfolds. So the only conclusion we can come to is that Jesus will and does build his church. But what kind of church does he build? Moreover, what kind of church does he want to build with us and through us?
I believe the answer is quite simple. He wants to build a great church.
I think the early church was a great church. It was not a perfect church. But it was a great church. And I believe that Jesus still builds and still wants to build great churches.
A great church has to do with character and commitment, with the discipleship of its members and the choices it makes in ministry and mission. A great church not only has a great hope in Jesus Christ and the gospel of Jesus, but it has a great influence and a great ministry in and to its community.
I believe that God’s call is to build a great church not a big church. If big comes as a by-product of being great then that’s… great. But I don’t want to be a part of big a church that is not a great church.
The characteristics of a Great Church
#1 Devoted to biblical teaching and standards
You must never violate the principles of God in order to gain the blessing of God. " (Andy Stanley)
In other words there can be no bending of the rules, no stretching of the point, no shortcuts to God’s blessing. We cannot live one message and preach another. And that goes for principles of friendship and family as much as it goes for the moral teaching of the Bible.
In Eph.4 Paul calls us to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. He characterises this in terms of humility, gentleness, patience and love.
Two keys to this lifestyle
Key #1: Consistent Exposure
By this I simply mean reading and seeking to understand the word of God. In Psalm 119, the writer asks this question:
How can a young man keep his way pure?
To which he offers the simple answer: By living according to your word
God’s charge to Joshua was: Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Key #2: Disciplined Choices
I will walk in my house with blameless heart.
I will set before my eyes no vile thing. (Ps.102)
In a visual age, this is one of the most challenging verses of the whole Bible.
Life is full of choices, you make choices everyday, the challenge is to make good choices, to make godly choices.
#2 Devoted to each other
Committed relationships require:
Jesus said love would be the hallmark of being his followers. Paul talks of love as the greatest spiritual gift we can have.
In the New Testament church these committed relationships were expressed through:
There is no social class, no caste system, no “in” crowd and no “out” crowd
A great church has a positive reputation. To be highly regarded did not mean that people were queuing up to join, far from it.
#3 Devoted to God
The early church devoted themselves to prayer and the breaking of bread.
A great church is built by a great God who builds great people. God is not in the business of “fixing up” people, he’s not a repairman. He’s a life changing, heart renewing, freedom granting, grace outpouring God. As he commits himself to us, he calls us to commit ourselves to him…If you will be my people, I will be your God, rings out from the Old Testament. Throughout Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea and others, God speaks passionately about his relationship with the people he loves.
#4 Great outcomes
What is this great outcome? Growth. Lives transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We have the greatest message that carries the greatest possibilities for the greatness changes in the lives of every single human being on the planet.
In Acts 2 we are told that the Lord added daily those who were being saved.
Think about it. A daily addition to the church. Can you imagine what that might look like for the church in Bedford? For us?
Conclusion
Great churches are characterised by three things. They are:
If God only builds great churches, then we are a great church, but we can become greater. I don’t want to be part of a big church if that means not being part of a great church. I do want to be a part of a great church.
But a great church needs great people. Great in God’s hands, great in God’s eyes.
Do you want to be a part of a great church too?
If God’s big plan is to build great churches then I want us to be a great church, built by the great God, to bring great change.
