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Five Qualities of a Healthy Church 1. A Church of Redeemed People So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41) It is important to note that Luke does not tell us that the assembly of the church was established by some three thousand bodies, rather it was established by the spiritual redemption of those so numbered. Therefore, the Lord sovereignly redeemed those who were moved to genuine faith and repentance and this is the very beginning point of the church in Jerusalem. An important point should be drawn from this. A true church is comprised of those who have been called by the Lord in salvation. This is the very meaning of the word “church”, or ekklesia in the Greek which means “the assembly of those called of God.” This may seem to be a point that is too obvious or simple, but it is one that must be carefully guarded, for the following reasons: 1. The Church is charged with the priority of nurturing and feeding Christ's sheep. This was Jesus' final instruction to Peter (John 21:15-17) and it is the repeated priority throughout the New Testament Scriptures (Ephesians 4:10-16, Acts 20:24-31, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12). Without this first priority, the armies of the living God will not be adequately prepared for the daily battles of life in this world. (Ephesians 6:10-19) 2. The second key truth is that God saves people, not the church. Therefore one's attendance to a local church can neither save them nor reconcile them with God. Only God is the one who adds to the number of the true church as we see here in Acts 2:41 & 47 (“...the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”) 3. Finally, it should be noted that the church by definition must be careful to affirm in its membership those whom the Lord has saved. The church should be most concerned about spiritual Godliness and purity, rather than the number of people that it attracts. It is Jesus Christ who owns and builds His church, not men. (Matthew 16:18) |
