November/December 1999
G-O-D
Aspects of a Well-Balanced Church
by Hank Hanegraaff
In Scripture, the church is referred to as the body of Christ. Just as our body is one and yet has many parts, so the body of Christ is one but is composed of many members. Those who have received Christ as the Savior and Lord of their lives are already a part of the church universal. It is crucial, however, that we also become vital, reproducing members of a healthy, well-balanced local body of believers.
Scripture exhorts us not to neglect the gathering of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). Sadly, multitudes today turn from the church and tune into television.
The impact of televangelism on the church has been massive. But by and large, instead of conforming us to Christ, televangelism has conformed us to our culture. Worship has been replaced with entertainment, fellowship has been transformed into individualism, and the biblical concept of "every believer a witness" has been replaced by the dubious witness of the televangelist. The form and function of the church have been dramatically altered.
Getting back to basics means returning our focus to the church as the God-ordained vehicle through which God is worshiped and through which we are equipped to make disciples. Let's use the "G" in God, the "O" in Oneness, and the "D" in Disciple to form the acronym G-O-D, which will help us remember the basic aspects of a healthy, well-balanced church.
God is Worshiped
The first sign of a healthy church is a pastor who is committed to leading in the worship of God through prayer, praise and the proclamation of the Word.
1. Prayer. Prayer is so inextricably woven together with worship that it would be unthinkable to have a church service without it. From the inception of the Christian church, prayer has been a primary means of worshiping God. Jesus himself set the pattern when he taught his disciples to pray (Matthew 6:9-15).
2. Praise. Praise is another way through which a body of believers worships God. Paul urged the church at Ephesus to "speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs" (Ephesians 5:19). In the Psalms we see a stunning portrayal of a God who is worthy of our praise and adoration. As the psalmist wrote:
"Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.... Let everything that has breath praise the Lord" (Psalm 150:1-2,6).
3. Proclamation. In addition to prayer and praise, the proclamation of the Word is a vital aspect of worshiping God. In 1 Timothy 4:13, Paul exhorts Timothy, "Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching," and in 2 Timothy 4:2 he writes, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -- with great patience and careful instruction." Through proclaiming God's Word, believers are edified, educated and equipped for evangelism.
It is through prayer, praise and proclamation that we are "being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5).
Demonstrating Oneness
The second sign of a healthy, well-balanced church is its oneness. Jesus Christ breaks the barriers of sex, race and background that divide us and makes us into one body under the banner of love. Communism claimed to turn men into comrades, but Christ turns us into brothers and sisters. The oneness we share as the body of Christ is tangibly manifested through community, confession and contribution.
1. Community. Baptism symbolizes our entrance into a community of believers who are one in Christ. It is a sign that we have been buried to our old life and raised to newness of life through his resurrection power. Holy communion is the chief expression of the oneness we share as a community of believers, for as we all partake of the same elements, we also partake of that which the elements symbolize: Christ, who binds us together. Our fellowship on earth, celebrated through communion, is a foretaste of the heavenly fellowship we will share when the symbol gives way to what it represents.
2. Confession. Our oneness in Christ is based on a core set of beliefs, which Walter Martin referred to as "essential Christianity." These beliefs, which have been codified in the creeds of the Christian church, form the basis of our unity as the body of Christ. As the familiar maxim says: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; and in all things, charity."
3. Contribution. The contribution of our time, talent, treasure and tangibly demonstrates our oneness in Christ. The pastor is not called to do the work of the ministry. Rather, he is called to "prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:12). God has given the individual members of the church spiritual gifts to be used "for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Christ has called individuals from every tongue, tribe and nation to oneness as the family of God. No man is an island! God has called each member for a purpose. Many logs burning together burn brightly, but when a log falls to the side, its embers quickly die.
Making Disciples
In the Great Commission, Christ called us not only to make converts, but to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). A disciple is a learner or follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to the task of making disciples through the testimony of our love, of our lips and of our lives.
1. Love. One of the secrets of growth in the early church was the testimony of its love. The love of Christ not only compelled early Christians to be ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), but constrained the world to take notice of them as well. The love of Christ was so contagious that it swept through the Roman Empire like wildfire. Jesus said, "All men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).
2. Lips. The early Christian church not only transformed the Roman Empire through the testimony of its love but also through the testimony of its lips. The book of Acts tells us that on the day Stephen was martyred, a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Those who were scattered preached the word wherever they went.
Therein lies the second secret of growth in the early church: Every believer was a witness for Christ. While it is true that not everyone is called to be an evangelist, everyone is called to evangelize. This is why the church must take seriously the task of equipping believers. For the rest of their lives, as God provides opportunities, believers are to be prepared to make disciples.
Jesus said, "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" (John 15:8).
3. Life. Closely related to the testimony of our lips is the testimony of our life. The story is told of a man who was working in a factory in the north of England. While standing on a ladder, he lost his balance and was skewered on a red-hot metal disk. His workmates were frantically scurrying about, looking for a doctor, when the man called out, "Forget the doctor! I'm dying! Can anyone tell me how to get right with God?"
Of the more than 300 men in the factory, not one stepped forward. Later, one of the men confessed that he could have stepped forward, but the testimony of his life had long ago refuted the testimony of his lips.
If we testify only by our life, we are in danger of testifying only to ourselves. On the other hand, if our lives belie the testimony of our lips, we may be dragging the name of Christ through the mud. We must testify through both life and lips.
Priesthood of Believers
May we, like the early Christian church, come to understand more fully the biblical concept of the priesthood of all believers. It is not the pastor's calling to do the work of the ministry single-handedly. The pastor is called to "prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature" (Ephesians 4:12-13).
It is my prayer that the acronym G-O-D will remind you of your privilege to be vitally connected to a healthy, well-balanced local church: A church in which God is worshiped, in which you enjoy oneness in fellowship, and from which you go out to make disciples of all nations.
Indeed, you are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9).
© 1999 Hendrik Hanegraaff
Hank Hanegraaff, radio's Bible Answer Man, can be contacted at telephone number (949) 858-6100 or internet site www.equip.org.