Don’t Miss This in Church
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Most young people want to go to church, they just don’t know where to start. Honestly, some of the aspects we usually rely on for first impressions are pretty lame judges. Maybe we think the music is too loud, or too old. Maybe they had pews instead of chairs, or a tiny screen for the lyrics, or watery coffee.
You know it is better to just go somewhere, rather than alienate yourself from your family in Christ, but you aren’t sure if you should stay. At this point, an objective guideline might help you, as it has helped me, find the kind of church you are looking for.
Worship is warfare, and here are some marks of a true army.
1. A good army listens to the Commander-in-Chief.
Strong leadership bears awesome results. A midnight mission to abduct the Venezuelan tyrant. The decisive B-2 bombing of the Iranian nuclear facility. Decisive orders and consistent commands make all the difference in an army.
Where do we find the demands of God? In the Son, who is the Word, Jesus Christ as he is revealed in Scripture.
If the Word of God is not penetrating every corner of a church and the people in it, then they are fighting under enemy flags. The Bible should resound from the pulpit, rattle in the pews, saturate the lyrics of hymns and songs.
And just as no one wants a platitudinal Captain when the bullets are raining, no one should want a church that only chooses the easy parts of Scripture. The Church you attend should preach the whole counsel of our Captain from Genesis to Revelation. It shouldn’t shy away from the uncomfortable parts.
Avoidance is how you end up with lesbian pastors reciting the Sparkle Creed.
2. A good army wears the uniform.
The church you attend needs to wear the uniform of the people of God.
What is that uniform? Baptism and communion.
Baptism throughout all time has been regarded as entrance into the church. If a church doesn’t have a strong stance on baptism, they are disrespecting the uniform. Similarly, the Bible has clear standards for communion. If a church does not take a stand for communion, they are disrespecting the uniform.
A shower and three square meals a day used to be an effective recruitment tactic for the military.
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3. A good army has training standards.
No army allows disreputable conduct amongst its members. So too, no church should allow sin to flaunt itself amongst the members.
A church should regularly be confronting sin in its midst, not just the sin of the world. You should feel convicted sitting under sermons or talking to fellow worshippers. You should be sharpened by the Holy Spirit speaking through the Body of Christ.
Victim mentality can seep into Christian churches. If you find that a church only ever talks about how you can be saved from the evil done unto you, but never addresses the evil of your own heart, they do not care about their soldiers enough to give them good training.
4. A good army is a band of brothers.
Soldiers have a difficult time adjusting to civilian life after their service. One aspect of this is the loss of brotherhood. In many ways, after growing accustomed to fighting for a purpose alongside men they would give their lives for, these soldiers return home ruined for this individualistic world.
Your church too should make you ruined for this world.
Among the worshippers, there should be profound love, service, and purpose. From your first visit, this should be evident. Fathers and mothers should love their children. Children should obey their parents. Friends discuss with each other. Strangers greet you.
Jesus says in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
We are all known by our fruits. May the church you call home call you to taste and see that the Lord is good.