The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word:
From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy Bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.
(Usually sung to the tune AURELIA by Samuel S. Wesley)
That classic old hymn, written in 1866 by Samuel L. Stone of England, extolls the truth that any true Christian church has nothing other than Jesus Christ as its foundation. But how do we evaluate a church to know if it is one that fits the biblical standard of what a church should be? In this two part article we are examining three essential elements of a genuine and dynamic church. Our model is found in the book of Acts, chapter 11, verses 19-30. It is the body of Christ that was in the Syrian city of Antioch. Antioch was a Greco-Roman town populated by mostly Gentiles and some Jews (see Part 1 for information on the rich history of that city).
In Part 1 we looked at the first basic mark of a dynamic church from Acts 11:19-24. We learned that Antioch aggressively brought people to faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, its primary task was to preach the clear Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it made no distinction between Jew and Gentile. They knew the message of Christ was for everyone. That is no less true today.
In this installment we will look at the other two key ingredients of a dynamic church. Let’s go back to Acts where Luke reports: “Then he (Barnabas) went to Tarsus to search for Saul, and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch” (Acts 11: 25-26 CSB).
When Barnabas saw what was happening in Antioch, he knew immediately that the vast number of new converts would need extensive teaching in the faith. Most of the Gentiles probably did not even know much about Judaism and its Scriptures, much less all the implications of following Christ. Because Barnabas saw growing pains in the young church, he decided he needed help. Luke says he went as far as Tarsus, about a hundred miles west of Syria in Cilicia, to get Saul (Paul). Saul was, himself, a fairly new believer, but well-versed in the Hebrew Scriptures. For a year, together they ministered and taught the young believers at Antioch.
One of great needs is for churches to nurture new converts. Unfortunately, this has been a weakness in evangelicalism for generations. Far too many people who make decisions for Christ and are baptized do not grow very strong in their faith and often lose interest. Discipleship is a key ingredient in genuine evangelism and church life. In fact, it is the true fulfillment of the Lord’s Great Commission: “Jesus came near and said to them, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” (Matt. 28:19-20 CSB)
The main clause in verse 19 is not “Go,” but “make disciples.” For Christians, “going” should be done without saying. It is the making of disciples (committed learners) that is primary. A church that does not teach and guide new believers and its members is failing to obey Jesus’ command. Good churches should include regular Bible study and in-depth training opportunities (including, of course, in light of our present diverse culture, comprehensive Worldview Training).
While evangelism and discipleship were essential features for the church in Antioch, there was one more attribute that we must not fail to acknowledge. The church in Antioch was one where the people generously gave to support God’s work. In Acts 11 we read: “In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world. This took place during the reign of Claudius. Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea. They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.” (Acts 11:27-30 CSB)
Luke reports that a man with the gift of prophecy, named Agabus, came from Jerusalem. He supernaturally predicted that a famine (sort of like an economic depression) was coming soon to the Roman world. Note how Luke provides historical documentation to the fulfillment of that prophecy…”during the reign of Claudius.”
Consequently, and without hesitation, the Antioch church took up an offering to send to Jerusalem. As we said in Part 1, Antioch was a prosperous commercial city and the church membership likely shared in that affluence. It was, however, a generous fellowship who was quite willing and able to aid their brothers and sisters in Christ in Judea. Note also, the church entrusted the collection to Barnabas and Saul to deliver it to Jerusalem. I imagine that as Luke witnessed the integrity of those two men, his esteem for them was magnified (remember Acts 11:24 in Part 1). Later the Antioch church commissioned and generously supported the missionary work of Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:1-3).
A dynamic church must recognize its responsibility to share in God’s work through generous giving to missions and benevolences. That, of course, starts with individual Christians giving to their local churches. Perhaps the weakest part of modern Christian discipleship is in the area of stewardship. Pastors and church leaders are often reticent to address this issue for fear of offending their congregation. Nonetheless, they must teach church members the importance of that aspect of Christian living. Believers need to understand that stewardship not only entails giving, as crucial as that is, but also encompasses other aspects of our relationship to God. Stewardship also includes how we earn our income (ethically and morally), how, and on what, we spend our money, how much we save, and even how we prepare to disperse our assets when we die.
Many Christian people give to charities, and that’s good. There are many worthy causes which we can support. However, we should not substitute secular charities for the support of our local churches and other Christian ministries and missions. Helping worthy secular charities should augment support of Christian causes. All of this requires careful discerning Stewardship. We must be careful, as did the Antioch believers, to entrust our offerings to totally worthy and honest ministries. Before we give to any ministry or charity, we should carefully investigate its financial practices and ethical standards. A number of recognized online agencies evaluate and rate the financial practices of charities and ministries. They include the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and Charity Navigator.
Unfortunately, many sincere Christians are sending their hard-earned money to organizations and ministries that do not practice high standards of ethics, or use the gifts in ways that waste the resources of God’s people. For example, hundreds of millions of dollars are donated each year by Christians to support dozens of television preachers and ministries. Too many of them misuse the money for personal gain, and/or do not preach sound biblical doctrine. Can you imagine what God could do if all those millions went to support missionaries on foreign fields or here in North America through solidly evangelical denominational and biblically sound sending organizations?
In conclusion, we have seen that the church at Antioch serves as an excellent model for how a dynamic body of Christ should be. We have seen that such a church should make evangelism a priority in all it does. It must recognize that discipleship of new and young believers is essential. And it should encourage its people to give generously to support God’s work and to practice good stewardship in all areas of their lives.
Are you are a pastor, staff member, elder, deacon, Bible study leader, women’s or men’s ministry leader, children or youth leader, or whatever, in your church? If so, you should constantly evaluate the quality of your fellowship. If it is failing to abide one of the above characteristics, you may want to prayerfully call your people back to the priorities of a dynamic church!
In any case, remember, the old hymn had it right!
1 The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word:
From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy Bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.
2 Elect from every nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.
3 ‘Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace for evermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
4 Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly,
In love may dwell with Thee.
© 2017 Tal Davis