Suppose a man in
the emergency room of a hospital is overheard to say: "You don’t sell
tires, change oil, or wash cars? What kind of hospital is this?" Or,
"What you mean you don’t have trapeze artists, or lion tamers? What kind
of hospital is this?"
Most of us would
immediately realize his mistake. Doctors and nurses are skilled and trained to
help people with health issues, but repairing automobiles and operating a circus
are not the purposes of a hospital. And any hospital that would involve itself
in those activities would be neglecting the real purpose for which they exist.
If you want someone to repair your car or entertain you, you must go elsewhere.
Few people would
make this kind of mistake regarding a hospital, but I once read an article that
illustrated that people frequently make this mistake regarding the church. For
example, consider the people who think:
"You don’t
have ball teams and recreation? What kind of church is this?"
============================================
Many religious
groups have become involved in the Social Gospel approach of attracting people
by offering entertainment and recreation. The practice is so common that some
people do not understand a church that refuses to be involved.
1 Peter 2:5 – The
Scriptures teach that the church is a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to
offer spiritual sacrifices. The church is fundamentally spiritual in nature and
exists to offer spiritual service to God.
Just like a
hospital does not exist to provide people with car repairs or entertainment, so
the church has a purpose for which God created it. To involve the church in
recreation and entertainment would pervert its purpose and hinder it from the
work for which it exists.
"You don’t
have a daycare center or nursery school? What kind of church is this?"
=============================================
Other people have
come to expect the church to provide secular education and child care services
for their children. So, they wonder why churches might not provide it.
1 Timothy 3:15 –
The church is the pillar and ground of the truth.
1 Thessalonians
1:8 – Our job as a church is to sound forth the word of the Lord.
If you can
understand why a hospital should avoid being involved in servicing and
repairing automobiles, then you should also be able to understand why the church
should not involve itself in providing secular education and child care
services. Jesus is the Founder and Owner of the church. He assigned the church
the responsibility of spreading His gospel throughout the world. We must not be
diverted from our purpose but must maintain our focus on that for which our
Lord ordained the church.
"You don’t
have a kitchen or fellowship hall? What kind of church is this?"
============================================
Still other
people think a church may attract members by offering coffee and doughnuts,
banquets, dinners, and so-called church socials.
Romans 1:16 – The
gospel is God’s power to save all men. [2 Corinthians 10:3-5]
1 Corinthians
11:34 – If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home.
The apostles
converted the lost by preaching the gospel. They never attracted people by
appealing to their physical desires. They just told people about Jesus. (Acts
17:2,17; 18:4,11,19; 19:8,9; 24:24,25)
If we trust the
power of the gospel, we will not appeal to people’s fleshly, physical desires.
"You don’t
have a piano or choir? What kind of church is this?"
======================================
Nearly all religious
groups use instrumental music in their worship, so much so that most people
cannot understand a church that would not use it.
Colossians 3:16 –
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord. God says that the praise He wants consists of
singing. No New Testament passage anywhere authorizes the use of instruments in
worship.
Jesus Christ is
the head of His church, He shed his blood to purchase the church, and He serves
as its only Head and Lawgiver. Only He has the right to decide the purposes
that His church will accomplish. If the church wishes to properly serve its
Head, we must avoid anything that does not fit what He tells the church to do.
So, "What
kind of church is this?" A Scriptural local church seeks to follow the
will and instructions of our Founder and Head in all aspects of our worship and
work. We seek to avoid any practice that does not fit the guidelines given by
the One who died to save us from our sins and to purchase the church.
If you are not a
part of Jesus’ true church, then we urge you to become a member and then
worship and serve Him faithfully.
For more
information about worship and the Lord's church, please visit our Bible
Instruction web site at www.gospelway.com/instruct/.
*****************************************************
