WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A CHURCH
Text - Hebrews 10:23-25
Introduction
This evening I would like to draw our attention to our text within Hebrews 10:23-25. The title of my message is, “What To Look For In A Church”.
An older church woman went to a plastic surgeon and received a face lift and tummy tuck. Then went to her Mary Kay rep and bought a ton of skin care products and facial creams.
When questioned by another woman in the church as to why she went through so much trouble to remain young looking the old woman replied "I heard the preacher say that Jesus was coming back soon and He's looking for a church ‘without a spot or wrinkle’."
What are you looking for in a church? Are you looking for a perfect church? Well, if you find one don’t join it because if you do it won’t be perfect anymore! There can never be a perfect church as long as there imperfect people attending.
Many years ago, people hardly ever left churches. Today, the “Great American Pastime” isn’t baseball, it’s church hoping. In today’s church there is an epidemic of bouncing believers that bounce from one church to another. People who never put down any roots in a church and call it their home. They just go from one church to another never making any commitment. Never really getting to know anyone or ever being known, never getting connected with a local church body.
There are many different reasons why they do this. Sometimes they run away from one church and go to another because they’re afraid to be committed to God. Or they’re afraid to be accountable. Or, they’re afraid to get close to people because they’re afraid someone will find out they aren’t perfect. Guess what, everyone already knows that!
In the New Testament there was no such thing as a free floating Christian or a bouncing believer who just floated or bounced around from one church to another.
But the reality today is, many people are looking for a church home, but they just don’t know what to look for in a church. Looking for a new church home can be just as confusing and just as important as looking for a husband, wife, home or new job.
Sometimes people must leave a church that they love and that has really ministered to them. Maybe they are being transferred or just moving across town. When that happens there is a tendency to look for another church that is just like the one they left, but the search will almost always end in frustration, because no two churches are completely and totally alike in every facet of their ministries.
In looking for a church home we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of comparing one church to another because this robs them of their own unique and particular ministries that they have to offer.
Galatians 6:4 Each of you must examine your own actions. Then you can be proud of your own accomplishments without comparing yourself to others. (GW)
As we look at the criteria upon which to base our decisions for choosing a church we must first understand what the Bible says about a healthy church. That is what we did this morning. Searching for a church home also takes time and requires diligent study of the biblical criteria for a local church. That’s what we are going to do next Sunday morning.
This morning I’d like to give you three tests that you can apply to any church to help you find the church God has prepared just for you.