Why You Should Always Be Looking (and Praying) for a Better Church
The best place in the world is where God wants you. The best church in the world, or in your town for that matter, is where God wants you. Not all churches are created equal, and you should know what will help you grow as a Christian. It is the Word of God preached and taught by a man of God, who is mighty in the Scriptures.
The church is the gathering point for God’s called out people from the mass of humanity. A study of the early church gatherings, from the Acts of the Apostles, reveals simplicity. The church gathered on the Lord’s Day for communion, prayer, sharing resources, fellowship and attending to the apostles’ teaching. There was also a daily experience of living the Christian life with one another (Acts 2:42–47).
The church, through most of history has been constrained by relative immobility. As transportation technology has advanced, so have the options of finding a more biblical church, that is, one that practices the regulative principle in worship and service.
Local churches can be bogged down in a myriad of ways: church growth gimmickry; staged revivals; the “movement” flavor of the month, etc. Endless are the inventions of men to be introduced, as yet more distraction.
Each aberrant activity reduces exposure time to the apostles’ teachings (the Bible) and prayer. Even prayer finds minimal time in the life of the corporate body. How do new believers learn to pray, but by exposure to those who are in prayer together.
I have literally spent elongated months (one time over a year), in some places we have lived, looking for someone who actually preached the Word each Sunday. Even personally listening to my favorite preachers on-line, daily, could not fully satisfy my quest for a live Sunday worship experience in Spirit and truth. In some communities there is a real famine for the Word of God (Amos 8:11).
We all know there is no perfect church on earth, nor is there a perfect preacher/pastor. However, when moving to a new location, we should take time to find the church with the pastor, who exposits the Bible verse by verse, as he works through whole books of the Bible.
Doctrine is priority and worth the drive. The lazy Christian, who does not know her Bible, nor her doctrinal positions, and who does not prioritize these matters, will fall for any group that puts on an entertaining show or has innumerable ministry works to do.
If you were in Wittenberg, would you not hear Luther; in Geneva, Calvin; in London, Spurgeon or Lloyd-Jones? In retrospect, we would all say, “Of course.” Where is the preaching pulpit in your town or city? You know…the congregation who insists on the priority of preaching. This is the place where the people say to the preacher, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”
Life is short, and the Christian life is even shorter, so do not settle for less than a regular diet of excellent exposition of God’s Word. Pray for it; look for it; and listen for it. When Christians insist on a higher standard in their city, by searching out and finding the church that puts preaching in its proper place, then other congregations will have to raise their bar, too…unless, of course, we would rather settle for whatever is easy, or be amused with whatever satisfies our desire for entertainment.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
September 10, 2021
