Church Characteristics

How can we identify Christ's Church in today's religious world?

This question deserves a straightforward answer.

The Church is frequently thought of as an institution. Human beings have a natural tendency to follow the great masses of people and to relate to a system. This is called 'Group Thought'. But we should not view the Church in this way. The word ‘Church’ does not identify a denomination. A title - however sugestive it might be - does not identify Christ’s Church. A building or a room is not a Church either; it’s merely a place to house it.

The primitive Church did not possess specific worship sites. The Church simply gathered to worship God whenever and wherever it could, generally a the house of one of its members. The Church did not worry about having or not having specific places for worship nor did it cristalyze in one spot (Acts 5.42 / 16.13).

The Church can be compared to water: you can hold it in a vase; distribute it by several glasses; drop it and dilute it in the ocean; or it can be in the form of invisible particles in the atmosphere - it is still the Church. Whether its members are visible or dispersed it is still the Lord’s Body. It exists by what its members do and how they think. They represent the Lord Who called them and do the work He asks them to do.

The Church is identified by its work. For a christian the Truth is not something to merely think upon but to act on. A christian is not a mere idealist.

Lets identify the six basic points that identify Christ’s Church.

1 - The True Church Confesses Jesus

And does so in the most insignificant aspects of its existence.

The apostles were convinced He was the Messiah, born in Bethlehem as Mica (5.2) had prophesied; of a virgin as had Isaiah (7.14); the Emmanuel (Matthew 1.21 - 23).

But they didn’t just announce this verbally. They testified, by the Spirit of God, through their missionary work , the living and eternal Christ.

Christ’s message was inconvenient to many, but it was the Truth! Although controverse the apostles felt that nothing should prevent them from announcing it. This message was and is of such importance that, when ordered to stop, they replied:

‘We ought to obey God rather than men’ Acts 5.29

In such a way was Christ the center of their messages and actions that in Antioch they were, for the first time, designated as christians (Acts 11.26).

2 - The True Church is Loyal to the Truth

Someone once said:

‘I’d rather be told a lie that gives me pleasure than a truth that gives me sorrow’.

This should not be the way of the true christian.

In our relationships with others we should be true and righteous (Ephesians 4.25).

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14.6).

And this truth is not ambiguous but undivisible and unsophistical.

We can only have two attitudes towards it: we’re either for it or against it.

There are two ways of being against it: rejecting it or corrupting it (Romans 1.18).

It may be more honest to simply reject it than to try to adapt it to our personal conveniences.

The commonest form of rebellion against the Word of God has always been this last one. That is why apostasy reigned in the Church and, like a devastating epidemic, left only misery and desolation in its wake.

3 - The True Church Obeys the Word of God

‘Do as I say and not as I do’ is the motto of a dubious priestly order.

This idea represents nothing less than the total invalidation and denial of the Gospel’s effect in people’s lives.

The central message of the Gospel is ‘repent’. The original greek word used in the Gospels is ‘Metanoia’ which means: change of mind, of thought and of character.

Consequently, repenting and believing in Jesus is the same as being reborn; its the destruction of the old creature and the birth of a new, completely restored, one.

As such, it is completely absurd to pretend to live our lives in disagreement with what we think or know.

According to James (1.22) true christians act in consonance with their beliefs.

Everyone who reaches out to Christ should have as primary goal, to be reborn.

Being born within a christian family does not make us christians; nor does the learning of christian values; the keeping of the Law; nor even the habit of going to church.

You are a christian if, by your conduct, you bear living testimony, to an operative faith.

You cannot be a member of Christ if you do not live your life according to the principles taught in the Bible.

In Romans (2.13), Paul tells us that people are judged by what they know and by the way they relate to that knowledge. They may not know much about God’s Law but they instinctively know the difference between right and wrong.

Those who choose to do good are accepted by God (Romans 2.14-16). This is the primary condition we have to meet to be able to apply for the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus clearly demonstrated that actions speak louder than words (Matthew 7.21-27).

‘Better than good deeds are deeds that are good’ someone once said. Man’s behaviour should not be determined; its up to each one to freely determine his own behaviour. To cling to God’s Word in order to do so is the wisest and most sensible attitude anyone can have.

4 - The True Church should Respond with Love

The banner of Chrit’s disciples is love (John 13.35).

When you analyze the two ways in which you can split God’s Law you arrive at its central message: LOVE THE LORD THY GOD and LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR.

To keep God’s Law in a strictly legal sense is relatively easy. The young man in Matthew 19.20 thought he did. He just didn´t do it out of love.

The nature of love is admirably described in 1Corinthians 13. In this passage the apostle Paul clearly disapoints all of those who like to think of themselves as just. This passage tells us that all of our self-denial, spirit of sacrifice, faith and even consecration are worthless if not done out of love.

How many people do we know are great social benefactors, dedicated to a worthy cause, but do not act out of love?

1John 4.20-21 points us in the direction of true love. No one can claim to love God if he doesn’t love his fellow human beings.

Many people pretend to love God but are unwilling to even try to get along with other people.

Relationships with their brethren are often difficult and unpleasant:

These people have a deficient concept of what a relationship with God is all about. If they truly loved God they would innevitably reflect that same love toward their fellow human beings.

The true church is kind and caring about the wellfare of its members - God makes His presence known in the community.

5 - The True Church Seeks Revival

The words that best describe the state of affairs in the present day church are written in Revelation 3.14-17.

In that passage the Lord speaks about the end time church which, undoubtedly, is ours.

They are hard words, but they are also words of truth. That is our undeniable and deplorable condition nowadays. It is imperative, however, that we strive to oppose such a state of affairs. We need the will and the courage to undertake such a struggle. We mustn´t discourage those are commited to the Lord’s work, quite the contrary, we must give them all our support. Church members should share the same spirit and join forces in order to successfuly carry out the church’s task, and that means leaving behind a whole set of mundane things that only hinder our progress.

"Sin is anything that can lessen our appetite for spiritual things".

Lets examine our lives in order to find out what the barriers are that prevent or harden our spiritual development, and then remove them.

We have a passive attitude toward the Lord’s blessings, as if they were His obligation. We try to keep the commandements in a pharisaic way - in a legal sense. We are compelled to behave in predetermined patterns. We inherited and maintained an excessively formal form of worship. Church activities are repetitive, dull and tiresome. We do things that seem correct but without the benefit of the true values of faith.

It is imperative to change this. A true awakening should be the goal of those that intend to undo the devilish work of church sleepiness.

In Psalms 85.1-8 we find a sincere prayer regarding the revival of the people of God. The writter confesses the sins of the people, begs God’s mercy and salvation and asks for a revival. He speaks of peace, but also of the condition that the people not stray again but keep to the paths of righteousness (Rev. 2. 4, 14, 16, 20; 3. 2, 16).

The church is in complete dependence of a relationship with God that must be permanently renovated.

If we want to know if that is the case with us, answer the following questions. If the answers to the second part of the questions are all positive then the church is truly in a bad way:

  1. Church leaders act fervently according to their gifts or are mere professionals of a dull liturgy that act more out of obligation than devotion?
  2. Church members are dedicated to God’s service in all aspects of their lives or are mere spectators of a cyclical liturgy that possesses nothing of the true meaning of the gospel?
  3. The Church is continously trying to adjust and face up to the challenges or is bound to old fashioned rituals and traditions?
  4. The Church is a center of peace, harmony, tranquility and trust where God’s spirit is plainly active or is a mere place of social gathering for people who like to "fit in"?

6 - The Work of God is the True Aim of the Church

The lives of church members must be dedicated to the Divine purposes (objectives/aims). The true christian must:

The most important facets of the Church’s work can be summarised as follows:

  1. Make God’s action toward (on behalf of) humanity known, thus being the reconciliation shelter between the creature and its Criator.
  2. Act in accordance with Jesus’s teachings, having great concern for the lost sheep and making all possible efforts to free sinners from their captivity (Mark 16.15-16).
  3. Reveal the Spirit of Christ, his humbleness, his service dedication and his redemption work (Philippians 2.5-8 + John 13.4-5, 12-17 + Matthew 10.38-39).
  4. Alert humanity for the last Divine message and prophetic events (Revelation 14.6-12).

The fact that a church has a large number of members should not mean that such a church is in sintony with God’s will. Its mission is to show the way to Christ, not to recruit members in exchange for earthly promises.

It is always pleasant to have a large audience; however the Gospel implies a radical change in our way of living; and not all people are willing to accept it. The path of justice is a narrow one and its course was defined by Jesus.

It is therefore the Church’s mission to liberate sinners from their captivity by showing them the true freedom.

Yes, we can raise the dead! Who thinks otherwise?!

Today, as we are, as we stand, With the power granted to us, We can do it!

Reach for those that are dead In their sins and offenses And bring them back to life!...

(Ephesians 5.14 + 2.1)

Manuel José dos Santos