The RIght Kind of Church
The Right Kind of Church
The Right Kind of Church
Revelation 1:10-13a, 20
 
I am beginning a series of messages which I'm calling “The Right Kind of Church”.  It may be you are visiting with us and are in the process of choosing a church.  You're church shopping.  You're looking us over. Keep in mind, we’re looking you over also!
 
Sometimes people move and come to a new location.  It's really a big job to evaluate and examine a church and its ministry and see if that's where God wants you to go.  People have a variety of things on their shopping list.  Some of them are looking for a dynamic, good looking pastor.  Others are looking for the kind of music they like to hear.  Others are concerned about the buildings and whether they look impressive and if they are lavish enough.
 
It might be you are a member already and you look around at all the churches in the area and wonder, “Am I at the right place?”  How do you know if you are at the right kind of church?
 
The Barna Research Group in California did a survey some time back in which they asked people questions about what they were looking for when they chose a church.  I was rather pleased at the top three reasons people are choosing churches today.
 
The first one was the theological belief and doctrines of the church.  This is extremely important; 58 percent of the respondents chose this.
 
The second was how much the people seemed to care about each other.  Fifty three percent said that was extremely important.  Third was sermon quality.  That was ranked extremely important by 52 percent of the people.  I find that rather encouraging and a rather hopeful sign.
 
For the next several weeks, I want to put the spotlight on the church and attempt to help us put together an evaluation of the church so that we can know our church, this church or any church is the right kind of church by Scriptural standards.
 
Now before we begin, I just want to make sure we are all on the same page by saying when you read the New Testament you will find two churches referenced.  First there is what we might call the
 
- universal church
 
That would be a reference to all born again people. Every person who has received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior becomes a part of the church universal.
 
We also find the
 
- local church
 
The word “church” is used about 75 times in the New Testament and with the exception of only two or three, it is referencing a local, visible congregation of believers.   It is the local church that baptizes you, facilitates your discipleship, gives you an opportunity to serve and encourages you in the faith.
 
 
If you are saved you are a part of that universal church but God intends for you to be a part of a local, down to earth congregation of believers as well.
 
In the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the book of the Revelation we have a series of letters to seven churches of Asia Minor.  They were literal, local groups of believers who were in specific geographical locations.  And you can study them in that way.
 
You can also look at them from a historical point of view.  You can see here a panoramic view of church history from the days of the apostles to the days of the rapture and the church is taken out with every church representing a certain period of time.  And that is an extremely interesting way to study them.
 
But what I want to do for the next several weeks is look at them from a practical standpoint because these seven churches show us seven types of churches that are current in the world at this present time. There are some churches that are Ephesian churches.  There are some churches that are Pergamos churches.  There are some that are Laodicean churches and right on down the list.
 
But I want you to know something else.  On the inside virtually every church in existence you can find individual Christians who would fit into the category of one of these seven.
 
In any given local church you can find Ephesian members who have lost their love for Jesus.  You can find Smyrna believers who are faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
You can find Laodicean members who are lukewarm and careless and indifferent in their relationship to the Lord.  So what we're to do is look at these seven churches and try to learn from them what the right kind of church looks and acts like.   
 
Now before John recorded the letters to the seven churches, he first of all tells us about an experience he had with the Risen Lord on the isle of Patmos.  John is exiled there for his faith and during that time he has this very unusual encounter with the Lord and what we read in the Revelation is what he experienced.  And in this first chapter there is some valuable introductory material to help us identify the right kind of church.
 
First of all, we find out about
 
1. The Location of a Church.
 
Verses 10-11
 
Now in verse 11 he was told to write in a book to the seven churches that were in Asia Minor.  That's where they were located geographically.  By the way, that's modern Turkey today.  If you study the geography of these seven churches, you will discover that they were in a circular route.
 
I know it’s obvious and probably doesn’t even need to be mentioned, but every church has a specific
 
- geographical location
 
The location of our church geographically is right here in Ardmore, Oklahoma.  Now the location of a church is very important.
There was a time in American history when folks just attended the church that was nearest them.  All over the landscape are churches that grew up in little communities and pockets of population.  Very often there would be a school nearby and community life revolved around the church and the school.
 
But we live in a completely different kind of world now.  The three nearest churches to my home are a Church of Christ, and Episcopalian and either the Methodists or the Catholics.  If I were to attend the church nearest to me, I would have to compromise everything I know about the Bible and maybe even learn how to drink alcohol!
 
Someone asked me what I’d be if I weren’t a Baptist and I told them I’d be ashamed!  One of the most dangerous things you could do regarding your spiritual well-being is just attend the church that is nearest you without knowing what they believe and teach.
 
Today there are people who travel great distances to attend the church where they are fed the Word of God and giving opportunities to minister and serve the Lord and there’s nothing wrong with that.  In fact, there is a whole lot right with that.  Many of you drive past scores of churches to come to this one.
 
And I will say to you nothing is more important than your spiritual well-being.  It is worth any amount of money, time and energy if it gets you to the place where God is glorified and His Word is honored.  I’ve never understood why people will spare no expense to go to the doctor or shop or vacation or have fun, but put nothing into their spiritual life. 
So obviously, the location of a church has something to do with its geographical location.  But there is another location where churches find themselves and that is their
 
- cultural location
 
These seven churches were located culturally in the first century of the Roman Empire.  If you know anything about that particular time, you know that it was a time that the cultural influences of art and literature and entertainment were degenerate and it had produced a morally degraded society.  It was a time of humanistic religion and multiplicity of religions.
 
Edward Gibbon, who wrote the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, said of the religions of that day that to the people all religions were equally true, to the philosophers all religions were equally false, and to the politicians all religions were equally useful.
 
That is kind of like we are in our world today.  We are living in a morally decadent culture.  We are living in a time when the culture has made its impact.
 
And the church of today is located in a cultural environment that is deeply confused about religion.  Anything goes anymore.  You can turn on the TV or surf the internet and find any kind of philosophical and religious viewpoint that interests you.
 
The morals and convictions of the Bible have very swiftly become irrelevant and out of date to the pluralistic society in which we present them.  No one wants to be told what is right and wrong.
No one wants any authority in their life.  The homosexual crowd, the abortion advocates, the porn peddlers, the humanists and the atheists all have public support and their voices are extremely loud today and we are living in a day where a church must take its stand in the midst of that kind of culture.
 
The convictions of a church are very important in this day.  And when you are trying to identify the right kind of church you need to find out where a church stands on the issues of the day.  Where does a church stand on the Bible and on Jesus?   Where does it stand on the moral and social issues of the day?
 
No matter where a church is geographically located, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, located in the culture in which it is, must be a church of conviction that takes an uncompromising stand on moral, social, ethical, and spiritual issues.
 
Second, let’s think about
 
2. The Intention of a Church.
 
Verse 12
 
The reference here is the Old Testament Tabernacle or Temple where there was a golden, seven branched lamp stand.   Each of those branches would have a bowl with some oil in it and a wick.  They would light that wick and that was what gave the light in the Tabernacle or Temple.
 
 
 
That tells us what the intention of the church is supposed to be.  The church is intended to be a light.  Lamp stands gave light.  Churches are intended to give light.  That is the purpose of the church.
 
The Bible says, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."  The church is to be like a city set on a hill.  The church is to be a bright light in a dark world.  That is the intention of a church.  It is to show forth the light of truth.
 
Listen to these Old Testament references to light:
 
Psalm 43:3, "O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me."
 
Psalm 119:105, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." 
 
Psalm 119:130, "The entrance of thy words gives light."
 
Now if the intention of the church is to be a light, then it is extremely important that the light we shine is the light of truth.  The right kind of church will consistently share the message of God’s Word, whether it is in the classroom, the nursery or the pulpit, it is the intention of God that our message be built on the teachings of the truth of God's Word.
 
As you study these seven churches, and we’ll see it as we go along, you discover there were some problems related to the light they were shining.
 
 
 
For instance, notice
 
Revelation 2:5
 
Now these church were churches of the first century.  We are maybe only 60-70 years away from the time when Jesus Himself walked the planet and already the church is having problems.
 
Lamp stands can have problems.  They can get low on their fuel.  They can get their wicks untrimmed and become very smoky and filled with soot.  Problems can develop in the light of a lamp stand and problems can develop in the light of a church.
 
These early churches weren’t perfect, in fact, far from it.  These seven churches had all kinds of problems.  They had problems of false doctrines, immorality in the membership, and inconsistency on the part of the members of that church.  All kinds of difficulties arose in the church.
 
And that’s still true today.  Finding the right kind of church doesn’t mean finding one that never has any problems.  Any church that is seeking to let its light shine for the Lord will experience difficulties and challenges and opposition. If you think that a church is a perfect place and that there are no problems in any church you select to be the one you attend, all you have to do is examine a church closely and it will solve that delusion for you.
 
That same verse, verse 5 of Revelation 2 says God will remove the lampstand of this church unless they repent.  There comes a time when a church’s testimony has to be removed.  They lose their influence for that which is good and Godly.
I'm very thankful for the testimony of our church.  We are known for standing for the truth and preaching the gospel.  It is my privilege and honor to follow those who have consistently, effectively and uncompromisingly preached the Word of God
 
But I want you to know God is under no obligation whatsoever to continue to bless this church unless we are true to the Word and unless we allow God to do through us what He wants to do.  The church can lose its light.
 
But that doesn’t mean it can’t be returned.  Far too often, when some little problem develops there are those who just bail out and go somewhere else.  Let me offer you an alternative.  If there is something you don’t like, how about being a part of the solution to the problem?
 
That’s a novel idea, huh?  It’s amazing to me how shallow the commitment of some is.  That same Barna poll I mentioned earlier also revealed that more than one in seven adults change churches annually.  One in six adults have a carefully chosen handful of selected churches they attend on a rotating basis.  They just float around from church to church.  That way you don't have to get involved.
 
And if you stay at a place only as long until you find something you don't like, then you run somewhere else, it won't be long before you find something wrong there and go somewhere else.  The churches of the New Testament weren't perfect, and the churches of today are not perfect.
 
 
 
I've been a pastor almost 30 years and I can assure you that I have seen it all.  Through the years of my ministry I have seen people who didn't love Jesus the way they should love Him, and I have seen people who love Jesus with all of their heart.
 
I have seen people who were indifferent and unconcerned in their relationship to their church.  They have no time to work anywhere in the church or do anything in the ministries, and yet they have time to spend in their club somewhere wasting their life on trivialities. And I’ve seen others you couldn’t keep away with a team of horses.
 
I have seen people who are inconsistent in their Christian testimony, and I have seen people consistent in their Christian testimony.   I have seen people whose life was an embarrassment to the church where they belonged.  I have seen other people whose life was a testimony to the ministry of that church.
 
Of the seven churches here in Revelation, five had problems the Lord addressed and only two received only commendation.  That is the way it is in any church.  The intention of the church is to be a light but don't ever think it's a perfect place.
 
This church doesn't have a perfect pastor.  I know my own heart.  The only one who knows my own heart better than I do is God Himself.  If you've got problems you are welcome to come to our church.  We are not a perfect church, and if you've got a mixed up life you come on.  We'd love to have you here.  If you've got problems in your life, come on, we're interested in you.
 
You just come if you're hurting and bruised and life has broken you down, you come to our church.  Our church is not a trophy case for the display of perfect saints.  Our intention is to be what God intends for us to be.
 
Finally, think about
 
3. The Attraction of a Church.
 
verse 13
 
Now churches gain attention and become attractive for a number of reasons.  For some, it is the facilities.  For others, it is the programs and for others it is the message they share.   
 
There are a lot of people who love the message of happiness and money and no problems.  Most of you are aware of my disdain and contempt for the ministries of Joel Osteen.  Recently his wife got in the act also with her outrageous comments regarding our service to the Lord.
 
(Video with Bill Cosby’s assessment)
 
And yet their services are filled to capacity every time they meet.  And that is true for scores of churches that are in doctrinal error and openly deny the plain teachings of Scripture.  Many never mention the blood of Jesus or the necessity of repentance. And they are very attractive from a purely humanistic point of view.
 
But what really makes a church attractive is when Jesus is there.  John said I turned around an there I found Jesus in the middle of the churches.
Later in verse 18, Jesus said, "I am He Who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen."  That is the gospel.  And wherever Jesus is found, the story will be found.
 
Two thousand years ago He died and now He is alive forevermore.  That means that Jesus rose again from the dead and He is alive.  Two billion years from now Jesus Christ will still be alive.  It was wonderful that Jesus was alive two thousand years ago when He came out of the tomb.  It is more wonderful that He is alive in 2014 and walking in the midst of His church this morning.
 
And He’s not only alive, He’s active and at work.  He is still comforting the brokenhearted.  He’s still calling people to absolute surrender.  He’s still seeking to save the lost.  He’s still calling out missionaries.  And the church where Jesus is alive and working, that’s the right kind of church to be a part of.  Amen?  Amen!
 
Let's pray.