THE LORD'S CHURCH
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There are thousands of organizations in the world today that call themselves "churches," even "the Lord's churches." The fact that they believe and practice a myriad of things reveals immediately that they cannot all be correct and true churches. This study deals with recognizing true churches and imposters. This is an important distinction to make because, contrary to what some people say, one brand of church is not just as good as another.
Many organizations were started by men and teach the doctrines of men; some say they are descendents and heirs of the original Apostolic powers; and still others avoid the issue of doctrine altogether, choosing to focus instead on fellowship and social events.
The Lord said the gates of hell would not prevail against His church and that He would be with His church to the end of the world. So, from her founding, the Lord's church has been in perpetual existence and is, at this very moment, operating here on earth. Which "churches" though are the real deal and which ones are pretenders? Let's look at the attributes of the original church, since those same characteristics should be represented and observable in true churches today.
A. Origin/authority: established by Jesus during his earthly ministry.
B. Make-up: comprised of saved individuals, baptized by John who had sole authority.
C. Commission: preach, baptize, teach as recorded in Mt. 28:18-20 and Mk. 16:15.
D. Doctrines: teachings of Christ and His Apostles; led by the Holy Spirit.
E. Ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper.
F. Offices: pastors and deacons.
G. Spread: missionaries authorized and sent out by the church.
New Testament churches also exercised corporate authority over the work, including discipline of members, ordination of qualified candidates and approval of missionary work.
Distinguishing Marks and Key Indicators
When evaluating a congregation of unknown soundness, the following should be weighed:
1. Organization - did the group have the proper authority to organize as a church?
2. Faith - does the group's beliefs agree with the teachings of the Bible?
3. Order - does the group practice according to the teachings of the Bible?
If the group in question fails any one of these tests, it should not be considered a valid sister church worthy of our recognition or support.
Study/Discussion Questions
1. Why is one church NOT just as good as another?
2. Study Acts 11 and be prepared to discuss how the church at
3. How is church authority a key ingredient to sound church work? Cite instances where the early church exercised authority.
4. Discuss analogies offered to depict scriptural spread and establishment of new churches. Strawberry plants, human generations, a building.
