What Does The Bible Say 

About The Church

The Bible teaches us that those who have been born again make up the body of Christ which is His church. The church is the main instrument that God is using to accomplish His eternal purposes in the world. The apostle in the book of Hebrews tells us that we are not to be negligent in attending the worship service of the local church. Hebrews 10:25 records, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.” It’s impossible for a follower of Christ  to be a faithful disciple if he is not involved in a Bible-believing and Christ-exalting church. It is in the church that we are nourished in our faith and strengthened in our resolve to walk with God. 

As believers, we are The Bride of Christ. We are the Army of God. We are the light and salt to a dying world. So apart from the ministry of the local church, the bride is not prepared to meet her husband; the army is not trained for warfare; the light is not kept lit, and the salt loses its saltiness. If we are to be mighty for God in this world, we need His church. 

How do we define the church? The word church means a called out body or company. The church is the gathering of the elect of God from all the nations of the earth. By the preaching of the Gospel, the individual members of the church are called out from the world and brought into the fellowship of the body of Christ. Those chosen and called by God’s sovereign grace make up the New Testament Church. Acts 13:48, “Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord, And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” 

The church has been described by a number of different terms. It has been called “The Church Militant” to refer to the church on earth active in the fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil. It has been called “The Church Triumphant” to describe the church in heaven having taken its place around the throne of the Lamb of God to worship Him in glory. The church has also been described as “The Visible Church,” which is the local church and “The Invisible Church” which describes the church universal that operates throughout the world. When these verses are used, the local church is being referenced: Acts 5:11, 4:26, and Romans 16:4, When these verses are used the universal church is being referenced: Ephesians. 1:22, 3:10, 21, 5:23, Colossians. 1:18.  

The church is the bride of Christ. The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:22-33 exhorts husbands and wives on their duties to one another. 

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respect her husband.” 

This passage uses the analogy of marriage to explain our relationship with Christ. We are married to Christ, and He is our husband.  What a special privilege it is to be the Bride of Christ. A bride loves her husband, obeys her husband, honors her husband serves with her husband, cherishes her husband, is loyal to her husband and is faithful to her husband. We, as the church of God, have the duty to be all of these things to the God who has called us and washed us in the blood of His Son.

The church is the dwelling place of God. James, in his letter in chapter four verse five says, “Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously?’” 

The church is the temple of God. Paul the apostle wrote to the church at Corinth, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” I Corinthians. 3:16-17.  The life of a believer is the place where the shekinah glory dwells and is manifest. Not only do we have a responsibility to protect the purity of our individual lives, we also have a responsibility to protect the life of the church in which we are joined in membership. 

There are three things that make up a biblical church, preaching, the Lord’s supper, and church discipline. No church is true to its biblical calling if these three things: biblical preaching, the Lord’s Supper, and church discipline, are not faithfully observed. Are there other marks or signs of a true church? What things should we expect when we worship with those who claim to be the people of God? Here are eleven important Characteristics of the true Church of Jesus Christ. This is a list I wrote out as I was asking myself what would I want and expect to find in a church if I were looking for a place where my family and I could worship God.

1. A biblical church should be known for its love for the Word of God. Acts 17:11 says, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessolonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” 
2. A biblical church should be known by its love for the doctrines of grace. 
3. A biblical church should be known by the presence of agape love. 
4. A biblical church should be known for holy living by its members.
5. A biblical church should be known by its obedience to The Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” 
6. A biblical church should be known by its understanding of the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Martin Luther believed that justification by faith was the article of a standing or falling church. Justification is the Gospel. A church that has gone astray from the doctrine of justification will go astray in many other areas as well.
7. A biblical church should be known by its prayer life. 
8. A biblical church should be known by its separation from the world. I John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
9. A biblical church should be known by its passion to exalt Christ. To exalt Christ means to praise Him. It means to lift Him up in all that we say and do. 
10. A biblical church should be known by how it worships God. The Bible is our guide on how to worship. We are to pattern our worship after the instructions and examples that we find in the Word of God.
11. A biblical church should be known by the fact it has a faithful pastor. We cannot forget how important this is. A church can have many wonderful things but if it does not have a faithful and godly minister it is not a biblical church.

Questions:

1. What kind of people make up the New Testament Church?
2. How important is the church of Jesus Christ?
3. How do we define the church?
4. What three things are necessary for a church to be a biblical church?
5. What kind of things should a church be known for?

The Influence Of Christianity 

On Woman

Many non-Christian feminists and humanists make the claim that Christianity and the Bible are oppressive and degrading to women. But is this really the case? Has Christianity had an adverse effect on women? Did Jesus and His apostles disrespect women and teach others to do the same?  The facts of history demonstrate that the status of women in the western world has been dramatically improved because of the influence of the Christian faith. All one needs to do is to examine the plight of women in the Eastern world and in the Islamic world. Women in these cultures are still denied many basic rights rights that are available to men. When women appear in public they must be veiled. Saudi Arabia, the birth place of Islam for instance, bars women from driving automobiles. In countries where Islam is the major worldview, men can beat their wives. All of the horrendous things that men can do to women in Islam have the full sanction of the Quran. 

The treatment of women in Western countries is completely different. The reason for this difference is the influence of Jesus of Nazareth. The Apostle Paul taught that men should “Love their wives as Christ loved the church.” The love of Christ for His church was a sacrificial love, unconditional love, eternal love, an electing love, and a love characterized by tenderness and kindness. The New Testament gave honor, respect and consideration to women that was never heard of in any other culture of the world.

In ancient Greece, a woman was not allowed to leave the house unless she was accompanied by a male escort. A wife was not allowed to eat, fellowship, or mingle with the male guests in her husband’s home. All women were segregated in their private living area. Men kept their wives like slaves under lock and key. The status of women in ancient Greece was no different from that of slaves. Girls were not allowed to be educated and were not allowed to speak in public. To do so brought shame on the husband. Women were treated as inferior creatures to men and basically had no rights and privileges equal to men. 

The plight of Roman women was not any better. Everything that was true of women in Greece was equally true in Roman society. Women had very few rights as compared to men. They were viewed as being inferior and had no better status than common slaves. The role of women was to work, slave, provide sex and remain in silence in the homes. Women could not speak in public, and when they did travel publicly they were veiled and attended by male guards. The role of women in ancient Greece and Rome must have been very oppressive and appalling.

Jewish women, based on the oral traditions of the synagogue, fared no better. Jewish women were also barred from public speaking. The oral law prohibited women from reading the Torah out loud. Synagogue worship was segregated, with women never allowed to be heard.

In the midst of this Eastern world came a man from Galilee named Jesus Christ. Jesus’ treatment of women was diametrically opposite of that of the ancient world. It is a fact of history that the awful plight of women in the East was dramatically improved when Jesus appeared in the land of Palestine. The teachings of Jesus impacted the status of women in ways that was unheard of before. 

That women have the right to vote, attend college, drive  a car, work  outside the home, run for office, lead in the largest companies and corporations in the world and even to serve in the military is a testimony to the powerful impact and influence of the Christian faith on Western civilization.  In Western nations women are treated with respect, honor, and love. The courtesy and kindness that is shown to women is not matched in any other country, culture, or people group in the entire world.

It is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions that so many women believe that it is Christianity that has been a curse on women. The fact that many women today believe this lie demonstrates how powerful the propaganda against the Christian faith has been. I have traveled the world over many times and can testify to all that I am saying. History does not lie. The facts are clear, but the prejudice is great against the faith of those who love and follow Jesus Christ. 

Untold millions of unfortunate women live in Eastern countries where the influence of Hinduism and Islam suppress women and hold them down in a cultural sewer. What feminists in the West do not realize is that by working so hard to destroy and discredit the Christian faith, they are actually destroying the very religious system that gave them the rights that they now take for granted. Feminists reject the Biblical teachings on pro-life, moral purity, the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, the law of God and the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. But by rejecting these things, they are undermining the very principles that were used by God to mold Western civilization into the most compassionate, educated, and advanced societies that has ever existed. It remains to be seen what will replace the Christian worldview in the West. But this much we know —that the West is descending into a new dark age that will be more frightening and dangerous than we have ever seen.

I fear that one day many women in the United States and in Western nations will wake up under the oppressive heel of Sharia law and will wonder where did the freedoms and the blessings of Western civilization go? They will have to face the sad reality that they fought against the very faith that gave them the highest standard of living and freedom that the world has ever known. How sad it is to cut off their nose to spite their face.

One author made this insightful comment on the influence of Christianity on women.

“As a result of Jesus Christ and His teachings, women in much of the world today, especially in the West, enjoy more privileges and rights than at any other time in history. It takes only a cursory trip to an Arab nation or to a Third World country to see how little freedom women have in countries where Christianity has had little or no presence. It’s (Christianity) the best thing that ever happened to women.”  Sue Bohlin

Imagine a world without Christianity. Other religions have left a dark stain on the curtain of history. Only the Christian faith has elevated women, purged societies of many evils, erased centuries of prejudice and corruption and continues the march of reform in the nations of the earth.

Defining Moments

Recently, I read a fascinating book by Dan Schaeffer called Defining Moments. From his introduction Schaeffer says,

 “One morning you wake up, totally unaware that today you will make a decision that will define your life for years to come, maybe forever. If you had known this moment was coming, you would have prepared for it; but you didn’t. That moment is coming, and you won’t be able to escape it. You can hope you will say or do the right thing, or you can prepare for that moment now.”

Over the years in my ministry, I have had many such defining moments. There have been decisions to be made, choices to make, and paths to choose. It has not been easy to face these many defining moments when they have arrived. With each one of them there was a price to be paid, a cost to count, and a possible consequence that might be faced. For me, to live with a clear conscience was of far more value than to choose the path of least resistance. One of my favorite poems is The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

During my years as a pastor, I have seen many people who  have sat under my ministry make decisions that have not only defined them from that moment on but also revealed the true nature of their soul. This is one of the heart-breaking aspects that comes with the privilege of serving the Lord. Some of those that you minister to will make wise decisions, show discernment, and will pass through those defining moments with grace and wisdom. Others will break your heart as you see them flounder like a ship on the rocks in a storm.

Do we sell our soul to the highest bidder? Friendships are often forged on the anvil of convenience rather than conviction. For some, loyalty is only given where there is no cost and where the comforts of compromise seduce the soul. This is not an age of conviction, character and loyalty. Rather, this is an age of compromise, cowardice, and convenience. The Apostle James reminds us with words that pierce us to the very depths of our souls, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17.

There will be crossroads that we must face in life. It’s possible that some decisions will be made, choices cast, bridges burned, doors closed, character revealed, direction set, and their destiny sealed. Think long and hard when you come to those crossroads in life. When you are facing a defining moment, will you make a wise decision? Will you show discernment? Will you respond in a way that will demonstrate that you are truly a servant of the Most High God and acquainted with His ways?

Christians must not sell their soul for the cheap prizes of the flesh.  We should remind ourselves of the cost of discipleship, the principles of obedience, and the awesome authority of God’s Word. (Many have forgotten that one of the commands of the Word is, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive for they watch out for your souls…” Hebrews 13:17.) How many times have I seen those who profess faith in Christ ignore or defy the wisdom and authority of the pastor and of the church. Those individuals came to the crossroads of life and failed to make wise decisions. I have never once met a person who has made unbiblical decisions who has not tried to rationalize, justify, and defend those poor decisions. But cleverness and sophistry are no substitute for simple obedience to God. Those who fail their defining moment test will also seek to justify their behavior by finding someone to give approval for their actions. We must not forget that the approval of man means nothing if we do not have the approval of God. Like the Apostle Paul a wise and discerning Christian will say, "I seek to please God rather than to please men."

“Character cannot be summoned at the moment of crisis if it has been squandered by years of compromise and rationalization. The only testing ground of the heroic is the mundane…habit is the daily battleground of character.”

Job was a unique man. In the defining moment of his most crushing trials he could say, “Though He slay me yet will I trust Him.” and, “He knows the way that I take when He has tried me I shall come forth as gold.”  King Ahab could not lead his wife Jezabel. Annanias and Saphira, a married couple in the early church, sinned together and died together. Job stands out as a righteous man whose faith withstood the seductive sarcasm of his ungodly wife who chided him, “Curse God and die.” Job was not bound by the chains of a strong-willed woman. There are few Jobs in the world today. 

Cross roads will come. Defining moments will arrive. May we be faithful, wise and discerning to make the right choices when those days come.

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, 

and I—I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference.”

The Doctrine of Salvation

“Once admit that we are all naturally dead in trespasses and sins, and have no power to turn to God—once admit that all spiritual life in the heart of man must begin with God—once admit that He who created the world by saying, “Let there be light,” must shine into man’s heart, and create light within him—once admit that God does not enlighten all professing Christians in this manner—but only some, and that He acts in this matter entirely as a Sovereign, giving no account of His matters—once admit all this, and then see where you are. Whether you know it or not, you admit the whole doctrine of Election!”

                          J.C. Ryle

“If when you get on your knees before God you do not realize that you are a ‘debtor to mercy alone’, I confess I do not understand you. There is something tragically defective, either in your sense of sin or in your realization of the greatness of God’s love.” 

              Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

My new book on the Doctrines of Grace will be available soon!

BDA Table Tennis Club

Berean Table Tennis Club

The picture on the top is one of me many years ago playing ping pong outside at a friends home. The pictures on the bottom are pictures of our Table tennis club at Berean. It is a real joy for me to work with our young men and to have the opportunity to teach them the basics of table tennis. 

I have a book I have put together for our club members with some basic info on Table Tennis. This is my special gift to each of our young men who attend the club. The book is being printed right now and will be here in a week or so.

 We have been blessed to have several very accomplished players join us give lessons and demonstrations to our young men. Scott Endicott, a Michigan state champion on numerous occasions came out to give a demonstration and hit with some of the guys. Mike Casey, another very good player has come out on several occasions to help with our club and Jim Dawson who heads the Flint Table Tennis Club is giving our boys lessons. This opportunity has given me a wonderful time with the young men to have input in their lives and to encourage them to walk with God and to live for Christ. 

The Word of God tells us that what ever we do we should do it for the glory of God. That even includes our recreation and hobbies.

Pray for the young men at BDA TT Club and pray for me to be able to continue to exhort these young people to be all they can be for Christ.

Don't forget that we are having our Men's retreat next weekend. These retreats have been amazing times of fellowship and challenge from the Lord. Pray for our guests from Brasil that the Lord will use them in a mighty way for His glory.

In Christ, 

Pastor Dickie

A Great Reminder From J. C. Ryle

“Resolve by the grace of God, if you love life, that you will have regular seasons for examining yourself, and looking over the accounts of your soul. “Stand, and see” where you are going, and how matters stand between you and God. Beware of perpetual hurried prayers, hurried Bible-reading, hurried church-going, hurried communions. Commune at least once a week with thine own…”

J.C Ryle

 As we dive into the new year this is a great reminder to all of us that if we do this on occasion it will be a great benefit to our daily walk with God.

May the Lord bless all of our Berean family and friends this year!

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Dickie

Have a Wonderful New Year!

Have A Happy New Year!

As we face a new year here are some things to consider. I exhort each of you to examine yourself to make sure that none of these things are true of you. May we all live for the glory of God this coming year. God bless you all.

10 Signs That Our Spiritual Foundation

Is Eroding

1. When we neglect our quiet time with God.
2. When we refuse to listen to godly counsel.
3. When we begin to demonstrate the attitude of pride.
4. When we develop a critical and negative spirit.
5. When we are no longer approachable.
6. When we are becoming fleshly.
7. When we forget that true spiritual greatness is being a Christ-like servant.
8. When we are no longer willing to die to self.
9. When we no longer spend time in prayer at the throne of grace.
10. When we measure success by man-made benchmarks and not by the timeless principles of God’s Word.

Only one life twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last!