How to Find a Good Church

[0:00] The Church of the Living God is the pillar and ground of the truth. The truth has to be fundamental. It has to be the foundation. It has to be that which we build upon.

[0:12] The Word of God must be the foundation. And a great church, a sound Bible-believing church, is a Bible-teaching church. And if we understand the faith, our believing will affect our behaving.

[0:25] The Church of God should be marked by love. Ephesians 5.25, it says, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it.

[0:38] People today, the Lord Jesus Christ loves the church. He loved the church and He gave Himself for it. That was the extremity of love, wasn't it? That was the absolute extent of love, that He gave Himself for it.

[0:52] Consider the great value of the church. The church is very precious. It's priceless to Him. He loves it. It's His. He's bought it. He's the saviour of it. He died for it. He bought it. He built it. He heads it.

[1:05] He is the head of the church. It's not the Pope of Rome or the Queen of England. It's the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the church.

[1:16] Our head, our master, our leader, our guide. And not only is it marked by His love, His redeeming love that's purchased us, but the church of God, you as His family, as God's people, as you as my brothers and sisters in Christ, we should be marked by love too.

[1:33] We should love the brethren. There should be a brotherly love for one another. It says in 1 Peter 1 verse 22, seeing that you've purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned or not hypocritical love of the brethren.

[1:51] In other words, genuine love. It's not a fake kind of love, but the real thing, real love, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently.

[2:02] That's the kind of love that we should have. A love that's fervent, that's alive, that's meaningful. Another thing that the church should be marked by is joy. Joy.

[2:13] In Psalm 122 verse 1, it says that the psalmist cried, I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. We can be glad that every opportunity that we can make to fellowship, to worship.

[2:29] In Psalm 40 verse 16, it says, Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee. Let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.

[2:41] You know, isn't it great to worship? Just to put our mind on things above. To set our thoughts on things above. And joy is one of the marks of the church.

[2:53] And it's been said of joy that it's a byproduct of obedience. We find joy in following Him. The true joy is in following the Saviour, in walking in His truth, and living the life He wants us to live.

[3:08] Another mark of the church is the church is marked by fruit. Marked by fruit. In John 15 verse 8, the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples and He said, Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit.

[3:23] So shall ye be in my disciples. God wants you, brother, sister, He wants you to be fruitful. He wants you to bear fruit. He wants you to bear fruit. To be fruitful. Now we know the Word of God talks about the fruit of the Spirit.

[3:36] Love, joy, peace, long suffering. All these beautiful things that can flow out of our lives. God wants you to be full of fruit. The fruit of righteousness. The fruit of the Spirit.

[3:48] Every Christian, the Lord Jesus says, I want you to bear much fruit. So shall you be my disciples. How can you be more fruitful?

[3:59] How can you have that abounding, that fruitfulness in your life? I think as we worship, as we fellowship, that will help you to be more fruitful. As we worship God.

[4:10] As we seek His face. As we hunger and thirst after righteousness. To want to grow. To want to develop spiritually. To want to be that good example to others. To hold fast our profession.

[4:23] To put the kingdom of God first. To consider one another. Our brothers and sisters. To be found ready, waiting, watching, working. Worshipping.

[4:34] It's a great investment of your time to worship Him. Another mark of the church of God is participation too. As every part plays its part.

[4:45] There's an increase. There's a growing of the body. And church is a community. It's a knitting together in love. As we told elsewhere. That we're brought together as God's family. You can participate.

[4:57] Where it's everybody joining together. As you've got gifts and callings and abilities and energy and activity. We want to be a church where there's participation.

[5:08] You know, Paul says, when you come, have something to share. Have something to bring when you come into the fellowship time. Spend that moment to care. To participate.

[5:19] To share. We need one another. We need one another. Brothers and sisters. And the body, the church is marked by participation. When every part has got that effectual working.

[5:30] The energizing of every part. Another mark of the church is the church is marked by stirring. Stirring or provoking. In Hebrews 10.24 it says, Allow us to consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.

[5:47] You could say, to stir one another up. To provoke one another. To provoke one another. It means to sharpen people. It means to motivate people. To love and to good works.

[5:59] Two things. That we're to stir one another. Provoke one another to have. Of course there's some stirring that might not be so godly. But we want to be godly stirrers, don't we brother Don?

[6:10] Amen. The love for one another. That interest in one another. That caring for one another. And those good works. So we might have good works. That we can encourage one another to do that which is right.

[6:21] To do that which is good. To do that which is healthy and positive. Another mark that I've found is that the church of God. The church of the living God. Is marked by the glory. Is marked by glory.

[6:32] God is here. It's the house of God. It's the family of God. God's family. And one preacher put it like this. He said. This church was not rusted together by traditionalism.

[6:44] Not wired together by organisation. Not frozen together by formalism. They were melted and brought together by prayer, praise and the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

[6:58] We want to be melted together. We want to be moulded together and shaped together in God's image. In God's way. By God's life transforming power. That people might be saved in our gatherings.

[7:10] That people might trust Christ as their master, as their Lord and Saviour. As they might experience personally that life transforming power. Of the converting power of God Almighty.

[7:21] That can impact. That can make a difference in people's lives. In Ephesians 3.21 it says. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.

[7:35] Amen. Unto him be glory in the church. We want to be a church. The church of the living God. A gathering, a fellowshipping, an assembly of God's people marked by the truth.

[7:49] That this is what we founded upon. Not opinions of men. Not the latest fad. Not to be a fad driven church. Or a purpose driven church. We want to be a Bible based church.

[8:01] We want to be founded upon this message. Upon this truth. Upon this salvation. The truth must mark us. Love must mark us. His redeeming love. Our love for one another.

[8:12] The brotherly love that cares. That is concerned. That joy that comes from knowing Christ's salvation. The joy, the gladness that we find. We want to be fellowship.

[8:23] We want to spend time in fellowship. That fruit that will come. As we're fruitful Christians. As we're growing. As we're vibrant. As we're alive. As we're growing.

[8:34] As we're fertile. As we've got the fruit of the spirit. As there's the fruit of life saved. Our souls won. That church that's marked by participation. That you'll find something to do.

[8:47] And do it with all your might. That you'll find that place of service. You'll ask God to release you. And give you that ministry. That use that gift.

[8:58] That talent. That calling. That he's put on your life. That you can be a fruitful participating member. That you can be stirring up one another. Provoking one another. To love.

[9:09] And to good works. And at the end of it's all. That God will get all the glory. That God will get all the praise. We want him to be paramount. And central. In everything that we do. That God will be glorified.

[9:21] Glorified.