What’s in a church? | thebereancall.org

TBC Staff

We receive so many letters from Christians who are having a difficult time finding a church where the Lord is really worshiped in Spirit and in truth (Jn 4:24) and His Word is honored. Of course, part of the fault could lie with those who can’t find a “suitable fellowship.” However, the fact that this same cry is so often heard wherever one goes indicates that there must be some truth in it. Who would dare to say that Christians in general and most churches are living up to the standard set forth in the New Testament? Yet we claim to study and know the New Testament, and pastors and teachers preach from it. How many of us have lost that glow of excitement and fervent love of Christ that characterized us when we were first saved? What went wrong?

One could point to a variety of causes. How many Christians spend as much time in prayer and Bible study as they do watching television? Has not television brought the world’s values into our homes? Christians are supposed to be in the world but not of the world. If we took an honest look at ourselves, would we perhaps see that many of us have become of the world to an extent that would startle us if our eyes were opened to discern it? Would the Rapture, if it suddenly occurred, interrupt plans and ambitions that have lowered our affections from the heavenly to the earthly?

---Dave Hunt, “The Berean Call,” September 1994