Where would you like to go on vacation? Well, given the time and money to actually go on a vacation, there are so many choices. Where would you like to go for lunch? Well, given the time and money to actually to out for lunch, there are so many choices. What kind of car would you like to buy? Well, given the time and money to actually go shopping, there are so many choices.
Life is full of choices in just about everything we face. So, it may not strike some of us as unusual or even unacceptable that there are loads of “choices” when it comes to churches. In the “old days,” we could pick up the yellow pages and flip through page after page of “Churches” in our area. Today, we can go to our handy search engine and type in, “churches near me,” and our computer screen (or phone screen) will fill up with options upon options. It is likely, in the course of a week, that we drive past numerous “churches” of all sorts.
So, is sorting through and choosing from all of these “churches” like choosing a place to go on vacation or a place to eat lunch or a car to buy—any will do but some might be nicer than others? While some folks might think “that makes sense,” the Bible does not support such a conclusion.
Jesus came to this earth and promised to build His church (Matt. 16:18), and then He died on the cross to purchase His church with His blood (Acts 20:28). Do you suppose that there are “churches” around today that are not actually Jesus’ church? He said that there would be (Matt. 7:13-14; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 4:3-4). Thus, not every “church” that you see today belongs to Jesus.
Well, then how do I find Jesus’ church? Do I look for a church that is doing great things for Jesus and for others? No, that is not the standard (Matt. 7:21-23). Do I look for a church that is big and has lots of people flocking to it? No, that is not the standard (Ex. 23:2; Matt. 7:13-14). Do I look for a church that teaches things that make me feel comfortable? No, that is not the standard (2 Tim. 4:1-5).
So, how do I find Jesus’ church? And, does it really matter? It matters because only those who are in Jesus’ church are saved (Eph. 5:23; Acts 2:47) and have their names written in heaven (Heb. 12:23; Phil. 3:20). I find His church by using His book (which is THE standard: John 12:48; Jude 3) and comparing every teaching (1 John 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:16-17) and every practice (Col. 3:17; Matt. 7:22) against what His book teaches (Acts 17:11), without accepting any additions or subtractions (Rev. 22:18-19). Man looks and sees “so many choices,” but Christ sees through them all and only sees “His church”!