How To Choose A Church | What Makes a Good Church?

Finding a place where they can worship God biblically, grow in the faith, and do life with other believers has become a bewildering task for Christians these days. Of course, the answer for some professing believers is simply not to be a part of a church body. But to the genuine Christian, this is not an option because he knows that Scripture mandates gathering for worship in Hebrews chapter 10:25. Also, the true follower of Christ knows that to assemble with the saints of Christ regularly is not a burden but a tremendous blessing. Believers in Jesus are never alone. They have Jesus with them through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. They have God’s Word to comfort and assure them of victory in Jesus. And, they have the company of fellow believers who comfort them through compassion and prayers. That's, far from being a burden. That’s what human beings crave but most often do not have. 

But still, finding such a local body of Christians is not an easy task. Perhaps you can attest to this. Maybe you have recently been in this search for a church home and family. It used to be that all one had to do to choose a church was to pray and visit a few local churches before you made your selection. But today, things have become much more difficult to discern. There are traditional churches, contemporary churches, blended, charismatic, formal, liturgical, and now we’ve added trendy style churches like churches for cowboys, motorcyclists, emerging, gay, activists, and so on. It's church for the people by the people. 

What is a believer to do? Does one have to be a theologian to pick a church to join? It does help to be a student of Scripture. The answer to the, once again, is to return to God’s Word to discern which is God’s church. We must look to Christ and the New Testament to learn what a real church is. 

Before us this morning is one of those classic passages that will help you in the search and support of a biblical Christ-honoring congregation. 

The context for Acts 20:28-35 begins at verse 1 of chapter 20. The Apostle Paul is moving through the regions of Macedonia, Greece, and Philippi. We witness the momentum he is picking up from the account of the young man Eutychus dropping off to sleep and falling to his death from a third-story window and being brought back from the dead by the hand of Paul. Paul was preaching past midnight because he felt the imperative to equip the church believing that he would not see them again. 

Now he has moved on to his beloved church in Ephesus to charge the elders there. He is speaking to these men for the last time. The advice he gives is directed to the elders of the church. But for our purpose today, let’s apply it to all. Suffice it to say that where the leaders go, so goes the church.